Players as NPCs

[Darkwolf445]

One of the GMs I once gamed with had a fairly long Warhammer game going, such that all the characters were pretty tough and could survive without the rest of the party on certain adventures. One thing that the GM did was run a number of individual games, where the main character was the only PC, and everyone else at the table played the role of an NPC (a fairly normal person).

The players playing NPCs were given XP for their main character and the GM was able to develop NPCs that the players were familiar with and had (player)formed personalities.

It was, overall, pretty fun and allowed the NPC characters to play types they normally would not, as well as not worry about their main character being splattered.

Anyone else have similar experiences?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Anyone else have similar experiences?

Nothing long-term, but I recently had one PC sent off on a mission to ambush a cleric and his retainers, while the other PCs took care of something else. He took along a gang of a couple of dozen thugs.

So I knew I was going to have a big combat - a dozen or so paladins and men-at-arms, with a cleric, against one PC and his gang - where only one of the PCs would be present. Prior to the combat, I statted up a few of the NPCs on each side - a tank paladin, a mounted paladin, and a greatsword paladin, a half-orc barbarian thug and a couple of archer rogues - and offered the players whose PCs weren't present the opportunity to take part in the combat. One of my players couldn't make that session, and in the event, one of the remaining two PCs took a paladin, and one took a thug.

Just as well, 'cos the combat took over an hour and a half to resolve... and all three players had a great time with it. (Especially when the player-controlled paladin started making a nuisance of herself for the PCs' grand scheme... ) If those players had been sitting on the sideline, on the other hand, it could've been a disaster...

-Hyp.

 

[Crothian]

I've had guests play NPCs but nothing like what is described here.

 

[Drawmack]

Actually, I'm playing a game right now where even though I'm a PC I do a descent amount of NPC playing. The DM played in a game I DMed a couple years ago and for the setting she choose the world we played on in that game, more specifically we are in a village which I created and their players used as a base of operations. So I know the townspeople better then she does and there are two people in the town (A Vampire, and a mumbling guy) which she can not play as well as I do so I play those NPCs.

It's pretty fun, but I don't know that it adds that much to the game and My Character does not get XP for stuff that other characters do.

Last session I had to play out a conversation between my character and one of the NPCs that I play. While interesting and fun for me, I think the other players found it confusing.

 

[Li Shenron]

I've never done that, but the idea of letting players play NPC during a solo scene or a split party path is great! It guarantees that:

- no one is going to be bored since everyone participate

- players have a chance at trying something new (a monster or perhaps a class they don't usually play) without committing to it for long

- encounters are definitely going to be a tough challenge for the PC, since the other players would NEVER cheat/downplay in player's favor

 

[EyeontheMountain]

I ahve not yet doen it, though as I play mostly PBEMs on Yahoogroups it is a good idea. Easy enough to have people take other roles on when their main character is busy, such as crafting or some such.

 

[Maester Luwin]

Hey everyone! I recently ran a tournament in my AGoT table top campaign where not all of the Pc's attended. So I let the others take the roles of Npc knights & nobles. Everyone had a great time. I also run a campaign online & I have one or two of the Pc's take on the roles of major Npc's. This is a great boon as I am usually tied down in other threads. Thanks Maester Luwin