A new feature we have added to Odyssey is to allow players to pick up an NPC for some temporary RP. You may be an experienced RP or a former Aether player and you just want an afternoon of RP without committing to a character, or perhaps you are a new player to the theme and want to get a feel for the game and our RP before creating a character and getting involved. In any event, the game has some playable NPCs that anyone can take on and play.

These NPCs are all characters that could be created straight out of chargen. They have no special abilities or characteristics that would require an application submission, so anyone may play one. Additionally, they are characters in ordinary roles, rather than in positions power, like a ship’s First Mate. It is out hope that a player with only a vague understanding of the theme could take on of these NPCs and be able to join into the RP, be it everyday scenes or a longer TP. They will come with a completed sheet, description and info. As the game goes along and the NPC is played more info will be added to them. This will include such things as accidents, fights, friendships or other events that happened to the character of which the player needs to be made aware.

If you would like to play an NPC you will need to contact a member of staff to get the NPC’s password. Staff will be changing passwords on a regular basis, so unless you have been told you can play an NPC over an extended period of time, such as the length of a TP, do not expect to be able to just log in with that character whenever you wish. The reason for this is that someone might be using the NPC for a period of time and just might not be on at that time. Likewise, if someone is logged on as an NPC and someone else attempts to log on with the same NPC, the first player will be knocked offline. There are few times when one member of staff is not online (generally in the early morning hours EST), otherwise there should not be difficulty in getting access to an NPC. Other PCs will not have the ability to grant NPC passwords.

If something important has happened to your NPC, please @mail Eos and let her know so that the information can be added to the character. We would like to keep as clear a record of an NPC’s doings as possible. It would be awkward indeed for a new player to take on an NPC and attempt a friendly conversation with a PC, only to learn that that NPC and PC had a knock-down, drag-out fight just two days ago.

If you are a full-time player, you are welcome to play an NPC as well. Perhaps you need a new character for a day, or what to experience a different type of character. That is fine. However, please do not use NPCs to do something you want to do with your PC, but don’t want to risk the consequences. For example, do not ask to take on an NPC just to insult another character for no reason, or to back up your character’s argument. This is not to say that NPCs should not do anything that might get them into trouble, just that NPCs should not be used to do your PC’s dirty work.

We also encourage players to submit their own NPCs to be added to the pool. If you have an idea for an NPC, please see the Submission Guidelines for more information. Like the staff-created NPCs, they must be characters that could come straight out of chargen without any application requirements. Once an NPC is approved and created, he or she will be allowed to be played by anyone, the player who created the NPC does not control the character. If you have an NPC that you wish to keep control over, but would like to see him or her added to the webpage, please submit it as a closed or unavailable NPC. Mister Burke is an example of an unavailable NPC.

The number of playable NPCs will be kept somewhere between five and eight, depending on the size of the playerbase and the popularity of this feature. This number will reflect those NPCs that are members of one of the two crews and not temporary NPCs needed for larger TP events.

For specific TPs we will have NPCs that will only exist for the duration for the TP. These will generally be characters in a new land, encountered pirates or people in a familiar port. These will be added to the NPC page on the website when they are available for play. If you no longer see an NPC listed on the website, it is no longer available for play.

If you have played a certain NPC for a few times and would like to become a permanent player on the game, you may request to staff to be allowed to turn that NPC into a PC. Some NPCs will be allowed to be turned into PCs, while others will not. For the most part, ship NPCs will likely be allowed to be made into PCs, while TP NPCs will likely not be allowed to be played on a full-time basis. If you have an interest in a particular NPC, please speak with a member of staff. Please know, however, that if an NPC is turned into a PC, it can be turned into an NPC again if the player disappears or no longer wishes to play the character. If a player of a former NPC does not make any mention of being away or on vacation and disappears for the period of a week, staff reserves the right to re-password the character and return him to NPC status. An NPC turned PC will be expected to follow all of the guidelines and policies that player-created PCs must follow.