One of my great difficulties as a GM is keeping up with my NPCs. There are a couple rules I live by: I only do female NPCs when absolutely necessary, I keep to one or two NPCs in a given scene as my maximum, and I try to do different voices and postures for each different NPC. The result of having such a high bar I set for myself in terms of NPCs is that I have never perfected the art of popping between various NPC personalities. I get tired and hit a creative brick wall when trying to come up with unique NPCs that the players will remember. Its hard work being creative all the time. Its not unusual for me to find myself in over my head and discover I need a hand working out an NPC encounter.
Who do I turn to in order to solve my NPC problem? The players, of course. (That’s what they are there for.)
One thing I am currently experimenting with in my group is to create a “collective NPC.” In my current game the PCs are being led by an NPC warlord. Rather than develop the personality, goals and whatnot for that warlord, I turned to the players early in the campaign and told them they will have control of the warlord, that they will decide his personality quirks and general demeanor... and when it comes time, they will make his big decisions. In this way, the players are firmly in control of the development of the game and I get the luxury of being surprised by “my own” NPCs.
The positives to the use of a collective NPC are pretty straightforward. First and foremost, it gives an opportunity for the players to challenge and excel at their roleplaying. Playing the same character from day in to day out gets pretty easy after a while. Having to negotiate with your fellow players what the NPC is going to say or do is a much harder but often very gratifying experience. Second, it gives the players yet another vehicle to influence the story- allowing them to be even more engaged in the plot. Finally, it gives the GM a break from having to play each and every NPC. (I find this last benefit the biggest advantage for my style of GMing.)
Make no mistake, while the GM is turning over some of the basic creative work to the PCs and saving some prep time, this style of NPC will require more work in the long term. For instance, the NPC under player control could easily decide on a path that is not what the GM expected--necessitating some quick thinking and unscripted roleplay--which could mean extra work in the future as the GM prepares for the new plot choices. At the same time, the benefits of more engaged players and a plot that even surprises the GM is worth a little extra work.
Brainstorming is a critical component of using a collective NPC and usually the first step. Much of the GM’s job will involve prompting creative thoughts and discussion from the players. The GM needs to make sure all the players get a chance to add their input, even the historically quiet ones (especially the quiet ones). Make sure that every player develops an interest in the PC by seeing their ideas and thoughts actually implemented. By making sure all the players have influences the NPC it makes it less likely one of them will try to throw a destructive monkeywrench into the NPC’s development of decisions. In terms of practicality, the GM retains veto rights on the collective NPC and should take control of the NPC when things need to get moving. I usually open a scene with the NPC and then ask a critical question to the NPC to indicate they now have control; something as simple as “what do you think he says?”
In the “warlord” example, I started the brainstorming by telling the players generally what I expected from the NPC and then opened the floor by asking what characteristics they expect from the NPC. Trust your players, more often than not they will pick some very hard and difficult personality or decision choices- exactly the stuff to build a meaty adventure around. With my players in charge of the NPC’s personality that opted for a very cocky but capable leader, one that does not coddle or particularly like the PCs. In retrospect, I was a little surprised at the choices the players made- rather than making life easy on the PCs by choosing a kind or reasonable warlord, they crafted a bit of a bastard. Thus far, the campaign has been all the better for it.
A collective NPC works best with a character that all the players have a vested interest in, such as a mentor or leader. It helps if the NPC in question is positively disposed or at least neutral towards the PCs. In my warlord example above, the NPC resents the player characters and their role as his advisors, but it not outright hostile and even at times a reluctant advisor. However, with a group that really gets into roleplaying or a particularly seasoned player, allowing the group to have some control over a nemesis could prove a good time. I have not done this myself, but I can certainly identify a couple player groups in the past that I thought were mature enough to handle such an opportunity.
One final piece of NPC insight: the best advice I ever read about NPC was from a Dragon magazine way back in the day (I think). In a nutshell, the advice said that when you have to develop an NPC on the fly use a character from a book or movie you are familiar with. Make a quick change so the character isn’t immediately recognizable--and voila! Instant NPC with fleshed out personality. I use this little trick a good deal when the PCs decide to strike up a conversation with random passerby #4. (I swear they do that just to keep me from getting complacent.)
In Summary:
- Use your players as a resource for NPCs.
- Craft a plot direction forward together- allow them to make some big decisions.
- Borrow liberally from other media for ideas.
