NPCs! Come to me!

I've been thinking about the NPC idea, and while nothing's been tested, I have hammered out the details for NPC conduct and their involvement in the game. The purpose of NPC's in the game is to help run a faster, more in-depth, and ultimately a more fun game. So, without further ado, here's my initial declaration of NPC involvement.

General:

NPC's have similar powers to the GM, in that they may look at other character's sheets, notes, etc. as necessary. Most importantly, like lying to the GM, LYING TO AN NPC IS NOT TREASON, IT IS CHEATING. Like the GM, they are there to make sure you have the most fun in your own personal corner of hell. The GM will serve as the storyteller, but the NPCs may still contribute as described below. The GM outranks the NPC is all decisions, but shouldn't use that to his advantage, the prick. Any NPC is considered Ultraviolet clearance out of game, and as such are encouraged to peruse through the entire Player's handbook. Once they return to PCing (playing the game), they are expected to forget all of it, of course.

While NPC's do have GM-like power, they also get the GM-given gift of perversity. The GM, if he so chooses, may give you perversity to spend in any way you like as though you were a PC. Hilarity ensues.

Things the GM may ask you to do:

Play an NPC - The GM may ask you to roleplay as a random citizen in Alpha Complex, or even as a plot-propelling citizen. The GM will give you enough information to get started (a personality, clearance, any information to give to the PC's, hilarious jokes, etc.) and you will be asked to roleplay that character and entertain the PC's.
Good roleplaying will net you perversity, bad roleplaying will net you stern looks from the GM AND the the players.

Go into the hall and play an NPC - Some PC's like to talk to their contact with their secret society. While conversations are nice, the GM cannot have a private conversation with a player using notes and run the game simultaneously, omnipotent as he may be. So, the GM may ask you to roleplay as someone's secret society contact out in the hall where the other PC's and even the GM can't hear you. This requires some level of trust, so don't be a jerk. The GM will make sure you know enough about the secret society to pass a high-ranking official, give you whatever information you need to have/give to the PC, and send you into the hall. If you are planning to be an NPC, a working knowledge of various secret societies is preferred.

Pretty much anything - The GM never knows what he'll need to do, and so he doesn't know what he'll need YOU to do. Be flexible, and comply with his unreasonable demands. There's some perversity in it for ya.

Things you can do when the GM isn't looking:

Antagonize the players - Most people in Alpha Complex have a small machine in their brain, attached to their sensory nerve, that advertises to them occasionally. Advertisement is a necessary part of any capitalist society, after all. So, whenever a player sees/hears/smells anything (or not), you may pass them a note with a hilarious/treasonous advert upon it. The other players will get suspicious that notes are being passed, you and the player get to have a good laugh, and all is well. Also, if a player ever ends up with "Visions", this means that some drug or mutant effect is causing them to hear voices. This gives all the NPC's carte blanche to antagonize them with convincing voices and suggestions for hilarity/treason. You can even command this player to do minor things, but only if simply "suggesting" isn't hilarious enough.

Create pill cards - At some point, I'll go into these in greater depth on this blog, but they're basically index cards with various drug effects written on them. As an NPC, if you're having difficulty keeping quiet and are creative, you can write up some of these in your free time. They're all pending GM approval, of course, but it's something to do.

Bugger off - NPC's have the unusual privilege of being able to leave in the middle of a firefight, assuming they're not roleplaying an NPC. So, if you need to go to the bathroom or get the GM a cool, frosty beverage, that's generally okay. Don't be gone for too long, though - you'll miss all the fun.

Issues and Concerns:

Too many cooks spoils the broth. Too many players leads to chaos. As such, there needs to be a system for balancing the number of PCs and NPCs. The NPC rules are really only designed for large groups, so any game with three or less players should not have any NPCs. Alternately, if there are more than 5 players, at least one NPC is vital to keeping the GM sane. As this system is tested, I'll speak more about proper PC/NPC balance.

There is always a concern with abuse of power. If a player believes that an NPC or even the GM is abusing their power, or that there is some way the game could be run better, please, PLEASE do not hesitate to talk with the GM about this. Please. We are all here only to make sure that everyone has fun, and no one is more dedicated to this concept than the GM.

If you have any additions or comments to this, either talk to me or leave a comment here. I'd love to hear your feedback.

Next, I'll talk a bit about these nebulous "pill cards" and I'll let you know how this system works in practice.

-Flare

PS. I've noticed that "hilarious" and "treasonous" are always interchangeable, at least here. Is Treason Hilarious? I think so.