Sometimes I’ll roll on an NPC table, sometimes pull a card from an NPC deck but what really struck me in your article is sometimes you get a feel for when u need an NPC. And while solo playing I can always tie the NPC into the current plot. For instance, I’m playing Hostile Solo right now. I created an NPC who is vibing with the Captain so well that she may become a regular NPC. Hmmm this Captain has another regular in another port too…I see a pattern here! 😃😃😃
Hahaha right? My favorite decks to use are decks by Skeleton Key and a Deck of Stories from 1985 Games. Also love the GameMasters Book of NPC’s by Ashworth, Media Lab books
Masks has 1000 NPCs, split more or less evenly between fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. Each one comes with brief descriptions about appearance, role-playing tips, personality, motivation, background, and traits. It's just occurred to me that they might be useful for solo gamers who might struggle with coming up with interesting NPCs, or for those who want to throw some randomness into their storylines.
Eureka is a book of 501 plot seeds. Each one is a half page description of a basic outline of a plot. They could be useful for people looking for an interesting scenario to solo through.
I tend to go by vibes myself. I can usually play out a conversation/interaction between my character and others knowing the goals, factions and motivations at play. What I have a hard time with is generating what 2 npcs may be talking about, when my characters not involved or just overheating, etc.
I'd love to you hear your ideas and tips for creating interesting NPCs in your solo campaign. Pop them in the comments here!
PS Identity looks really cool. Thank u!
Thanks! Yeah, let me know how you like it. More feature to come for Identity!
Sometimes I’ll roll on an NPC table, sometimes pull a card from an NPC deck but what really struck me in your article is sometimes you get a feel for when u need an NPC. And while solo playing I can always tie the NPC into the current plot. For instance, I’m playing Hostile Solo right now. I created an NPC who is vibing with the Captain so well that she may become a regular NPC. Hmmm this Captain has another regular in another port too…I see a pattern here! 😃😃😃
Hey Captain better slow down a bit there! What NPC deck do you use?
Hahaha right? My favorite decks to use are decks by Skeleton Key and a Deck of Stories from 1985 Games. Also love the GameMasters Book of NPC’s by Ashworth, Media Lab books
Awesome! I always try to do more with the npcs them just enemies or challanges, its a really cool exercice. Loved this tips :))
This article (which I really liked) reminded me of a couple of books that have been around for a long time, that may be relevant to the conversation: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/93320/masks-and-eureka-1-000-npcs-and-501-plots-bundle
Masks has 1000 NPCs, split more or less evenly between fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. Each one comes with brief descriptions about appearance, role-playing tips, personality, motivation, background, and traits. It's just occurred to me that they might be useful for solo gamers who might struggle with coming up with interesting NPCs, or for those who want to throw some randomness into their storylines.
Eureka is a book of 501 plot seeds. Each one is a half page description of a basic outline of a plot. They could be useful for people looking for an interesting scenario to solo through.
Glad to hear you liked the article! Those are some great resources for creating NPCs, thank you.
I think the NPCs in your Electric State play through are really well done. Nuanced and with their own motivations.
I tend to go by vibes myself. I can usually play out a conversation/interaction between my character and others knowing the goals, factions and motivations at play. What I have a hard time with is generating what 2 npcs may be talking about, when my characters not involved or just overheating, etc.
The two NPCs talking to each other can be tricky. On one hand I'd say, if it isn't important don't worry about it or just do dot points.