Over on the 20′ by 20′ Room [1], Neel Krishnaswami recently posted about one of his GMing strategies: the law of conservation of NPCs [2].
It boils down to “re-use NPCs whenever possible, because it enriches the game and gives you a smaller cast to keep track of,” and it’s good advice.
3 Comments To "Re-using NPCs for Fun and Profit"
#1 Comment By Kestral On May 20, 2006 @ 3:51 pm
Solid advice, and something I like to suggest myself. Memorable NPCs are the ones that show up time and time again, or have some facet of their personality that makes them more than a set of stats and a in-game function. Not only is it more fun for players, it’s easier for the GM when it comes to statting out NPCs.
#2 Comment By ScottM On May 22, 2006 @ 10:38 am
Yeah, I linked it as soon as it came out… it makes a lot of sense and is a really easy trick to implement.
#3 Comment By Crazy Jerome On May 24, 2006 @ 11:13 am
It also gives your players pause if they think about taking an NPC out (both before and after they have met the NPC multiple times). Frequency gets loosely translated in peoples’ heads as, “important”. So the technique is self-reinforcing, once you get over any humps.
I’ve been doing this for a long time. It is probably the single biggest prep saving thing I do.
I’ve even taken it so far that I’d use one NPC when technically two were called for. If you don’t mind stories edging into daytime soap opera territory, an NPC with a split personality, secret identity, etc. makes a great way to re-use an NPC in two different roles. The payoff is unusually good in a campaign with tight use of NPCs.