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Message: <blockquote data-quote="D'karr" data-source="post: 6094765" data-attributes="member: 336">You're trying to pin specifics to what is a general comment.Since we are using specifics when they don't fit lets start looking at more specifics.  Fat Tony, who is he?  From his NPC name I'd argue that he lives in downtown BFE, and the extent of his influence is hot Suzy, and his pimped out ride.  He is obviously not the NPC for this task.  When the PCs have moved halfway across the world to start up that lemonade stand, any appearance in the scene, by Fat Tony, starts becoming contrived.He might still hold that grudge, and the PCs should expect him to.  But if they've already gone beyond his sphere of influence/purview then his appearance in a scene at that time is a railroad.  The only reason he exists in that scene is because the DM can't fathom that the PCs have moved beyond his precious little encounter.  This is the same issue with a world populated by singly antagonistic NPCs.  Which is what Perkins was referring to in his article.When the PCs return back to BFE, if they encounter Fat Tony then there's a reason for him to be in the scene.  The PCs have returned to an area where his goals, sphere of influence, and purview intersect with the PCS.This is obviously not the case with all NPCs.  If the PCs deflowered the daughter of King Oswald the Conqueror, his sphere of influence is much bigger.  He is much more "powerful", and has more resources.  In that case the PCs might be intersecting that NPC sphere of influence for a lot longer, but not every NPC has that time and resources.  Even King Oswald might take a hint after he's sent 17 squads of assassins to handle the PCs and none have returned.The problem is the extremes.  That is what Perkins is discussing.  If every NPC we encounter from now until 6 levels from now is a friend of Fat Tony, or is somehow related to him, or simply doesn't like the PCs because he heard of what they did to Fat Tony - that is the extreme.  Unfortunately it is far too often the case.  Fat Tony doesn't have the resources so why in the world is he still in the scene?  King Oswald has the resources but at some point even he should take a hint.  In scene-framing the DM should definitely take a hint.  If the players keep not accepting his "offers" to engage with Fat Tony then maybe there is something that needs to be discussed.</blockquote>

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