Hiring NPC Guards

[Dresan]

A new city service, perhaps from the byn. For a substancial yearly fee, a person can call one mercenary to guard them.

In order to get the guard the person will have to go to the office and request it, if they yearly fee is paid up, they will be given one. The guard can be dismissed at any time, even from inside apartments, they will just leave (fade). However after you dismiss it you will need to go back to the office if you want to get them back.

You cannot order the guard to do anything, he will only guard you, and rescue you if you fail. If you attack anyone, he won't help or rescue you. If you step out of the city, he will be dismissed. Depending on your yearly fee you will be able to get a more experienced guard. This would be a pricey service, I can see it starting at 2000 sid a year, and moving up from there to 4 thousand or more.

However with the addition of extended sub-guilds, and changes to sub-guilds, not to mention the eventually guild changes, this is something that could really help the more social/RP roles not be such push overs to someone with hide/sneak. Yes, these roles generally have people in high places watching out for them, that doesn't help them survive an attack from someone whom was trying to rob their apartment. Basically their coins and status should help them survive attacks more, of course their RP will help prevent such attacks in the first place, but you shouldn't just need a 5 day burglar to go kill a 100 day merchant. If they are rich, then it should require more effort to kill them because they should be able to afford guards in a city.Unfortunately this type of job would be too boring for a PC do for any large amount of time.

It not only be a great money sink but also give social characters some more avenues of protection if they have been successful in life.

[Alesan]

If this were to actually happen, 2000 a year is way, way too cheap.

[Dresan]

That is a pretty generous yearly salary for part time work if you ask me. And 2000 be starting pay.

[BadSkeelz]

Hire the Byn.

[Dresan]

To watch me idle in my apartment for 3 or 4 RL hours?


As I said, not really something that fun or realistic for PCs to do. Otherwise nobles/templars would get PC guards.

[BadSkeelz]

If the pay's right.

You maybe should just log out if you're idling though.

[nauta]

I like the idea.  The code is (almost) there, and it'd give those who have the personality for it something to spend their money on.

PCs are to be preferred, but from experience playing off-peak, PCs aren't always around.  Besides, being a guard is notoriously boring.

I'd want it to be rare, and for that it should be both expensive -- two large seems fine -- and also something you have to get a permit from the templarate for.

[BadSkeelz]

The more I think about it the sillier this sounds.

If you can afford a guard or Byn escort, you can probably afford to live in a nice apartment building with higher skill guards. You're paying Nenyuk for the protection then.

When just out and about town, have some sort of open-ended contract with a Byn Sarge (or other ranks!) to supply you a guard for as long as you need it.

This just seems like another anti-player-interaction feature that only favors the spamcrafters.

[Dresan]

Sometimes I am just chatting to people through the way. Other times I'm posting or reading something on the side . I am watching the screen in case something happens though.

Hey Badskeelz! if you think it'll be a fun role to stand around and make sure my character stays alive for as many hours as I want to play, want to step up and do it? I know you can't recruit OOCly, but perhaps the staff is willing to make an exception in this case and allow you to prove your point? I mean you just have to name your virtual price to play this wonderful role for hours on end.


(I am idle while posting this...imagine the fun!)

[BadSkeelz]

2K a day and you're golden

[BadSkeelz]

If I was a Bynner I would actually be tempted to murder anyone who made use of this feature, to show what happens when you opt for shoddier product.

[Miradus]

You'd get bored and bash their head in after twenty minutes of watching them craft stone mugs.

I played a merchant character once who tried to hire the Byn to do something as simple as escort me from Nak to Luir's.

Nobody I could find online had the authority to agree to do it. Best I could get was an OOC stating, "the boss logs in usually every Friday at around 8pm", or something to that effect.

Coordinating even a relatively mundane activity with a PC organization takes a significant amount of time. Particularly when everything has to be passed up to the top of the authority chain and back down again. And while it's relatively easy to coordinate an escort or guard with an independent, it's dodgy as hell.

"You say you're rich, completely helpless, and need someone to escort you through a vast stretch of empty territory where nobody can hear you scream for help? Sure, I'll do it," says a menacing hooded figure in 'rinthi accented sirihish, while fingering the hilt of his bloody dagger.

I think NPC guards would be a decent addition. A money sink for wealthier independents and they're not likely to be so powerful (even at top pay scales) as to provide complete immunity from raiders, thieves, or assassins. What I'd like to have out of it is an NPC who follows me around that I can speak with and puppeteer a little in appropriate situations. It could even be skill-based and spread out to more guilds and subguilds than just wimpy merchants and such. Consider the warrior/mercenary whose dream is to command a squad of NPC soldiers? Or a hunter who wants to lead a hunting expedition of NPC's out into the wastes?

[Dresan]

Except the service would probably be offered by the Byn since they do that kind of stuff. But again NPC, because no human being with a half decent life and self respect would want to be to silently guard someone for any extended period of time. Escorts are exciting, city guard duty, not so much. However, if you see someone using a similar service, what you can do though is train your ass off for hours on end, or work with a partner to kill this person. The only thing a guard will do is put a bit more challenge into the planning of an assassin.  

The game favors the skill grinders who can 'get things done' as opposed to the indie role-player who are the driving force behind many plots. It doesn't take much for these people to be killed currently, they look at someone with a couple days under their belt the wrong way, and they are easily killed. When in fact they should have the means to afford more protection, not just perhaps make some people care after all their work and effort is gone.

And again, this would only be for city guard duty. Outside the city...well you need to hire PC then.

[Lizzie]

To watch me idle in my apartment for 3 or 4 RL hours?


As I said, not really something that fun or realistic for PCs to do. Otherwise nobles/templars would get PC guards.

It's also not fun or "realistic" to idle in your apartment for 3 or 4 RL hours (which would equate to 3 or 4 game-days of just sitting there like a statue).

If you want to not interact with the game for 3-4 RL hours, then log out. There's no shame in it.

[Inks]

To watch me idle in my apartment for 3 or 4 RL hours?


As I said, not really something that fun or realistic for PCs to do. Otherwise nobles/templars would get PC guards.

It's also not fun or "realistic" to idle in your apartment for 3 or 4 RL hours (which would equate to 3 or 4 game-days of just sitting there like a statue).

If you want to not interact with the game for 3-4 RL hours, then log out. There's no shame in it.

For once I agree with Lizzie.

You could set up a contract with the Byn for this. X price for Runners and X for Troopers.

[Dresan]

I personally play how I want. I see plenty of people idling in the taverns, at least I go somewhere quiet to sleep/idle. You really like zoning in on trivial points though, which is actually another thread all together about how you think people should play this game. 

Back to the idea though.

The price can be argued though. 2000 too cheap? alright, what would be fair in a place where people are dirty poor? Also going apartment to insta logging out? I guess apartments are supposed to be death traps for everyone who hasn't rolled ranger/warrior with strength/endurance and twinked out for 10 days.

[BadSkeelz]

If you can go to an apartment, you've already paid for an NPC guard: the Nenyuki bouncer at the entrance.

[Dresan]

If you can go to an apartment, you've already paid for an NPC guard: the Nenyuki bouncer at the entrance.

Allanak is 3D now man...and most burglars are probably also your neighbours

[BadSkeelz]

Most apartments, however, are not. And the Gaj, despite its prices, is supposed to be a shitty apartment building.

If you don't want to get ganked while you're idling/crafting/mudsexing in your apartment, move to better digs. Or ask a pre-existing organization if some sort of additional protection could be arranged.

[Asanadas]

If you can go to an apartment, you've already paid for an NPC guard: the Nenyuki bouncer at the entrance.

And when did he ever stop anything? 

I think this would be a neat idea, but in game-design terms it'd be taking away a piece of the pie from the sponsored nobility, and because of that it's probably not going to happen. Real shame.

If you want to craft and idle in peace, I've definitely done it behind the walls of the GMH compounds.

[BadSkeelz]

If you can go to an apartment, you've already paid for an NPC guard: the Nenyuki bouncer at the entrance.

And when did he ever stop anything? 

Another thing I wanted to bring up: any NPC you get is probably not going to be much better.

[Dresan]

Joining a clan is something I do join when I don't have a lot of time to play and want everything given to me, in exchange for an hour or two log in time at the most per day, if that.


Clans give you alot, but they can be boring (to me), so boring that I see those clans need those indie merchants who sell one too many of weapons/armors/cloths/spice/etc/etc to go hunt down and slaughter in order to keep entertained. Giving indies that are successful and SOCIAL a few more things to help is a good thing for the game I think. And a nice alternative to skill grinding to get things done.

If all you do is spamcraft, I don't think you need guards to protect you. You can save extra money by not interacting with others, not pissing anyone off, not starting anything. The people that needs guards are the people who are probably getting into plots and are very likely to have someone sent to kill them.

[whitt]

If you can go to an apartment, you've already paid for an NPC guard: the Nenyuki bouncer at the entrance.

And when did he ever stop anything?  

Another thing I wanted to bring up: any NPC you get is probably not going to be much better.

Agreed, stealth skill still pwns any attempt at detection, so NPC guard will just get ROFL stomped while you're idling and then so will you.  Granted, PC guard won't have much more of a chance, but at least it's a chance.  That chance being the stealth skill using PC won't do anything at all if they know there's at least one active PC in the room.  They'll just move on to a room who's owner they've wayed enough to be sure they're offline.

I played a merchant character once who tried to hire the Byn to do something as simple as escort me from Nak to Luir's.

Nobody I could find online had the authority to agree to do it. Best I could get was an OOC stating, "the boss logs in usually every Friday at around 8pm", or something to that effect.

Might be easier now with the new Byn rank?  Not sure.

[Refugee]

We tried having PC guards fitted with certain important PCs on SoI and it just never worked.  It's very boring for the guard, who really can't do anything if the PC isn't logged on because he has to be available when he shows up.  And it's not feasible for the VIP because if his guard isn't logged in, he's kinda stuck. 

I think it's an interesting idea that can be looked at.

[whitt]

We tried having PC guards fitted with certain important PCs on SoI and it just never worked.  It's very boring for the guard, who really can't do anything if the PC isn't logged on because he has to be available when he shows up.  And it's not feasible for the VIP because if his guard isn't logged in, he's kinda stuck. 

I think it's an interesting idea that can be looked at.

Very true from a logistics standpoint, it's next to impossible to tie together two (especially casual) players made more difficult when there's no means of offline communication.  I think the larger problems are mob stability during resets/crashes and the lack of real value that an NPC guard would present to any significant threat.