The novel 'NPCs' by Drew Hayes is about four NPCs in a fantasy role-playing game who decide to impersonate a recently deceased group of player characters. To keep their town safe, they have to venture out and complete the dead adventurers' quest. It's a fun premise that plays with the idea of background characters gaining their own agency. For a different twist on gaming, you could check out 'The Nerd Who Played the Game', where the main character's ability to manipulate in-game market prices based on real-world economic forecasts leads to some surprising and clever conflicts with other powerful players.
Ever stumbled into a tabletop RPG session and wondered what the townsfolk do when the players aren’t around? 'NPCs' by Drew Hayes dives into exactly that! The story kicks off when a group of adventurers dies in a tavern due to hilariously bad decisions, leaving their quest unfinished. Four ordinary villagers—a thief, a noble, a guard, and a bartender—find themselves forced to impersonate the dead heroes to prevent their town from crumbling under the weight of the unfulfilled prophecy. The twist? They’re just regular people with zero combat experience, fumbling through dungeons and diplomacy while trying not to get killed.
What makes this novel so refreshing is how it flips the script on classic fantasy tropes. The 'NPCs' aren’t background decorations; they’re the heart of the story, grappling with impostor syndrome, moral dilemmas, and the absurdity of living in a world governed by dice rolls. Hayes injects humor and warmth into their struggles, whether it’s the thief learning to pick locks under pressure or the noble realizing charisma won’t save her from a goblin ambush. By the end, you’re rooting for these underdogs as much as any epic hero. It’s a love letter to D&D fans but also a standalone adventure that’s just plain fun.
Imagine a fantasy world where the 'extras' suddenly become the protagonists—that’s 'NPCs' in a nutshell. After a party of clueless players gets their characters killed, four villagers step into their shoes to save their home from chaos. The beauty of this book lies in its mundane heroes: a bartender with a sharp tongue, a guard who’s more paperwork than swordplay, a noblewoman out of her depth, and a thief who’s never stolen anything riskier than apples. Their journey is less about grand destiny and more about survival, friendship, and questioning why the world works the way it does. I adore how Hayes blends satire with genuine stakes, making you laugh one moment and clutch the pages the next.
2025-12-05 20:34:09
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Riley gets none of that.
While others walk away from the opening trial with strength, speed, and obvious abilities, Riley leaves with something no one understands—a forgotten path, a hidden class, and a power that only awakens when the world goes dark.
By day, he’s weaker than everyone around him.
By night… he becomes something else entirely.
As players begin to realise the game isn’t as fair—or as forgiving—as they thought, secrets start surfacing. Paths that can be missed. Power that can be lost forever. And choices that don’t just shape builds… but define who survives.
Riley isn’t trying to be the best.
He’s just the one who chose differently.
My parents think I'm not ladylike enough, so they buy themselves a docile and sweet AI daughter called Serafina Moretti.
On the day Serafina is brought home, I get bullied by the entire family.
Papa hates the fact that I'm really bad at studying, unlike Serafina, who's quick to pick up on the knowledge after being taught for the first time.
Mamma wrinkles her nose at my bright and active personality. Apparently, I'm not quiet enough, which annoys her and gives her a pounding headache all the time.
My older brother, Dario Moretti, even berates me all the time. "You're a disgrace to the Moretti family! What else are you capable of doing other than eating and sleeping?"
Even Serafina has the gall to make fun of me, so I shove her to the floor out of anger.
Mamma's expression darkens immediately. Then, she delivers a heavy slap across my cheek.
"Serafina is your sister! If you're as docile as she is, you won't annoy me to the point I keep having headaches!
"It's time for you to learn how to be a docile and understanding daughter in a behavioral correction academy!"
So, I'm forced to study there.
Two years later, my family picks me up from the academy. They keep calling my name, and yet I never respond to them.
Professor Luca Caruso corrects them smilingly, "Mrs. Moretti, you must say the words, 'Activate.' Only then will NS-5 boot up on her own."
Artificial Intelligence in a Cultivation World.A boy who has nothing has been suddenly gifted with an OP system.Join his journey in the countless realms of reality and discover not only the mysteries of creation but also the secrets behind the enigmatic Immortal Maker“Nameless One” that granted him this mystical power. ^_^
After transmigrating through three novels in a row, the hardest thing I ever suffer through is drinking iced long black. But when I open my eyes again, I somehow become the pathetic simp side character in a trashy romance novel.
Just as I debate whether to file a complaint against the system, the trembling system hurriedly explains something to me.
Although this is a trashy romance novel, it is also an unfinished abandoned novel.
I ask, "So you're saying I decide how the story develops?"
The system replied, "Yes. Everything is completely under your control."
Satisfied, I lazily stretch and begin checking the original Jacob's background. He has a trillionaire father and a billionaire mother. On top of that, he has seven rich and beautiful older sisters.
With such a ridiculously overpowered setup, how can he go around simping for a broke college girl with no money?
What a complete waste!
A thirty-year-old office lady, who got into an accident and is now trapped inside a novel series she loves. She was reincarnated into one of the side character extras of the story and meets in person the tyrant magician, the playboy prince, and the clueless female lead of the story.
Opening my eyes in an unfamiliar place with unknown faces surrounding me, everything started there. I have to start from the beginning again, because I am no longer Ayla Navarez and the world I am currently in, was completely different from the world of my past life.
Rumi Penelope Lee.
The cannon fodder of this world inside the novel I read as Ayla, in the past. The character who only have her beautiful face as the only ' plus ' point in the novel, and the one who died instead of the female lead of the said novel. She fell inlove with the male lead and created troubles on the way. Because she started loving the male lead, her pitiful life led to met her end.
Death.
Because she's stupid. Literally, stupid.
A fool in everything. Love, studies, and all. The only thing she knew of, was to eat and sleep, then love the male lead while creating troubles the next day. Even if she's rich and beautiful, her halo as a cannon fodder won't be able to win against the halo of the heroine.
That's why I've decided.
Let's ruin the plot.
Because who cares about following it, when I, Ayla Navarez, who became Rumi Penelope Lee overnight, would die in the end without even reaching the end of the story?
Inside this cliché novel, let's continue living without falling inlove, shall we?
The novel 'NPCs' by Drew Hayes is such a fun twist on classic fantasy tropes! The story follows a group of seemingly minor characters who take center stage after their town's adventurers perish in a tavern. There's Thistle, a halfling with a sharp tongue and even sharper wit, who becomes the reluctant leader. Then we have Gabrielle, the barbarian with a heart of gold but a temper that flares up at the slightest provocation. Timbre, the quiet and thoughtful druid, brings a grounded perspective to the group, while Eric, the rogue, is constantly toeing the line between comic relief and genuine heroism.
What I love about these characters is how they subvert expectations. They're not the chosen ones or legendary heroes—they're just ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Thistle's growth from a cynical outsider to a true leader is particularly compelling, and Gabrielle's struggle with her identity beyond brute strength adds depth. The dynamic between them feels organic, full of bickering, loyalty, and moments that make you cheer. It’s a refreshing take on fantasy that makes you root for the underdogs.