“The Face of Evil”
Evil wears many faces; Jack the Ripper, Jeffery Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Hannibal Lecter, and Dracula are some of the more notorious. Yet see that innocent child over there, yes, the one smiling sweetly at you right now? You could never tell from that angelic expression that they are holding a mutilated dead cat behind their back now can you?
Evil may come to us in beauty or in terror. It can offer us glory and riches, or torment us with visions of defeat and torture. It can whisper to our deepest desires or play off our worst fears. Evil does not always look evil.
Some of the villains in our storylines are considered by us to be NPC’s, Non-player characters. They have been created to be antagonists’ in our storylines. They are slated to die… eventually, when their use is finished.
Some NPC are created for the use of horde play, they bring “other minions” with them that are literally dead meat for the night. These everyone can kill to their hearts content for that is why they exist; to die for the glory of the character/s.
How to tell the difference? It should be obvious through in-room interaction, or on their profile, but if it isn’t feel free to PM and ask.
We use NPC’s to advance the stories. They collect, exchange and encourage direction of varies stories to which they are related. They may also die for the greater cause of our characters. Not all of the NPC in our stories will be evil, but many of them will be. Not all of the NPC’s die easily, but their minions are another matter entirely.
NPC’s are created for a multitude of reasons:
- To eventually die for the greater glory of the PCs’ and/or the stories.
- To provide information at the right times or direct the story during weak currents.
- To Intrigue, entice, and challenge the PCs’.
NPC’s are Players too.
Think about this: During a typical in-room event, a NPC player faces a multitude of other players, with their own stories, all merging into one grand story that they, the NPC player, must somehow keep cohesive. The story itself is ever changing, every action, every reaction creates new opportunities yet it also changes the direction of the over all story. The NPC player must adapt all these factors constantly as the scene progresses. Typically there is only one or two NPC’s in a room during most in-room events.
The odds are without a heads up, a warning that there is an action being taken, there is a possibility the NPC player might miss something. Don’t get mad, communicate. Give the NPC player the kindness of the benefit of a doubt. The room is scrolling, they are doing their very best to keep up but sometimes things do get chaotic and actions overlooked. An IM to let them know or maybe you can write around it yourself?
The NPC player is not your Game Master; it is up to you to write what happens to and with your character/s. If the NPC player declares there are more than one baddies with them, pick up the challenge and make your own baddie/s to slaughter as you will.
NPC’s are around to spice up our characters lives, feel free to use them as the vehicles they are. But please remember they have been created for a reason not of your own making. There is a fine line between taking advantage and god-modding, please try hard not to commit that crime. If you want to play the hero, fine, but do not expect the NPC primaries to be your dead victims. Please refrain from modding them, they are here to amuse and further stories, not to die the moment they walk into a room. Write in your own baddie/s and slaughter them if you have such an itch, but do not presume to do the same to the primary NPC sn’s. Only the NPC players can make that kind of serious call.
Everyone who FFRP’s should know that the principal guideline is respect, this includes the reality that no one save you can control or dictate what happens to your character/s at any given time. Meaning: It’s not up to us to tell you what’s happening to your character, it’s up to you to tell us. Vice versa, NPC players have the final say on what happens to their characters too.
In the end it comes down to this: write it yourself. Be your own hero… or not. It’s up to you and your creativity to do with your character/s and their stories as you will.
Lan
