Being an Encounter Head

[russiandude]

NPCing this weekend reminded me about one of the important roles on the NPC/staff side - Encounter Head. I thought I would share my thoughts about this role

Comments

[kelkyag]

Not a role I've seen called out separately before (ah, doing things casually), but an interesting one.

Where are you NPCing these days?

[russiandude]

It's a role many people fall into, but it is nice to consciously think about it!

I've been taking a long break and I just went to the Cottington event recently as my first NPC stint in more than a year.

[kelkyag]

It is, indeed, and different game staffs handle it quite differently, I imagine. One doesn't have to have plot clue (though I suspect it would help), but you do need mechanics clue and people-wrangling skills and sense and judgement.

I hope you enjoyed both your time away and your return to larping!

[ezrem]

Excellent breakdown, thank you for sharing.

[alberteqx]

This is a really good breakdown. If you don't mind, I might copy this for educational purposes. :)

I think being an encounter head is actually one of my favorite parts of NPCing/Staffing. It has (relatively) low responsibility outside of the encounter and there is immediate feedback in being able to marshal satisfying module/field pain/town fights.