"Bloody hell." says Random Player, "Why is that ST out for me? That NPC they played really hates me. What did I do wrong? Isn't my character interesting enough that the STs want it around? Did I piss them off outside of game? Was my bribe of sex and money not enough to appease them?"

You'd be supprised how many times I hear stories about things like this. This is a far more common statement than many would be willing to believe. Thus, I'd like to clear up a few misconceptions by writting this DGA.

First, let's give some common definitions that everyone already knows....

STs : Storytellers. The people that are supposed to run the rules, and more importantly, the World Of Darkness. The STs are supposed to use the tools at hand to make the WoD truly feel like the WoD, not the World of Slightly Shadowed. To this, they have many tools at hand. One of the more common tools is...

NPCs : These are Non-Player Characters. These are beings of the World of Darkness that are there to help enhance ones role-playing experiance. Tools of the STs and Points of Plot Purpose. Note, each NPC should be unique, having their own personality, wants, goals, drives, dislikes, tastes, kinks, fetishes, fingerprints, method of wiping their own butt, etc.

You : The living breathing portion of this game that tells the story of what is happening. You have to face the challenges of the world as it is portrayed in your genre. You also have to deal with the rest of "you" when it comes to interactions. As well as dealing with the groups of "you" you will also have to deal with the NPC's as the ST's work to make the WoD more fleshed out for you to be able to immerse you into the nasty world that we are playing in.

*breathes*

Ok, now that we have all the definitions in place, let's get to some of the things I mentioned in said definitions.

Primarily, the difference between STs and NPCs.

STs (should, for the most part...we hope) care about their players well being. We've come to be friends with everyone at this game. We've gotten to know some of the more personal aspects of your life...AND your characters life. When we are doing our job as an ST, it's very difficult to remain in a neutral standpoint, since we've gotten to know everyone so well. But, it's part of what our jobs demand of us. Unbiased. Willing to give a blessing or a bane to anyone and everyone.

NPCs, on the otherhand, don't get the wonderful insight of the "real person" pulling the puppet strings of the character. They only get to know what little they may have heard about you. Now, something to keep in mind with that...when Kindred talk...how often is it about the good deeds you have done? How often is it about a screw up, or who isn't doing their job right, or about how horrible someone is?

Plus, something else to keep in mind with NPCs is, they have a history too. If we didn't put a little bit of thought into an NPC before we brought them in, they would be bland, boring, and not do very much for this game at all. They would basically be useless, since with no history, there is no story....and that is what the NPCs are here for. To create and continue stories.

So, what does it mean, when an ST, playing one of the NPCs they have been given, snub you? Or worse yet, make death threats to you? Or, the ultimate in kindred torture...not kill you, but vows to destory everything you hold dear and make your life a living hell?

Does it mean the STs don't like you or your character?

Perhaps this is just revenge for that joke you played on them a few weeks ago.

Let me be the first to say, none of the above. Not even close. A good ST remains unbiased. It's, as I said, part of the job. It has nothing to do with you as a player. It has everything to do with the interactions between two seperate characters...who may or may not like each other for one reason or another.

So what does this mean? Well, let me give you a few suggestions on what is a good reaction for this.

1) Why did this NPC do this to me? I should go and research this person more and learn what makes them tick. Perhaps I will uncover something that explains it all. Perhaps they are being manipulated by another. Maybe being given false information that led them down the wrong path, which just so happened to end with me?

2) Woah, he almost killed me. Perhaps I should see about doing to her what she failed to do to me. The only difference here is I won't get caught as the culprit.

3) Holy crap, he just chewed me out for no good reason. What the hell? It's possible I said a trigger word to some implanted thought in his mind that made him go off. Maybe his emotions are being toyed with as we speak. Maybe he's just deranged. Perhaps he's putting on a show for someone else as a test? Damn...to many directions to think of...but I'll get to the bottom of this.

These are just a few of the billions of examples of what could happen and some unique approaches to them.

So what goes through an STs head as they are making these decisions to do these nasty things to the characters to which you have put so much time and effort in? Well, here's a small glimpse...

"Man, I don't want to do this, but it fits for the character to react like this."

"Mental note, remember to let this guy know after game that I wasn't mad at him while I was yelling. Oh, and tell him he looked like he was going to shit himself. That was at least entertaining...still feel bad for yelling though."

"*mental sigh* Ok...this is so going to suck, hopefully it will be appreciated in the end."

"Damn is it going to suck to not see her playing that character any more if something goes badly here....I like the character concept."

"Ok Mr. HST...you keep telling your players...time to tell yourself...it's the World of Darkness...wear a helmet."

The game is about having fun.

Losing a character due to NPC actions tends not to be a ton of fun. But, to be honest, it really depends on what light you look at it in. If you look at it as, "Well, that sucked. I just got schooled, I felt like I just wasted all the time I put into that character and didn't get jack for it except a character sheet for a dead PC." then of course you won't have fun.

Having not only STd, but played in LARPs for so long, I've learned a totally different way of thinking on it. I don't think of my time as wasted, nor my efforts useless. I think of all the ways that character has already touched other characters' lives. How some people will actually mourn...in AND out of character, for the loss of my PC. That's not something to be mad over...that's something to celebrate over. Your character's time was well spent...and YOUR time was well spent. And this is true if it's PC vs. PC or NPC vs. PC in my book.

Granted, the ST staff trys to avoid NPC vs. PC every opportunity possible. But, it needs to be stated, there are some points during a chronicle where NPC direct interaction is necessary to keep a cohesive story. Mind you, I didn't say plot there. STs should not force people to make decisions that fit within their plot. But characters should be ready to accept consequences for choosing the route they did. This does not mean an ST will smack you down for not following a plot as they drew it out. It does mean that there might have been an NPC waiting for specific things to happen, and when they don't, they come to find out why it didn't happen and do something about it.

In conclusion, I guess the long and the short of it is, just because an NPC takes an action against your character, please, don't think it's the STs not liking you or having it out for you. We feel just as bad about having to do it as you might taking it.

- Written by former HST and 2 time AST Adam Faber