I feel like I need to get better at quickly
prepping and improving NPCs, and making them interesting and distinctive to play.
What are your favorite tricks/methods? Links to essays, resources, etc appreciated!
I feel like I need to get better at quickly
I feel like I need to get better at quickly
Name an actor in a movie or TV show or a character in a book. Write it next to the NPC.
Just had a guy named “Zandu the Slide” in a game. I literally just wrote “Nosferatu” next to him trying to evoke the sort of skeevy creepy feel of that movie. He got shanked for being too creepy…
Aaron Griffin seems like your players are the ones with… bite.
I also like the idea from Vincent Baker’s advice in “Unframed – The Art of Improvisation” to give everyone a contradiction. Give them two easily expected traits and then something out of left field that doesn’t fit: Harl the Axeman is big and broad, he enjoys a hard day’s labor, and he keeps a local nymph locked up in his closet for his amusement.
Listening in. I’m content with just the instant NPC appendix and asking the players for personality cues, but hey, anything that can help.
I like Short Order Heroes (http://www.calicogames.com/). Pick 2-4 cards and boom.
✔
http://io9.gizmodo.com/5896488/10-secrets-to-creating-unforgettable-supporting-characters number 8 was my favorite. The rest you can take or leave
Kevin Tompos caveats for number 8 in the comments. Some of these are things I’ve just been doing entirely by coincidence.
Not exactly making them, but a good organisational tool that has helped me a bunch in playing the NPCs:
http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/37916/roleplaying-games/universal-npc-roleplaying-template
To start I often take a beloved character from another genre, sometimes then swap gender and rename. I also cast an actor I like mentally in the role.
I can’t recommend James D’Amato’s Critical Success podcast highly enough for all things GM-related. He put out one on voicing characters that might be helpful when it comes to bringing your NPCs to life: http://peachesandhotsauce.com/podcasts/11-voicing-characters
I believe the book is called “Play Unsafe” by Graham Waimsley it helped me as much as Unframed, maybe more.
Also listening to “Discern Realities” a dungeon world podcast or even their other podcast “The Gauntlet” helps out a lot.
On the fly I’ll generate a name, 3-5 random traits, and run from there. Maybe flesh them out a bit more between sessions. I much prefer random prompts because they always give me something interesting and unexpected.
Yeah going from what Jason Lutes said the knacks and traits stuff at the back of the book are good for that kind of thing. You can make some delightful characters with it.
I once made a hopeless romantic that tried to impress the bard with his rat circus just cause if the random roll and everyone definitely remembered that NPC
Wesley Naval: what particular tops/tricks from Play Unsafe have you found most helpful?