Created 91 days ago
by
HfxTenor
Gamer, Singer, Trainer, Storyteller, and all-around swell cat.
Been playing WoD since the original VtM came out back in 1990, though I've been into rpg's since the D&D red-box in Grade 6.
First book I ever read: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (yes, I have the hots for sinister female leads thanks to this novel)
Favourite Movie: The Sound of Music
Favourite Computer Game: Any adventure game by Sierra On-Line, particularly the Gabriel Knight series.
Merit: 5 Flaw: 0
- Currently 5.00/5 Stars.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Human
Humanity
MMO
Mortal
NPC
Roleplay
WoD
World of Darkness
Categories:
World of Darkness Blog
Views: 249
Print
Up until 2004, I had always been a player when it came to roleplaying. That year, after Storytelling my first major V:tM chronicle (oh my god, that’s almost 10 years ago....), I came to a startling realization: the mortal NPC’s in my game were as important, if not more important, than the supernaturals. Unfortunately, they had also practically become after-thoughts in my game.
As the Storyteller, I had crafted several pages of NPC’s, complete with images, names, brief descriptions and background stories for each one. However, as the Chronicle progressed, I had allowed the mortal NPC’s to become less and less involved. The Chronicle was still wildly successful with the players, and is one of the writing projects I’m most proud of to this day, but I can’t help feeling remorse over the lesser role that the mortals ended up playing.
Okay, now for the controversial statement that invites Flaws (hopefully more Merits, though) and many wonderful comments – World of Darkness is actually a game about humanity. In playing and exploring life as a vampire, changeling, mage, etc., we actually expose what it means to be human. It’s a concept that can be found in many different arenas. Music, for example, is as much about silence as it is about sound. The brief moments in a song where silence occurs make the musical moments that much more poignant.
It’s one of the reasons we love monster movies and horror movies so much – they allow us to explore our own humanity and come to deeper understanding about ourselves. Even in a Sabbat Chronicle, where the vampires go out of their way to NOT be human, or divorce themselves from their former humanity, mortals are vitally important because they serve to exemplify that disconnect from humanity that the Sabbat espouses. Without them, the Sabbat would only have Camarilla Kindred to compare themselves against, who in turn would have nothing to compare themselves against, which breaks the entire chain of “We’re different because we refuse to be like them.”
In this miasma of super-powered bad asses, the piddly little humans can be easily over-looked, out-gunned, or even left out entirely. But I think it’s extremely important to frequently bring them back to the forefront, for the reasons set out above, not to mention the fact that humans outnumber supernaturals by a large margin. The very nature of the Masquerade is to put humans in the foreground so that the Kindred can play out their Jyhad and pull the strings of the police, the government, the criminal underworld, and so forth.
From an MMO perspective, this means that some heavy duty resources will need to be devoted to NPC throngs of humanity on the streets at all hours. Sirens and car horns should fill the night air. Hotdog stands and street vendors should call out their wares. Thugs should beat up helpless innocents in the alleys. Drive-by shootings should rock unsuspecting neighbourhoods. Hospitals should provide aid to those in need. Government debates, open to the public and publicized on local news networks, should hold weekly or even nightly sessions. Reporters and their camera vans should interview people on the street. “The crush of humanity” is a colloquialism for a good reason – it refers to the vast overcrowding that can be seen in many of the modern world’s big cities like New York, London, or Tokyo.
This is one of the things I liked about nWoD – it put the focus on mortals first, before introducing any of the splats. (God I love that word when used in WoD – splat – such a mouth-wateringly intricate definition)
So I really hope the MMO will have a huge, and more importantlyvisible, NPC mortal population. What do you think? Can CCP do it effectively? Or would it require too many system resources and lead to lag and clunky graphics?
6 Comments
You need to
register to comment.
-
1 Merits
Amenat
89 days ago
I think a large community of visible humans is a good idea. Not only to have a mortal population to feed off of like in Vtm:B but also gives an excuse to have a large lively city. I got a question: You start out as a human and decide to be say, a doctor; can you continue that job after you vamp out the character or do you have to change it? Also, if you have a preset city with mortal population, you can have it more like VTM rather than having it a huge open mmo that the only things are lame quests, repetative grinding, ect ect. If you could have random stuff that happens to you out of the blue without talking to someone. That's what keeps the games interesting. Be creative guys. Good luck with the mmo.
Reply
-
1 Merits
Rick Gentle
91 days ago
I honestly don't really see the point of playing a mortal in a game set in modern times. If I wanted to go out and act like a mortal... I'll go outside and get a hamburger or something. Most human life is completely pedestrian, and that usually doesn't make a good story. I don't think the point of "Humanity" in the World of Darkness is actual physical Humanity, but the system of morality, ideology, and spirituality that surrounds humanoid creatures with (or sometimes without) souls. Form isn't the substance of the game. (Especially if you're a werewolf.) Mortals in the World of Darkness ARE the scenery, both in the sense that they set the scene against which our supernatural characters are set, and in that many supernaturals THINK OF THEM as scenery. It is that mode of thinking that is the focus of the game, to my mind. But should there be lots of mortals in the WODMMO? Assuredly. They ARE part of the scene. But I'd also like to have not-huge-lag, so I don't what every individual human to be hand-crafted, have their own personality and scripts. Leave that to single-player games like Skyrim. The instances you mention are great - as instances.
Reply
-
0 Merits
Tikuto
91 days ago
CCP can do it. *Slowly peers into EVE Online* *Shunts back!* Definately!
Reply