Role-Play Development

One of the cornerstone concepts of NBT-Solaris is the rich role-play enviornment we have provided for use by both pilots and characters within the league. From the MW3 Character Creation system and character development, to reporting on matches (play by play) and character interaction outside of the arenas. All of these RP means are available to each pilot along with many more.  For those wishing to make full use of the NBT-Solaris system, taking part in league role-play is a definite must. The only pilots that do not have the obligation to take part in this portion of league development are those that have chosen to use the Generic Characters available to them, and wish to just fight in Solaris Matches, without all the RP trappings of the league.  All other pilots/characters should strive to create and develop the role-play of both their characters and the league as much as reasonably possible.

Guidelines

So what is RP Development? What is required, how detailed should you be, and what is considered ‘appropriate’?  While we don’t expect the RP writers of NBT to be English Lit Majors, certain standards should be upheld anytime RP is submitted for approval.

Remember that when developing your character, you have pretty much unlimited options available to you. You don’t have to try to create the hero of Solaris City.  Rather you can create heros, scumbags, pilots just trying to make ends meet, the technician dabbling in the arenas, the fresh new face to Solaris, having just left the family farm and so on.

The following are guidelines that you can use in the creation of RP for your characters. These are not rules per se, but should be used as the basis for creating league RP, especially when making development changes to your character.

Joint RP Developement

One of the most rewarding means of RP Development is working with another pilot in the league in order to create a story that involves both of your active characters. This may be done between stable members or just between 2 pilots in the league.  As always, the RP must make sense.  Characters that are diametrically oppossed (inherant hatred of each others affiliations for example) would not have a friendly Joint RP. They may have one where they are enemies throughout the story though.

Sector Administrators

Each sector of Solaris City (Kobe, Montenegro, Black Hills and so forth) has a single individual assigned as Sector Administrator. This person has been appointed by League Administration to review and approve all role-play that is submitted by the pilots that live within the various sectors of Solaris City.  Their job is to make sure that the RP submitted meets the guidelines above and doesn’t stray too far from BattleTech, common sense or decent writing.  They will keep the flame wars out of the RP posts, and help ones that are having problems with their posts.

Any declined RP post will have a reason specified, as well as a suggestion for how to improve the post, so that next time, it will be approved without delay.

Rewards, Bonuses & Penalties

Why do all this? It builds character. Seriously. Taking part in the various forms of league RP available enables you to build up your chracter with rewards and bonuses, even the occasional penalty. From the loss of the family estate to losing a limb; from gaining a brand new stable headquarters to gaining a contact within sector administration; from developing a fear of heights (after a particularly harrowing prank played by your stablemates) to gaining skills that help reduce maintenance costs on your ‘Mech (tinkering with engines all those years finally paid off). 

Each time you submit a major story, you may add a request for specific rewards or penalties to be applied to your character. The Sector Administrator will review the story and request.  They may approve it as is, decline it, or request that something be changed (possibly more RP detail to backup the bonus, or only giving a partial bonus). These rewards and penalties should not be an everyday occurrance, and should be balanced.  No character is going to have perfect luck throughout their life. The Sector Administrators will make sure that this is the case, and that the stories and characters continue to move forward at a reasonable rate.

Match Role-Play

After each match that your character is involved with, you will be given a 48 hour period to submit a play-by-play account of the match from your character’s perspective.  This option will be available to both the participants and the observers that have signed up for the match.

This should be more than just a dry account of firing weapons, who you blew up, and what happened to your ‘Mech. Describe how your character felt and reacted to events in the match. Use actual damage/events (loss of arm, or loss of your last PPC) as highlights. Accounts should be at least a little bit honest (don’t say you killed 10 ‘Mechs when you didn’t), and should be based around the persona that you have developed for your character, not just random accounts and thoughts.

Solaris VII Role-Play

While the matches of Solaris are the main draw for the public and the league, Solaris City is a very busy place with lots of activity going on, both that support the arenas and that have nothing to do with them.  From the struggling family running their little restaurant (robbed 3 times this week), to the MechWarrior bar that only allows Kurita citizens entrance, to the sector park where the druggies or crimelords gather, to the wealthy neighborhoods with their stuffy parties and manors. 

Locations

Take a look at the Tour of Solaris City for a wealth of actual locations that can be used in RP Development.  You can click on each location for a scan of RP events that have involved that location previously in the league, finding out who hangs out there, they type activities that occur there, and gain ideas for what your character may (or may not) be doing there.

Examples - Does you character have a drug addiction? A common meeting place for drug dealers is Cathar Lake in the Silesia Sector.  Do you have a favorite bar you frequent?  Were you arrested and taken to the sector administration building? Romantic evening in the park with your signifigant other?  Get the snot beat out of you in a brawl and ended up in the hospital (where you meet a pretty nurse)?  Etc, etc, etc....

Characters

There are 3 types of characters that can be worked in the RP Development of your own character.  Each of these may be used in various ways, both to the benefit and detriment of your character.  Please make sure that you remain consistant with your use of characters, especially the public NPC’s. A character that has been very stingy with information or resources for the past 3 months, isn’t likely to turn around and just give away the store because you suddenly need it for your story.

• Active Characters - This is probably the hardest of the group to work with. It involves working the active characters of OTHER pilots into your own story.  You need to be very careful when doing this as you are adding to the RP Development of another pilot in the league, whether a friend or foe. Never do anything major to or with the character unless you are working in conjunction with the pilot (joint RP Development).  Generally the best bet is to use these characters in passing, or at the start of a story, having them play a minor role, or as an overview antogonist.
   
• Private NPC’s - These are characters created by you that directly relate to your Active Character.  The are not available for use by others in the league for RP Development.  They may include a close family member, an off-world contact or sponsor, or any number of other characters. When using them in RP, make sure that they stick to their personality and own goals.  They have not just been created to further your Active Character, but rather to interact.  Interact can mean help or hinder. Maybe you had a sweet deal lined up for a new family estate, but your loser brother lost the family savings betting on a cock fight (he had a ‘sure winner’). The key to these characters is that they are ones that probably would never interact much with the other Active Characters of the league.
   
• Public NPC’s - Now here’s the really fun ones. When you create these characters, they are available for use by the rest of the league pilots and characters.  That means that while you may not have used this NPC in RP for the last month, when you come back to them, they may have taken part in all sorts of activities, with or without effects on their character.  As such, you will have to take that into account when you use them the next time. Maybe your police captain NPC (that was nice enough to let you off last time you were caught brawling in The Pelican nightclub) was busted for insubordination, or possibly promoted for conduct above and beyond the call of duty (he paid off his boss).
  
  Likewise, you can use the Public NPC’s of other pilots in the league.  You should never do anything drastic to them (killing them for one), but may use them to develop your own character. As always, make sure you are familiar with the NPC you are about to use.  Have the RP make sense and be in line with the previous RP written for that character.