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LARP Plot Tips: Dealing with Problem NPCs

NPCs come in all kinds of flavors. Some are great fighters but not as good as roleplaying, while others can spin yarns for hours but fold in combat. Use each player to their strengths and you'll get a high quality event.  However, some players tend to cause more problems than they solve when they NPC. Here are some common attributes of problem NPCs and how to deal with them.

The Inexperienced - These are new players that have a lot of energy but tend to be a little loose with the rules. The easiest solution is to have a senior NPC/Staff person "Mentor" them when they go on modules. This is as simple as asking them how much damage they can take before they go down and how much they can throw to make sure they know their card before each module. When these new players do well, remember to reward them with an interesting/important role that you think they can pull off.

The Lazy - There are a number of people who will NPC, but then they spend excess time standing around and talking about cool things their character has done. Ordering them out to do a module doesn't really stop enough to make a big difference. Your two options for these people are extended NPC roles (go to town as a trader for an hour or two) or logisitcal tasks (folding tabards, clearing tables and monster cards, sweeping). You may not be able to stop them from talking, but at least they can get something done while they do it.

The Out of Gamer - These players have a tendency to have trouble staying in-game. This can hurt your atmosphere when a group of orcs come down the road and all but one of them gives a warcry. These people aren't bad players, but they can reduce the fun of the PCs by giving information away, talking to players when dead, and not really playing NPC parts. Giving them a logistical job, like a marshaling a module with traps, can free up more IG players to NPC. Make sure to give them a lesson in marshaling beforehand, lest they give too much away!

The Bloodthirsty - These are players that came to NPC to kill people. As an NPC, your job is to make the game fun while having fun yourself. These people truely want to beat the players, causing the to overplay monster cards. As a rule, the more bloodthirsty a player is, the less likely I am to give them a powerful card. Avoid giving them roles that can use incapacitate spells/effects or have unlimited resets, as they will try and cause as much damage as possible, suicide, reset, and start it over again. Don't ever give these players a role where they're expected to scale back their skill level or roleplay with the PCs when a diplomatic solution is possible.