Jump to content

A small town, far away


The13Fates

Recommended Posts

17 minutes ago, The13Fates said:

In a couple of months I intend to run In Defense of Innocence with all the complications included, to make a 5-8 session campaign out of it.

Could someone give good advice on how to roleplay the ~15 or so different major NPCs and how to include and introduce them all without it becoming a mess of names and voices?

I sometimes pick actors/accents from movies or tv shows to try to emulate in my delivery, when the NPCs are talking. this is especially easy bc 1) you can youtube a few minutes of the character for a quick review, b) your notes don't have to be very descriptive - just the actor or character's name for you to picture it.
Even if you aren't a talented mimic, you TRYING to do a character (without your Fated knowing exactly who you're trying for) often creates a memorable character even if it's not dead-on what you're trying for. They don't know it's your impression of Billy Bob Thornton's character from Tombstone (unless you're REALLY good), they just get the idea of a gruff, deep-voiced, bully.

Additionally, if you borrow voices, traits, etc., from a character you're familiar with, you don't have to create all those things from scratch. If you know the character from your fandom, their speech patterns, behavior, motivations, reactions, etc., are easier to bring to life.

 

  • Agree 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

All great advice and that I followed in my homebrew campaign, I had 5 main faces with their own voices and quirks; my issue lies with spreading this over Innocence's much much larger roster of NPCs.

How do I go about introducing them all without resulting in a mess of "The center of town is abuzz with activity, you see the butcher, the baker, the cobbler, the Smith, the other Smith, the boys, the guys, the girls, the gals, and who could miss the doctor, the surgeon and the candlestick maker next to the mysterious stranger...."

Do I accept the reality that they would each have to individually walk towards the Fated with an #NPCSideQuest and then step back into their homes until approached again? Or is there a better way to handle this number of NPCs more naturally?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I make playing cards of characters in games with lots of cast members. Here is an example from a Nordic Themed game I ran in another system.
Character Cards

I tend to add one or two at a time. Seeing someone talking with someone else. Entering a shop, etc. 
I try not to give more than three details at any one time.

Sometimes I even succeed. Heh

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information