Giving Back:
Beyond Basic Blacks
People who I have great respect for have told me that in order to keep the Realms going, players should spend one event NPCing for every 3 events they PC. This ensures that the labor is equally distributed and that everyone is involved in both the production and the consumption of the fun of the game.
This is a good guideline, but there is one issue with it; not everyone is a good NPC. It’s true that anyone who plays the game can NPC because everyone is trained to be safe in combat, but there are many of us in the community who, for various reasons, can’t put on the “union blacks” and go out there and “hit their friends” while “guarding the western flank”. Medical issues, young children, work commitments, and dozens of other things mean that the 1 to 3 ratio of NPCing and PCing just isn’t possible.
I know this from experience: I am a terrible NPC. I do not have the stamina to stay on a quest for the full day. It’s one thing for me to only PC part of a quest, but if I constantly need breaks while NPCing, it lets down the rest of the staff as well as the players.
This doesn’t mean I’m off the hook. The important thing is not to NPC. It’s to take time to give back. Everything about our game is community-driven. No one is getting paid to do things for the Realms. Event Holders have to work hard to break even when throwing events after paying for site fees, insurance, food, props, and everything else. We are literally a not-for-profit, volunteer-based group.
NPCs are not the only sort of volunteer that is needed. Quests need NPCs, but feasts need servants, and tournaments need marshals. The nature of the game is that it is effectively impossible for an event to be effective without people supporting it and working instead of playing.
I know I am not a good NPC, but I have other skills:
-I know that I am good at following instructions and at cooking, so I help out in the kitchen at feasts throughout the year.
-I am organized, so I “stage manage” and help supervise events, helping to keep track of props, NPCs, and timing during quests.
-I understand the spell system, so I volunteer to be a Magic Marshal.
-I am a “night person” so I stay after events to help clean up.
-I am observant, so I am learning how to be a combat marshal for tournaments.
While you will rarely hear me saying “gobbo” or “brains” or whatever it is that monsters these days say, I do my best to spend time helping. I have tracked all of the events I have attended this year. Of the 23 I’ve been to, I’ve helped full time out at 10, yet only NPCed one.
Without people who NPC, marshal, serve, and stay up until 4am the night before working on that last prop, the realms wouldn’t be as rich as it is. When everyone finds a way to give back, everyone has more fun. And isn’t that what the Realms is all about?
