Yes!

But also, no.

Sure a designer can write a scene like a screenplay and a voice actor can play D&D whilst reciting lines for characters, but that's not what is fun about TTRPGs, and more specifically OSR games. But can NPCs be as well written as characters from a movie or book? Are we automatically deprived of the same level of characterisation or depth for our NPCs? Is this a natural limitation of the medium? Who would want to read a screenplay during a game anyway?

I think a better question would be:

Can designers help facilitate better NPC characterisation and interaction?

I have been thinking about this, and other related questions, and I just can't seem to get an answer. I've asked around on the internet and inevitably I get recommendations to check out games like PBTA, Fate, or Fiasco. I didn't quite know the right questions at the time and I probably did not explain myself properly, but I was not asking for a story or narrative game. Those games are fine, but I want stories to be told by the actions of play, not stories told for play.

I want tools that allow a referee/GM to better characterise the NPCs in their worlds. Perhaps it's a big ask, but I want NPCs to be memorable and well written like characters in a TV show, book, or hell even a video game. Whenever I have encountered a memorable NPC in a game it is because the referee went above and beyond to put in the extra effort to make it so. But why should we dump that responsibility on the referee? Are there tools for making NPCs more than just exclamation mark wielding quest givers?

RPGs have so many awesome tools for all other aspects of the game like exploration, travel, monsters, and downtime. The OSR blog-o-sphere is especially filled with brilliant people theorising about systems and crafting wonderful worlds. But when it comes to NPCs, they are sort of left by the wayside. Some classic tools exist like the NPC reaction roll that I covered previously, random tables for goals and desires, relationship webs, but nothing extensive. The best things I have found have actually come from the solo game side of things, like oracles from Ironsworn, by Shawn Tomkin, and various referee emulators.

So If we are going to answer this question, first let us determine the problems.

The Problems

1. Supporting Characters

Unlike in most other forms of media, the main characters are controlled by real life people who decide what their characters do and say. All other characters are either enemies, once-off background characters, or supporting characters. We should take notes from a similar medium, video games, and see how they bring their supporting characters to the forefront.

2. Broken Telephone

Designing a game is designing for folk who might never actually see your work, the players. The referee will interpret what you have written and portray their interpretation to their players. This is actually really cool and leads to some fun diversions from the expected. Referee's will use their life experiences to shape your work into something unique for their table.

3. Freeform & Random

The nature of TTRPGs is open, in the from of players deciding what they wish to participate in as well the random nature of world generation and consequences. As designers, we cannot know exactly how a table's game will go and therefore cannot set up fixed scenes with singular outcomes to be encountered. We can only set up the starting positions and give them inertia in a specific direction.

4. Limited Tools

There just isn't enough out there to help referees portray NPCs with adequate depth. You might get their affiliations, wants/desires, and mannerisms. More often than not, however, you just get a name and short description with more focus on their stats and items. What this shows us is that games aren't expected to have NPCs go beyond a few shallow parameters. Think of all your favourite characters from fiction. Can you fully define them by just the way they talk, what they look like, and the things they carry?

My Thoughts

From this we can see the areas in which TTRPGs differ from other forms of media.

• NPCs are never main characters.
• Designers don't have a direct line of communication to their audience.
• The nature of play is nonlinear and active.
• There are no expectations for NPCs to have meaningful depth.

We can work within the first three, but that last one is a real kicker.

So we need tools which allow designers to easily communicate how an NPC aught to behave in a range of potential outcomes and in an easy to use at the table format.

INTERJECTION

As I was writing this I saw an interesting exchange on Mastodon between Sean McCoy, creator of Mothership, and Isaac Williams, creator of Mausritter. In it Sean McCoy states that NPCs need to be highly interactive, and in order to best facilitate this they cannot be subtle.

"Say the quiet part loud," says McCoy.

Williams comments, "Subtly doesn't survive contact with player theorising."

I think this is fantastic advice and something I will keep in mind as we continue to develop our framework. Anyway let's get back to our topic at hand.

INTERJECTION

The Solution

Roles, Responses, & Resolutions

I'm a sucker for alliteration

Roles

If you only take one thing from this framework, take roles.

Roles are a set of meta goals assigned to major NPCs to give them purpose. Notable NPCs should be created to serve a purpose and ultimately contribute to a shared story. The role itself should be a single word or phase referees can use to, at a glance, understand the NPC's purpose in relation to the players. Goals are how the NPCs are trying to fulfill their role. If the NPC sees a way to make progress towards their goal, they will.

Example Roles:

• Adversary Act against or in opposition to the PCs' goals.
• Authority Command the PCs from a position of authority.
• Companion Assist the PCs in whatever way they can.
• Corrupter Cause the PCs' own goals to negatively affect them.
• Coward Assist the PCs but flees at the first sign of trouble.
• Employee Assist the PCs in exchange for resources.
• Employer Give the PCs regular tasks in exchange for resources.
• Guardian Protect the PCs from trouble.
• Heckler Align with an Adversary and make the PCs fail at their goals.
• Helpless Need the PCs to assist them.
• Incompetent Assist the PCs but is bumbling or unqualified.
• Imposter Convince the PCs that they are someone else.
• Martyr Sacrifice themselves to assist the PCs.
• Mentor Guide the PCs along a certain path.
• Patron Assist the PCs with resources but expects something in return.
• Puppeteer Secretly control other NPCs against the PCs.
• Specialist Assist the PCs in a specific and highly skilled task in exchange for resources.
• Subordinate Follow the PCs' commands.
• Rival Out do the PCs at their own goals.
• Tempter Change the PCs' goals for their own benefit.
• Traitor Assist the PCs at first but will eventually betray them.
• Trickster Disrupt the PCs progress in annoying ways.
• Victim Need the PCs to save or avenge them.
• Wannabe Idolise and attempts to emulate the PCs.
• Ward Need to be protected by the PCs.

At least 3 goals are required to flesh out a NPC's role, with the most urgent, impactful, or important goals being higher up. Goals have to be unique to the NPC, the situation they are in, and the setting the game is based. Two NPCs sharing the same role can still have very different goals. These goals are not the same as the wants, needs, or desires of the NPC, although they can include those. These goals are purely in service to the NPC's role. Here are some example NPCs with roles and their goals:

Beric Half-arm

Isla Thorn

Joey the Red

NPCs with the same role will share the same purpose but have different methods to achieve it. They can also be made to interfere with each others role. Here is an example:

Captain Hemlock

Father Gregor

Librarian Cassini

Here we have three mentors the PCs can align with. Each has unique know-how and mastery of a particular path and will guide the PCs away from one of the other paths. It would be even more interesting if each of the PCs decided to align with a different mentor. This is what roles can do.

Responses

If you want NPCs to follow designed character moments, use responses.

Responses are are a set of actions the NPC has in reserve to protect themselves and their goals. Whenever their role or goals are confronted, challenge, or threatened they should react according to who they are as a character. How they react ultimately reveals something about them.

Example Responses:

• Accuse Make accusations against the PCs in an attempt to get them in trouble.
• Breakdown Fall to knees in shame and weep.
• Deceive Lie about goal or role to the PCs in an attempt to hide true purpose.
• Dismiss Disregard the PCs for some time by ignoring them out right or making excuses.
• Retreat Flee to safety and reevaluate actions.
• Retaliate Do something brash that is opposition to the PCs' goals.
• Lash Out Verbally abuse the PCs.
• Atone Seek forgiveness from a religious authority.
• Indulge Seek comfort in a destructive or addictive vice.
• Confess Reveal hidden goal or detail to the PCs.
• Gear Up Acquire better equipment to assist with goals.
• Seek Help Find allies to assist with goals.
• Act Recklessly Continue towards goals, but without prior caution.
• Accelerate Speed up progress towards goals.
• Get Good Seek training to improve skills.
• Mope Become less social and wallow in sadness until shaken out of it.
• Snitch Reveal the PCs goals to someone in opposition to them for a reward.
• Spy Follow the PCs and record their actions.
• Overcompensate Spend too much effort or resources hiding inadequacies.
• Focus Spend most, if not all, effort or resources on a single goal.
• Threaten Threaten PCs into helping accomplish goals.
• Resolve Focus on removing a conflict or roadblock that is hindering progress.

I'm going to stop there because I could just keep going.

At least 3 responses should be made per NPC and spread out along a weighted 2d6 table, with the calmer responses lower and the more extreme ones higher. When a response is required, it can be determined by making a 2d6 roll. If the referee thinks the response should be more serious or severe, they can roll 3d6 and remove the lowest result.

By arranging these responses on a weighted table, with subdued ones lower and intense ones higher, you get a snapshot of the NPC's personality and what they are willing to do when pressured. Here are some examples using our previous characters:

Beric Half-arm (patron)

Isla Thorn (traitor)

Joey the Red (incompetent)

Resolutions

If you want NPCs to have meaningful character development, use resolutions in conjunction with roles and responses.

Resolutions are how NPCs change when their purpose is unattainable or fulfilled. There may come a point where the NPC is entirely unable to accomplish their goals or their role has effectively come to an end. When this is the case, the NPC will change, for better or worse.

Example Resolutions:

• Adapt Role Change a goal to better suit the current situation.
• Reduce Role Remove all goals but 1 from the role.
• Lose Role Remove role entirely and become a background character.
• Enhance Role Change all goals to be more direct or intense.
• Adjust Role Take a new role that is adjacent to the current role.
• Split Role Take a new role alongside the current role with only 2 goals each.
• Invert Role Take a new role that is the opposite of the current role.

Designers should customise the descriptions for each resolution per NPCs. For example, Reduce Role can state exactly which role will remain and Invert Role can state exactly which opposite role they should take. They can also be left vague, if giving the referee more creative control is desired.

Make a note of how many times the NPC made a response. When it is necessary for the NPC to have a resolution, roll a d6 for each time a response was made (min 1d6) and take the highest result. If the resolution doesn't make sense, then perhaps it is time for the NPC to lose their role entirely.

Here are some examples using our previous characters:

Beric Half-arm (patron)

Isla Thorn (traitor)

Joey the Red (incompetent)

A Note on NPC Types

It should be mentioned that not all NPCs should use or even need this framework, only major ones. Most NPCs are background characters that have little impact on the game. Some NPCs may be important but don't need to be too complex. These static NPCs can use roles but not responses or resolutions. Important and dynamic NPCs that can have character development should use all three.

Now lets see our three example characters in their entirety:

Without even adding physical descriptions, backstories, or voices we get a melting pot of characterisation and interactivity. Beric wants the Ghost-Star Tablet and will provide the PC with whatever they need to get it. Isla is a local guide that will take the PCs to the tomb, but she doesn't want them to obtain the tablet. Joey is a local who eagerly wants to help, but his alcoholism gets in the way.

Based on the responses we also see that Beric is a man who will do almost anything to get what he wants, Isla is relentless but could break under pressure, and Joey is very emotional and trapped by his addiction.

This scenario can go in a number of ways depending on the actions of the players. Beric could get impatient with the PCs and instead decide that they are just getting in his way. Isla can ally with the PCs but is too much of coward to be of any use in combat. Joey can end up stealing from the PCs just to get a fix. Alternatively, Beric could increase his assistance, Isla could more directly interfere with the PCs, and Joey can formally join the PCs' adventure whilst still being a bit of a drunk. Alternatively, any 1 of 64 different combinations can occur.

Conclusion

In summary; Roles create the NPCs' starting positions and give them potential energy. Responses add conflict, drama, and important character moments. Resolutions allow NPCs to grow, devolve, take a back seat, or change entirely. More importantly is that all of these things can be specifically designed by adventure makers or referees whilst not devolving into rail-roady scene writing.

Originally Published: 1 Dec, 2022

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