| June 8, 2011 | Posted by Martin Ralya |
We’re really gathering steam on our second book now: Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game has its own product page on the Engine Publishing website, we’ve announced that Wolfgang Baur wrote the foreword, we’ve shared the cover, and the first sample PDF is now available.
Hey, make that the first TWO sample PDFs, because here’s the second one: Masks preview #2: Sci-fi NPCs! Like the first preview, this one features 6 more free NPCs that you can use in your game right away — no prep needed, just ream ‘em and go.
These 6 NPCs are from the Allies section of the Sci-Fi chapter, which should give you a good idea what to expect from Allies in the other two genres, as well. The gorgeous illustration is by Chris Reach.
Whereas villains are designed to oppose the PCs and allies are intended to be friendly towards them, neutrals aren’t defined by their relationship to the PCs. They can be side characters or main characters, and can easily be made into villains or allies if you like.
They represent the bulk of every campaign world, but that doesn’t mean that they’re boring (as the sample hopefully reveals!). They also represent the bulk of Masks: the book is 50% neutrals, 25% villains, and 25% allies. We believe that breakdown will give you maximum bang for your GMing buck.
Next week should bring our third preview, modern NPCs, and it shouldn’t be too long after that before we can start taking preorders!
About Martin Ralya
A father, husband, writer, small-press publisher, RPG industry freelancer, and lifelong geek, Martin has been gaming since 1987 and GMing since 1989. He lives in Utah with his amazing wife, Alysia, their awesome daughter, Lark, and their neurotic beagle, Charlie, in a house full of books and games.
June 8, 2011 at 10:05 pm - Link
Awesome NPC’s there. I think I will drop the agressive journalist into my firefly campaign and the ‘muse’ as well. If the rest of the book is this good I’m buying!
June 9, 2011 at 8:19 pm - Link
@charlesXVII – Awesome — thank you!
If I didn’t think the rest of the book was every bit as good as this sample, I wouldn’t be publishing it. The gnomes are a great group to write and design with, and they’re incredibly creative.
In the past few weeks, as I’ve been doing final edits and sending sections of Masks off to layout, I’ve found myself laughing out loud, nodding in appreciation, thinking “I want to use this NPC,” and generally enjoying the hell out of Masks. I can’t wait to share it with you and others!