GM/MC question! I try to ask questions that all may potentially benefit from. So….
For your NPC’s in any given system:
Do you have a default format or character keeper that you use to keep track of them?
Also, what pertinent information or traits do you make sure you notate?
I ask, because I’ve basically been disorganized about it up to this point, but I’d like to do better/be more efficient about it. (Especially since I’ve got an Urban Shadows game coming up in a few weeks)
Any advice is awesome and appreciated!
In FATE Core, NPCs are classified according to their power level. I put them in folders in Roll20 according to these categories and tag them according to their factions. I also make a social graph of their relationships in a program like yed.
In FATE Core, NPCs are classified according to their power level. I put them in folders in Roll20 according to these categories and tag them according to their factions. I also make a social graph of their relationships in a program like yed.
I was wondering about this also. And how do you keep track of their relationships?
I was wondering about this also. And how do you keep track of their relationships?
All my NPCs are usually written in the following format, on index cards:
Name – title/concept, short description, etc
– a behavior, move or hook
– second behavior, move, or hook
– and another for good measure
I use the three things in the list to flesh out the NPC and give them actual things that will happen in play to keep everything moving forward. Example:
Oscar Ramirez: vampire hunter from out of town, army jacket, pistols and knives
– trying to find a cure for his blood disease
– attack any vampire on detection
– make a deal to save allies
All my NPCs are usually written in the following format, on index cards:
Name – title/concept, short description, etc
– a behavior, move or hook
– second behavior, move, or hook
– and another for good measure
I use the three things in the list to flesh out the NPC and give them actual things that will happen in play to keep everything moving forward. Example:
Oscar Ramirez: vampire hunter from out of town, army jacket, pistols and knives
– trying to find a cure for his blood disease
– attack any vampire on detection
– make a deal to save allies
I keep my NPCs super basic. If I don’t write them into an adventure to start with they all start life as an entry on a name list. I grabbed the names of all the crew from a major production movie (I used LOTR) and put them into a word doc, threw some columns at it, made the font really small, and printed it as a booklet. I also cobbled together a list of personality traits, physical characteristics, and goals/motivations.
So, the PCs encounter a town blacksmith. A couple quick rolls, or just whatever catches my eye first, and I’ve got an NPC. Make a note of their name, any characteristics or quirks or whatever, where they can be found (multiple places if necessary, but mostly city and where in the city, name of shop etc), and if I gave them any funny voices or anything. You can also note any other NPCs they’re associated with, political affliations, etc. All of this can go on a note card.
Now here’s where it gets fancy. If this character is going to show back up more than once or twice, or if they end up becoming a regular feature in the game, I make their notes a little more formal- typed up on a half sheet (my GM binder is a half sheet Arc notebook) with particulars on one side and a picture I’ve cribbed from Google or Pinterest on the other. Most of my games aren’t heavily stat-oriented, so if I need to note abilities for these NPCs I can just use a scale of mediocre-below average-average-above average-exceptional for most interactions.
Now, a note on organization, because your party has to be able to find those NPCs when they go looking for them. You can either keep track of their cards by name, or by where to find them, but whichever you choose, make an index of the other. What I prefer to do is organize them by location (city, then part of city) so I can have other NPCs around who live there, so I organize their records that way, then create an alphabetical name index that tells me what their location is. This way, if the party goes to Hogtown looking for the smith you can go to your NPC cards and find who lives in Hogtown, and the smith should be there, but if they go looking for Booger the Smith, you can look him up and know that you (and the party) can find him in Hogtown (and who else they might find there).
Hope this helps!
I keep my NPCs super basic. If I don’t write them into an adventure to start with they all start life as an entry on a name list. I grabbed the names of all the crew from a major production movie (I used LOTR) and put them into a word doc, threw some columns at it, made the font really small, and printed it as a booklet. I also cobbled together a list of personality traits, physical characteristics, and goals/motivations.
So, the PCs encounter a town blacksmith. A couple quick rolls, or just whatever catches my eye first, and I’ve got an NPC. Make a note of their name, any characteristics or quirks or whatever, where they can be found (multiple places if necessary, but mostly city and where in the city, name of shop etc), and if I gave them any funny voices or anything. You can also note any other NPCs they’re associated with, political affliations, etc. All of this can go on a note card.
Now here’s where it gets fancy. If this character is going to show back up more than once or twice, or if they end up becoming a regular feature in the game, I make their notes a little more formal- typed up on a half sheet (my GM binder is a half sheet Arc notebook) with particulars on one side and a picture I’ve cribbed from Google or Pinterest on the other. Most of my games aren’t heavily stat-oriented, so if I need to note abilities for these NPCs I can just use a scale of mediocre-below average-average-above average-exceptional for most interactions.
Now, a note on organization, because your party has to be able to find those NPCs when they go looking for them. You can either keep track of their cards by name, or by where to find them, but whichever you choose, make an index of the other. What I prefer to do is organize them by location (city, then part of city) so I can have other NPCs around who live there, so I organize their records that way, then create an alphabetical name index that tells me what their location is. This way, if the party goes to Hogtown looking for the smith you can go to your NPC cards and find who lives in Hogtown, and the smith should be there, but if they go looking for Booger the Smith, you can look him up and know that you (and the party) can find him in Hogtown (and who else they might find there).
Hope this helps!
Some solid advice here. I also like noting a unique verbal or physical tell next to each NPC name so I remember how to play that character. Things as simple as: (excitable) (shifty) (elderly) (southern) or existing characters/people I’m modeling it on: (Gollum) (Christopher Walken) etc.
Some solid advice here. I also like noting a unique verbal or physical tell next to each NPC name so I remember how to play that character. Things as simple as: (excitable) (shifty) (elderly) (southern) or existing characters/people I’m modeling it on: (Gollum) (Christopher Walken) etc.