PC/PNPC/NPC in Nova 3

[Constantine]

The need to mark a character really wouldn't be required as all the players primaries would be a Dept Head. However if a player chooses not to have a Dept Head then a suffix of some sort would be needed.

Although I use PNPC's alot I have to agree with Cmdre Quinn with regards to players getting discouraged by the sheer size of the manifest. I believe each player brings a unique perspective and writing style to a sim making it a surprising and enjoyable environment for all other players. With PNPC's the manifest still reflects the position as open and usually the PNPC can be dropped like a hat and replaced with a new player without much grief. Having secondary PC's takes away from this opportunity to get new players unless you somehow indicate that a secondary character does not constitute a filled position.

Personally I have no issues with the use of PNPC's and I see this as no real change. The advantage to having a PNPC is that I always have access to the resource of the position for a mission so I can broaden my creative scope. I have run into missions where a position vacancy has hampered me but having access to a PNPC to be called when needed help.

For this I would not be in favour of changing the status quo, call me archaic but I like things as they are and most likely will not use Nova 3.

[FruitLoop]

After hearing the problems pointed out to me about potential players, I doubt I would be upgrading to Nova 3 either.

[Fletcher]

Same, I most likely will still continue to use Nova 1.

[Blackcat]

Well, in everything EXCEPT Nova 3, we could continue to use the designation PNPC, meaning Player Non-Primary Character after this... Since the designation continues to exist in Nova 2 and less.

[Mike]

Well, personally I'd rather have them marked as NPCs but like I say, that's just my preference and I find it works quite well on 332. I do agree with the original point of the thread that you should be allowed to create in-depth characters on the sim outwith your primary one. It works for the player, it works for the game. It's a win-win.

[Williams]

Personally, as I've said in the discussions that various ones amongst us have had on the subject and in posts on the Anodyne forums, I'd rather keep the concept of a PNPC - whatever its name - around. Whether that be in the form of a secondary character or under some other title. As people have pointed out, these kind of characters can be very useful; they don't have any rules on activity imposed upon them by most COs, they are clearly marked as not being primary characters on the manifest by way of the combadge/icons, and they come in handy a hell of a lot when there is a position where one needs to talk or interact with or post with a character in that spot, but there's a break in the player base in that region. I know on the Endeavour for example I have an NPC in the positions of Chief Helmsman, Chief Engineer, and Chief Science Officer. Helmsman not so much, but the latter two are key to having the current plot progress; without a character to interact with in that position, then the story would just seem rather odd as other characters in other departments would have to be substituted.

From a non-CO level as well, it is always nice to have a fallback option of someone who you can write for as and when the mood strikes you, but not be required to do x amount of posts a month with that character; sometimes inspirational writing is best done in this way.

Saying that, I am of the opinion that we could do with allowing more playing characters per sim - at the discretion of the CO - as if managed properly it can produce some fairly decent and interesting results. However, as I'm personally of the opinion that we should continue to allow PNPCs (banning them would be a dreadful move anyway, and would likely lose us a fair few people), even if we do put them loosely in the rules in some form or another, I think that 5 might be a bit high; afterall, some people struggle with keeping five characters active on different sims, let alone twenty five spread across five sims. I'd personally broach that 3 would be a more reasonable number, with users still being allowed to make use of PNPCs/Recurring Characters/Background Characters/whatever we want to re-term them as if anything at all if they wish it and if their CO allows it.

[Thompson]

I have someone playing their PC and 6 or 7 PNPC's... Everywhere allows for multiples and I plan to continue running that way. I just don't count them on the manifest. I think on NOVA 3 we can just keep referring them to that as such as well.

[Blackcat]

Note that 9 would be inserted between current .8 and .9

Original PF Constitution Article 3.1.x
5. All players shall post to any sim in which they are a member at least once every two weeks unless they are on a leave of absence or the sim CO has determined otherwise on a ship-wide or personal basis. Posting requirements different than these must be clearly posted on the ship's website.

8:
A player in PF is allowed to be an active member of no more than 5 sims across PF. At the discretion of the CO, a player may control or 'own' secondary characters or "PNPCs" on the sim, but the player must designate which is his primary character for the purposes of promotions, awards, and sim reports. PNPCs are not to be included in the sim's IFS manifest, and are not to be included in the CO's monthly report. A player may only have one primary character on each sim they are on.

Proposed:
5. All players shall post to any sim in which they are a member at least once every two weeks unless they are on a leave of absence or the sim CO has determined otherwise on a ship-wide or personal basis. If a player has PNPCs (3.1.8), each PNPC would add a posting requirement of one additional post per month. Posting requirements different than these must be clearly posted on the ship's website.

8. A player in PF is allowed to be an active member of no more than 5 sims across PF. Each player must have only one primary character on each sim they are on that counts for the purposes of promotions, awards, posting requirements and sim reports.

9. A player may also control or 'own' secondary characters or "PNPCs" on the sim, which are not to be included in the sim's IFS manifest or monthly report. PNPCs may hold Department Head positions, but the positions they are holding must be listed as available on the manifest to promote a diversity of players on the sim.

[Lan Parker]

How about, we just remove all mentions of PNPC's from the constitution. The fleet has long had a history of not interfering that much and I think CO's should be left to their devices regarding the running of their sims. Else we're likely to see no one creating NPC's because they're bound by fleet rules to post excessively.

I have about twelve NPC's scattered around Pegasus fleet there's no way I'd be able to keep up 12 posts within that time frame and it also hinders creativity.

[Blackcat]

I wouldn't say it hinders creativity, actually, quite the opposite. It encourages players to either post for those PNPCs or denigrate them to normal NPCs that anyone can post for. The idea here is that if you aren't posting for them, then they either shouldn't be there... Or they should be opened up for everyone to use. In the past I've used NPCs occassionally, but kept NPCs out of the picture simply because to me it always seemed to be a cheat against the 5 playing characters rule. The goal of the whole discussion is to legitimize these extra characters, but like the old saying goes "With great power comes great responsibility." Honestly, if they aren't being used at least once a month, then what good are they really as PNPCs? I see that P on the front as a liabilty then, limiting the creative freedom of the other writers on the sim rather than inspiring them.