Video Game Voice Acting Script · Quest-giver NPC dialogue with branches
The Light at Gull's Reach
Quest-giver NPC script for video game voice acting: a salty lighthouse keeper sends the player into the tide caves, with accept and decline lines.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Length
- 172 words · ~1 min 9 sec
- Skills
- character voice, branching dialogue, exposition delivery
- License
- CC BY 4.0
The script
(greeting, first meeting)You there! Traveler! Don't just stand in the rain, come in, come in. Mind the step, it's been loose for nine years.
Name's Edda. I keep the light at Gull's Reach. Or I did, until last night.
Something crawled up the cliff and smashed the lamp lens. Heard it scraping on the stones. Didn't stick my head out to see what it was. I'm old, not foolish.
There's a fishing fleet due back by dawn. Six boats, and every one of them's steering by that light. No light, they'll hit the rocks.
The spare lens is in the old storehouse past the tide caves. Bring it back, and I'll make it worth your while. My late husband's sword is gathering dust upstairs. It'd rather be swinging.
(if the player accepts)Good. Bless you. Take the lantern by the door, and keep to the high path.
(if the player declines)Fine. Fine. I'll go myself, then. Just me, my bad knee, and whatever's down there.
(if the player returns empty-handed)No lens? Then get back out there. The tide won't wait, and neither will those boats.
Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0. Original script drafted with AI assistance and edited by SceneDub; any resemblance to existing characters is coincidental.
Practise it now
The teleprompter scrolls at the speed you set in words per minute. Tick "Record audio while reading" to capture a take; the audio stays in your browser until you download it.
Coaching notes
- The greeting is shouted over rain, then drops to indoor volume once she's pulled you inside. Play that change of space between 'come in, come in' and 'Mind the step.'
- 'I'm old, not foolish' is Edda's whole personality in four words. Say it dry and a little proud, not like a joke you're pushing.
- Game VO is recorded line by line, so read each branch as if it's the only line the player hears. The decline line should carry guilt, not anger.
Try it three more ways
- Play the keeper as a young, anxious apprentice who's in way over their head.
- Play Edda as a sly, cheerful keeper who's clearly hiding what's really down in the tide caves.
- Play the keeper as a booming old sea captain who treats the player like a brand-new deckhand.
Take it further
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Frequently asked questions
How long is the "The Light at Gull's Reach" script?
172 spoken words, about 1 min 9 sec at a conversational 150 words per minute and 1 min 19 sec at a slower 130 wpm. Your take will vary with pauses and character choices.
Can I use this script in my voice acting demo reel?
Yes. SceneDub's original scripts are licensed CC BY 4.0. You can perform, record, edit, and publish them, including in demo reels, classes, and auditions, as long as you credit "Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0" where you share the recording or the text.
How should I practise this script?
Read it silently once, then perform it with the direction above: gruff, warm underneath, urgent, brisk and chatty, ~145 words per minute. Record a take with the teleprompter, listen back, and try one of the alternate reads to stretch your range.