Favorite recurring NPC?

If you read my answer to the prompt from day 4, you know that the most memorable NPC is also a recurring one. But I’m not about to take the easy way out and use them for both answers. Where’s the fun in that? Besides, there are lots of recurring NPCs to choose from. each with their own appeal.

Part of what I really love about RPGaDAY is just how diverse the answers are. I’m always blown away by some of the creative ways people have used the prompts to go off in directions that would not have occurred to me. I have my thinking and perspectives challenged & broadened as a result. Inspired by that willingness to “think outside of the box”, I’m going to take a slightly different angle on this.

No one said that the recurring NPC had to show up in the same game.

A lot of real estate on my gaming shelves is taken up by games that are powered by the Ubiquity game system created by Jeff Combos to power his Hollow Earth Expedition RPG, and which he has licensed others to use to run games such as All For One & Leagues of Adventure.  It’s a great system, & Hollow Earth Expedition is a very compelling game. ~ Think Indiana Jones style 1936 Nazis, Dinosaurs, Mad scientists, Jungle expeditions, and a journey to the center of the earth with lost Atlantean ruins & you’ll get the idea.

After Anthony Boyd of the Casting Shadows /Runeslinger YouTube Channel ran a HEX (as it is affectionately called) one-shot  for me and Jason (of the DarkAgeOf RolePlayGame channel), Jason decided that he wanted to give it a go. Soon after, Jason ran a great session for Anthony, myself, and Big Mike of the Tef’s Tavern YouTube channel. (It’s great the friends you get to make in this hobby, even if you never meet face to face).

The session was a lot of fun, and we soon found Midnight, Mulligan, and the good Doctor deep in the jungle at the outskirts of a Nazi encampment, our guide and benefactor suddenly coming clean about why we were really there and what he was trying to do. As a plucky (if somewhat unstable) group of veterans of the war to end all wars, we certainly weren’t about to back down from the opportunity to harass a bunch of Nazis.

What we needed was a distraction. We found one in the form of barrels of petrol used to power the generators & the “digger” the Nazis were working on. Mulligan just knew that he could blow those up with some dynamite, if it only weren’t for that pesky guard. A lone Nazi stood idly at his post, smoking a cigarette next to the gasoline storage area, with a name tag that clearly read “Fritz” even at 50 yards in the dark. (Well, there were lights, but still). Midnight was able to take him out with a deft hurl of an axe, and Mulligan went on to cause quite a stir. We were pretty sure that the other Nazis wouldn’t immediately discern that they were under attack ~ “It was bound to happen, I told Fritz 100 times not to smoke by the gas!”

Fast forward to a few months ago. I’ve been lucky enough to play online on a regular basis with a group of gamers on Thursday nights. HEX showed up on the rotation, and I began what has become an on again off again campaign of Hollow Earth with members of the Current Projects (AKA “Cool Kids”) Group.

There they are in Iquitos Peru, and sure enough, a Nazi Dirigible is moored in the airport. A few of the characters try to get a better look at it at night in the hopes of sabotaging what is clearly a rival group in pursuit of the same enigma in the jungle that our heroes have been assembled to investigate. ~ However, they are spotted by a Nazi guard, idly smoking near some barrels of Fuel. You could read the name on his uniform all the way from the fence.

Only some fast talking kept Fritz from sounding the alarm. ~ Later on in the jungle, when things go terribly awry, Fritz shows up to help take them prisoner. If I recall correctly, Fritz doesn’t fare so well when fisticuffs break out in a car in Buenos Aires, but I doubt that group has seen the last of him.

Inspired by the genre and the game, Eloy from the Current projects group decided that he wanted to run some HEX as well, so we rolled up a different set of characters and followed a trail of clues from Egypt to a castle in Germany.

Trouble with the Nazis started up almost at once as we discovered that were far braver than we were stealthy. However, we were able to lose our pursuers and found ourselves holed up in a staircase looking out a window at a strange and fiendish looking ritual in the courtyard of the castle. The man we had been sent to save was in the clutches of the Nazi villains & we needed a distraction.

Fortunately, we spotted some cans of petrol that we knew we could light up if we shot at them enough. A lone Nazi stood idly on guard, puffing on a cigarette.

You could read the name on his uniform from 100 yards away…

Most Memorable NPC?

Days 4 & 5 caused me a lot of trouble at first. You already know what the prompt for day 4 is (see above). The prompt for day 5 is “Favorite recurring NPC?”. ~ Very often for me these tend to overlap quite a bit. As it turns out my answer for day 4 is a recurring NPC, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s take some advice from Julie Andrews and start at the beginning…

Non Player Characters have become quite important to me in terms of having a satisfying RPG experience. It’s no secret that I’m happiest as a player when my  character feels “real” and the game world feels vibrant and alive. ~ A substantial part of a dynamic world are the NPCs that inhabit it & with whom the characters interact.

Preferences & approaches vary considerably when it comes to these fictional people. My own methodology with these folk has evolved over my gaming career, and i think that mine is a common journey. It’s common to use NPCs as conduits of information, givers of quests, benefactors, resources, obstacles to be overcome, guides to lead the characters to the next part of “the story”, and a myriad of other ways in which the GM interacts with the players behind a mask. Often this mask is cold & lifeless, & there is no real “character” to be found in the NPC. Depending upon your bent, this may suit you just fine. After all, the player characters are the stars of the show, aren’t they? ~ There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with this approach, but I have found that this feels incomplete and unsatisfying.

It doens’t take a cricket in spats & a fairy godmother to turn an NPC into a “real boy” (or girl).  Often very little is required to breathe life into one. Just today a group of us had a brief interchange about the level of description actually needed to make an NPC “memorable”, & while our preferences for the amount of descriptive detail may have varied, the anecdotal evidence seemed to indicate that it might not take much.

So what actually makes an NPC memorable? Often a well portrayed personality can leave a lasting impression. Quirks, flaws, mannerisms, and all the little touches that makes someone seem “human” can go a long way towards creating the illusions of an actual person. Likewise, drives & motivations can help foster the sense that the NPC is a living breathing soul. ~ It’s really not that different than how we portray our own characters.

Sounds like a lot of work, but like I said, often it doesn’t take a herculean effort to breathe life into an NPC. Truth be told, often it’s the willingness of the players to imagine the NPC as a real person interacting with their (equally real) characters that sparks the gap and gives the creation of the GM life.

Anyhow, that’s enough fictional character phenomenology babble for one post. What about my most memorable NPC?

Some of the games I’ve been involved in over the past year or so have had more real feeling NPCs than others. Our All For One game has had consistently authentic seeming NPCs, and there are several gems in there to choose from. The red haired “Spanish Spy”, Etienne “Hair” Legrande of the Cardinal’s Guards, the Evil and mysterious Dorottya Martel, and a host of others spring to mind. But, they aren’t the one I’m thinking of.

The most memorable NPC for me has come as a surprise, & that’s the way I like it. This character appeared before we played our first session, & has been in just about every episode. Originally conceived of as a flavor accent, an extension and augmentation of one of the Player Characters, this character has become far more than the mechanically supported genre emulation tool than they started out life as. Over time, due not only to their rather unusual predicament, but from the personality that began to emerge from the portrayals of them by the rotating cast of game masters, this unlikely NPC crossed the boundary from being an inside joke to becoming an actual person. (If not in the minds of all of the players, at least in my mind). I can’t imagine that Dumas himself could have conceived of an odder love triangle than the one that seems to have emerged naturally. And the stakes never seemed higher for me than when they were in danger. So high, that Phillipe was willing to make a deal with the devil herself.

The most memorable NPC? ~ None other than Brisecoeur’s  lackey Eugene.

Secretly a woman hopelessly in love with the womanizing Musketeer,  the former actress risked everything to be by the side of the man she loved. Eventually everyone but Brisecoeur figured out that she was a woman, and when the Musketeers became targets of the machinations of Martin’s relatives, “Eugene” was relocated to the Croissant Pont Neuf, where she works serving pastry to the hungry folk of Paris. ~ Many wonderful. humorous, and memorable scenes have been played out with this tragic young woman, and Phillipe seems to like her. As it currently stands, we’re not sure if she has been affected with the curse of the Vampire who took her prisoner and almost killed her. ~ Only time will tell.

What gives a game “staying power”?

You know, I knew what the answer to this question was as soon as I read it. However, I second guessed myself. Despite the fact that I know that these questions are prompts and open ended, (hell, I’ve told enough people that they are simply jumping off points), I found myself feeling like I should look at the aspects of the RPGs themselves that make them keep from getting stale. So, I don’t want to waste what I came up with, and to be honest there is a great deal of truth in those answers ~ they just aren’t THE answer. So buckle up.

A game that allows you to stay in the “sweet spot” as long as possible has a greater appeal over time. We have all run into the dilemma where a game suffers from “power creep” (sometimes power sprint). Somewhere in the middle of the competence spectrum is where characters are the most fun. The game I grew up with and all of the iterations since have suffered from some level (pun intended) of that unfortunate phenomenon where the characters become caricatures of themselves ~ (try saying “the characters become caricatures” three times fast). One of the great things I have found about the games powered by Ubiquity (Hollow Earth Expedition, All for One, Desolation, etc.) is that the characters start out competent, and as they improve, they do not become some superhuman versions of themselves. Comparing my musketeer (the incomparable Phillipe Moreau ~ have you not heard of him?) to the stats for D’artagnan shows a considerable expenditure of XP requiring extended long term play, but they can exist together in the same world and both live in the same house in terms of being hyper-competent, but believable human beings. (At least in the pulp heroic sense).

Nostalgia aside, a game can have some staying power if the system makes sense to you and it works for what you want it to do. It seems contradictory, but to a certain point, (and for the right people), a game has staying power if the possibility exists for you to tinker with it to make it interesting again. Maybe it’s in the setting, or maybe it’s in the nuts and bolts of the system, but for some of us an old love becomes fresh when we get under the hood and tinker with it a bit. I think that’s why the OSR has a certain amount of traction. Many games are best treated as “hands off” for me, but my “first girl” just begs to be messed with every once in a while. ~ That’s not as creepy as it sounds, I promise. 😉

The last of the “not quite right” answers is possibilities. When there are new applications of possibilities for a favorite system it can become new again. I look at the Ubiquity rule set and I don’t think I could get to all of the scenarios and ideas I have. There are other systems I have similar feelings about. Of course you have to be careful with that. A system produces a certain feel no matter what, so it’s not as easy as bolting on any old rule set to any old idea ~ but that is a topic for another day.

The other sort of possibilities inherent to a game itself are all of the unexplored parts of a game or system that keep you coming back for more. Broken Rooms is one of those games that I look at longingly as it sits on my shelf. With 13 parallel worlds, 13 meridians of “unusual abilities” and a super freaky unpublished meta-plot that the designer was nice enough to share with me, It’s hard to imagine running out of possibilities with that game for a long, long time.

So what’s the real answer?

There is a downside to the earth not being flat. (Sorry if you’re one of those people – ~ it’s round). RPGaDay starts later each day on the east coast of the USA than it does in other parts of the world like Korea & the UK. ~ This is awesome as I get to listen to and read a near constant stream of answers, but it also means that I have to write my notes early the day before to keep from being affected by their answers. Sometimes I think that some of them have been peeking at my notes. ~ True to form, at 11:30 AM my time during what was to me Day 2 of RPGaDAY, the Slinger of Runes & Caster of Shadows said what I first thought of as the “correct” answer to the question for day 3.

What gives a game staying power are the people involved. The right group of people interacting with the game and making it “real” create something that I want to return to again and again. Sure, the social aspect by itself can be enough for some, but there’s more for me. The whole somehow becomes more than the sum of its parts. The group of players and the characters become something special, something that it’s hard to explain to someone not involved. Situations, scenarios, & genre are all important, and without them the fiction doesn’t work. But when the characters become “real”, everything else does as well. A game where the characters and surrounding fiction become real to the players, where the stakes seem important, and where we become immersed in the experience is something that leaves me wondering when we get to do it again. It’s why our game of All For One ~ Regime Diabolique feels like “home” every time we get to play. (Alas, not often enough!)

What do you look for in an RPG?

I don’t think that I go searching for new RPGs. I hear about them, and sometimes I get interested so I look deeper. I made a short list, but it’s not in any real order. In any event, these are the things that will turn my head (& keep my gaze transfixed the more they show up).

I’m a sucker for a premise. Something unusual or that I personally find compelling. Looking at the Delta Green RPG and the idea that an agency continues to attempt to protect humanity from Lovcraftian Horrors after the initial raid off of Innsmouth, that’s a premise that turns my head. That game may be in my future. ~ All that said, a premise all by itself isn’t enough.

I struggle with settings. It’s something I’ve talked about on my YouTube Vlog, and it’s something I’ll probably talk about here one day. It’s not that I don’t like them, I enjoy a flavorful and nuanced setting as much as the next person, but I have a difficult time internalizing them. So, one thing that makes me smile is when I see a setting that I can learn over time as needed. Something that I can assimilate piecemeal as we play.

I love an interesting mechanic. Systems & mechanics fascinate me. There’s something magical that happens when I see a novel mechanic and the system around it & I can see how the fiction can be shaped around it. I can visualize what kind of fingerprint this will put on the experience. Sometimes I can learn to love a premise if the system captures my imagination. ~ A caveat is that I don’t want the mechanic to take center stage, rather I get excited when I see that it can get the fiction to the spotlight in an interesting and different way. Strange that I guy who doesn’t want too many rules loves them so much.

Good writing grabs my attention right away. Writing RPG texts is a science and an art. A real skill with a healthy dose of feel & mojo thrown in. I love it when an RPG is written like a technical manual. Everything is clearly defined, the terms remain the same so you aren’t juggling synonyms trying to figure out what they’re talking about (is a spell the same thing as a ritual? was that on page 217?). I love clear instructions, good examples, flow charts, etc, and I really take appreciate it when books are presented in a redundant manner. Tech Noir is one of those RPGs that I found used redundancy to great effect in teaching you how to play the game without having to flip back and forth. ~ Now, an RPG manual that does all that and still presents the material in an engaging manner is a thing of beauty. When these things are absent? Well, RPGaDAY is about being positive…. 😉

Last but not least is good design. I could call this coherence, although I might be misappropriating that term slightly from its original use regarding RPGs. What I mean is, I look for games that don’t fight themselves mechanically. When a game says it is about pulp heroics and action & the mechanics produce a pulp heroic feel, it is a win. When the various parts of the system interact well together and produce results aligned with the fiction and the genre, this might not get my attention on its own, but if something else on the list has turned my head, this will certainly assure me that the game is worth a further look.

There are other things I look for, but often these are more ephemeral and change with my evolving interests, biases, & preferences. ~ Tune in Tomorrow for staying power!

What do I love about RPGs? ~ Good Question. After a year of paying for this blog, i figured it would be a good idea to start using it. RPGaDAY seems to be a good impetus for doing just that.

As a child I had a vivid fantasy life. Part of this was an effort on my part to create a safe & predictable place for myself during a childhood that was less than ideal. I was introduced to fantasy and science fiction at a very early age, & fell in love with those genres. Having been born in 1968 (could you guess!?!) I experienced the 70s in all of their resplendent glory , including all of the cutting edge fantastic media available at that time.

Retreating to my fantasy life & daydreams, I often imagined myself in these captivating settings. However, frequently I imagined myself as someone else. (Unless you’re in Narnia, being a 10 year old uncoordinated somewhat overweight young boy tended to be a deficit). ~ Hearing about and finally being exposed to RPGs (in this case it was 1981 B/X D&D) opened up a whole new world to me. The idea that I could be an active participant in scenarios set in these compelling worlds, that i could be someone else, that my imagination wasn’t the only one contributing to to fiction, that it would be surprising and unpredictable, all of that drew me in. So yeah, all of that is a part of what I love about RPGs.

Likewise, I’m not sure if you can relate, but frequently i have finished a book, series, movie, show, etc, & found myself imagining “what happens next?” ~  RPGs allow me to explore settings that I have come to love. Also, unlike those books or movies where you are at the mercy of the author if you want another fix, an RPG campaign can be taken off of the shelf at any time & we can play to discover what happens next.

All of these still contribute to my love of RPGs, but age brings sophistication & introspection. Over time I have come to realize that I value an experience where we become immersed in the scenarios, the characters, & the settings ~ an experience where things become “real”. Sure, I still enjoy lighthearted sessions & always laugh a lot when I play. However, something magical happens when our shared imagination produces a world and characters every bit as real as our own world and selves.

Last but not least, human connections have become more important to me as time has gone on. We develop different kinds of friendships & relationships depending upon how we know each other. As gamers ours become unusual connections. We share fictitious yet “real” experiences that few others would understand. When a player leaves a game we miss them and their character. We discuss ideas related to the games, the experiences, and about the human condition. Often the insights and conversations we have about real life surprise us. ~ These are unusual and compelling connections & friendships that i do not think I would find elsewhere.

There you have it. This list is longer than I wanted it to be, but it could have been a lot longer. ~ What do you love about RPGs?