I agree whole-heartedly with the observation that NPC's are treated like barely tolerable pets. I had one NPC, who originally had a name, but was quickly reduced to 'the captain' by the party. He was likable enough, but, and here he 'overstepped' his bounds as an extra, he had an opinion about what the party should do. By the time he finally died (the players left him behind in a burning city), the party in general and one character especially was convinced that the captain was Lawful Evil -- he just didn't always agree.
As a GM, I have found a couple solutions to the problems. I don't have 'throw-away' NPC's; I bring them back. The farmer they meet is the same farmer they talked to a week ago. Why not? It lends realism. Also, I keep the NPC's around long enough so that the get a cut of the treasure, and if the players don't treat him like a person, then the NPC gets irritated and resists party decisions. It's also very important to play the NPC's as real people -- for me, they are little opportunities for the GM to role play. As for the problem of the NPC becoming a GM-PC, I just decide before-hand what he knows, and kill off a few intentionally, just so I don't get attached to the idea of a GM-NPC.
Thanx for the article!
To be honest, this is an issue that has bugged me a lot since I started playing. Ever since my first adventures, I would create NPC's only to find them treated as second class characters. This is a gaming issue that had to be addressed.
Then I found an answer, in the form of one of my more offbeat PC's. A small halfling warrior who believed there was a little good in everyone, including that nasty Demilich that killed his father. He was befriended by an NPC woodcutter, and they soon started to adventure together.
Both the NPC and the PC were played with great enthusiasm, and often got the entire party in trouble. A bond started to form between the two characters, as the silliness of one was complimented by the other. Of course, the rest of the party hated them.
Eventually the NPC woodcutter became a fighter, and one armed with many magic items given to him by his PC friend. Eventually, the inevitable happened. The party wizard, to cope with the continued squandering of magic items on what he saw as a faceless NPC accidentally fireballed poor NPC. The NPC died.
Sadly, I shook my head and waited for the inevitable looting of the NPC's body. Instead, I found the halfling PC was convincing the party preist to raise the poor woodcutter and threatened to shorten the other PC's by a kneecap if they so much as touched the woodcutter's equipment.
Eventually the woodcutter was raised, kept all his equipment and the two still adventure together today. It was a proud day for NPC's everywhere.
I agree with all you say. And as far as I can see, the best way to stop players looting their friends' (NPC friends) bodies is to wait until a player is dying and then have the NPC's loot them.
Cries of: But you took Mulg's sword, gov... soon show the players it's a bitter world and a bad thing to do to people in it.
Although, I don't know how many times I've seen PC's raid a fellow PC's battered and bleeding body for toys and tools as he lies there screaming and thrashing in his death throws.
Then again, what are the NPC's doing with good stuff in the first place?
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