NPC Sailors and NPC Armies

[Sadko]

I consider each character in a faction as a hundred people. That's so it sounds plausible in IC to say 'My army is a thousand men strong.' instead of saying 'My army is ten people strong.'

 

[Naelwyn]

I consider each character in a faction as a hundred people. That's so it sounds plausible in IC to say 'My army is a thousand men strong.' instead of saying 'My army is ten people strong.'

But there aren't even 100 players total on the server in a given day. Most towns do not have 500+ houses.

This number makes zero sense.

 

[Sadko]

You miss the point. I'm not rolling with the fact that the player characters are the only people in this world, else it'd be an extremely lonely world populated by 50~ individuals. Those thousand men aren't going to be appearing anywhere or helping in battle, only the PCs will. It's just for flair and for muh immersion.

 

[FrostGuardian]

But there aren't even 100 players total on the server in a given day. Most towns do not have 500+ houses.

This number makes zero sense.

 

[Naelwyn]

You miss the point. I'm not rolling with the fact that the player characters are the only people in this world, else it'd be an extremely lonely world populated by 50~ individuals. Those thousand men aren't going to be appearing anywhere or helping in battle, only the PCs will. It's just for flair and for muh immersion.

Then is it fair to say if a faction is going to pull 10 times the number of players extant on the server as imaginary soldiers...

That they need to build proper houses, land, and food resources for those people?

 

[Sadko]

You should really read before replying lmao

 

[Naelwyn]

Kid gloves off, then.

Are you trying to insult my intelligence when I'm disagreeing with your point, buddy?

Think of the infrastructure requirements for even a hundred people and you're obfuscating a huge load of effort away and gaining a bunch of magically-alive people you can order at will.

100 people require:

A market square or sufficient businesses to efficiently sale and distribute food
Transportation
Sanitation
Legal systems and law enforcement
Health Care
Clean Water or efficient breweries
Acres and acres of farms, including diverse food requirements
Fisheries, Hunting Lodges, or other means of acquiring protein
Grain silos for storage of supplies in times of famine
Clothing
Education for Children
Graveyards, Mausoleums, or Crematoriums
Tax Collection
Coal silos or cords and cords of firewood stored for winter heating

I can go on and on and on and ON, man.

If you want to pull 100 people out of your ass and not have me laugh you out of the room you better have all of the above and more prepped or else your imaginary cadre of people have all died of dysentery or scurvy or frozen to death or any freaking number of things because providing for even a small number of people is massively challenging and even the largest builds on our server wouldn't support housing more than 200 people, and those are lacking tons of these essentials.

 

[Sadko]

holy shit, nael. I said twice that those numbers are just for immersion. They aren't going to be helping in battle. They aren't going to be fighting or guarding or scouting or doing anything. They are for immersion. It's not going to matter in a fight or anywhere.

 

[Michcat]

Aren't you technically breaking immersion with 100 residents and, say, 20 houses (which are all populated by PCs)?

nael kinda has a point yo

 

[Naelwyn]

holy shit, nael. I said twice that those numbers are just for immersion. They aren't going to be helping in battle. They aren't going to be fighting or guarding or scouting or doing anything. They are for immersion. It's not going to matter in a fight or anywhere.

They don't make immersive sense if you are creating 100 people that /literally don't even have a place to live/, they are a break in logic entirely is what I am stating.

I'm completely leaving out NPCs as a fighting force and simply stating that /creating 100 NPCs/ for your immersion breaks immersion for everybody else around you because those 100 NPCs cannot possibly exist.

 

[Sadko]

Alright, I get you. And it also breaks immersion if armies are considered to be comprised just of player characters. Or that this world is populated by under a hundred people. Or that a town or a country is populated by 20 something people. Because ain't that immersion breaking.

 

[blargtheawesome]

i was just curious of people's thoughts and trying to promote healthy discussion pls take to pms

 

[Naelwyn]

Alright, I get you. And it also breaks immersion if armies are considered to be comprised just of player characters. Or that this world is populated by under a hundred people. Or that a town or a country is populated by 20 something people. Because ain't that immersion breaking.

Nah, I'm saying that if you want to assume that there are 100 NPCs for every PC in your town, you had best be prepared to back that up in your build design and create, for every PC home, ~20ish houses that are permanently reserved for NPC use at the bare minimum.

I have not, at any point in this thread, argued that people cannot have NPCs, I have argued specifically that 100/PC is not currently logical or sensible for any single town on the server because none are even built to house that many people.

 

[Sadko]

Alright. Again, what I do is but my preference and perspective of how this RP world works. Nobody would logically build hundreds of houses for characters who aren't around to be played just so it isn't immersion breaking. And nobody would logically say that a kingdom is populated just by 30 people. There are some people who agree to roll with the idea of hidden population, so evidently it's not immersion breaking for some.

 

[FrostGuardian]

Hah. As if I'd be so gracious as to provide that many homes to the vile peasantry. To hell with them, I say. Let them reside in the slums where they belong, eh? Feed them slop like the dogs they are. Hahah. Dull creatures.

 

[Elt]

Just my thoughts, but I think a general consensus on town populations relative to how many people they can support/other factors controlling it could be reached for specific regions fairly quickly. As for armies, I'd say it also goes by how large the force would probably be for a region, depending on how many they can support in barracks and with adequate arms, the region's need for a specifically-sized military force, etc. Sailors - well, NPCing that just takes the fun out of it, but that's just my opinion, is all.

EDIT: also

i was just curious of people's thoughts and trying to promote healthy discussion pls take to pms

 

[Spear]

I have not, at any point in this thread, argued that people cannot have NPCs, I have argued specifically that 100/PC is not currently logical or sensible for any single town on the server because none are even built to house that many people.

Would make sense for Renatus given that I'm the only player who still lives there xD
But yeah not many cities on the server are actually big enough to support a population that large to begin with.

 

[Naelwyn]

Hah. As if I'd be so gracious as to provide that many homes to the vile peasantry. To hell with them, I say. Let them reside in the slums where they belong, eh? Feed them slop like the dogs they are. Hahah. Dull creatures.

But do u /have/ slums?


Aside: This is another argument in favor of a capital city, as it gives a place for all this populace to come from.

 

[FrostGuardian]

But do u /have/ slums?


Aside: This is another argument in favor of a capital city, as it gives a place for all this populace to come from.

Why, yes. I'd have to keep your chambers somewhere, now wouldn't I? Hahah. That is my policy at Frostwood. A room for every guest! I may not be a gracious ruler, but I am certainly a gracious host. Huzzah!

 

[Immerael]

I always roll with 1-5 more NPCs for every PC around in the immediate area when in towns unless otherwise stated. I do a sliding scale based on city size etc. This usually helps with immersion but doesn't run into army size.

Lots of other tiny factors like is the city new, easily accessible, important for some reason, and owners activity OOC since when they are gone so long builds are destroyed and the prevailing logic is they are abandoned thus the process is a slow one and the people living there should leave slowly.

I've gotten off topic though. My thoughts are as follows if the army or navy is just sitting at home collecting dust you can have as many as you want. its fine imo if you want to say all your navy vessels are out and about trading.

However I would edge on the full need of PCs in the form of mains or temps to man ships or armies of any size. Basically if your just doing it for immersion purposes and world building for yourself go ham. If your trying to exert that will on someone else better have the PCs to back it.