Children NPCs, yay or nay?
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I like children in games. I don’t want EVERYTHING to be about them, but I like them. I even PCed a kid or two that was once an NPC when they came of age.
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For me, it’s safer to just avoid using Children as NPCs / PCs in a MU because it seems to always attract really crusty people before too long, and it’s just better to avoid that. Mentioning them in passing without them being present in a scene is fine, but them actively being a part of the ongoing scene / storyline is not (for me). Generic Example: A character has a photo of his kids from their first marriage on their desk, but doesn’t ever interact with them because the ex got full custody with no visitation in the divorce. The character might mention missing his kids in passing in conversation, but at no point do the children appear in the narrative.
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Mentioning them in passing without them being present in a scene is fine, but them actively being a part of the ongoing scene / storyline is not (for me).
to me, a child NPC being part of a scene is very different from them being part of an ongoing storyline. the latter implies an actual plot. the former can be a passing accessory or flavor to the scene.
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I think children npc really depends on genre of a game as well… in WoD, most situations you do not want kids anywhere near and be safer just to have them in the care of a trusted npc off screen. Don’t bring your infant to a Garou caern or around a mage chantry. There’s always a chance some spirit or rage or other magic accident might happen.
In pern games (especially games in 4:1 or 3:1 time), children existing and being fostered is pretty common for them to not always be around. Lords and ladies i haven’t really played but assume securing a heir is important but also a chore and so the actual kid doesn’t need to be present to be plotted about/around?
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@Roz There’s also the idea of a setting that focuses on children as the main character. That can be acceptable as long as the content isn’t horrible. Examples would be things like Kids on Bikes or Tales from the Loop. Both focus on kids as PCs, but in both cases they’re very Goonies / Stranger Things adjacent, so the worst thing that happens to the kids is minor injuries or getting chased by a robot bent on rewriting history.
Proud Member of the Pro-Mummy Alliance
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@Roz There’s also the idea of a setting that focuses on children as the main character. That can be acceptable as long as the content isn’t horrible. Examples would be things like Kids on Bikes or Tales from the Loop. Both focus on kids as PCs, but in both cases they’re very Goonies / Stranger Things adjacent, so the worst thing that happens to the kids is minor injuries or getting chased by a robot bent on rewriting history.
There is something very offputting to me about adults whose escapist fantasies revolve around teenage/childhood glory days, so personally this is actually the scenario I would be least comfortable with on this thread so far.
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@Roz There’s also the idea of a setting that focuses on children as the main character. That can be acceptable as long as the content isn’t horrible. Examples would be things like Kids on Bikes or Tales from the Loop. Both focus on kids as PCs, but in both cases they’re very Goonies / Stranger Things adjacent, so the worst thing that happens to the kids is minor injuries or getting chased by a robot bent on rewriting history.
i’d say that’s a whole different topic. that’s children as PCs, not children as NPCs.
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Can’t think of a time that I’ve been thrilled someone brought along their virtual wish fulfilment pet I mean child.
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@Juniper FLARED unless you mean the base is covered in stickers and decorations
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It’s like a pun or something
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