NO NPC'S.
I feel like it'll be boring if we have that many filler characters. At least cut it down! What made Battle Royale so special in the first place is that every single character had a background and personality. Besides, 42 characters is too many people to keep track of and deal with. We don't want to be overambitious with this. It is your first SB, remember? And I hope you are aware that the book was over 600 pages.
If we give 28 of the characters weapons, then we have to give EVERYONE a weapon, and neither you or I want to deal with that. It'll make the story flow more smoothly, and reduce effort if we eliminate the aspect of NPC's all together.
