Weekend NPC Shifts – What they Mean and Why

[SteveModerator @steve]

Hello all,

I have been asked about the details of weekend NPC shifts enough times that I think posting it will be beneficial.

The first part of this post is going to be background of why we made the decisions we did and some of our rationale as plot runners. Feel free to skip to the NPC Shift breakdown if you aren’t terribly interested in this part.

Weekend events are a huge commitment for event runners. Not only during the event itself, but the countless hours of prep and planning that happen before the event even begins. To help make the event better, we ask that everyone attending plan on NPCing for part of the event. This goes a very, very, very, very, very, long way in helping ease some of the stress on the runners (so they don’t have to add begging for NPCs to their already unfairly long to-do list).

While there is some nuance to this, the general expectation is the everyone volunteer for a shift during a weekend event. We have broken the weekend up by time slots based on when NPCs will be needed. While to some it may seem like a random or even arbitrary division, the plot team actually spent a lot of time talking about the best way to break things up.

We had a few goals in mind:

1 – Provide NPC coverage for modules (with a focus on the Core story modules)
2 – Ensure no one is NPCing more than one Core story module unless they want to
3 – Ensure PCs who switch do not miss personal plot (we are really good about telling people when not to NPC, or when to switch back to their PC. We aren’t trying to screw you, we promise)

With that in mind, we determined that the best way to accomplish the above would be to change the way we scheduled modules on weekend events. We have been successfully doing this for a few years now, but many of us remember the days where weekend modules followed a very different scheduling format.

We understand that in theory the breakdowns work great, but in practice there is some nuance to it. Please always feel free to chat with the person/people running the weekender to work out when you can NPC if a traditional shift isn’t going to work out.

With all that being said, here is the current breakdown and expectations:

NPC Shift 1 – Friday Night
This shift begins at game on and goes until after the PM modules conclude.

This shift covers the following modules:

7:30pm – ‘Welcome to the Weekend’ module – typically 30 minutes with a combat or two for whoever is in game
9:00 pm – Core story module
11:00 pm – late night modules – two modules run concurrently splitting the town. Often includes modules for personal plot.
1:00 am – module for night owls – this one is dependent on someone really wanting to run and there being enough PCs who want to go on it. I used to run this but switched to Saturday AM for low skill point modules and no one has had any real desire to schedule it.

If you are considering volunteering for this shift, it is important that you can stay awake and be at least mostly active until the end of it. The reason why is to cover for NPCs like me. I run the early Saturday modules, so I can’t stay up super late if I want to be awake on time to run them (many thanks in advance). Also a great shift for PCs with a lot of Makeup or costuming so you don’t have to get out of costume to NPC, just start the weekend as you are!

NPC Shift 2 – Saturday Morning to Lunch
This shift begins at 9am (and yes, I am up and ready to go at 9 so it is a realistic expectation) and goes until lunch (2-3pm).

This shift covers the following modules:

9:00 am – Start the day module (for Terath weekends that I NPC, this is a low skill point character module, so if you are under 200 skill points you should not NPC this shift).
10:00 am – Two modules run concurrently
Noon – Core story module #2

If you are considering this shift, please be aware of the wake up time if you plan on staying up late. It is important to start on time as there is a ripple effect on the schedule for the whole day if they start late. This slot is also great for PCs with a lot of makeup or costume as you don’t have to put it on right when you wake up.

NPC Shift 3 – Saturday after Lunch to Dinner
This shift begins 10-15 minutes before lunch ends and ends at dinner (7-8pm).

This shift covers the following modules:

3:00 pm – Two modules run concurrently
4:30 pm – This slot is generally used for personal plot modules and is often two modules run concurrently.
5:30 pm – Core story module #3

If you are considering this shift, please make sure you eat lunch and get ready to NPC quickly as we want to start the 3:00 pm modules as close to on time as possible. This is the slot we typically need the most NPCs for. While we understand that everyone wants to PC this, as it is the final Core story module, the support is needed (and the plot team remembers those who help).

NPC Shift 4 – Saturday Dinner to end of PM modules
This shift begins 10-15 minutes before dinner ends and goes to the end of the night. This shift is typically more RP heavy then other shifts due to everyone being tired by this point.

This shift covers the following modules:

9:00 pm – Two modules run concurrently if there are enough PCs interested in going. If there is not enough interest, there is just one module run.
11:00 pm – Late night module slot, rarely run as two modules but it has been known to happen.
1:00 am – Night owl slot. Dependent on someone being excited to run it and PCs being awake to go. Often turns in in town RP.

In addition to the above modules, there is often a lot of NPC driven RP going on in town.

If you are considering this shift, please make sure you are awake enough to be mostly active towards the end. There is often a lot of RP going on, so if you want to get involved with someone’s plot as a recurring NPC this is a great time to do it.

NPC Shift 5 – Sunday Morning to end of event
This shift begins at 9am and goes until the Tavern and NPC camp are fully broken down and packed up.

9:00 am – Single module – This is a combat module that ends with everyone helping to break down NPC camp.
11:00 am – Single module – This is a combat module that ends with everyone helping to break down the kitchen.

The 11:00 am slot is only used if there are enough PCs interested in going on the module as at this time many people are busy breaking down their own camps.

If the 11am slot is not being run and you signed up for this shift you will help break down and pack the tavern/kitchen.

If you are considering signing up for this shift, please understand that the expectation is that you will be available for both the modules and helping to pack up NPC camp and the tavern. Please keep this in mind when you plan your Saturday night to make sure you are awake and ready to go by 9. You will also need to schedule breaking down your own camp around this shift, so please plan on doing so either before 9am or after the tavern and NPC camp have been fully packed up.

Thanks all,
Steve

• This topic was modified 2 months, 1 week ago by Steve.

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