When PCs are the supporting cast
- Thread starter Napftor
- Start date
It can work out very well depending on campaign style. In my on-hiatus Shadowrun campaign the team leader is an NPC, and his job is to make plans, and deal with the trouble the not-so-bright PCs stir up. He is more like the straight man to their antics, and it works well. Especially since neither player is fond of planning missions, and neither character is very good at planning anything at all.
IMHO, the trick is to make sure that while the NPC can give orders, the players have freedom to play their characters, both with projects of their own, as well as with how they act upon the orders. In effect, the NPC can end up as a "hook on demand" when nothing else is going on.
IMHO, the trick is to make sure that while the NPC can give orders, the players have freedom to play their characters, both with projects of their own, as well as with how they act upon the orders. In effect, the NPC can end up as a "hook on demand" when nothing else is going on.
Stormrunner
Explorer
Many Bothans died to bring us this information...
Primarily it makes sense for first-level characters, and only until they go up a level or two. After all, what do your higher-level characters do with all those 1st-level followers? The level gap is so high that they aren't even useful as speedbumps against the high-CR monsters. Thus they get told off to guard the fortress, or gather info, or whatever.
Similarly, it's always seemed odd to me that, even though most small towns will have several 2nd- or 3rd-level NPCs, the newbie 1st-level PCs ALWAYS run off to confront the goblins or whatever on their own. If I knew ahead of time that I'd be facing an Ancient Evil, I'd want all the firepower on my side I could muster - so what if they claim most of the loot? It maximizes MY chance of staying alive...
Again, the key is not to have the Big Boys stick around - they go off to loot the dungeon while the lowly newbies are assigned to guard the horses (and have their own little encounter with a pack of wolves or some thieving goblins).
"Why can't you send Luke?" "Well, Luke has flown off somewhere without telling us where he was going - something about looking for yogurt I think. Meanwhile, we need info on this new weapon the Empire is developing..."
Primarily it makes sense for first-level characters, and only until they go up a level or two. After all, what do your higher-level characters do with all those 1st-level followers? The level gap is so high that they aren't even useful as speedbumps against the high-CR monsters. Thus they get told off to guard the fortress, or gather info, or whatever.
Similarly, it's always seemed odd to me that, even though most small towns will have several 2nd- or 3rd-level NPCs, the newbie 1st-level PCs ALWAYS run off to confront the goblins or whatever on their own. If I knew ahead of time that I'd be facing an Ancient Evil, I'd want all the firepower on my side I could muster - so what if they claim most of the loot? It maximizes MY chance of staying alive...
Again, the key is not to have the Big Boys stick around - they go off to loot the dungeon while the lowly newbies are assigned to guard the horses (and have their own little encounter with a pack of wolves or some thieving goblins).
"Why can't you send Luke?" "Well, Luke has flown off somewhere without telling us where he was going - something about looking for yogurt I think. Meanwhile, we need info on this new weapon the Empire is developing..."
Orius
Unrepentant DM Supremacist
Moridin said:
That doesn't really surprise me. It sound a lot like the complaints people have about playing the original DL modules; that they end up railroading the event in the novels, or that the PCs seem to end up taking a back seat to the Heroes of the Lance. That's why Ansalon gets blown up on a 30-year cycle.
And my FR crack was sarcasm; just another attempt of mine to waste bandwidth to get a cheap laugh.
Remathilis
Legend
Yup.
Luckily, we've moved on, but I played in a game where we (the PCs) were designed to "Hold off" the bad guy (who was toying with us) until his uber NPC could show up and finish him off.
Grrrrr.
Luckily, we've moved on, but I played in a game where we (the PCs) were designed to "Hold off" the bad guy (who was toying with us) until his uber NPC could show up and finish him off.
Grrrrr.
Khayman
Explorer
I've found it works best in a campaign with a greater focus on roleplay, where the PCs experience both the highs and lows of a chain of command. We've done this for years in Traveller, where we are playing the crew of an antipiracy vessel --- each of us plays a senior officer, and we also play the marines, techs, etc. on 'away missions'. Even if we occasionally chafe at the command structure, we eventually get to rotate our way through the NCOs and marines and occasionally play the role of Angry Sargeant. ![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
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Khayman
Explorer
We're thinking of using a similar model for the new Black Company setting --- either two groups of PCs that form a larger mercenary company, or the PCs are the lower ranking guys supporting the higher-ups. Different missions at first, with the NPCs doing their bit in the background. That way we get involved in politicking with the big guys (who will undoubtedly be bumped off eventually, anyway... mwahaha) and have a reason to get involved in stupidly complex engagements without actually leading the charge.
Has its challenges, but not without reward. Eventually the PCs will supplant most or all of the NPCs.
Has its challenges, but not without reward. Eventually the PCs will supplant most or all of the NPCs.
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