I want to talk about how using the word ‘NPC’ actually means a lot of things. Because each one you introduce to any RP game has an intent, role to play and ways they can expand.
Articles by Ben Jackson-Ellery
Ben Jackson-Ellery has also written on Tabletop & RPGs for our geeky readers.
Genre Police: Looking Back, Over My Shoulder
While I’ve been recently writing about the dark in games, my newest campaign has been, in fact, running a far more whimsical experience.
Genre Police: Love The One You’re With?
I was totally blindsided. I’d talked about Mage and advocated for it as a game but never pitched anything specific, compared to sitting in my kitchen as people left for a game and talking about finally running an in-person Cthulhu game. What was I to do?
Genre Police: Developing A Complex
I’ve gone through periods of going very hard and very dark in some games, not always to the games favour.
Genre Police: Warning, Content
Think of the worst thing and make it happen. Puncture arteries, shred flesh, go for the damn jugular.
Genre Police: Playing The Player
Running an RPG is a kind of arcane act, weaving an illusionary spell of storytelling for a group to devour. But when we think about spellcasting, it’s often easy to forget the material component of such a conjuring.
Genre Police: The Cameo
You might be tempted to bring that player in to do a ‘guest slot’ in a game for a few sessions. Well, I think that’s a great idea! However, I’ve been both a GM and a player when this has and hasn’t worked as well as intended.
Genre Police: The Adventure Is Butchered
I’ve watched those long-form adventures slowly destroy their desire to use written adventures of playing D&D ever again.
Genre Police: The Adventure Continues
So let’s examine some of the ways we can process an adventure and prep it for a specific group.
Genre Police: The Adventure Begins
Since I went full professional as a GM in 2020, not including any planning time, I’ve been at actual tables running games with players for a rough total of 2,544 hours.
