NPC "Attitued"

I have to say that for the most part I quite enjoy the game, it has provide me with hundreds of hours of free entertainment and for that I am both grateful to the staff and the player community.

However, there is something which I have encountered that often discourages me of enjoying the game and that is the “attitude” of NPCs when interacting with them.

I don’t know if this has only happened to me or if it is supposed to be part of the “Theme” but 90% of all interaction between NPCs and my character have been negative. Mixers are rude, hostile and physically aggressive. Copies are condescending, arrogant and unhelpful. Law enforcement agents are self-righteous bullies with a badges. The list goes on, you get the idea.

So honestly, it is extremely disappointing that after spending several minutes trying to get a GM to respond, when the puppet comes to life it generally treats you badly. My personal experience with NPCs has dissuade me of wanting to interact with them at all if I can avoid it, because they don’t seem to listen to reason or to persuasion and almost always put my character in a bad situation and generally leave him worse off. I have been slapped, yelled at, insulted, robbed, assaulted, beaten, undermined, ignored, etc by NPCs.

Anyway, I just wanted to express my frustration and give you guys my 2 chyen about this matter.

Also I would very much, like to hear about other players personal experiences with NPCs and maybe even hear the opinion of staff members regarding the subject.

Everyone wants what they want, and to hell with anyone else. I know in times gone past I've felt kind of the same way you do, but after a period of time, I came to see the point they were making.

Maybe, just maybe, I was acting like a total dick. Keep on persevering, and you'll keep on having a blast. I'm sure of it.

As has been said before, NPCs all have their own personalities/wants/needs/desires/perspectives. Think about what these might be when you need something from them. What are you bringing to them for what you want in exchange?

If you address an NPC about something, perhaps leading off with something that will pique their interest or their wallet. Or even making idle chit-chat with them when you don't need anything from them, establish some rapport.

Also, like Linekin alluded to, there is a number of reasons why people respond certain ways. I'm not going to list them, because that's a little too much IC info for these boards. But think about the things you see in real life, what type of people are you more inclined to be nice to or to just brush under the rug? What specifics about them make you react that way? Think about these things when approaching NPCs.

I second Esther's idea: Sometimes, agreeing or offering to do something FOR a character or agreeing to give something TO them will "grease the palms". Especially ones who don't really have a reason to help you - like, they don't know you. Or they aren't in a position where it's their job to do for you what you want them to.

(Notice that I'm not even talking solely about NPCs anymore. I observe frequently that people don't like PC 'attitued' either sometimes, and even though it's been stated above that there can be differences between how NPCs might react vs. how PCs are, the same principle can save your powerless, needy ass and keep it from getting creased, fired or Judged no matter what kind of person is running the character.)

Besides the "what have you done for me lately" concept, there's another VERY important tactic to keep in mind.

For MOST characters you'll try to interact with, even the ones who seem like it IS their job to do for you what you want them to, you need to put some effort into avoiding offending them.

Don't fly the wrong color or show the wrong tats or walk with the wrong baka when you're trying to pitch your services to a ganger. Check your hygiene at a minimum and maybe even your attire before you go apply for a corpy job or even try to get an appointment or talk to a shopkeeper topside. If a Judge stops you, that might not be the time to show whoever's running the Judge character how awesomely you can do your indignant badass fuckyou pig RP.

Stuff like this.

Common sense. If you're playing a Mixer, play the theme that shit is dangerous and decide whether it's in character for your PC to put effort into preserving their life and limb by living to plot another day. If you're attempting to go/be topside and achieve anything there, be prepared to play along with the theme of "conforming" in order to not alienate those fucking snobs. Whether your character considers themselves any kind of a criminal or not, remember that the Jakes don't even NEED any provocation at all to treat you like one, and the LEAST little thing will put them over the edge till you have a charge and a fine.

People in real life don't like playing suck-up with the people around them, and maybe that's the reason that there are players who can't do it in the game either, they're too eager to get that defiant, I-got-da-power RP on so they can "have fun". Well if the theme were different, maybe that could work, but the fun in the cyberpunk/Sindome theme is in plotting to get what you want while managing at the same time to at least take advantage of others and maybe even fuck them over, depending on how much they provoke your character and how touchy your own character is.

Last thing:

I know it's easy to take things personally when you as the player don't intend to provoke a negative reaction and your character gets one anyway, but, your character is not you and the negative results your character might get reflects on their IC behavior and choices, not on your popularity as a human being in the real world.

One takes your statement, lets you walk on. You walk two blocks, the next Judge has no idea you were just talked to by another Judge for some reason and decides to slap you with a giant fine for the same thing the last Judge just told you to walk away from.

At least they're keeping consistent with RL in that sense. :)

And that stuff happens which a given Judge might, deliberately or negligently, fail to enter into the record?

So that the second Judge might be clueless that something was already addressed?

Maybe the first Judge did what they did in order to come later for leverage and have you do something for them.

Sorry, I do not buy for a second that the whim of individuals in law enforcement is unthemely.