Assembling a Court in Seven Steps
Texto
Stories that center around social intrigue often have a rotating cast of recurring characters. These characters can serve as obstacles, adversaries, or allies depending on the circumstance—and indeed, any given character is likely to appear in each of these roles at different times. A court-oriented campaign needs a solid group of NPCs with a variety of goals, desires, obligations, and interests. Given the subject of this book, the focus is on courts, but the ideas in this section could really apply to any campaign that focuses on social interactions in a single location, whether the inhabitants are courtiers in Otosan Uchi, monks in a monastery far from the politics of court, or peasants in a quiet village in the countryside.
Making up a large group of NPCs all at once can look like quite a daunting task, especially for a GM who is new to a setting. Ideally, each of the NPCs should be interesting enough that the players want to engage with them, but also distinct enough to understand and remember between game sessions. However, it’s important to keep in mind that just as the GM isn’t solely responsible for fun during each game session, the GM can ask the players to help furnish elements of the setting. This has the added advantage of organically causing the players to know something about the NPCs they are interacting with, which helps them get over that age-old roleplaying hurdle of remembering the NPCs’ names and backgrounds.
This section provides one possible framework for putting together a court. Some GMs likely won’t need it, and others might find specific parts more helpful than others. As with all GM tools, individuals should pick the parts that work best for their group and not worry about any elements that won’t be helpful.
Through this process, the GM first draws up some rough plans (Steps 1–3), then the GM calls upon the players to fill in key details that shape the dynamics between the various people at court (Steps 4–6), and finally the GM puts the finishing touches on the court (Step 7). Each step is labeled as “GM” or “GM and Players.” GM steps can be done by the GM alone, while “Players and GM” steps involve everyone. Assembling a court can almost be a game unto itself, and one good option for a prologue or “session zero” of a court-oriented campaign, is for the GM to come to the table having done Steps 1–3, so that the GM and players can do Steps 4–6 together. Then, the GM can do Step 7 as part of their prep for the first session.
Texto do livro
Courts of Stone · Chapter 3: Games of Discourse › Assembling a Court in Seven Steps · p. 139
Mostrar o texto como impresso
Stories that center around social intrigue often have a rotating cast of recurring characters. These characters can serve as obstacles, adversaries, or allies depending on the circumstance—and indeed, any given character is likely to appear in each of these roles at different times. A court-oriented campaign needs a solid group of NPCs with a variety of goals, desires, obligations, and interests. Given the subject of this book, the focus is on courts, but the ideas in this section could really apply to any campaign that focuses on social interactions in a single location, whether the inhabitants are courtiers in Otosan Uchi, monks in a monastery far from the politics of court, or peasants in a quiet village in the countryside.
Making up a large group of NPCs all at once can look like quite a daunting task, especially for a GM who is new to a setting. Ideally, each of the NPCs should be interesting enough that the players want to engage with them, but also distinct enough to understand and remember between game sessions. However, it’s important to keep in mind that just as the GM isn’t solely responsible for fun during each game session, the GM can ask the players to help furnish elements of the setting. This has the added advantage of organically causing the players to know something about the NPCs they are interacting with, which helps them get over that age-old roleplaying hurdle of remembering the NPCs’ names and backgrounds.
This section provides one possible framework for putting together a court. Some GMs likely won’t need it, and others might find specific parts more helpful than others. As with all GM tools, individuals should pick the parts that work best for their group and not worry about any elements that won’t be helpful.
Through this process, the GM first draws up some rough plans (Steps 1–3), then the GM calls upon the players to fill in key details that shape the dynamics between the various people at court (Steps 4–6), and finally the GM puts the finishing touches on the court (Step 7). Each step is labeled as “GM” or “GM and Players.” GM steps can be done by the GM alone, while “Players and GM” steps involve everyone. Assembling a court can almost be a game unto itself, and one good option for a prologue or “session zero” of a court-oriented campaign, is for the GM to come to the table having done Steps 1–3, so that the GM and players can do Steps 4–6 together. Then, the GM can do Step 7 as part of their prep for the first session.