The setting is an important aspect of any roleplaying game. The players are transported to a different world full of mysteries, wonder, challenges, and potential glory. While the characters that the players are controlling make up an important piece of developing the world, they are not alone. Other people and creatures also inhabit that world.
Some of these characters will play important roles in the story that unfolds. Some of these characters will be minor footnotes. The vast majority of these characters will be background pieces of the world, nameless beings that perform mundane or routine jobs that PCs need. However, things can become interesting when these seemingly anonymous NPCs evolve into more important roles. We’re going to take a look at some tips for both players and GMs to consider when making their imaginary world come more alive by breathing life into your typical, boring, nameless NPC.
What’s In A Name?
It may seem like a fairly minor thing, but whether or not an NPC has a name is often a signal to players if the NPC is considered “important” by the GM. Now, not every single background character the players walk by needs to be given a name, but if they are someone the players are going to have a conversation with, a name can make the character seem more real, even if the GM does not have any bigger plans for them at the moment.
Consider the following two descriptions of the same scene:
As you walk into the tavern, the sound of out of tune music assaults your ears. The air is filled with a mix of smoke from some overcooked meat and the scent of stale beer. A middle-aged bartender with an eye patch slings drinks from behind the bar to several patrons. A waitress walks over to your group and greets you: “Hello, lads. Sit wherever you like. I’ll be over in a moment to take your order.”
You don’t really know much about the tavern or anybody in it. The people seem unimportant and routine, the same types of NPCs you’ve come across dozens of times. Now consider the following minor tweaks:
As you walk into the tavern, the sound of out of tune music assaults your ears. The air is filled with a mix of smoke from some overcooked meat and the scent of stale beer. A middle-aged bartender with an eye patch slings drinks from behind the bar to several patrons. One of the customers yells playfully at the bartender, “Hey, Wilt! Did an orc take yer other eye too? You only filled my glass half way! Har har!” A waitress walks over to your group and greets you: “Hello, lads. My name is Amelia, welcome to Wilt’s Hilt! Sit wherever you like. I’ll be over in a moment to take your order.”
You’ve learned several things:
- The tavern is called Wilt’s Hilt.
- The bartender’s name is Wilt and, based on the name of the bar, he’s likely also the owner.
- Wilt lost his eye to an orc.
- The waitress’ name is Amelia.
On the surface, none of these facts may be important, but what it does is give some detail to the scene that makes the world seem more real. Whether or not the PCs decide to delve further into any of these tidbits is up to them, but the GM has set things up for them in case they choose to. The next thing you know, the characters could be seeking revenge on the orc that stabbed out poor Wilt’s eye or helping track down Amelia’s lost puppy.
Even if the players aren’t inclined to find out more about Wilt and Amelia at this moment, they offer the opportunity to become familiar names and faces in the world. The next time they’re looking for a tavern in this area, maybe they’ll return to this particular establishment. Maybe Wilt is not only missing an eye, but has a hook in place where one of his hands used to be. Maybe Amelia is no longer working there making the party wonder what happened to her. The world is always changing, and the characters in that world should change with it. Giving names to background characters makes those changes more apparent and easier for the players to notice.
It’s a good idea for a GM to keep a list of random names handy for when the time comes that an unexpected NPC needs a name. There are many name generators available on the internet for a variety of settings, species, and time periods. Some links are available at the end of this article.
If you don’t have a list of names handy or need one immediately, just make one up. Think of two names – friends, celebrities, co-workers, neighbors – change a letter of three, mash the names together, and there you go. Allow me to demonstrate. Bob Dole and George Bush become Jorge Dolsh or Gob Bolee. Trent Reznor and Kurt Cobain become Krent Rezbain, Trurt Cobnor, or Nort Trebain. If those names seem a little ridiculous at first, consider some of the names in popular fantasy and sci-fi fiction and you’ll realize they’ll work just fine. If you want more realistic sounding names, it still works. Russell Wilson and Tom Brady become Brady Russell and Tom Wilson. The possibilities are endless.
Statting them Out
This next tip is useful not just for NPCs around the world that the PCs might interact with suddenly on a deeper level, but in general – Keep a set of fairly generic stat blocks handy. Not every NPC or creature in the world needs to have full blown customized stats. Not only does that add an enormous amount of time to prep work, but often those stat blocks will not be used if the encounter is avoided or does not come up.
Slowly but surely, try building up a library of generic NPCs that can easily be applied to a variety of characters and creatures. The players are not going to care if you’re using the exact same stats for the crazy hermit that just attacked them as you did for the rabid dwarf miner from three sessions ago. They most likely won’t even realize it, but they will notice if you pause the action in order to look up the specific stats for an unexpected encounter or draw up a bunch of characteristics on the fly. The flow of the game and seemingly natural occurrences of the beings in the game is much more important than accuracy of stats.
If those stats need to be adjusted on the fly, that’s fine too. The GM screen is your friend, so feel free to give that unexpected bounty hunter a handful of more health if the players were about to kill him in one shot.
Raising The Stakes
Another useful side effect of giving the NPCs names and personalities is that the PCs are more likely to form relationships with them and become attached to them. This opens up endless possibilities where the NPCs find themselves in trouble and the PCs will feel more compelled to help. If Amelia the bartender at Wilt’s Hilt has been kidnapped by orcs, this will have more of an emotional effect on the players than if it were some anonymous waitress at a nameless tavern.
Sadly, it may even become necessary for some of these NPCs to meet their untimely demise. This is a useful – if sometimes cruel – tool that GMs have available to them. The players themselves might be even be angry or sad when a beloved NPC dies, but that type of emotional response is a good thing. It means that they are engaged and invested in the world.
While we often play RPGs to escape to a fantasy world, a little bit of tragedy now and then can still be a good thing to include. Even the greatest of heroes face hardships, and that can often lead to a renewed sense of purpose. You can be sure that the players will be highly motivated to seek out whatever may have caused the death of a well-liked NPC. Just be careful not to overuse this tactic. Player backlash can be harsh if all their favorite NPCs start dropping like flies.
Conclusion
Small details like this may seem minor, but they help bring the game world to life. Passing acquaintances may not be important to the overall story, but giving them a bit more color brightens the entire setting. The players themselves might feel compelled to learn more about their local merchants when they know their names and personalities, and look forward to seeing them again.
As a GM, next time you’re about to introduce what you consider a fairly irrelevant NPC, try giving them a name. As a player, the next time you go into a shop or tavern to buy something, ask the merchant what their name is. You may be surprised how such a small gesture makes the world you’re in feel larger.
References
- Edge of the Empire Random NPC Generator
- Star Wars Random Name Generator
- Random Fantasy Names Generator
- WotC D&D Random Character Name Generator
- Random SciFi NPC Generator
Steve "Jaspor" Orr
