Comments on: Emerging Complexity for GMs: It Rocks for NPCs http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/emerging-complexity-for-gms-it-rocks-for-npcs The Game Mastering Blog Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Martin Ralya http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/emerging-complexity-for-gms-it-rocks-for-npcs/comment-page-1#comment-5394 Martin Ralya Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:14:46 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=2577#comment-5394 <a href='#comment-5350' rel="nofollow">@Old Man</a> - Cool site! Thanks for the link.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('5394','Martin Ralya'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> @Old Man – Cool site! Thanks for the link.
Reply
]]> By: 1001 Bobs » The Third Week of April in the Year 2009 - Blogroll http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/emerging-complexity-for-gms-it-rocks-for-npcs/comment-page-1#comment-5392 1001 Bobs » The Third Week of April in the Year 2009 - Blogroll Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:42:04 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=2577#comment-5392 [...] 8. Emerging Complexity for GMs: It Rocks for NPCs ~ link [...]<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('5392','1001 Bobs » The Third Week of April in the Year 2009 - Blogroll'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> [...] 8. Emerging Complexity for GMs: It Rocks for NPCs ~ link [...]
Reply
]]> By: Old Man http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/emerging-complexity-for-gms-it-rocks-for-npcs/comment-page-1#comment-5350 Old Man Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:20:08 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=2577#comment-5350 Martin, I was just about to suggest the same thing for Ameron. I used to use a list of names, roll the A-Z and use next name on list. Now I swear by -- http://www.behindthename.com/random/ Regards, Old Man<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('5350','Old Man'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> Martin,

I was just about to suggest the same thing for Ameron. I used to use a list of names, roll the A-Z and use next name on list. Now I swear by — http://www.behindthename.com/random/

Regards,
Old Man

Reply
]]> By: Martin Ralya http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/emerging-complexity-for-gms-it-rocks-for-npcs/comment-page-1#comment-5283 Martin Ralya Sat, 18 Apr 2009 01:46:42 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=2577#comment-5283 <a href='#comment-5274' rel="nofollow">@Ameron</a> - The trick for this is to keep a list of useful, internally consistent names on hand, and just scratch them off as you use them on the fly for NPCs. You can break it down however you want -- male/female is always good, as are races (for fantasy) and type (villain, ally, etc.). <a href='#comment-5280' rel="nofollow">@Sarlax</a> - Re: Frankenstein's monster, I love this idea! I've never considered that kind of recycling.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('5283','Martin Ralya'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> @Ameron – The trick for this is to keep a list of useful, internally consistent names on hand, and just scratch them off as you use them on the fly for NPCs. You can break it down however you want — male/female is always good, as are races (for fantasy) and type (villain, ally, etc.).

@Sarlax – Re: Frankenstein’s monster, I love this idea! I’ve never considered that kind of recycling.

Reply
]]> By: Nicholas http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/emerging-complexity-for-gms-it-rocks-for-npcs/comment-page-1#comment-5282 Nicholas Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:31:49 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=2577#comment-5282 I play a fair bit of Burning Wheel. In that system the players can at any time roll their social circles stat to invent a person their character knows, with traits specified by the player. Of course this becomes a NPC that I need to play out on the fly. Even more fun, when the player fail the roll they can often still find that person but he or she is mad at them for some reason. The system forces the GM to invent this backstory on the fly! It is stressful sometimes but a lot of fun.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('5282','Nicholas'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> I play a fair bit of Burning Wheel. In that system the players can at any time roll their social circles stat to invent a person their character knows, with traits specified by the player. Of course this becomes a NPC that I need to play out on the fly. Even more fun, when the player fail the roll they can often still find that person but he or she is mad at them for some reason. The system forces the GM to invent this backstory on the fly!

It is stressful sometimes but a lot of fun.

Reply
]]> By: Sarlax http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/emerging-complexity-for-gms-it-rocks-for-npcs/comment-page-1#comment-5280 Sarlax Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:33:13 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=2577#comment-5280 On the time-waste matter, this ties nicely with Martin's modular elements post. You can spend five hours writing up an NPC background only to find that the PCs end up killing in a minute after meeting him. Time waste? Not at all. It's time to play Frankenstein. Cut up that background you wrote and give it to other NPCs. I've had lots of NPCs not end up the way I thought they would, but the work was saved by giving portions of those write-ups to other characters.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('5280','Sarlax'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> On the time-waste matter, this ties nicely with Martin’s modular elements post. You can spend five hours writing up an NPC background only to find that the PCs end up killing in a minute after meeting him. Time waste? Not at all. It’s time to play Frankenstein.

Cut up that background you wrote and give it to other NPCs. I’ve had lots of NPCs not end up the way I thought they would, but the work was saved by giving portions of those write-ups to other characters.

Reply
]]> By: Kurt "Telas" Schneider http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/emerging-complexity-for-gms-it-rocks-for-npcs/comment-page-1#comment-5278 Kurt "Telas" Schneider Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:10:00 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=2577#comment-5278 I'm slowly learning that my polished and completed NPCs never work out in play the way I originally thought they might. In other words, a fair amount of the work I put into them is wasted... Not all is lost, however. In thinking about motivations and history, I get an intuitive understanding of the NPC, which is more than if I just started with a truly blank slate. I guess I'm trying to say that we GMs should still put a lot of thought into our NPCs, but we shouldn't over do it. I am liking this 'emerging complexity' thing more and more.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('5278','Kurt \"Telas\" Schneider'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> I’m slowly learning that my polished and completed NPCs never work out in play the way I originally thought they might. In other words, a fair amount of the work I put into them is wasted…

Not all is lost, however. In thinking about motivations and history, I get an intuitive understanding of the NPC, which is more than if I just started with a truly blank slate. I guess I’m trying to say that we GMs should still put a lot of thought into our NPCs, but we shouldn’t over do it.

I am liking this ‘emerging complexity’ thing more and more.

Reply
]]> By: Sarlax http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/emerging-complexity-for-gms-it-rocks-for-npcs/comment-page-1#comment-5277 Sarlax Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:33:38 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=2577#comment-5277 In my last game, almost all of the important NPCs (and every major villain) sprung from only a few sentences. Liram the elan psion had a few sentences in one player's background. Vlad the necromancer had a sentence to start. Yusibosk the mindflayer only had "a mindflayer tried to eat his brain" as a reference. They all started as only bits in a PC's background and all grew to be the major NPCs in the game.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('5277','Sarlax'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> In my last game, almost all of the important NPCs (and every major villain) sprung from only a few sentences. Liram the elan psion had a few sentences in one player’s background. Vlad the necromancer had a sentence to start. Yusibosk the mindflayer only had “a mindflayer tried to eat his brain” as a reference. They all started as only bits in a PC’s background and all grew to be the major NPCs in the game.
Reply
]]> By: Ameron http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/emerging-complexity-for-gms-it-rocks-for-npcs/comment-page-1#comment-5274 Ameron Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:47:09 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=2577#comment-5274 <i><b>"On the spot.</b> NPCs that spring to life in the moment tend to get a name, a connection to the party, and a distinguishing trait or two — in other words, they’re all but blank slates."</i> I find that I'm lucky if I even come up with a name. And my players caught on to this really quickly. They knew immediately who was important when they had a D&D-sounding name and weren’t just Bob the Captain of the Watch or Steve the Blacksmith. Learning from that mistake I find that just having a list of names ready goes a long way to giving your NPCs some life. Even though you (and my players) may see these NPCs as a blank slate, I find that the devil is in the details. If they have a creative and memorable name the PCs take notice. It's a simple trick that's worked wonders for my game.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('5274','Ameron'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> “On the spot. NPCs that spring to life in the moment tend to get a name, a connection to the party, and a distinguishing trait or two — in other words, they’re all but blank slates.”

I find that I’m lucky if I even come up with a name. And my players caught on to this really quickly. They knew immediately who was important when they had a D&D-sounding name and weren’t just Bob the Captain of the Watch or Steve the Blacksmith. Learning from that mistake I find that just having a list of names ready goes a long way to giving your NPCs some life. Even though you (and my players) may see these NPCs as a blank slate, I find that the devil is in the details. If they have a creative and memorable name the PCs take notice. It’s a simple trick that’s worked wonders for my game.

Reply
]]>