My main concern is that people seem to be refusing to give the sort of consideration necessary to run a plot of this magnitude. We're talking about a multi-factional global clash involving tens of millions of military drones, Reploids, etc. and billions upon billions of civilians. Yet people think it's unreasonable to ask very basic strategic questions, like "How many troops does each faction have at its disposal?", "Where are troops deployed?", or "Who let the dawgs out!?" Post-battle, people think you're a sick freak if you want to know some pertinent IC details that form a major part of the world your character is living in - e.g., "Did Repliforce know that the Mavericks had this many troops?", "Was Repliforce forced to deploy most of its reserves to deal with the attacks?", "How many troops did Repliforce lose - that is, how much of their reserves are left?", or "How desperate is Repliforce's current situation? That is, are they outnumbered?". Imagine (ICly) reading a report: "Repliforce reserves at 10 percent (1 million); Maverick forces estimated at over 10 million" Then imagine: "Repliforce reserves at 70 percent (7 million); Maverick forces estimated at under 1 million." Now imagine: "(OOC) That information is totally trivial. Just RP whatever you like." Getting basic facts set isn't about pointless minutae; it's about making the IC world coherent and easier to roleplay in. Think about all those books you've read (and probably stopped reading halfway through) where the author didn't make basic information clear. It's just no fun if you're unable to follow things, because you can't identify with what the characters are experiencing.
I'm also rather worried that NPCphobia will become far more virulent and destructive (after all, a global full-scale war involves a /LOT/ of NPCs). People, your PCs aren't worthless or boring if they aren't the ONLY deciding factor in the world around them. The idea that "battles" will just be "A group of PCs fighting another group of PCs, and the side whose PCs win gets territory" is rather questionable for many reasons. It's not that it gives PCs too much power - more like it's boring and unrealistic to the point of being disruptive to roleplay. ("Sir, what about our flank!?" "Oh, don't worry, Lieutenant. Those are all NPCs. If you're /that/ worried, you can probably wipe them all out alone, being a PC and all.")
Let me use a storytelling parallel to describe my problem with total disregard for NPCs. Now, it's true - I could pose Zestien slaughtering ten squads of elite Marines in one round without taking any damage, and there'd be no OOC mechanism to stop me. I /can/ do this. The question is - /should/ I? Imagine a Star Wars novel. You're reading along. You know that Han isn't going to die, because he's a main character ("PC"). Suddenly, the author has the charming Corellian walk up to a group of stormtroopers and start shooting at them. He goes through a few clips, but he kills them all, and he always 'narrowly dodges'. At this point, most people would toss the stupid book into the trash - it's just boring (although exceptionally violent), and so unrealistic that you can't really get into it. While you all of course have the power of consent, so that your char is never going to get killed off by a horde of NPCs unless you want him or her to, I urge you to use this right carefully. Else, things get boring, and the storyline starts falling apart.
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