*NEW NPC RULES!* PLEASE READ!

[Eimi]

My fellow Triadians, Greetings!

So, the Council has been discussing lately the number of NPCs we have.  We love NPCs!  NPCs are great!  But sometimes, it seems that an NPC is used so much that it ought to be an ONPC or at least an ANPC if not a PC persona.  However, we noticed that while we felt in our gut this was a problem, there was no line by which to measure when an NPC might need to cross over into the official persona realm.  We have been talking about this for some time, and have decided to set out some ground rules.

Let me first explain WHY this is an issue.  The reason is because NPCs can be played at any time without a persona sheet.  That makes it nice when you want to have your persona visit a crafter or meet a new friend for the evening.  That is what the NPC designation was made for!  But when an NPC is a major player in a storyline or posting with multiple people, they begin to develope a history and personality of their own.  Which, don't get me wrong, is fun!  But it's hard to monitor those personas.  Therefore slight mistakes in canon or in the name rule can pass under the radar as it were, which isn't fair to everyone who is very careful about their canon.  We feel that once an NPC has a life of its own, it's only fair and right that they be held to the same standards as other personas.  Just to recap, this isn't because anyone had been "over stepping their boundaries" or abusing the system.  We just feel the system was flawed and now we hope to correct it.

So, as of now, we will have a new measure as to when an NPC should be made an ONPC/ANPC/PC persona, and therefore require a sheet.  So here we go:

YOU KNOW YOUR NPC IS REALLY AN ONPC/ANPC/PC WHEN...:

* They have appeared as players in multiple storylines (two or three are ok)
* They have a storyline of their own
* They are connected to a PC persona, but posts with personas unconnected to or appear in posts about situations unconnected to their PC
* They are a major player in an on-going SL (ie. longer than a month or two)
*  They appear in more than four posts in a quarter (ie. Crayon to Crayon)

So if you find that any of the NPCs you have been writing fall under one of the above categories, please write a persona sheet for them as either an ONPC, ANPC, or PC.  We feel that these rules are reasonable, as there is plenty of room for NPCs to pop up now and again, but also give you guidelines as to when its time to make a persona sheet.  And of course, for those of you who have had an NPC who has been posted with multiple times and you now need to make a persona sheet, we will waive the "post once" rule and count past posts as their one post, so you can submit multiple sheets without posting inbetween.

You might be wondering which you should be making your persona out to be.  Here is a general rule of thumb:

* If they are connected to a PC and post exclusively with that PC or in SLs surrounding that PC, it should be an ONPC persona.
* If it is a persona that pops up multiple times in multiple situations and/or with multiple posting partners(ie. a healer at the Smith Hall, a co-worker in a Hold, a wingmate in a Weyr...) that you would not mind if someone wanted to adopt (with your permission) and turn into a PC of their own, it should be an ANPC.
*  If it is a persona that is connected to a PC but posts outside their SLs and with multiple people, if they are a major player in a SL not connected to another PC or a SL of their own, if they do not have a PC they are connected to but have reached the limit as an NPC, it should be a PC.  Remember, you can always archieve or put the persona up for adoption when you're done.

And although this new rule is going into effect starting immediately, of course we will give you some time to write those persona sheets for those of you who have multiple NPCs you need to convert.  If you can't have them done by mid-May for any reason, just let the Council know and we can work with you on a schedule.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this new rule, including if you're wondering if your NPC needs a persona sheet, please feel free to ask away!

Thanks!

Eimi
On Behalf of the Council

[Eimi]

We would like to say that there are exceptions to the rule!  You may find that you need an NPC to play a role one particular SL that has a definite beginning and end, and which does not stretch over several months, BUT, you need the NPC for more than just four posts during that time.  Please feel free to e-mail the Council and ask if it's possible to waive the persona sheet rule.  This rule was put into place to make sure that no one was unintentionally abusing the NPC rule (ie. using an NPC in a manner in which the classification was not intended, using an NPC like a ONPC or PC).  We of course understand that sometimes there are story lines that will go over four posts, but not go on for months.  If you think your NPC would classify for a waiver, please e-mail the Council and ask.  It never hurts to ask!