Hiya!

Hi everyone~!
You can call me Serryn. Back in October, I ran into the booth for Knight Realms at NYCC, and the staff was very welcoming and friendly! They told me a lot about the game and got me pretty pumped to attend.

However!
My plans were cut short due to some family and personal issues, and I never made it.

I'm going to try to attend soon (within 2-3 months) but one thing is holding me back:

I read in the Rulebook that NPC Duty is -mandatory.- Is there any way around this? I've seen games have fees to skip out on NPC'ing, but I can't seem to find one here. This worries me. ): I've been roleplaying since I was little, but I have a lot of trouble fitting into a role that isn't genuinely my own. I fell into the same situation with another (albeit, simpler) LARP I attended and had some trouble. I vaguely recall discussing this with the KR staff at the con and them reassuring me of a solution, but it's a foggy memory at this point. I've dealt with... a little mental instability and anxiety issues during my life, and I wouldn't want to impede on anyone's fun if I got upset over a Staff member's NPC pick for me.

That being said,
I hope I didn't come across as being stingy. It's a personal ordeal, and I totally understand if there isn't a way around it.

I'd like to come and play a support class, make my allies smile, and all around build new relationships in and out of game that will last. ^^

I hope we can be friends, regardless of what the answer is!
Thanks!

Serryn wrote: Hi everyone~!
I'm going to try to attend soon (within 2-3 months) but one thing is holding me back:

I read in the Rulebook that NPC Duty is -mandatory.- Is there any way around this?
I've seen games have fees to skip out on NPC'ing, but I can't seem to find one here. This worries me. ): I've been roleplaying since I was little, but I have a lot of trouble fitting into a role that isn't genuinely my own. I fell into the same situation with another (albeit, simpler) LARP I attended and had some trouble. I vaguely recall discussing this with the KR staff at the con and them reassuring me of a solution, but it's a foggy memory at this point. I've dealt with... a little mental instability and anxiety issues during my life, and I wouldn't want to impede on anyone's fun if I got upset over a Staff member's NPC pick for me.

I hope we can be friends, regardless of what the answer is!
Thanks!

Hey first let me start off by saying hi! My names Conor, and I play a sylvan elf ranger in game.
Anyway to answer your question, I do not believe there is a way around an NPC shift for the weekend. It is a 4 hour shift designed to keep PC's occupied with mods to ensure everyone has a good time during the course of the event, NPC and PC alike. However, if I am wrong someone please correct me

Second, as to your worry, people come to Knight Realms all the time without having role played at all before that weekend, I was one of them. I found myself in a similar situation of, how am I going to do this, I know nothing of this character type or how I'm supposed to act. My answer came to me in the form of the Monster Marshal and veteran players of the game. They assured me that the feeling was normal, and it would take time getting used to it. They explained the attitude and racial things I would need to know and gave me some suggestions on how to play the character. The first few mods, they took the lead until I felt comfortable taking lead, or speaking and being confident on my own (it didn't happen in four hours by the way, it took a while so don't get discouraged). If you are having trouble, tell the marshal on duty, they usually do their best to give people the roles that they can/feel comfortable playing(ie, if you don't like combat they will try to sent you out on role playing encounters rather that the combat oriented ones)
All the players understand the nervousness of some new players to the game, knowing and understanding skills and such. They are extremely nice about this, and if you don't understand something, like a skill or something you need to do, wether it be In Game or Out of Game, they will do their best to explain it to you. Knight Realms is a community of players who try to help each other to better the experience of all players, new and old.

All that being said, welcome again to Knight Realms, if you have any other issues, post them here or send me a Private Message(PM). If I can't answer it I will point you in the direction to someone who can. See you when you come in.
I help Chris Goley out by the way so he's another person you can look for, for answers and such.

Also, be sure to put your OOG name in your signature(under profile), doesn't have to be your full name, but first name and last initial would be good.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Sadly, though, I may have to reconsider coming. ):

It's a personal ordeal, as I said earlier- I have anxiety issues, and LARP has always been a way for me so get away from the stress of my real life, as it is for many players. I understand the importance of NPC duty to keep the game alive, I do- and I respect the people that do so. I should have worded my statement better. The main appeal of attending is being able to get into a character I've developed deeply; it breaks my feeling of immersion to drop that for a few hours to go "be this ______, do etc." As I said, last time didn't go well. > <;

Maybe I'm just weird, but I get a sinking feeling when I think about it. It's not something I can really explain, and I wish I wasn't this way. I'm really sorry. ;_;

It's understandable, however, if you are deeply caring about your immersion in the game(and that is a good thing, makes staying IG easier) Then may I suggest taking the first(friday night lay-on -2am) or last NPC shift (sunday morning). This way, you don't have to interrupt your character, or your immersion to do your shift, I do this and it clears my mind, I have nothing to worry about for the entire weekend except for IG trauma and drama and such that makes great RP. If you still don't feel like coming then that is alright too. We do get some players who say simply, "thanks guys had a good time but it's not for me."

I think I may actually be able to help here.

My name is Martin Bridge, and I do know what you are feeling like. The challenge of NPC duty is dropping your character for a 4 hour period. Which again is understandable. NPCing is part of the payment that you give when you join a game of Knightrealms, as other people pay the same cost so you can game in the other times of the game.

However, it's easier than it sounds. Try and get, as Conor said, the first or last NPC shift (if you get the last shift, you can pack up much easier). However, the way Knightrealms is designed is not just a *do this do that* monster system, it is a hybrid of both wandering and fixed positions and on a first time, sometimes it's actually a lot more fun to drop pcing for the first time and go purely NPCing, both getting more build and SP for your next game, but also learning gaming roles and how to play much more easily.

As for social and mental issues, I know of a few players who regularly come to Knight Realms who are like yourself. And who knows, you may have a compromise. If you don't come, you won't know if you can get things to work.

Hey Guys,
Serryn, you said you spoke with someone about NPC shift & they said something or another about it. Why don't you wait for a staffperson here to help assist you about that. I cannot say for certain that this NPC issue can be resolved or not, but who knows.

Bladesworn wrote: Hey Guys,
Serryn, you said you spoke with someone about NPC shift & they said something or another about it. Why don't you wait for a staffperson here to help assist you about that. I cannot say for certain that this NPC issue can be resolved or not, but who knows.

I thought a bit about this last night, and debated a little more.

I wonder if there's another way I could contribute to the game?
Even if it meant showing up early to help set-up, extra cleaning, etc. I'm fairly decent with graphic design and layouts too, though I don't know if that could be applied to anything KR-related.
The game itself is beautiful- from the location to the mechanics, I'm enthralled. You guys are all very kind, too. (: This little predicament is really the only turn-off from the game that I can think of.

My only worry is coming across as "that one exception", etc etc; which may make other people feel cheated. I'd like to not have that kind of stigma attached. ):

Once again, thanks for taking your time to help me out. ;w; I know it's an odd request, but I hope we can work something out. And if we can't, well... I'm sure I'll work something out. This game looks too good to pass up.

No worries. As posted, just talk with the Staff & let them explain what's the expectations they have from you as a player, & what you have from them as a game. Nothing is guaranteed & hopefully things will work out. I will not point out specifics or such, but it takes many different hands to run KR & many different people to fill all the needed roles. NPCing is a fun way to learn the game, take a break from your character, & contributing to the fun of your fellow players... so we stress that a lot as it also helps build cooperation & fairness.

At the October meeting, you spoke with some representatives of KR there, & I'm sure you saw or heard something worthwhile or else you wouldn't try coming. I hope that you do come & have fun.

Hello Serryn,

My name is Chris and I am the new player deputy for Knight Realms. I was not at the convention but I heard it was a great time. I'm glad you decided to check us out! I'd love to have a chance to meet you. I can see you have a few concerns for attending. Allow me to check on some things for you and get back to you with a definitive answer before moving forward. I hope that there is a resolution that we can all come to together that will allow you to come and enjoy our game, and allow us to enjoy your company.

Feel free to PM me or Email me in the meantime if you have any further questions.

Thank you, and I hope to talk to you soon!

Chris G. wrote: Hello Serryn,

My name is Chris and I am the new player deputy for Knight Realms. I was not at the convention but I heard it was a great time. I'm glad you decided to check us out! I'd love to have a chance to meet you. I can see you have a few concerns for attending. Allow me to check on some things for you and get back to you with a definitive answer before moving forward. I hope that there is a resolution that we can all come to together that will allow you to come and enjoy our game, and allow us to enjoy your company.

Feel free to PM me or Email me in the meantime if you have any further questions.

Thank you, and I hope to talk to you soon!

Thanks Chris.

I'll be browsing the forums and rulebook in the meantime; I don't think I've ever been this stumped on character creation before! So many options!

Anyways, I hope it works out, too. Although it may be ~2-3 months before I can attend, (acquiring a costume, etc)
I'd like to have myself sorted out and registered before then.

Strange though this may sound given yur antipathy about stepping into temporary roles that you did not choose, perhaps you maight consider NPCing for an entire event? This could work in two ways - 1 - it obviates the need for garb, as NPC garb is standard black and 2 - it will introduce you to a variety of situations which will help you n the future.

geezer wrote: Strange though this may sound given yur antipathy about stepping into temporary roles that you did not choose, perhaps you maight consider NPCing for an entire event? This could work in two ways - 1 - it obviates the need for garb, as NPC garb is standard black and 2 - it will introduce you to a variety of situations which will help you n the future.

The problem is playing as a character that I didn't create. It's hard for me to play a role that's just handed to me, is all.

As I said, I have personal reasons too, but I don't really feel comfortable discussing them publicly- I don't know how people would react.

Don't worry Serryn,

Nobody would ever ask for you to speak of personal issues in a public forum. I'm looking into this issue for you to hopefully find a resolution we can all be happy with. I promise I'll get back to you ASAP!

Thanks

Chris G. wrote: Don't worry Serryn,

Nobody would ever ask for you to speak of personal issues in a public forum. I'm looking into this issue for you to hopefully find a resolution we can all be happy with. I promise I'll get back to you ASAP!

Thanks

Thanks again, Chris.
You're all so nice here. ;_; Definitely one of the most welcoming communities I've stumbled upon.

Keep me posted~ ^^

Good news, everyone!

I'm currently in the middle of moving from NJ to Brooklyn, so I'm low on money...

But!

I should hopefully have a steady job soon, and the cost of living is going to be fairly cheap. I think it is safe to say that I'll have enough money to costume myself and attend the May event!

That being said, I look forward to meeting you all on May 18th~ ^^

Oh, also, let's keep in touch! I might need help creating my character, so. -w-

Serryn wrote: Good news, everyone!
Oh, also, let's keep in touch! I might need help creating my character, so. -w-

well I help with new player cards, so if you don't have a profession/race down when you show up I'll help you out.

I'm aiming for a Gypsy Healer, at this point.

The only thing that worries me is pulling off the accent. I'm pretty godawful at such things.

How do the other gypsies fare?

Hmm, can't help you much on the accent there, since my character being from Selendrias doesn't have an accent.

That being said I find most gypsies are pretty good at it, but as I'm sure they, and the celts(they mostly have accents too), will say practice will make it better, and you'll be able to pull it off........my character, is developing a celtic accent, from just being AROUND celts, so you could hang around them and it might help you solidify yours.

For what it is worth, I am fairly good with some accents and could try to help you out a bit when you come if you like. I happen to play a Celt and will be bringing a Gypsy character into game in June. I won't claim to be the best, but I'd be more than willing to try to help you with it if you like.

My character doesn't have an accent, but one idea I came up with to help could be to look up romanian (or any accent) on YouTube. Listen to how it sounds and try copying it.

I've kind of done this myself, only it wasn't for an accent... It was for wolf growls If we meet IG you'll understand why.

Keavy Lylas Kennyreplith wrote: My character doesn't have an accent, but one idea I came up with to help could be to look up romanian (or any accent) on YouTube. Listen to how it sounds and try copying it.

Here this should help:




I plaly a Gypsy Cleric who Collects Names. Start talking to any of the accented gypsys and you'll catch the accent!

Considering how I am bringing a gypsy in in june (he will be hard to miss) I have been working on the accent, but the accent i use is a mix between French, Russian, and Spanish with a little bit of middle east thrown in. Best way to learn though is try to emulate the accents that you hear.