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Do you prepare bands of NPC adventurers?
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<blockquote data-quote="Haltherrion" data-source="post: 5546063" data-attributes="member: 18253"><p>I sometimes prepare bands of NPC aventureres. They are a lot of work to create and run so it isn't all that often. Typically for me I create the bands at campaign start when the players are still casting around for what they are going to do in this campaign. The bands serve as foils, potential foes, potential allies; sort of a ready-made pool of interlocking stuff (characters, goals and story).</p><p> </p><p>To create them, I usually focus on the one or two leaders in the group, give them motivations or a story and then round out the group. Some bands might be relatively vanilla (if I'm making several at once) but good to have them with some unique personality and visual appearance.</p><p> </p><p>Most often, I will use them when there are several story hooks tossed in front of the players of the sort of "do this" or "find that" and I may want the group to either have competitors to put a time pressure on things, a source of information or a warning (you meet the group in town, you bluster and talk with them, you head off on the mission and find that same group dead or bloodied).</p><p> </p><p>With NPC groups and a little roleplaying, it's often pretty easy to add a competitive edge to the game. Nothing like a little rivalry to motivate players short term until longer term themes evolve.</p><p> </p><p>Once out of the campaign start, my focus tends to be more on individual NPCs who might have some other NPCs with them but I don't tend to think of them as parties.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Haltherrion, post: 5546063, member: 18253"] I sometimes prepare bands of NPC aventureres. They are a lot of work to create and run so it isn't all that often. Typically for me I create the bands at campaign start when the players are still casting around for what they are going to do in this campaign. The bands serve as foils, potential foes, potential allies; sort of a ready-made pool of interlocking stuff (characters, goals and story). To create them, I usually focus on the one or two leaders in the group, give them motivations or a story and then round out the group. Some bands might be relatively vanilla (if I'm making several at once) but good to have them with some unique personality and visual appearance. Most often, I will use them when there are several story hooks tossed in front of the players of the sort of "do this" or "find that" and I may want the group to either have competitors to put a time pressure on things, a source of information or a warning (you meet the group in town, you bluster and talk with them, you head off on the mission and find that same group dead or bloodied). With NPC groups and a little roleplaying, it's often pretty easy to add a competitive edge to the game. Nothing like a little rivalry to motivate players short term until longer term themes evolve. Once out of the campaign start, my focus tends to be more on individual NPCs who might have some other NPCs with them but I don't tend to think of them as parties. [/QUOTE]
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Do you prepare bands of NPC adventurers?
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