D&D General Japanese TTRPG "Fellows": a community shared NPC system

[BruceWright]

I saw this post and the video it refers to:


I found the idea of "Fellows" delightful. Basically, individuals make and share a simple sheet of a character they created. They can only perform simple actions, can't outshine the PCs, and crucially, cannot die. The published sheet has a simplified stat block, a rich description of the character and some sample "catch-phrases". these sheets were originally published in magazines, and then eventually online.

Players can choose to add a "Fellow" to their party, like an easy-to-run hierling. Then at the end of the adventure, they communicate back to the creator thanking them for their character, telling them what their character did and what adventures they had.

It reminded me of how Japanese schoolchildren will bring a friend's teddy bear on a vacation and document their activities to send back to the friend who wishes they were on the trip too.

 

[BruceWright]

One commenter on that thread suggested the simplified sheet and invulnerability of a "Fellow" might be a great way to run a character when the player is unable to attend a session.

 

[BruceWright]

HisGodHand posted this further description in the thread linked above:

They are like Pawns for sure, but I think the idea is a lot more powerful in the way it's presented in pen & paper rpgs like Sword World 2.5.

Because you're not just selecting a pawn from a list built into the game. You are finding Fellows on social media, on fan sites, in TTRPG magazines, etc.

You find them outside the game, and thus you must be interacting with the wider community outside the game. You message people and tell them the stories of how their Fellow helped the party achieve their goals. You share stories of this person's character helping other characters, and now that person has a reason to use your players' Fellows.

And, very importantly, Fellows cannot ever suffer any negative effects, can't be harmed or die, can't move away from the players to scout ahead or behind, etc. these stories are always positive. You are never telling somebody how their pawn died a brutal death, or how the party sacrificed them to get some treasure easily.

 

[Dustin Cooper]

I'm running a Sword World 2.5 game now. One thing I've also found is that this is a good way to handle NPCs you want to tag along with the party and take part in combat. You don't get the social part obviously, but my players really liked having the help without the risk of being outshown.