May 27, 2014
Have a purpose. This goes for every character and thing at the table. This can be looked at, in a couple major categories.
People
This is something that I know I have struggled with, in the past. Sometimes your cool NPC really doesn't work with the story, so you make the square NPC(or PC for that matter) fit in the round campaign whole. This only leads to a weird fit. If you have a more strict GM they will not let this fly, for their PC's at least, but then some will make the same error on their own with NPC's.I find that the more memorable NPC's I make are ones that I have a plan for. Players remember and turn to them, when the time comes to get them involved, and even better they turn to the PC's. The biggest set back I have noticed, when running, is when I have to wing a NPC off the top of my head. My players know that if the NPC has a single syllable first name and no last name (usually a very plain name to top that) he is not of importance. Unfortunately, this has conditioned me that when my players start wandering off the rails and I need an NPC that person will more than likely be named Paul, or what ever first comes to mind. Even if I want the NPC to be important the players wont think of him as much, because I have conditioned them as well. This in turns waters down the story and causes players to step back from the story. People also go into society. Don't be arbitrary about the societies you build. Think about why they are the way they are, maybe a bit of local history in there. Your players will ask.
To help stop this I have a couple ideas for you guys. For NPC's get Masks: 1000 Memorable NPC's for any Roleplaying Game. Great tool, even if you don't find anyone you like. It will make you start thinking of ideas for NPC's that are different, than you would normally on your own. Something I learned from painting, is to be a thief. Always be on the lookout for ideas. Take them and change them to fit your needs if they need it, if not use them. The gaming community is big and has plenty of thinkers out there, doing things that will blow you away. The best thing I can say about societies is learn a bit about cartography if you can. Land can really drive how a society evolves.
Props
Savage Worlds especially is prop driven. If you have ever been to a game, that had props in it. You know the difference it can make, for the story. The more themed things you have, the more unique your game feels even if its just a run of the mill Hellfrost game. Cards, bennies, tokens, maps, handouts, music, websites, and so much more can add more depth, to your game. Fair warning on websites, players need to contribute or else the tool will not be what you want out of it (take Obsidian Portal for example, love the site but I never see it get used as much as I would like). Another thing that I encourage from my players is notes. This may not seem like much, but notes help keep the player engaged. Say its not Jim's turn and the party is split. While he waits his turn, he can review his notes to discover something about the plot, he maybe over looking. If you are a particularly cool GM, maybe you would want to make some sort of notebooks for your players, as a gift for them playing in the game, or just simply offer a bonus to players, who personalize their game notebook, to match the campaign. I knew a guy in the Navy, that during a game set in a zombie apocalypse, where players played themselves, he only used a little green pocket notebook ("pocket brain"). Conveniently the same kind we had in the real world, all over the boat, so at the start of the game he told the GM. He brought one of them, with him, when our characters left the base looking for other survivors and shelter. He only took notes in that one book, and by the time we were done with the campaign it was like he had his own copy of the Zombie Survival Guide. The notes were scribbled everywhere, in anything he could find, to write with when his pen in real life died. The GM actually brought him a pencil, and told him he found it in an abandoned car. One of the coolest props I have seen from a player ever. Something I always do for games done, in person at the table (as most of my games are online now) is look at pages and pages of mini's to find the perfect one, and paint it myself to be my character. Because of that attachment, I find myself enjoying playing the character more.
Settings
By all means, play any setting that your table loves, but make sure that it is cohesive. Nothing brings you out of the game experience, like something completely off the wall, in a bad way. Not to say that your tribal world shouldn't have super advanced tech, buried in the desert to the south, but it should have a reason to be there. Random Hippo-men with laser guns might be weird, if they only show up once, with no reason, and never come back again. Though, to be honest, your players might enjoy fighting off Hippo-men. I guess this goes back to my problem, with truly random encounters. They don't make sense. The Hippo-men should have a reason for attacking, even if they only have animal intellect. Maybe your people have moved into their traditional breeding grounds and are deemed a threat. Make plots mean something and your players will put more into their characters.
In the end, make everything count. People take their time to play your game for a reason. Thank them with a good, well prepared, game. This week is short. Saturday I have one more Savage Write-up on Character creation. This time with the some inspiration from games like Street Fighter and other mystic powered martial arts type stuff.
