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Turalisj
2012-10-13, 06:25 PM
At running games that is. I've been playing tabletop games for the past 7-8 years and, while I'd like to consider myself at least an average roleplayer, I have found that I have a problem running games. I just cannot play NPCs properly and cannot stay focused on a plot. I was wondering what you guys do to handle NPCs and plot. Notes? Bullet points?

jackattack
2012-10-13, 07:17 PM
Regarding NPCs:

1. Make a card for each one. Put a picture on the back for the players to look at, and put whatever notes you need on your side. You can put them in a card rack you can find in the playing cards and poker chips section of your FLGS.

2. Pick a voice for each one. This might be as simple as an accent, even a bad one. It might just be a mannerism in their speech, like ending every sentence with the word "yes". It might be a voice impersonation of a movie character or an actor (or a friend). Find ways to make (important) NPCs sound unique when they speak.

3. Give each one a general motivation. Greed, lust, fame, fear, whatever. Keep it in mind when that NPC interacts with the party.

4. In addition to your important/recurring NPCs, keep a small collection of stock NPCs. When the players pick a random person to talk to, trot one of these out. Something that's kind of fun is to have a specific NPC (the street urchin, the blacksmith, whoever) who recurs in different places, but is a different person in each -- for example, it seems like every village idiot in the world is an affable redhead with brown burlap pants who calls everyone "gov'ner".


Regarding plot:

1. Have you considered running an episodic campaign? The party are professional adventurers who take the jobs they find as they find them. Maybe they get together, do a job, then split up to do their own thing (off-camera, as it were) until they meet up again a few months later. Maybe they finish an adventure and head to the nearest town to look for another adventure. Create a scenario or style in which plots are short and simple, and one doesn't actually have to follow another logically.

2. Have you considered running canned adventures? Perhaps a series? If you follow them as written, they should carry you through a few levels, and give you a feel for what a cohesive plot feels like. Once you have that down, you can create your own plots, and keep them going even when the players go off-script.

3. Give the players a solid end-goal, and give them a reason to reach it. "Save the kingdom" is a nebulous goal. "Restore the deposed prince to the throne and defeat the usurper's goblinoid hordes" is better. "Because it's the right thing to do" or "for riches and fame" are fun, but "to be rewarded with any item from the castle's arcane vaults" or "for a noble title and rule of a realm of the kingdom" are a little more solid. This will keep the players on track, and even if you don't have an idea for what to do next, they might.

Hope at least one of these helps... good luck!

Before I venture an opinion, are you DMing face-to-face or play-by-post?

Since you mention tabletop gaming, one could easily infer that you are DMing a tabletop game as well.

Your answer will have a profound impact on the responses to your post.

Turalisj
2012-10-13, 07:19 PM
I do play-by-post, so cards aren't exactly going to help >.<'

My problem is that I get easily distracted by new game ideas.

nedz
2012-10-13, 07:40 PM
At running games that is. I've been playing tabletop games for the past 7-8 years and, while I'd like to consider myself at least an average roleplayer, I have found that I have a problem running games. I just cannot play NPCs properly and cannot stay focused on a plot. I was wondering what you guys do to handle NPCs and plot. Notes? Bullet points?

this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_acting)
Though I tend to focus on motivations rather than emotions.

I don't have plots, I have characters who have objectives or, more likely, just jobs. And quirks and habits.

It helps to create characters the players like/love/hate, but that might just be me.