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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wolf1066" data-source="post: 5180371" data-attributes="member: 88680">Any GMs out there do this or do you avoid it like the plague?I've  found it necessary from time to time to make up party/team numbers -  generally to provide a necessary (to complete the campaign) skill set  that only another character can bring (rather than loading up the player  characters with more skill levels... aged 23 and already an expert in  electronic security systems, ancient civilisations, six languages and  nuclear physics - yeah, right!).I don't find it as much fun as  playing a proper character in someone else's campaign/scenario - I know  everything about the scenario we're playing, which NPCs to trust, which  have agendas (and what they are), where the traps are and where the  "treasure" is.This means I have to basically make the character  more of a follower than an innovator - I have to take my lead from what  the other players are doing, sometimes to the point where you've got to  wonder if the character's intelligence is really as high as his stats  suggest.  Really smart at translating ancient Sumarian when asked and  can quote pi to 76 decimal places if you want him to - but  doesn't actually come up with any ideas, does not work things out for  himself based on what the (other) NPCs are saying.When I'm  playing, I like pitting my wits against the scenario writer/GM and  trying to work out as much of what's going on as I can - do my bit to  further the team's objectives.  I'm constantly searching for whatever  subtle hints the GM is giving out and making assessments based on what  my character is supposed to be good at.I can't do that as an NPC  as there are no mysteries for me.  instead, I have to walk a  fine line between playing it as an utter moron and using it to reveal  too much.  The players can decide if they trust any given NPC and  formulate opinions, as GM, I know whether they are right or not -  therefore so does the "team character" I'm playing.I have to  constantly keep track of what the team NPC knows about the other  characters based on what has been revealed in game - to decrease the  risk of him revealing stuff not revealed - it's a pain as I know more  about the player characters than the players do and it's hard to avoid  dropping in something the team NPC should not know because the player  has not chosen to reveal that part of their background/skills to the  team as yet.Reason why I'm ruminating on this is: the team is  short a character - player not available to play - whose skills will be  necessary in the campaign so I'm looking at the strong likelihood that  I'm going to have to run with the foxes while hunting with the hounds.How  do other GMs handle the situation?</blockquote>

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