ChrisTalbot.com

Giving NPCs life is one of the hardest jobs a GM has. I might even go so far as to say it is the hardest -- unless the players are rambunctious, in which case I'd say keeping the players on track is the hardest job.

But really, think about it. As a player, all you have to do is keep one character's personality in your head. You try to act as that character, but even that can be difficult. Most of us aren't professional actors, now are we? So usually, at best, we're able to pull off some half-decent roleplaying and some good impromptu dialogue, but sometimes the only thing players can pull off is not using too much out-of-character knowledge while in character.

Flip over to behind the GM's screen, and there's one individual that has to play a cast of dozens or even hundreds. Thankfully, the GM doesn't have to play all roles at once, but there are many occasions where a GM has to keep half a dozen personalities at a time in the forefront of his mind (or her mind, as the case may be). Trying to act out one character is tough enough -- trying to act out a whole ensemble cast is next to impossible.

So what usually happens? Looking at myself, I know what happens. In many cases, my characters are one-dimensional, and a few manage to make it to two dimensions. It's a rare occasion I'm able to pull off a good three-dimensional personality while GMing (hell, it's probably rare when I'm a player, too). I tend to fall back on the basics. Character X has to perform Actions One, Two and Three while giving the PCs Bits-Of-Information A, B and C.

Unfortunately, that means NPCs all too often come off sounding like they belong in a computer RPG, not a tabletop RPG.

In Mechamorphosis, I had a hard time getting into the role of the mechamorph NPCs. Granted, only one really took centre stage in the first session -- that being the head of the Exiles, Aegis. In my mind and in my delivery, Aegis was as flat as a glass of Coke that has been sitting on a counter for a week. He was dull and lifeless. Even for a machine, he deserved better.

I watched the entire first season of Transformers on DVD this week, and I realized that some of the Autobots and Decepticons came across as certain celebrities or stereotypical movie/TV personalities. The best example is Optimus Prime. Tell me the Autobot head honcho doesn't come across as John Wayne without the long drawl.

So I think I have my solution to put some life into characters. I'll try assigning them celebrity or character roles I get from movies and TV. If Aegis is the proud leader, then I'll look for a role/character type like that ... and then make his personality match.