What I learned Friday was simple, obvious, and fascinating. If you have an interesting NPC A, you really need a secondary NPC B, that knows A somehow, for players to interact with.
Because we humans don't learn about each other through direct questioning, not really. No wonder roleplaying situations so often seem like interrogations to me and so often quickly turn confrontational.
See, we ask B about A and what we find out helps shape more subtle questions, helps us know what A is really all about. After conversing with B we are better prepared to not waste A's time, to not step on A's toes, to know best how to find out what we need to know from A. And after finding out some things you can repeat the cycle, talking to B again.
Again, simple, but I don't remember ever reading something like this. So, for every interesting NPC you want players to converse with I suggest you place a lackey, an ex-lover, a relative, a rival, someone who knows something about them nearby for players to interact with as well.
This could also have some implications for adventure design. I lucked out by having my NPCs on a ship-- basically confined in close proximity but also separated from each other in private rooms so multiple private conversations could happen. You might want to emulate that-- rooms at an inn, the separate camp-fires of a travelling caravan, etc.
You're inventing plutonium by accident over here!
ReplyDeleteD'oh! I've never seen this idea put forth before, either. Nice insight Telecanter!
ReplyDeleteWow. How very true. I just finished reading Heart of Darkness literally a few moments before checking my blog and from there being linked to here. But anyway, in the Heart of Darkness lesser characters mention a man named Kurtz many times, telling the protagonist and the reader what an exceptional man he is. By the time Kurtz is finally introduced properly in the story there is a mythic quality to him and he is much more believable as a great man. I will be using this method for all my important |NPCs from now on. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes. Light bulbs going on over here. I'm wondering just how widely this principle applies, to locations, treasure, equipment, encounters...
ReplyDeleteAnd by making further Oblique NPCs for them, and more for those, until you get back to the first one, you can populate any reasonably sized area.
ReplyDeleteWow! Yeah, that's amazing. I remember doing this once, by accident, and it worked great in retrospect, but I never put two and two together like you just did.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
That's very clever, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'll often have an npc introduce ideas and information about locations, other people, etc, but this takes it to another level. Excellent!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, all, for the nice comments.
ReplyDeleteThis may have saved some PC lives in my last AD&D campaign.
ReplyDelete"Don't anger Rhadash; he's a powerful wizard, quick to anger and a master of lightning magicks. Flattery will go far with him, but he does not react well to threats."
Instead it went: threaten old man with violence, die by lightning bolt, survivors retreat.