[OOC] Get to Know a GM -- Let’s Talk About NPCs

[bananabadger]

This place is swarming with henchmen! The early AD&D days.

Welcome to NPC Week!

Just a reminder, the GM Lounge is a place of luxury, comfy leather chairs, and sun-drenched conservatories open to everyone in the RPG Crossing community during the Iron DM celebration. You might also call it a series of OOC threads, each one with a slightly different theme.

This thread is all about NPCs. Whether they arrive to carry your treasure chests or to steal your heart, a good NPC can significantly affect a game. But how much is too much? When should a GM rely on an NPC to move the plot along, and when should NPCs be seen but not heard? This thread is to discuss all these questions and more!

To get us started, I've asked some GMs from the site and the ongoing Iron DM competition to answer these 7 questions and to be available for questions and responses throughout the next two weeks as we all do our deep-dive into monsters!

So let's hear from Begon Ugo, Briar, Ghostwalking, Ysolde ... and from YOU as well!

Here are the questions:

1. If we go back to the early days of NPCs, they were basically henchmen and hirelings from the AD&D books and modules. Anonymous, semi-expendable, and prone to morale checks. Is there still a place for these types of NPCs in the games you run or like to play? Why or why not?
   
2. When you drop an NPC into the game, how extensively do you create their background? Between the extremes of "Only as much as the plot requires," and "I know their entire family tree and what they ate for breakfast," where have your best and most memorable NPCs started off at?
   
3. Similarily, do you imagine the secret lives of your NPCs when the party has passed them on? Or do you use them and lose them once the plot moves past them?
   
4. What boundaries--if any--do you set for players introducing NPCs into the narrative? Obviously this might depend on the game system, but what is your ideal, general approach?
   
5. Tell us about an NPC who began as an obscure side character and rose to fame/infamy in a game you GM'ed! How, if at all, would you change that trajectory if you introduced that NPC again?
   
6. NPC and PC romance ... Never? Maybe, when Venus aligns with Jupiter? or I Baldurs Gate 3 my PCs and wiggle every NPC worm in front of their sad, lonely hearts!? And what are some good guidelines for any storyline that involves NPC romance?
   
7. If you were an NPC, what game system would you be called up in? What would be your role?

[Ysolde]

On NPCs If we go back to the early days of NPCs, they were basically henchmen and hirelings from the AD&D books and modules. Anonymous, semi-expendable, and prone to morale checks. Is there still a place for these types of NPCs in the games you run or like to play? Why or why not? When you drop an NPC into the game, how extensively do you create their background? Between the extremes of "Only as much as the plot requires," and "I know their entire family tree and what they ate for breakfast," where have your best and most memorable NPCs started off at? I consider every monster that the PCs meet to be an NPC so, anonymous semi-expendable attaches to most of them. Every NPC starts out as something of a blank slate with a few details in my mind of who they are and what role they play. For me these NPCs grow as the players interact with them. I've had a Blue dragon the party was meant to kill go all the way from there to a major ally who they kept giving most of the loot from later encounters to in order to grow its horde. I had a minor wizard without a name that the PCs decided to tie to a tree in the middle of the wilderness come back later in a major plot to kill them all for it. Similarily, do you imagine the secret lives of your NPCs when the party has passed them on? Or do you use them and lose them once the plot moves past them? If the character has grown enough I will imagine a life for them, but mostly they are lost unless the PCs decide to come back to them. What boundaries--if any--do you set for players introducing NPCs into the narrative? Obviously this might depend on the game system, but what is your ideal, general approach? Familiars are always acceptable. Sometimes a PC wants to have an assistant or helper and I'll allow them to have an NPC with them. Mostly my boundary is nothing more powerful than the PCs. With a few minor exceptions like the aforesaid blue dragon... Tell us about an NPC who began as an obscure side character and rose to fame/infamy in a game you GM'ed! How, if at all, would you change that trajectory if you introduced that NPC again? Most well known to my home players is a character named Michael Rhysahn who I introduced in an 1890's game as a antagonist in a Phantom of the Opera type of situation. He was the aforesaid Phantom and the party decided to get the Opera to work with him. They befriended him and, since he was a bard in a world mostly without magic, they kept coming back to him for advice and assistance. Later on some of the party would end up starring in one of his Operas on the stage in London as part of a plot to get a different villain. I can't imagine the same trajectory happening over again so I don't know if I would even introduce him. NPC and PC romance ... Never? Maybe, when Venus aligns with Jupiter? or I Baldurs Gate 3 my PCs and wiggle every NPC worm in front of their sad, lonely hearts!? And what are some good guidelines for any storyline that involves NPC romance? I'm all for it. I support PC and NPC romance, but draw the line at the sort of shenanigans where a PC wants to simply bed every NPC they meet. If you were an NPC, what game system would you be called up in? What would be your role? D&D 5E most likely and I'd either be a Major Villain or a Powerful person who just needs the PCs to go one quests that they can't find the time to do.

[Begon Ugo]

On NPC's If we go back to the early days of NPCs, they were basically henchmen and hirelings from the AD&D books and modules. Anonymous, semi-expendable, and prone to morale checks. Is there still a place for these types of NPCs in the games you run or like to play? Why or why not? First off… I am the wrong DM for this topic as I have only Dm’d pre-made modules which have ready made NPC’s for me to riff off of. But in terms of what I have done with that: For me, NPC’s all exist in a real world. I do not have much experience with the old style NPC’s that are expendable as I expect anyone at any time to become the focal point of the campaign. Especially with the new abilities to random generate NPC characteristics, I don't see a place for cookie cutter NPC’s. When you drop an NPC into the game, how extensively do you create their background? Between the extremes of "Only as much as the plot requires," and "I know their entire family tree and what they ate for breakfast," where have your best and most memorable NPCs started off at? Similarily, do you imagine the secret lives of your NPCs when the party has passed them on? Or do you use them and lose them once the plot moves past them? I usually have the bare bones and then If the need arises I will use an NPC generator, usually from multiple sites to meld together an interesting background for an NPC. I use historical figures as templates for personalities and I love throwing in historical quotes without the players noticing. What boundaries--if any--do you set for players introducing NPCs into the narrative? Obviously this might depend on the game system, but what is your ideal, general approach? Even though I have run modules, I do not mind at all if everything goes off the rails. In fact I encourage it because it gives me a chance to be creative. I lean towards the rule of cool as much as possible and I try to collaborate and tell a fun and interesting story rather than be a conductor. Tell us about an NPC who began as an obscure side character and rose to fame/infamy in a game you GM'ed! How, if at all, would you change that trajectory if you introduced that NPC again? I am ashamed to admit that this has not happened in any of my games…yet? I mean, I was quite partial to the ogre prisoner who joined my group of evil revolutionaries in my Way of the Wicked game. He was a hillbilly with a murder streak but he got unceremoniously abandoned in the woods. Something about ogres and village folk not mixing well. NPC and PC romance ... Never? Maybe, when Venus aligns with Jupiter? or I Baldurs Gate 3 my PCs and wiggle every NPC worm in front of their sad, lonely hearts!? And what are some good guidelines for any storyline that involves NPC romance? Sigh… if a game can last long enough… I’m all for it. In my Strahd game I think… maybe… it might happen. The disfigured rogue and the young mistreated, yet rescued woman. The spark is there… but can the narcissist see past himself? I don’t know as my goal in that game is to push the players towards therapy. If you were an NPC, what game system would you be called up in? What would be your role? Oh man! I’m not sure but I would say I’m an amalgamation of my two favorite characters: Begon Ugo, the not so intelligent Orc barbarian, and Trixton, the curmudgeon gnome wizard. I lie somewhere in between and the game system you would find me inhabiting would be Delta Green. I would be the guy surrounded by chaos, drinking a martini like Kermit the Frog while listening to James Taylor.

[ghostwalking]

Tonight, on NPC ... If we go back to the early days of NPCs, they were basically henchmen and hirelings from the AD&D books and modules. Anonymous, semi-expendable, and prone to morale checks. Is there still a place for these types of NPCs in the games you run or like to play? Why or why not? Cardboard NPCs, like extras in a film, do still have a place. But the observer effect is in play, and you need to be ready to flush them out based on player actions. When you drop an NPC into the game, how extensively do you create their background? Between the extremes of "Only as much as the plot requires," and "I know their entire family tree and what they ate for breakfast," where have your best and most memorable NPCs started off at? Usually it's limited to what the situation requires. I do try to remember to ask myself what an NPC's motivation is, but in a live game sometimes I forget. For NPCs that are more integral to the game, I usually develop a fuller concept of who they are ahead of time. Almost all of my most memorable NPCs started off as some level of cardboard cutout, altered by flashes of in-game inspiration. Similarly, do you imagine the secret lives of your NPCs when the party has passed them on? Or do you use them and lose them once the plot moves past them? For continuity and immersion, I like to keep a catalog of NPCs and where they are. I find its helpful for me as a story teller, and for the game itself. If players return to a town I don't need to make up an Inn and Inn Keeper from scratch again. What boundaries--if any--do you set for players introducing NPCs into the narrative? Obviously this might depend on the game system, but what is your ideal, general approach? I like it when the players color the background themselves. But I vet it and reserve the option to modify or veto. And my modifications might not be obvious. And it might be underhanded. I might arrange it so that the PC perceived the situation to be what the player described to me. Tell us about an NPC who began as an obscure side character and rose to fame/infamy in a game you GM'ed! How, if at all, would you change that trajectory if you introduced that NPC again? Back in high school we were playing Palladium, and one the players was an Elementalist who kept summoning an Air Elemental. I decided that it was actually the same air elemental every time. Its name was Bob. And the player and Bob performed some truly horrible, but creative, acts in pretty much every village and town they visited. They became infamous and feared across the Old Kingdom. It accidentally turned into an evil campaign as a result. We're talking pure, unadulterated, Grade-A murder hobos. Which now has me thinking I should bring them back as the BBEGs for a game ... NPC and PC romance ... Never? Maybe, when Venus aligns with Jupiter? or I Baldurs Gate 3 my PCs and wiggle every NPC worm in front of their sad, lonely hearts!? And what are some good guidelines for any storyline that involves NPC romance? At a live game, I can't do it with a straight face. But it might be fun to explore in a PbP setting where I had time to think about it and craft the interactions. If you were an NPC, what game system would you be called up in? What would be your role? That's the kind of question that triggers an infinitely recursive introspection loop. But for the sake of fun, maybe a kind hearted travelling bardish type who keeps coincidentally finding himself in the right place and time to be helpful to the party.

[briar]

Hi, I'm briar (with a lowercase b), resident problem-child, self-proclaimed hippiepunk otaku granola girl and connoisseur of all things cozy and wholesome. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to answer some of these questions. I imagine many of my gaming preferences are a bit of a hot take and that my answers will reflect that ideology, but I hope that they provide some insight and food-for-thought for others. I love stories, and I hope everyone gets the chance to tell a part of their own through their role-play.

---

Question 1: If we go back to the early days of NPCs, they were basically henchmen and hirelings from the AD&D books and modules. Anonymous, semi-expendable, and prone to morale checks. Is there still a place for these types of NPCs in the games you run or like to play? Why or why not?

Ah yes, traditional 'throwaway' characters, or "Red Shirts" as my wonderful partner likes to call them. I never really cared much for using faceless NPCs, if I'm being honest. 'Filling space' is something for objects and adjectives to do, not a character. My personal tastes as a GM and as a player is to favor interpersonal interactions, and usually don't involve a lot of death or even violence, so these characters having depth enough to be interesting is important in the sense of pushing the plot and giving the players things to focus on as well.

And besides, everyone you meet has a story to tell, whether its in a game or real life, and even if the players make no effort to learn it, that is, frankly, their loss.

In my experience, I feel that the emotional value of a well-contrived and established NPC is immeasurably more effective, and much more of a worthwhile connection. One does not expect the PCs to grow attached to every NPC that they come across, but I find that an interaction feels more real and immersive if the players learn something about who they're interacting with. Even if I only ever plan to use an NPC once, I try to pack as much personality into them as possible.

Question 2: When you drop an NPC into the game, how extensively do you create their background? Between the extremes of "Only as much as the plot requires," and "I know their entire family tree and what they ate for breakfast," where have your best and most memorable NPCs started off at?

Probably not as extensively as I should. Truth be told, 99% of my NPCs start out with me mindlessly scrolling through character images on Pinterest when I need a character and now-and-again going "This one!".

I usually just come up a very general idea of their personality based on what I think they are, and then the character evolves through the narrative as the PCs interact with them, taking on a life of their own. And I think its best that way, at least for me.

Question 3: Similarly, do you imagine the secret lives of your NPCs when the party has passed them on? Or do you use them and lose them once the plot moves past them?

Oh yes, I regularly take this into consideration. After all, what often makes an NPC memorable to a player is how much time they get with them, or how much they come up. Even a character that the PCs only meet once could feasibly crop up again, so its important, I think, to establish them within the setting.

Maybe they hear news involving that NPC from a passing merchant, invoking feelings of nostalgia, or maybe its bad news and it conjures feelings of remorse. Maybe the NPC pops back up in a later quest, thus making it a little more personal to the PCs because they have had that past interaction.

I don't think I would ever not keep track of the people that the players have interacted with, no matter how small, because I believe it is important for players to see what effect their characters have on the world around them, and NPCs are the best method of doing that.

Question 4: What boundaries--if any--do you set for players introducing NPCs into the narrative? Obviously this might depend on the game system, but what is your ideal, general approach?

I don't actually see this happen too often, if I'm being honest. I do try to include aspects of a character's backstories, but I'm not a fan of role-playing a character that I didn't create myself.

Its my personal opinion that the only person who can truly portray a character is that character's author, so if a PC wants a background NPC to be a part of the narrative, I usually let them role-play the character themselves, or I take the character and put my own spin on it, with the permission of the player of course.

Question 5: Tell us about an NPC who began as an obscure side character and rose to fame/infamy in a game you GM'ed! How, if at all, would you change that trajectory if you introduced that NPC again?

Ser Mac'Nauld von Garrish, a human hunter who I introduced into my second play-through of Broken Moon, which is Book 3 of the Carrion Crown adventure path for Pathfinder. I felt the cast for the Lodge was somewhat lacking, so I replaced some of the characters with my own.

Ser Mac'Nauld took the place of Duristan, a pompous aristocratic hunter that is meant to be adversarial towards the party. Ser Mac'Nauld, on the other hand, was modeled after several characters from my favorite classic adventure stories (Alexander Quartermain from King Solomon's Mines, the Black Knight from Ivanhoe, Professor Challenger from The Lost World), so he is chivalrous, dramatic, and flamboyant. The iconic idea of a 'veteran English gentleman hunter', and as it turned out, the party adored him, probably because I really played up his flourishes in speech and demeanor. Either way, they all instantly fell in line with him and started considering themselves his subordinates. It was quite the spectacle.

And quite the headache. 😅

Question 6: PC and PC romance ... Never? Maybe, when Venus aligns with Jupiter? or I Baldurs Gate 3 my PCs and wiggle every NPC worm in front of their sad, lonely hearts!? And what are some good guidelines for any storyline that involves NPC romance?

I always welcome romantic subplots in my games, and something that I do like to actively explore myself. As long as people can be adult about it and understand boundaries, I don't see an issue with it, but handling it as a stoyteller can often be tricky, so I stick to a three-point rule system: Moderate, Mediate, and Machinate.

Moderate: As mentioned, I encourage players to form attachments, bonds, and relationships with NPCs (and other PCs, too), which is because I greatly value stories that revolve around camaraderie, community, found family and 'the power of friendship'. But I also very much adore seeing a character's feelings for another blossom into something more. However, before the game even starts, I usually try to take it upon myself to gauge the atmosphere of acceptable content among the players. If you've ever heard of an 'RPG Consent Checklist', I recommend using one or at the very least taking ideas from it. Establish a baseline of what is okay and what isn't within not just the site rules, but also what the party wants, as they are also your primary audience. Your first and foremost goal if you want to rune a game with romantic encounters is to create an open and active space for it to take place and where every feels safe to do so.

Mediate: As a storyteller, its your responsibility to set and follow ground rules for romantic encounters in games. My methodology for this tends to be proactive, and I regularly check-in with players who become (or might become or are interested in becoming) embroiled in a romantic subplot. Its important to measure the comfort levels of everyone, including those in the prospective relationship, as well as though outside of it. Make sure everyone at the table is heard, there is a discussion on what people are okay with and what they aren't, and continually check to make sure that hasn't changed. Any good romance plot needs a clear statement of intent from both parties, a reiteration of boundaries, and some potential 'what if' scenarios. And in the case of PC-to-PC relationships, make sure you play the part of mediator. Keep regular contact with both participants and encourage them to talk things out either privately or in the open BEFORE they role-play.

Machinate: Full disclosure, I am 100% romantic fangirl trash, which means when I read a romance novel, I want the relationship to be front-and-center. Similarly, in TTRPGs where there is a romantic subplot, it is my belief that players interested in or pursuing such subplots want to see it. Ergo, storytellers should be sure to 'make room' for that subplot to play out within the confines of their story, which often means creating or allowing for scenarios in which that subplot can advance. Special scenes that provoke, invite, or even focus on related interactions are beneficial to appealing to those who like this kind of thing. Within reason, of course. Take it from me, if you don't give your players room to play out subplots, they'll try to make room for it, and that can very easily derail your storytelling.

Question 7: If you were an NPC, what game system would you be called up in? What would be your role?

Oh, wow, easiest question on the list. Golden Sky Stories, without a doubt. If you aren't familiar, GSS is a low-stakes, casual fantasy system in which players take on the role of magical creatures known as 'henge', and they have adventures in and around a small rural town in the Japanese countryside.

These adventures aren't big and bold or full of action, and the system itself dissuades violent action, favoring plots where the characters use their magic to help people in town live better lives or lift them up when they are feeling upset or when there's a problem. Its a very gentle, wholesome system with a lot of room for interpretation.

For me, personally, I'm not a violent type. I like to watch shows like So I'm a Spider, So What? and Fairy Tail, which are reputably high-octane shows, but I would never want to live in that kind of world. I'd rather live in a world that is mostly modern (maybe little bit of multi-genreism), but with a little bit of magic sprinkled in, like the type of world the Golden Sky Stories tries to simulate.

As for my role? Well, I like to be helpful, and most of my friends think I have a lot of 'mom' energy, so I would probably fit best as an NPC who is nurturing and supportive of the PCs. The kind of NPC who is there to offer help when the PCs need it the most, or is regularly aiding the group, like when they need a place to stay or a belly full of scrumptious food. Maybe some kind of innkeeper or restaurant owner, or maybe the head of some sort of naturalist Shinto-esque psuedo-religion; oh! A magical miko/kannushi chef that runs a hotspring hotel! That's me! 😋

[Dworin]

Please keep in mind that I am quite inexperienced as GM. But in the spirit of ..., I'll try to say something sensible.

If we go back to the early days of NPCs, they were basically henchmen and hirelings from the AD&D books and modules. Anonymous, semi-expendable, and prone to morale checks. Is there still a place for these types of NPCs in the games you run or like to play? Why or why not?

Ah yes, pirates, highway robbers and such were instantly recognisable and totally generic. Since then we have introduced 50 shades of gray and that has made rp richer. But, if the baddie sends a hired killer or a bomb squad with the (OOC) objective to have some tactical dice orgy, then I guess don't dilute that with detailed character descriptions. I like to play that? Not really. For that I'd personally rather play a tactical board game.

When you drop an NPC into the game, how extensively do you create their background? Between the extremes of "Only as much as the plot requires," and "I know their entire family tree and what they ate for breakfast," where have your best and most memorable NPCs started off at?

I have detailed some with NPC generators, personality types etc. And sometimes I just start typing. The thing is, details come automatically when I feel a post is 'empty' and character consistency is not really a consideration for all NPC's - or their character can develop from such incidental details. Playing PbP here also allows us to fill in details in between posts which isn't feasible on-the-fly in a live game. I haven't yet had time to have 'best and most memorable' NPCs, so I'll pass on that one.

Similarily, do you imagine the secret lives of your NPCs when the party has passed them on? Or do you use them and lose them once the plot moves past them?

I probably should ...

What boundaries--if any--do you set for players introducing NPCs into the narrative? Obviously this might depend on the game system, but what is your ideal, general approach?

I take this as NPCs that the players themselves are playing as sidekick/familiar/servant etc. This is all totally fine by me, provided that it doesn't have a mechanical effect on the game. Just flavour. For them to introduce NPCs that I then have to play? If it's in the most general of wordings, like I ask the policeman on the corner ... Then of course, provided I want to allow a policeman to be there at that time.

Tell us about an NPC who began as an obscure side character and rose to fame/infamy in a game you GM'ed! How, if at all, would you change that trajectory if you introduced that NPC again?

This question resembles Q 2b and so does my answer.

NPC and PC romance ... Never? Maybe, when Venus aligns with Jupiter? or I Baldurs Gate 3 my PCs and wiggle every NPC worm in front of their sad, lonely hearts!? And what are some good guidelines for any storyline that involves NPC romance?

My personal attitude towards romance ... this is where books get flung in the corner, where I start fidgetting in the cinema (where I am seen every 5 years or so) etc. But if players want it, then I live to serve. Still need to be aware of spotlight sharing and group play, though. Again, play on a forum means it's trivially easy to create a side thread if needs be. Guidelines? I guess it should either serve the plot or serve PC character development in some significant way. And that could have as much to do with the end of the romance as with the beginning.

If you were an NPC, what game system would you be called up in? What would be your role?

Hey, there's a thread on letting NPC roles be taken by guest players. I'd be up for anything, really. Preferable a system that I know or that's a bit forgiving.

Or do I need to go in self-therapy here and describe my actual person as NPC? I'm usually conflict averse but at the same time very stubborn when I know I'm right, the eternal volunteer because 'nobody else will do it, so let's get it over with'. So, not suitable as antagonist, I reckon.

So there, I had warned y'all at the start, but that's what it is.

[Gaijin]

Originally Posted by briar

As for my role? Well, I like to be helpful, and most of my friends think I have a lot of 'mom' energy, so I would probably fit best as an NPC who is nurturing and supportive of the PCs. The kind of NPC who is there to offer help when the PCs need it the most, or is regularly aiding the group, like when they need a place to stay or a belly full of scrumptious food. Maybe some kind of innkeeper or restaurant owner, or maybe the head of some sort of naturalist Shinto-esque psuedo-religion; oh! A magical miko/kannushi chef that runs a hotspring hotel! That's me!

Hah, I had applied to Wodine's Naruto campaign with a Chef-nin character. Even though he wasn't selected, I still imagine him existing in the background, helping Ichiraku with the prep work for his Ramen Shop. The players are always welcome to swing by for a D-Rank Spicy Curry, if they ever need to restore some chakra before a mission.

---

NPCs have always been difficult for me. All of my proper GMing experience has been while sitting around a table, and I struggle with improvisational vocal performances. As a result, I would try to build adventures that veered away from populated areas as much as possible. Obviously, that only works for so long because people crave the kind of social environment that makes a world feel alive.

I'm finally getting around to worldbuilding for an upcoming RPGX campaign, and I'm super excited about having a space to crash through the inhibitions that I've developed around NPCs.

Follow-up Conversation It seems almost inevitable that when a group gets together for a game someone will eventually disappear, either temporarily or permanently. In your own games, how do you handle PCs that no longer have a player? Do you let them fade from the story? Do you add them to a stack of DM controlled NPCs? Or would you perhaps let one of the players take control of them as a Sidekick?

[briar]

Originally Posted by Gaijin

NPCs have always been difficult for me. All of my proper GMing experience has been while sitting around a table, and I struggle with improvisational vocal performances. As a result, I would try to build adventures that veered away from populated areas as much as possible. Obviously, that only works for so long because people crave the kind of social environment that makes a world feel alive.

I'm finally getting around to worldbuilding for an upcoming RPGX campaign, and I'm super excited about having a space to crash through the inhibitions that I've developed around NPCs.

Being able to do 'voices' was something I took an interest in even very early in life, even before I began playing role-playing games. It started with music, as I have a tendency to sing like the artist rather with my own voice, and then eventually I latched on to characters from TV, especially cartoons. My first was actually Pikachu from the Pokémon anime which was probably more annoying for the people around me than anything, but I was always really interested in how much personality you could pack into a character who only ever said his name (or little parts of it).

Later, when I started running games, I knew I wanted my voices to be a part of that, but I was also an incredibly shy child, so it took a while for me to properly do them. My favorites, aside from the NPC I have already mentioned, include the 'goblin girl' voice and my 'British' accent, the latter of which I used quite a bit.

Its been a long time since I've ran a live game and tbh, I don't feel much need in going back to those, but I still do 'voices' in a lot of ways, largely through dialogue. I'm very meticulous about making the characters I play 'sound right' even in just text. I like to apply accents, make them talk funny, articulate their speech, and have it affected by their mood.

Originally Posted by Gaijin

The simple answer to your question is: I do not. As I said in my previous post here, I don't feel comfortable role-playing as anyone's character, and I don't find it right to just hand them off to someone else either. I suppose if the two players agreed on it prior, then that would be fine, but I still don't know if I'd be fully comfortable with it.

So my preference will always be the first option, which is to say, let them fade from the story, and hopefully give them a proper 'end' as which benefits the theme of the narrative and the player's contribution to the story.

[Auron3991]

I love red shirts. Mostly because I use them as an NPC bench. If a player takes an interest, off the bench they come. If they don't, the character never needs to be seen again. Hundreds to thousands of people pass through our lives every day and we know nothing about them besides some wardrobe choices. Pre-formed backstories are for characters likely to be important to the events of the story or the lore. I may like living worlds, but sometimes a farmer just needs to be a farmer (and I have a hard enough time keeping my events straight). I've never actually had a player offer to introduce a npc, but I'd need a summary and some backstory before I approved it. And I'm not up for player-npc romances in games I run simply because I couldn't pull it off. No aversion to it, just something I'm confident I wouldn't do right.

As for me being an NPC? I'd be the hermit spellcaster whose house has as many enchantments as they can afford and sometimes shows up at the local tavern for a drink. Probably one of the settings where magic is being handled like a science. Don't know any systems specifically designed for that though.

[Fillyjonk]

If we go back to the early days of NPCs, they were basically henchmen and hirelings from the AD&D books and modules. Anonymous, semi-expendable, and prone to morale checks. Is there still a place for these types of NPCs in the games you run or like to play? Why or why not?

I prefer social interactions (POLITICS) to combat (though I would be sad to have No combat) so my NPCs all have secrets and agendas, and the more a PC invests and pays attention, the more they can get. My red shirts tend to be chaotic evil and abyssal, so PCs have an absolute evil to murder with happy abandon. My evil characters esp lawful hell types can be killed OR negotiated with and manipulated. ALL my NPCs want something and have histories, so can be bargained with or manipulated if the PCS care enough to investigate.

When you drop an NPC into the game, how extensively do you create their background? Between the extremes of "Only as much as the plot requires," and "I know their entire family tree and what they ate for breakfast," where have your best and most memorable NPCs started off at?

Mostly B. But yeah I have had the universal DM experience of throwing in an "unimportant" NPC to give the party a bit of exposition or pass along a quest item, only to have the party ADOPT them or LOATHE them so they have to become a real person or a real antagonist. I love this.

Similarly, do you imagine the secret lives of your NPCs when the party has passed them on? Or do you use them and lose them once the plot moves past them?

I keep up with them. As time moves forward, so do they, so if the PCs revisit a place, the people have adapted in whatever ways are plausible based on world events.

What boundaries--if any--do you set for players introducing NPCs into the narrative? Obviously this might depend on the game system, but what is your ideal, general approach?

Their history -- I LOVE for them to have important figures in their backstory, but I consider these NPCs gifts to me and try to make sure they figure in the narrative later. They can also intuit a waiter if they are in a bar and want to order a drink, but I need them to just say "She calls the waiter over and orders a mead." Do not tell me the waiter is an orc maiden named Tasca or whatever. I promise you, if you are in my bar, I know who works there.

Tell us about an NPC who began as an obscure side character and rose to fame/infamy in a game you GM'ed! How, if at all, would you change that trajectory if you introduced that NPC again?

HA! I ALWAYS reference the Bards game that is in the hall of fame here, but I have never loved a game more. There was a demi lich who was an obstacle they needed to trick or release and kill and one of the PCs just -- ADOPTED him as a surrogate dad. It was SUCH good RP and SO DEAR -- even the lich was moved. The PCs also were clever enough to make a deal that really benefitted HIM (to embody him again), so he wanted to keep it and then they gave him a BIG DUMB BUGBEAR body, so he couldn't be a powerful wizard, but was instead a VERY dumb affectionate hairy person. He joined their band and never left them.

NPC and PC romance ... Never? Maybe, when Venus aligns with Jupiter? or I Baldurs Gate 3 my PCs and wiggle every NPC worm in front of their sad, lonely hearts!? And what are some good guidelines for any storyline that involves NPC romance?

Trust. If there is GREAT trust, this can be done. If someone is willing to let their character fall in love, you have to be careful with them. You can't immediately kill the beloved with orcs like a backstory tragedy. And the PC has to move it forward and be pursuing it--- consent, collaboration, empathy.

When someone will trust me to play out a love story? I love it actually. As an avid reader, I don't love "love stories" per se, but I also often lose interest in books that do not HAVE a love story in them. I always think games that have NO room for sex or love are kinda -- weirdly truncated. Like, really? It is so human!

If you were an NPC, what game system would you be called up in? What would be your role?


5e, bartender! WITH A QUEST!

[Unicorn]

Here are the questions:

1. If we go back to the early days of NPCs, they were basically henchmen and hirelings from the AD&D books and modules. Anonymous, semi-expendable, and prone to morale checks. Is there still a place for these types of NPCs in the games you run or like to play? Why or why not?
   
   I'm the kinda girl that'll pack a variety pack of necessary NPCs that I modify as I believe my storyline requires. I was equipped with the emergency first aid kit, and trained to bring it out about now. I understand the old history behind the morale checks better than most. I believe most understand the long haul situation we are in, although, I shall admit, I could be wrong here and this is why I'm trying to release 5fdp songs, but computer AI is standing directly in the way now.
   
2. When you drop an NPC into the game, how extensively do you create their background? Between the extremes of "Only as much as the plot requires," and "I know their entire family tree and what they ate for breakfast," where have your best and most memorable NPCs started off at?
   
   That really depends. I prefer to know it all, but I don't need to know exactly everything. The most memorable ones were already established character level or higher gentry that could keep up.
   
   
3. Similarily, do you imagine the secret lives of your NPCs when the party has passed them on? Or do you use them and lose them once the plot moves past them?
   
   Time does move on, sometimes it's slow but that's a rarity.
   
4. What boundaries--if any--do you set for players introducing NPCs into the narrative? Obviously this might depend on the game system, but what is your ideal, general approach?
   
   I haven't really DMd enough to say here. I generally use them to run the story and move things along, sometimes at too brisk a pace... Horseman would say.
   
5. Tell us about an NPC who began as an obscure side character and rose to fame/infamy in a game you GM'ed! How, if at all, would you change that trajectory if you introduced that NPC again?
   
   My own Lady character that started as a fill in NPC, and rose to having her own city state. That's the only thing I would change. Her title basically after 8 years of stoic reflection.
   
6. NPC and PC romance ... Never? Maybe, when Venus aligns with Jupiter? or I Baldurs Gate 3 my PCs and wiggle every NPC worm in front of their sad, lonely hearts!? And what are some good guidelines for any storyline that involves NPC romance?
   
   Trust, and let the PC write the tale. However, if married the spouse has to read all of it with the significant PC.Just from problems stemming from others, it's best to put that boulder right there so to say.
   
7. If you were an NPC, what game system would you be called up in? What would be your role?
   
   At the moment I am a Pathfinder 2.0 GM.

[/QUOTE]