Looking to Start Off as NPC

I'm getting roped into Knight Realms by some of my students. Of course, I'm not exactly kicking and screaming.

I've been reading through the Core Rulebook off and on for the last few days, and while I stumbled into a half-backstoried character during discussions, I figure the better thing to do would be to start out as an NPC. I don't see a forum board for that, so I'm posting here.

Keeping in mind that the earliest I could come is November, and even that remains somewhat iffy, is there anything I should plan for? I've read up on keeping warm (and yes, the repeated warnings about socks!), and I know NPC props are normally provided and simple. What about a place to sleep for those NPCing all weekend? I've seen references to finding a place to camp, but it seems like mixing off-shift NPCs with PCs would break immersion, so I'm wondering if there's a place for NPCs?

And how does food work? So far, I haven't found a lot of detail there.

For the benefit of whatever Marshal would be handling my services:

Restrictions:
- I am handicapped. Except on really good days, I need a walking aid such as a cane or staff. I have a period-appropriate staff I can bring, but it's not as good as a cane. I can and do spar with swords OOG, but my good days and bad days are unpredictable. I'd prefer to take a role that allows me to easily sit down if necessary. (And if you want a scenery-chewing grumpy old man, I'm your guy.)
- I am allergic to tobacco. I understand that smoking is restricted at the event, but I can react to just what's carried in on clothing. (I have no reaction to vaping, as there's no tobacco.) I figured it was worth mentioning.
- I wear glasses, but can use contacts.

Abilities:
- Acting experience, including the ability to mimic various accents. These include, but are not limited to, English (London low-class, British aristocrat, Received Pronunciation, and also Midlands if I have some prep), Scottish (Edinburgh and Highlands), Irish (Dublin, Galway, and Belfast), Spanish (Castilian, not Mexican or South American), Italian (Roman accent only; if I try for another it slips back to Rome), Russian (or possibly Polish with prep), and enough French and German to get the point across but I can't pass as being from there. I've done Arabic and Mandarin Chinese as well with prep, but never for long periods of time. (I can do other accents, but they're less useful for KR.) Give me a one- or two-sentence description of an NPC, and I'll probably have a voice for him in five minutes tops.
- Over a decade of GMing experience, which includes a lot of NPCs and practice at improv within a KR-like story. This includes a range from both understated to scenery-chewing characters -- though I do have a weakness for being snarky.
- A kitchen-sink level of esoteric historical and philosophical knowledge that can be used for a wide range of NPCs.
- Speaking of kitchens: I enjoy cooking, and can volunteer for that as well. I also don't mind washing dishes, especially if that job is OOG and I can put on headphones (what I've read seems ambiguous on that point).

Hey Matt, I'm Matt one of the New Player marshals here and welcome aboard. Many people are at the game this weekend, so people will probably be coming in later. But to get some questions answered now:

1. Costuming and weapons are provided for you as an NPC. You need basic black clothing such as sweatpants/sweatshirt to npc in. They cannot have any text or image showing on them. There is no designated place you HAVE to sleep as an NPC, expecially if you have friends coming to the game. Just be discreet about your belongings. Cover them up with a black cloth, put them under your bed, whatever needs to be done, since you aren't PCing.

2. Feast is served Saturday night for dinner. Npcs are usually treated to breakfast Saturday and Sunday as well. Anything beyond that you'll have to provide. Sometimes there are people selling food at Market Faire around lunch time for either real money or in game money.

3. Walking with the cane is no problem, your best bet is to put on a green headband which indicates you are non combat. For the tobacco issue, we do have a fair amount of people that smoke. The restrictions in place are that there are designated areas to smoke in, and you can't smoke on mods where other people are present. How bad is the allergy? Our safety marshals would need to know.

4. Glasses are no big deal. Contacts are a little safer for heavy combat.

Hi Matt, im Matt one of the other new player marshals,Matt covered most of your questions but if you have any others feel free to contact me.

It's Matt-ception....

I have Matt-groupies. It's why a lot of people call me Bowman, to the point that at least one person went almost three months before realizing it wasn't my first name.

Camping with friends who aren't NPCing for the weekend doesn't sound fun unless I'm given an NPC role in their camp, because otherwise I'd be OOG and they'd have to ignore me.

I may get a more period-appropriate cane to use, assuming that it's fine to use a wooden cane in a non-combat role. I figured my eventual PC would be a caster of some kind so that I could always lean on a staff, and since I'm likely to be green-headbanded (I can and do spar with swords, but my condition is unpredictable; some days I can move around just fine, and the next I could be almost bedridden) I figured my wooden staff might be acceptable.

As I said, I stumbled into a half-backstoried character during discussions with friends who are also new to the game, and I did so before looking at the rules. Because of my mobility issues, I knew going in that I would prefer to play a caster (which is my usual preference in tabletop RPGs as well). Since my friends are playing members of the same barbarian tribe, one of them had been healed by a wilderness hermit in her backstory, and another had been partially raised by a wilderness hermit (not originally the same character), I wound up getting that role.

I started out envisioning him as a druid, but based on what I've heard about the roleplay styles (which aren't covered in the rulebook to the extent I've heard live, but I've seen elsewhere on the forum that the core rulebook is still lagging a bit behind) the healer roleplay fits the character much better. It would mean not taking barbarian as a race, but that seems to be working out, and due to factors I won't go into I was roleplaying him with a Slavic accent in the first place (suggesting he wasn't from the same tribe at the very least).

Since I can't start with two professions (as I infer from the book that even the extra build from NPCing wouldn't let me open a second profession without at-event roleplay first), I will likely start with healer, but I still like the idea of also being a druid. Is it permissible for me to roleplay a character who has druid tendencies even though it's not actually on my character sheet yet?

Further, is it permissible to learn the druid profession and skills from another new player? Someone else in our group might start as druid (the one raised by my character, which would provide an interesting back-and-forth).

Many of your questions are answered with "of course".

Now why did you change your mind about playing a barbarian healer?

As far as the dial class at creation goes, you simply need to spend your first 50 build on that one class. Then you could get a second. So if you NPC 3 events, you'll have enough. If you opt not to, your idea of learning from a friend works fine

His backstory is working out to have him be someone who, in order to avoid constantly feeling the pain of others, retreated into the wilderness. There are some other details in there that I haven't nailed down, but might talk privately with a more knowledgeable player regarding the more political side of things.

So as long as I have the leftover (after the first 50) build to buy it, I can have a second profession at character creation? Just wanting to make this absolutely certain.

Is it possible to purchase extra build without counting it as that character's first session? Or can that only happen when paying for a PC to play?

Yes, if you can manage to get 60 build at character creation, that will be enough for 50 build into primary, and a second list. You can always buy extra build at check in.

If you need some fun barbarian information, message me and we can hash out your backstory.

Okay, I'll take that as "Yes, you can only buy it when signing in your character, BUT you can incorporate those at the very first session."

I'll send you that email.

Corrected. Sorry for any inconvenience

Since I mentioned Service Points (SP), I should mention that Event Build can be matched with SP at a ratio of 100 SP to 1 build. Your first 9 events are the most important, because event build goes as follows:

First three events: 4 build
Fourth through sixth: 3 build
Seventh through ninth: 2 build
10th event and so on: 1 build

So your first three events, you should try to earn at least 400. The kitchen almost always needs help; if not, they should steer you in the right direction. As well, in addition to the listed donations in the Rulebook, each month the storyteller(s) running the event will post a thread in the Announcements board requesting certain items they need for that event and will reward those donations with SP.

What we always need, as per the Rulebook:

• Spell Packets (500 SP for 100 Tied Packets, 1,000 SP for 100 sewn packets)
• Headbands (White and Blue, Yellow and Red)
• Tiki-Torch Fuel
• Powdered Drink Mixes
• Boffer claws (Small Weapon and 1-Handed sizes, in pairs)
• Inexpensive, generic latex weapons for NPC use
• Glow Sticks (Bulk quantities of the larger kinds, for lighting up areas at night)

When it says headbands, it means ribbon. We run through spools of it like nobody's business. Approximately 1.25" to 1.5" in length.

I hope this helps!

-Jeff

I'd noticed the SP ratio and the higher build for earlier sessions. I didn't know that the headbands mean ribbon; that makes it easier for me to pick up. I assume you want this hand-delivered, not shipped? I haven't noticed any mention of the latter, so I've been assuming the former.

And like I said, I have no problem helping out in the kitchen, as long as I can sit on a chair or stool.

As for the first part of your reply, it sounds like I was wrong, and I cannot purchase extra build for my character to use for buying any secondary profession abilities for use in my first event. That's too bad.

Actually, I am wrong about the bought build and that it wouldn't count as an event attended. I'm sorry about that!

As for the donations, yes, please hand-deliver them.

Okay . . . I just want to earn enough so that my first PC event can start with whatever is needed to already have druid open and get at least a couple of spells. It's mostly for RP purposes, because I want him to have learned a little druidism while off in the wilderness but I don't have any particular abilities in mind. I just want that foot in the door without having to get trained by anyone at the event.

Right, it's something that your character would already understand how to do.

Yeah. I can have him get more training from another druid for the rest with no problem. I was just wanting the RP of him already having the ability, even if (as I would have settled for if it was the only way) it was only a pure roleplay point and he just couldn't get any IG benefit until it was on his sheet.

Hi Matt, I'm John, one of the Safety Marshals here at KR and also a member of one of handful of tent-ers not in camp tents.

I took note of your restrictions and will want to chat with you in private about stuff. No need to clutter the thread. :)

Matthew Bowman wrote:
Camping with friends who aren't NPCing for the weekend doesn't sound fun unless I'm given an NPC role in their camp, because otherwise I'd be OOG and they'd have to ignore me.

While it can be kind of beat to not be part of the IC roleplay with your crew, if you are NPCing the weekend you likely won't be there often. Trust me when I say you will be busy...

When you go to bed for the night, odds are your crew will be out and busy all over. If not, then you are the wind whispering in the air around them...

Our group has had a few faced with the same situation- and in private moments at Oh-dark-30 around our camp fire-pit, we admittedly will drop character to chat with our member should he or she be there. As our area is not in high traffic areas, we generally have no fear of harming another's immersion. If it were in such an area, then that worry becomes more important.

Bottom line though... IF non-members of your group are present, don't drop character as best you can. No one here are ogres and the overarching goal is for folks to have fun. :)

My friends will apparently be camping with the Blood Spirits for the foreseeable future, so I get the impression that it's a longer walk and a more involved group.

I don't mind not dropping character. It's actually an attraction for me . . . if I can join in. I don't tend to get enough of that when running my tabletop games, because I have to switch characters so much or drop them entirely in order to explain things.

Either way, feel free to chat privately about the safety stuff.

Bowman, John is the Safety Marshal I discussed my mobility issues with when I started playing. :)

Well, John, you can always use that as a shortcut. :) I'm a bit less mobile than Reyna, but otherwise it's effectively (as far as KR is concerned) the same thing.

I am probably reading this long after it has been resolved, but still, it seems to be the only place i could ask questions about NPC'ing my first time at knight realms. Well, I really only have one question: Is it okay if I come to Knight Realms my first time to NPC on a Saturday morning? or is it a necessity that I attend the new player training Friday knight? Is there a way I could possibly arrive on Saturday and have someone give me a quick overview of the rules and/or combat? Please respond!

Also: I have been thinking of characters to possibly play, and some sort of assassin/stealth character has come to mind (this also works for me since I have lighter armor to LARP with, but not heavier stuff), However I fear that a stealth based character build in a larp seems much cooler in theory than in reality. Do you think it would be okay to start off with a stealth based character, or would you recommend a more straightforward swashbuckler, wizard, or knight?

OOG:Raoul Herskovits.

Of course! When you arrive on Saturday, just ask one of the people that check you in to get a New player Marshal for you. We're going to have a few floating around at logistics most of the day Saturday

Raoul William Herskovits wrote: However I fear that a stealth based character build in a larp seems much cooler in theory than in reality. Do you think it would be okay to start off with a stealth based character, or would you recommend a more straightforward swashbuckler, wizard, or knight?

So, one of the great things here is that if you play your character for real and it turns out that he really was better on paper than in "reality," you're allowed to rewrite aspects that didn't work out for you. Any time before your character's third event, you can change any of his stats, skills, his profession (Assassin if you so choose) or even his name if it happens to seriously resemble that of an evil god (cough, cough).

As Matt said, we'll have a few of us in Logistics, the building where you'll check-in and tell the person behind the desk that you're there to full-time NPC. Thanks for coming!


-Jeff

Raoul William Herskovits wrote: Also: I have been thinking of characters to possibly play, and some sort of assassin/stealth character has come to mind (this also works for me since I have lighter armor to LARP with, but not heavier stuff), However I fear that a stealth based character build in a larp seems much cooler in theory than in reality. Do you think it would be okay to start off with a stealth based character, or would you recommend a more straightforward swashbuckler, wizard, or knight?

OOG:Raoul Herskovits.

Like Jeff mentioned you can always rewrite if you decide you don't like your stealthy character. I think stealth based characters work really well at KR but if I could compare it to a video game it's going to be more like the old school Thief game than Skyrim. Patience and common sense are going to be your best friends. When you come to NPC mention to the marshals on duty that you are wanting to create a stealth character and see if they can send you out on a stealth based mod at some point so you can get a feel of the mechanics and skills. Also feel free to grab me at any point. I'm a new player marshal and i play a character who relies on stealth a whole lot.

thank you guys all so much, you have been really helpful! also i think i am reconsidering an assassin for a sort of swashbuckler or something anyway. thanks for the help!

It's what we're here for! If you need us before the weekend, feel free to make another thread on here or send one of us a private message either here or on Facebook. We don't stop being New Player Marshals during the event either, so if you're confused or need help while you're out NPCing and you see either of the Matts, Andy, myself, or another NPM, come up to one of us with your fist on your head (to signal that you're out of game) and ask.