Game Prep Part 3

or Who's That?

There are a lot of entities that populate a world even as devastated as Rifts. Every one of them, outside of the players is an opportunity for expanding the world, and exploring character concepts and ideas. While you don't need a name and history for every dung merchant and dirt farmer, knowing at least the names and motivations for anyone who might play an important role in your game is a great way to build consistency. 

To do this, I scour the internet for images that fit my theme. I use Google Search, Pintrest, and similar sites, and, since I do not plan on making any of my games purchasable, I save a link to any image I plan to use, including artist information in case that becomes necessary. From there I take details about the image, and the position I wish them to hold, and build a personality to fit the role I need.

My setting is ruled by a council made up for the head of the School system, the most prominent business families, and the sheriff. Each representative has an equal say, and has their own motivations, beliefs, goals and secrets. This blueprint means that as the game advances, I will know how they will react to changes that happen in my setting, that will be consistent and will let any astute players/characters notice if something is out of place.

Is it out of character for Sheriff Holiday to let someone accused of robbery off with a warning? Is it strange that Professor Grint and Representative Thrune are having a meal together at The Brimstone Panda? That's weird, Darius Gunny usually takes his evening walk on the other side of town.

Every one of these things can be a clue to something going on, but only if the NPCs in question behave in a consistent and believable manner prior to their discrepancies.

While alignment in Palladium systems is more flexible than some systems, it also gives some hard limits as to what someone is willing to do. Though just because someone is Diabolic aligned does not mean they will slaughter everyone at any time. Keep these guidelines in mind when you plan out actions and plot elements using these particular NPCs.

In my setting, there is a caravan master named Felix Cosby. Felix is Unprincipled, which means he cares about himself and his bottom line, but will usually do the right thing if presented with a moral quandary. He is being strong-armed by the Pecos Raiders. He knows they are dangerous, and that things are only going to escalate, so he decides to hire some extra muscle. Now he thinks "do I tell them that it will be more dangerous, and give them the chance to negotiate for more money, or do I just mention I need guards for my transport and trust in their professionalism to win the day?" While a Principled character would not hold anything back, being Unprincipled, Felix decides that he can plausibly deny knowing who the threat is from, and save himself some money on negotiations.

With this as precedent (hinging on whether Felix survives), we know he is willing to endanger others for his own monetary gain, but we also know that he will not actively kill for said gains. The group will learn that maybe they should ask more questions about a job, and you have a recurring character who might be able to sell salvage or have contacts to assist in that. If you make a Throw-Away™ character, the group will 85% of the time latch on to them as important. This is fine. So what if you don't have all the answers for this character. It is simple enough to fake it until you can. 

Have a few personality quirks ready to apply to a character, but don't go overboard. Either have a list of ready to go names, or a good generator on hand. TAKE NOTES. Take notes about what the NPC said, their name, and most importantly, anything that springs to your mind that might be important for him later.

The group enters (rolls random generated bar name) The Salty Pig. The is dimly lit and heavy with smoke. There are (quickly roll number of patrons) numerous empty tables, with only a few tightly knit groups who stare at you as you enter. The (rolls on table)aged server comes over, her gap-toothed smile lopsided from too many bad nights. "How kin aye help ya luvies?" And suddenly, (rolls on table for name) Tillie 'Gold Tooth' Melton is the groups new favorite person. Not the Black Market information broker you have three pages of information on who is about to enter the bar. Not the repentant assassin and his cyberknight comrade sitting in the shadows looking for heroic types to help them route the vampire threat. Not the bar owner who was written to be their favorite so that in 12 sessions he could betray them to the necromancer cabal he works for. Nope. Tillie, the random server is their new friend. 

Using the previous example, there are a few things you can do. Maybe Tillie misses her lost youth, and is willing to do almost anything to reclaim the beauty and charm of her youth. She is working for the necromancers in the hopes that they can and will use their magic to return to her the vigor of her lost years. Maybe one of the characters reminds her of her lost love, who went south to fight the vampires and never returned. Maybe she is a demon in disguise. Or maybe she is just Tillie. Sweet, a little scatter-brained, but happy with her lot in life. Any of these are viable options, and even going with the last on the list does not make her useless as a hook for adventure. Any number of things could happen to a sweet, innocent friend of the party that will get them involved in all manner of danger and shenanigans. 

This has been my two cents on NPCs and their importance. Hope to see you all back here soon.