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NPC Jobs and Activities

Part of NPCs World Verbs Rewards and Living World

Principle

NPCs should not directly own "activities".

NPCs own story problems. The system maps problems → activity types.

Bad model

  • Merchant → Missing Letter only
  • Fisherman → Read Aloud only
  • Lighthouse Keeper → Spelling only

Becomes repetitive and brittle.

Better model

Merchant has a box label problem. That problem can be solved with Missing Letter, Spelling, or Reading depending on session need.

Same story setup → multiple learning modes.

Job structure (conceptual)

npc_job:
  id: merchant_repair_box_labels
  npc_id: merchant_mara
  story_stage: first_meeting
  world_verb: repair
  target_object: crate_labels
  supported_activity_types:
    - missing_letter
    - spelling
  min_rounds: 3
  max_rounds: 5
  required_for_progression: true
  unlocks:
    - boat_access

Job categories per NPC

Every NPC should have:

Category Purpose
Main story jobs Limited, handcrafted, required
Relationship jobs Limited but optional
Repeatable jobs Reusable with variation
Collectible jobs Eligible for optional keepsakes

Example complete NPC — Merchant Mara

See [[NPC and Job Data Model#Example — merchant_mara]] for full YAML-style definition including:

  • first_interaction job
  • repeatable jobs (wet_labels, shipping_manifest, single_crate)
  • deterministic reward merchant_boat_access
  • optional drops (small_wooden_crate, old_market_photo)

What Godot receives

Godot does not invent the activity. It receives a served job:

  • NPC identity + story copy (opening / request / success)
  • activity.type, rounds, words
  • world verb + target objects + completion effects
  • reward result after server save

→ Godot Server Split - NPC Pipeline