How can I play NERO?                                                                                  

            As a new player at many chapters you can show up at the door and be able to play, either as a character of your choosing, or as an NPC.  An NPC stands for Non-Player Character… basically, you play a character that isn't your character.  NPC's are monsters, random people with information, problems, or questions, or any other role that needs to be played in order to advance the plotlines of the event.

            Whether you play your character or another character (NPC) for a NERO event, you receive Experience Points (XP) towards a character that you make.  You can have multiple characters at once, though they should be different enough to tell that you are playing another persona, and you cannot play two in the same weekend, unless one permanently dies. In most cases, NPC's are not required to pre-register but all chapters encourage NPC pre-event registration too. If you are not pre-registered for an event and it is full, you may not be able to play a character of your making at the event… but you can still NPC.  To play NERO, you must be a member of NERO.  Membership renews yearly in most chapters, and costs about $35 per year.

            If you want to play a character of your making (aka PC, for Player Character) at an event, then you will need to register according to that chapter’s registration policy, pay for the event, and remain in-game all weekend. In most cases, the cost of a Weekend is between $40 and $75 (depending on the area), if you haven’t pre-registered.  If you have pre-registered, not only will someone know you are coming, but you will have a space reserved for you and you may also receive a discount to the event price.

            If you wish to NPC, you may play for free or for a nominal charge, depending on the chapter (usually not more than $30).  Meals for the weekend are sometimes included in the price of an event, especially for NPC's.  In either case, you can find information for your local chapters by visiting their web sites, sending email to their new player contact, or asking on an Out of Game Message Board.

            Once you know when the event is, how to get there and have what you need to bring to PC or NPC, you are ready to get started… by reading the rules of the game.  NERO relies on its players to be honest, fair, considerate and helpful.  Your cooperation goes a long way towards making NERO a great experience for everyone.  Thus, we ask that you read the rules to get a general understanding of how NERO is played.