Region NPC's

[Letho]

I like the idea of a mod busting in on a thread like the fucking Kool-Aid man, but I'm not quite sure how that would work. Okay, I'm slowly starting to work it out...

Okay, say you have a quest with a clear beginning, middle and end and you don't want anybody to interfere. Then you could just state in your opening post "No region writer NPC's please". If you're not averse to the idea of someone busting in, you can say "open to region writer" and if you want to roleplay with the NPC's, you say "Closed to region writer and x", where x is whoever you're also roleplaying with.

I also like the idea of appointing some people the region writer trusts as NPC writers. That would lessen the workload.

Let me just be clear that when I say IC rewards, I don't mean like a piddling 100 exp. I mean the STANDARD exp and gold they'd get if they'd written in that quest with their main character. If this idea takes off and enough people are into it then it could get scaled back, but until then I am for whatever it takes to get region writers interested in their fucking regions again and writing their NPC's.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that, if done right, this idea could make althanas a hundred times better. Christ, just think about it! Living, breathing continents! I'm not one to normally get excited about online shit but this could be the best althanas idea I ever had, and I'm the one who suggested the Pagoda championship and the non-FQ MVP idea. (more on that later)

Edit: I am truly the greatest guy.

You sound a lot like somebody who feels that Internet is serious business.

Aside from that, I too am a fan of this idea. People often don't play the NPCs even if they get the permission because they're afraid they'll screw up. So if the NPC is always played by the same person, this inconsistencies wouldn't exist especially if they're played by the continent writer. Of course, if the writers don't have the time for this, we should recruit some people who would be instructed by the region writers on how to rp the NPCs. I'm not opposed to the regular rewards either. It's not exactly that they would get rewarded for OOC stuff. They would write ICly, even if the character in question was not their own.

I think this could work if there was an OOC request thread for each region, where people who want a mod-played NPC register their thread with the link and the summary of the storyline. The mod/NPC writer would then look over it and post.

[Godhand]

Anything I'm involved in becomes serious business.

[AdventWings]

Ah, shoot. And just as I cleared my last batch of Bazaar work.

OK, Mod works aside, I believe it's a great idea. The main problem is time, since the Mod force is spread over a wide area across the board. Judges are particularly hard-pressed, although we could work out a system so that Mods can switch around from time to time.

We can even have a queue-request, although I'm not a big fan of mechanical/automated requests for something so personal.

I'm still a vocal advocate of Region Writers or Moderators who know the mechanics of said region being the NPC writer.

[Winterhair]

Anything I'm involved in becomes serious business.

Oh gods. Its business time. Gottah take off mah paaaaaaaants....o.o

But since Godhand's taken to this idea so much, "hiring" region writers doesn't seem all that bad of an idea, especially with the reward system he's comin' up with. Hell, I'd be fuckin' happy to write as one in Fallien or Dheathain myself, I'm a dude with too much time anyways.
How 'bout it, ol' Serriliant and others?
EDIT: Fuckin' ninja'd AGAIN. DAMN your dramatic entrances!!!

[Godhand]

I'm not just fast.

[Winterhair]

Pwned.
So.
Good idea?
Bad idea?
I personally think some extra hands would be...handy.
Now, someone get me two drums and a cymbal.

[Visla Eraclaire]

I don't think you should wait for people to ask for it. It seems to me that a few people plan their writing out meticulously to go in a certain direction (at least for some quests) and that those people can simply say "No region writer". Most people, based on their comments elsewhere, seem to enjoy the interplay between writers, natural development of story and character, and a more dynamic writing environment. For them, these NPC writers should burst in when they see an opening.

Honestly, it's a lot like DM'ing Althanas, and for those who play it as a game as well as a writing exercise, it will make it a lot more fun.

As a technical aspect, I would not recommend having current mods do it, unless they explicitly desire to and warrant that it will not slow down the board and that they will not neglect it. Also, it will prohibit them from judging those threads, though they do have to read them. The mod workload argument is not a trivial one, but it is easily solved. Official NPC Writer is a full time regional or multi-regional moderatorship which is not a Judge.

And if Godhand is taking a vacation from trolling to make a serious point, so have I.

[AdventWings]

Visla brings up a very good point about the perceived purposes of having Region Writers becoming engaged in writing (via NPC units) with the regular members. The point about Region Writers simply bursting in, however, seems to be the biggest problem I see.

On one hand, it could potentially disrupt the flow of story-telling in certain circumstance, especially if the thread in question is reaching the climax. Sure, the NPC's appearance could be used as Deux Ex Machina, but to appear suddenly and without warning just seems like bad form. On another, it could potentially be used to stop a storyline that would steer the region's development away from its planned future.

In any case, the story's pacing and suspense becomes broken.

What I believe would work is for members involved in the story (or even better, the person who's in charge of planning out the storyboard in the first place) to contact the Region Writer or Moderator who knows the region well enough to provide background information, important NPCs, cultural or other social aspects of the region while working alongside each posters to bring out the small details that make the region unique. This would require the Moderator in question a small time of their life, as opposed to making them actually write alongside the others as NPCs, to make sure nothing gets out of hand.

Some examples I could find would be 016573's Akashima Saga: Luxuria and Lakin_of_DpN's East Akashima. Not to promote myself, but both members contacted me to ask for in-depth information on the backgrounds of Akashima as well as discussing potential storylines they could use. There's also one of Tainted Bushido's but I can't remember which one. (Sorry, man.)

If you really need an NPC writer, grab a reservation with your favorite Mod who's the region writer. If you can get them to post often enough for them to neglect some Mod duties, you've succeeded in chipping off some of their RP rust.

[Visla Eraclaire]

On one hand, it could potentially disrupt the flow of story-telling in certain circumstance, especially if the thread in question is reaching the climax. Sure, the NPC's appearance could be used as Deux Ex Machina, but to appear suddenly and without warning just seems like bad form. On another, it could potentially be used to stop a storyline that would steer the region's development away from its planned future.

This is easily solved by 1) not having bad writers as NPC Writers, 2) the ability to request that no NPC writers arrive, and 3) the writers arriving in appropriate places rather than just throwing NPCs in for no reason.

E.G. 1
Character A has an open quest where he sits in a public locale in Region X. No one arrives for a bit. To pass the time, or perhaps ultimately to create a quest where none would have happened, an NPC Writer arrives with a region-apropriate individual who speaks with Character A. The NPC can be completely tailored to the Character and Region's needs, rather than another character who will be pre-defined and registered and may or may not match up. This could do as little as add some local flavor before Character B arrives, or as much as give Character A a whole new quest idea.

E.G. 2
Character C and D are trying to solve Dilemma Y while wandering through Region Z. While C and D's writers may be able to "fake" a puzzle well enough, it is by its very nature fake because the writer knows the answer to his own problem. An NPC writer can arrive to pose a problem, question, riddle, issue, or other plot-mover to Characters C and D which is region appropriate, and for which the solution is not readily apparent, resulting in more realistic writing and characterization.

What I believe would work is for members involved in the story (or even better, the person who's in charge of planning out the storyboard in the first place) to contact the Region Writer or Moderator who knows the region well enough to provide background information, important NPCs, cultural or other social aspects of the region while working alongside each posters to bring out the small details that make the region unique. This would require the Moderator in question a small time of their life, as opposed to making them actually write alongside the others as NPCs, to make sure nothing gets out of hand.

Members can already do this and generally do not. There are certainly examples you've cited, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Also, having important NPCs characterized by everyone separately yields an inconsistency. In addition, many new writers may feel uncomfortable including major NPCs in their stories for fear of using or writing them inappropriately.

In any event, this option would be left open to those who do not desire NPC Writers. The addition harms none (except to the extent that typing "No NPC Writer" is a harm), leaves existing options open, and provides an innovative and interesting new feature for writers to enjoy.

Staffing is the only issue, and I doubt it's really that difficult. The NPC Writer is a tool for the aid of all, just like a judge. Rather than reading, they aid by writing, not in a self-centered way focusing in their own characters, but by inventing and supplying needed characters for the stories of others on the fly. It's very promising.

[Taskmienster]

I'm fully for this idea. OMG, amazing.

I mean, can you imagine something like (not an intentional plug) the Red Hand's issue with the Corone Empire? And NPC writer for Corone could actually play a motherfuckin' soldier and fight us.. instead of us just eating them alive without any real contest. It's harder to be realistically involved with a thread when you are the writer for both yourself (who's always going to come otu ahead) and your opponent.

I wouldn't be opposed to writing myself as NPC's, it'd give those like myself (not excluding newer people in this but it's how I feel) that have been around forever writing with the same damned characters thread for thread a chance to write with a different personality and different idea's... without having to make new profiles and stuff. I don't always want to make a new character when I have an idea of how to throw myself into a thread, but can't really just jump in with an NPC under my account and expect to get anything from it.

As far as appointing them, it could definitely be like entering a moderator app. and getting approved base by base by the writer of the region. Once approved the writer could make a small NPC profile that they could use on average, or just write with whatever idea happens to come to mind in order to make things flow better. Of course, I'm kinda against the whole automated process, since that creates backlogs, which creates stress... so a stickied thread in the main forum of each region with requests for an NPC writer, would work. The writer could come in and accept them and join in the thread... and of course standard exp and gold would be awesome.

Imagine... IC rivalries with an NPC... such a good idea. Godhand, I may never say this again, but your brilliant.