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Post by Stu Venable on Aug 20, 2015 7:13:55 GMT -8
With regards to NPCs, how do you make them? Going through the normal character creation process is a little time consuming.
Do any storytellers have suggestions for ways to make NPCs quickly?
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Post by yojimbohawkins on Aug 20, 2015 10:45:20 GMT -8
For me, it's different for each system, but I have an informal framework I usually use (which I imagine is very similar to most GM's).
Who is this person? (Bartender/Watch Captain/Hacker/Mastermind?)
What do they want? (No trouble in his place/Keep the peace/Your personal data/Rule the world?)
Why do they want it? (Bad for business/Lost too many good coppers/Sell it on/Because?)
How are they going to get it? (Hire some bouncers/Zero tolerance/Pwn your system/Sharks with laser beams?)
What is their relationship to the story/players? (We live in that bar/It wasn't us!/My system was hacked?!/We meet again, Count Zero!)
After that, I fill in the mechanics, which is the system-specific bit. The more peripheral the NPC, the less prep I'll probably do, and my familiarity with the system will affect the amount of time as well, but I suspect I'm teaching you to suck eggs at this point, my friend!
How do you go about it?
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sbloyd
Supporter
WHAT! A human in a Precursor service vehicle?!
Posts: 2,762
Preferred Game Systems: Storyteller; Dresden; Mage
Favorite Species of Monkey: Goddamnit, Curious George is a CHIMP not a monkey! Stop teaching my daughter improper classification!
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Post by sbloyd on Aug 20, 2015 10:47:33 GMT -8
It depends on a lot of things, for me. Plain jane Mortals - mooks - I pretty much figure two dots in each attribute and two for whatever skill(s) define them. In the day, I had a shit ton of the books, and most of them had NPCs in the back.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2015 4:25:18 GMT -8
If you are on a short timetable, it might be a good idea to restrict most rolling to the PC's. Keep opposed die rolls to a minimum and approximate based on the tables they give for what each dot in a skill equates to. All mortal extras are essentially very similar and most should not be rolling dice much anyways. Good luck with the session!
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Kurt
Initiate Douchebag
Professional 6-year old.
Posts: 28
Preferred Game Systems: Rolemaster, Space Master, Etherscope, Aftermath!, AD&D/3.5/5.0, Fate and Savage Worlds
Currently Playing: Nothing, currently.
Currently Running: Nothing, currently.
Favorite Species of Monkey: Jamaicanadian Spidermonkey
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Post by Kurt on Aug 24, 2015 11:43:16 GMT -8
The great thing about WoD is that experience is just a matter of dots in the areas that are used most often. You can make any beginning character and keep adding dots to skills and attributes until the character emerges from paper. Start with 8 dots and add from there, as their power level grows.
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Post by Stu Venable on Sept 15, 2015 14:27:21 GMT -8
If you're a player in this game, you BETTER NOT BE READING THIS!!!!!!
The second session is in the can and will come out this Thursday.
I divulged to the players that I'd started a Twitter account for an NPC in the game.
If you're interested in reading it (there's not much there yet), it's vampyrehuntre or @vampyrehuntre I suppose.
If anyone is interested in starting an NPC Twitter account -- perhaps someone who witnessed one of the PCs being indiscreet, maybe someone researching vampires, or a conspiracy theorist -- let me know.
Send me the Twitter handle and I can have vampyrehuntre follow you, and once they find one of the Twitter accounts, they'll find the rest.
EDIT: The actual name of the island is "Caravel Island," named after a mysterious wrecked ship that was discovered on the island at the turn of the 20th Century.
The vampires call it the Mote of Sin. Most of them probably don't bother to know what the mortals call it, though they might know it. At some point a mortal twitter user will overhear 'Mote of Sin" and probably post about it. :-D
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Post by Bill Roper on Sept 15, 2015 16:09:54 GMT -8
I just registered Caravel_Island as a Twitter account.
DO you have any images you've used for the island?
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Post by Stu Venable on Sept 15, 2015 20:02:14 GMT -8
Only the black map we use for the game.
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Post by Stu Venable on Sept 15, 2015 20:03:01 GMT -8
FYI, the account shows your real name.
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Post by lowkeyoh on Sept 15, 2015 20:28:02 GMT -8
Stu AND Bill in the same No Players Allowed Thread? My mind is blown
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Post by Stu Venable on Sept 16, 2015 11:58:19 GMT -8
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Post by jazzisblues on Sept 16, 2015 12:01:29 GMT -8
My suggestion is don't worry about rules other than something so obviously glaring that it doesn't fit, like maybe a Gangrel with mental powers or something off the wall like that. I agree that walking through the character creation process is onerous. I've not run WoD in any form, but this premise works well for me in Savage Worlds, Hero, and Fate.
Should translate.
JiB
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Post by Bill Roper on Sept 17, 2015 11:25:04 GMT -8
FYI, the account shows your real name. I'm making the changes to hopefully hide that - although I am concerned the cat is out of the bag, but we'll see.
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Post by Stu Venable on Sept 17, 2015 11:34:47 GMT -8
I saw that you instantly got a bunch of followers that we know.
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Post by Bill Roper on Sept 17, 2015 12:22:41 GMT -8
I saw that you instantly got a bunch of followers that we know. I blocked them all so now there is only vamp following. I am working on putting up a bunch of images and whatnot. Would be great to coordinate with you on other locales and whatnot on the island so it looks very promotional!
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