NPCs talking to NPCs - is the DM going crazy?

[Herobizkit]

Running and playing in Solo campaigns has become my forte over the years, and so I've gotten quite adept at differentiating between groups of two, three, or even four NPC's speaking to one another. The trick is to use different manners of speech; tone, vocabulary, speed, and even degrees of enunciation can do it.

For example, I played a solo campaign with one PC and (up to) a group of 7 NPCs of various types and attitudes.

* The fiery priestess was all about "women's rights", how women should be treated as equals. She would scold the PC often if he started to get too chauvinistic. She spoke in "proper" English.
* The "best friend" warrior spoke simply and quietly, only occasionally using slang.
* the female sexpot assassin was a loudmouth, using slang and sexual innuendo all the time.
* The black Monk was, to be short, the "token black guy". He was actually the first NPC to get "settled" and go off-screen because I couldn't keep faking "ebonics".
* The lizardman barbarian spoke like Dinobot from Beast Wars Transformers. A riot.
* The tiefling Bard spoke like a snobby noble, making everyone aware of his station and trating people accordingly.
* the "pretty girl in smart clothing" Bard/Sorceress I modeled after Edie from the Brendan Fraser version of "The Mummy", British accent and all.

 

[Tonguez]

Sometimes I find it necessary to do it simply to remind them that the NPCs are only stating their own opinions rather than some kind of meta-campaign truth. Players who are stuck listening to a single NPC deliver his spiel seem to readily accept that I'm delivering a plot hook[/I]

yeah thats what made me ask. Generally I use 'single NPC talking to PCs' but then it does become more 'plot hook exposition' than conversation in the story.

I have used an NPC who would break off mid sentence to yell back at an 'offstage' wife

but never done the two NPCs talking tactic which I thought might be really funny to try

hmm lots to think about...

 

[luke_twigger]

I've found it useful to pick out specific miniatures for selected NPCs. When speaking as an NPC I place the appropriate miniature on the table in front of me, acts as a visual cue. My players like it, YMMV.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

* the "pretty girl in smart clothing" Bard/Sorceress I modeled after Edie from the orginal "The Mummy", British accent and all.

??? I don't recall any such character from the original. Or are you somehow confusing the modern remake with the original original with Karloff? (For shame if you are!)

As for the question at hand, I've done it a couple of times, and felt like an idiot. Especially as I'm not very good at differentiating between voices. At least, not for very long.

 

[Shadowslayer]

I've done it before.No big deal unless you go overboard with it.

There's something fun about portraying 2 orcs arguing over a dice game...or a bickering couple a la "Miracle Max".

 

[Metus]

NPCs talking to NPCs seems like it would be very difficult, yet at the same time I think that having NPCs talk to each other is an integral part of D&D. I'm always the DM and I haven't had the chutzpa to pull it off yet, although one of my players actually ran two PCs at the same time, and had them talk to each other. The entire group thought he handled it very well, and we were all suitably impressed.

 

[William drake]

DO you as a DM ever have a situation where you have two NPCs talking to each other as well as to the PCs?

say the King and his chamberlain

or the argumentative old man and his harridan wife (who break into arguments whilst the PCs stand by)

or Tweedledee and Tweedledum

how do you handle it? How do you differentiate who is talking? and do you ever feel just a wee bit looney?

Like a book: intro tha the two are talking, then, as sort of the voice of the story, or author..I explain what they talk about. Even though it would make sense for me hold a converstation withmyself..as the DM, I find it a bit silly, and would rather not. The opinions of any NPC can be explained as to what he or she had said, the jist without me needing to play several roles at once.

 

[w_earle_wheeler]

I try to avoid that kind of situation whenever possible. I've done it in the past and it was awful.

IMO, in situations that would be dominated by a bunch of NPC chatter, I just summarize.

It's all about the PCs baby.

 

[rounser]

Switch to third person, maybe. "The three goblins begin to argue over how best to cook you."

 

[Nightfall]

Tonguez,

I'm already loony but mostly it bores the crap out of me if the PCs just sit there like lumps and don't DO anything.