Non-Player Characters: Friends and Allies

At some point your player characters are going to encounter other people, non-player characters, and interact with them. Creating these characters helpful characters is a fairly simple process that only requires you to pay attention to a few key aspects of the character. This post will focus on helpful NPCs whether they provide a service, information, or companionship for the player characters.

The first thing most players are going to want to know about a NPC is their name. Not every NPC you create needs to have a full name, just what they are generally referred as. How detailed the name of a NPC is can give the players a sense of how important the character is to the story. A character just named "Shopkeeper" is probably not important to the story but a character with a full name like Dale Johnson is probably someone the players should note.

Next would be to give a quick description of the character. This should be the first things a PC notices about a NPC such as eye/hair color, relative height and weight, and any distinguishing features. However, this means more than just giving a few physical traits. It is also important to note some personality traits as well. It is a good idea to write down at least three adjectives that describe the character. I prefer to write down two that are obvious for the archetype and then one that has nothing to do with the archetype but focuses on what makes them different. While they don't have to be as detailed PCs there should be at least a little depth to NPCs.

PCs interact with friendly NPCs because NPCs have some sort of item, skill, or influence that the PC wishes to utilize. This is the mechanical portion of NPC creation. I would then list any relevant skills or areas of knowledge or influence the character has and a note about how many dice or level of modifier needed when a roll is called for. NPCs tend to be more specialized than PCs so most of their skills will be relevant to their archetype. Adding a few skills outside of the usual can make the NPC more interesting and engaging.

Depending on how recurring a NPC is a short bio might be useful. This is just to give a brief overview of the NPCs motivation, skill set, or relation to a PC. This could also list possible places to encounter the NPC or what the character might be doing in their spare time. Just because they are not a main character doesn't mean that they just hang out until the PCs need their assistance. NPCs are people too.

Setting: There is time and a place for it

This is the part of game writing that I have the most issue with since I tend to leave the details to the imagination of the players. This is a bad habit and shame on myself and others who are in this boat. Not only should the GM outline and describe the events that take place they should also describe the world in which these events take place. This will give the players a sense of the world in which their characters exist as well as provide details that will allow for better role playing. A good way I've learned to get around the issue of description is to try to find as close to the experience as you can. If there is a part of your city that loosely represents the kind of area you are describing then go there and start taking notes.

Photo courtesy of Proteon

      However, plenty of rpgs are in fantasy or sci-fi settings so finding a real source for inspiration may be difficult. In this case, there is another exercise you can do that will help you describe your setting. Find a picture similar to your setting and describe it and then adjust your description to add whatever little details you'd like to make it your own. As an example I provided a picture I found of an old tavern the likes of which could be used in a Dungeon and Dragon's campaign. I would spend at least 5 minutes just writing down details from this picture to help me describe my own tavern. By practicing using descriptors with pictures you will become proficient at describing your own worlds. Some online tabletop resources might allow sharing of pictures in which case by finding a suitable photo the hard part is done for you.
      The key to describing a setting isn't just mentioning what is seen but also to engage the other senses. Does the place have a strange smell? What sort of background noise is going on? What type of people are in the area if anyone at all? Little details like this will help you create a world for the players just as vivid as you see when you close your eyes.

Bringing Combat to Life Part 2

I’d much rather describe the scene and let the players figure it out for themselves. In real life, opponents don’t have a health bar above them, you just have to guess how well you did. A good idea is to find a thesaurus and look up words to describe attacks and wounds. Not only can it be fun (or I think so at least) but it will help bring the action to life. Keep words like graze and glancing for the small damage and save words like gouge, sunder, and decimate for when the players really give ‘em hell. Not only do these words better inform the players, they tend to smile more when you can add some dramatic verbiage.

Depending on much health the character has left you can loosely tell your players by describing the after effects of the attack. If they just cuss and swing back in a furious rage then they know that the attack wasn’t effective but if he wobbles on his feet, breathing labored while he steadies himself then they know he’s on the ropes. The after effects are what really bring the reality of the situation home as people always react to the things around them. No matter how bad ass the antagonist might be, they will notice if they are injured. This is also a good chance to bring up extra details of the setting and additional action, further elaborating on the scene.  By narrating the mechanics rather than just repeating results you’ll get a more interactive scene. To tie this all together, let’s look at the first example if done properly.

Player: I’m shooting that guy *rolls dice*

GM: Okay, now damage

Player: *rolls dice*

GM: You steady yourself, trying to get a bead on the man. The gun barks as the bullet collides with his shoulder, knocking him off his feet, swearing as blood erupts from the wound. He steadies himself against a wall, leaving a dark crimson mark against the wallpaper. Desperately, he raises his hand in a gesture of surrender.

See how much better that sounds while providing more information. This way your epic action scene remains epic and not just a series of numbers that drags down the feel of the game. I can promise you that by heeding this advice your players will talk about their battles like old soldiers and you will enjoy writing these scenes just as much.

Dealing with Problem Players

I've played with a lot of groups before finding one group that fits well with my preferences. I played with people I didn't much care for because I love the game more than I hate that one person. It's a sad, simple fact that sometimes within a group certain players can drag down a game. If you are lucky you won't run into these types or at least they won't make their issue everyone's issue, but that is not always the case. Dealing with those players can be difficult and most books do not cover this subject, the most notable exception being Victoriana second edition by Cublicle Seven, a fantastic rpg for anyone interested in Steampunk. To help a new GM combat these various types of players I'll outline a few of the archetypes and give a few tips on how to handle them.

Type: Anti-social Players
Description: These players make characters that almost seem bent of ruining the other players good time. They rarely say anything productive, their actions ruin any chance for advancement, and the character has a hard time fitting into the group. Sometimes this can create dramatic tension but usually it just pisses everyone off.
How to Handle: This character, by their very nature, is a lightning rod for misfortune and it should be demonstrated. People with poor people skills that make bad decisions rarely have good things happen to them; karma is a bitch. All else fails, kill them.

Type: Attention Hogs
Description: These players try to take up the spot light in every scene. They sometimes run off on their own, yell over other players to get their point across, or speak up before anyone else can react even to the point of cutting off the GM. These players forget that there are more than just them involved
How to Handle: The first step is just to tell them to take a step back and let someone else do something. In the case of them running off ahead of the group just make something bad happen to them. Keep is less than death but more than just a loss of hit points. A random kidnapping is a good way to remove them from the scene for a little while but giving them something else to focus on doesn't hurt either.

Type: Inattentive Players
Description: They might be present but they are not involved. They tend to surf the internet, text others, or play video games while you are trying to run your game. While not game wrecking it can be disrespectful. This is my least favorite type of player.
How to Handle: If you have to see whether they need to leave for any reason. If they say they are involved but still don't participate then have misfortune befall the character or just withhold experience points. Do not hold back.

Type: Min-Maxers
Description: These types of players are generally associated most with unstoppable death machines and the archetype can be closely associated with Power Players as well. They put all their character points into only a few stats and skills while leaving the rest nearly empty. These highly specialized characters tend to easily overcome certain obstacles and are usually unrealistic characters.
How to Handle:The nice part about this archetype is they are easily beaten by any task they are not specialized in. A simple locked door or bit of knowledge can separate the Min-maxer from their goal and help stress the need for a little diversity.

Type: Munchkin
Description: This person is a real minimalist in terms of story. The character is little more than a collection of stats. The character seems to have no past, goals, or plans other than to "be better".
How to Handle: Since the character has no set backstory you should use it. You can withhold extra story based bonuses from them. Completing personal goals generally merit more experience or additional bonuses but those are hard to achieve if the player doesn't have any. Reward your players that complete story arcs. Since most Munchkins are concerned with gaining as much experience points as they can they will be more motivated to add some story to their character.

Type: Power Player
Description: These are the types that focus more on the "game" aspect than the role playing and have this idea in their head that they can "win" the game. This is usually accomplished by killing everyone in their path as would be the case if it was a video game.
How to Handle: The easiest way to beat the power player is to create a task that can not be accomplished through brute force but through role playing. Give them a social engagement where they have to gather information and where people would notice somebody bullying a NPC or cleaving them in two.

Type: Rule Lawyers
Description: When kept in check a rule lawyer can be useful as they tend to know the mechanics of the game system. They can help speed the game along by remembering that one rule you forgot but they can also slow it down the same way. This player is the most likely to try to get a GM to overturn their ruling or call them out when something is not canon.
How to Handle: The easiest way to handle them is to simply remind them who is running the game. It's the role of the GM, not the player, to judge what is what. If you have a good reason for the change then be free to let them know why, story trumps mechanics every time. If you don't have a good reason then maybe you should listen to the lawyer.

Type: Secret Keepers
Description: This person tries to keep other players in the dark, usually for their own benefit. This type can also try to keep secrets from the GM in an attempt to blindside the story, once again, for their own benefit. They will try to work ahead of everyone else or undermine the group. Sometimes this can help build story but most of the time if just makes running a game difficult.
How to Handle: This is an easy one. Just find a way to drop the information into another character's lap.

Type: Whiners
Description: It doesn't matter what how poorly they play or how many benefits you give them, the minute any misfortune befalls their character they have to complain or claim something isn't fair. This is obnoxious due to the fact that sometimes things just don't work out and that's life.
How to Handle: There isn't too much you can do about this player except remind them that they could always run a game if they aren't enjoying playing yours, leave the game entirely, or just suck it up. Remind them that conflict is a part of life, which the game loosely represents, and no one wins all the time.

Dealing with Writer’s Block

            At some point it is going to happen, you have a game to coming up in a few days and you got nothing. People are relying on you to have another scenario created, hopefully as good as the last one, and you keep starring at a blank page just hoping an idea will spontaneously appear upon it. This is the moment you yell to the gods “Why did I sign up for this? Am I crazy?” The short answer is yes but this problem is easily overcome with one or more of the tips I will outline. As a man currently deep in this issue with my own game I felt it was important to elaborate on this issue. Fear not, the problem is not a severe as it would first appear.

            The real trick is to clear your mind. That worry you have built up will not help you. Instead of thinking about the game you will spend the whole time thinking about the repercussions of not being ready. For some this is easier than for others (I fall into the other category) but this is the first step to finding that missing piece that will break the creative gates wide open. If you can just clear your mind and refocus on the task at hand, more power to you, but as I’m not that way I know that others will be unable to do so. Here are a few more tricks to free yourself from your own anxieties.

            Listen to music, preferably with a similar theme or feeling to what you have to write. Music is a real simple distraction that doesn’t take away from being about to sit and think or write. By feeling a few of the emotions that will come about from listening to music you might find yourself better able to tap into the world in which you have created. With all the portable devices that play music anymore you can use this method in conjunction with a few of the other tips provided. I tend to have preferred Pandora.com stations I create for various games since I use this method more than any others.

            Find a suitable change of scenery. Staring at the same four walls, if it isn’t working, probably won’t suddenly start working. Go out and find some other place that might have more visual stimulation or just some other place that has a mood you wish to tap into. Try a few places if your first idea doesn’t work out until you find one that just works. As strange as it may sound I’m a big fan of wondering around cemeteries when I get stuck since they are generally well-kept, quiet, and if I get stuck with a character name then there are several name ideas engraved into stone all around me. I’ve also had a lot of success that laundry mats. You never know where inspiration will strike so be open to new places.

            Change your mental state. Now I don’t want to be the guy saying that drugs and alcohol are great or that they make you more creative but having a drink or two can help clear your mind or come up with different ideas. I’ve written some of my best action scenes with this method, however it doesn’t work very well for the finer details. If you use this method I also recommend going back over what you wrote down (hopefully you remembered to do that too) to make sure it still sounds just a great to you as it did when you first came up with it. As Hemmingway said “Write drunk, edit sober”.

Get some exercise. This might seem like strange advice but it helps. I’m not saying you have to go out and get your pump on, just do something that requires some movement. Getting the blood flowing is a good way to kick your brainpower up a notch. I’ve always been a pacer which tends to help me out a little. For me this tip is more about clearing your head than finding new creativity.

Talk with other people not involved in the game. Sometimes all you need is to blurt out whatever is on the tip of your tongue and see if it sounds as good out loud as it does in your head. Having someone else to listen makes you A) seem less crazy and B) gives you the chance to see the reaction on someone’s face as they listen to you. They might also think of something you didn’t which will add a new dimension to your game. I’ve worked with a buddy of mine to help another friend write a game for his group and the finished product is still talked about among that group even several years later. Collaboration has the added benefit of preventing your ideas from stagnating and being redundant.

With any luck these tips will help you when you need it most. The main trick is to find some sort of ritual that works well to get your creative juices flowing and repeat it every time you run into writer’s block. Once you have it figured out, writer’s block will no longer be an issue.