Beneficial dependencies: Design principles for narrative games

This paper presents the leitmotifs of current research on psychologically colored interactive narration. Virtual Characters, their stories and adventures are in focus, and not the story of the user. The concept of a Capricious Non-Player Character (C-NPC) is introduced as a new kind of agent appropriate for such stories. A C-NPC expects consideration and support, even towards its technological limitations. A narrative educational game is presented that functions as a testbed for the creation of C-NPCs. An overview of the technology employed for dialogue management is provided.