Capable, Friendly, Accessible: Pick Two
I posted before about my attempts to liven up my piratey West Marches game by encouraging PC-to-PC interactions. My players are very story-focused, and I want to find ways to facilitate that without compromising the core tenets of a West Marches style game.
Encouraging PC interaction is only one half of the solution. I also need to incorporate more NPCs into the setting. My players can generate plenty of interpersonal drama amongst themselves but having some other weirdos to bounce off of helps give them investment in the setting. However, I need to be careful: friendly NPCs can be hugely beneficial, and the West Marches format is meant to be challenging. Introducing NPCs who are too useful can wick away some of the tension from this game style. So first, let's define two things: what makes a good NPC, and what makes a good West Marches game. Then we can work out how to make those things fit together.
What Makes a Good NPC
This section could be ten million pages long and still not cover the entire topic, but I think we can establish a few important characteristics that make any NPC half-decent:
- They should have something that the PCs want. This doesn't have to be a literal object (though it could be). It can be anything: information, resources, skills, etc. Gaining their cooperation should benefit the PCs in some way.
- They should have motivations of their own: Make them seem like real people. They ought to have been doing something before the PCs arrived, and will do stuff when they leave.
- They should be interesting to talk to: They can be a funny little weirdo, a self-important jerk, a manipulative flirt, or whatever you like, but if the players are spending time talking to them, we want that time to feel worthwhile.
What Makes a Good West Marches Game
Much like the previous section, there are legions of GMs far better equipped to discuss this than I. However, a there are a couple obvious features that will serve as guidelines for this article:
- Everything is a trade-off: It's a game about bartering your time, inventory, and hit points. You're making constant trades, and they should always feel like a risk. You hope that you've invested enough that your good luck pays dividends, and your bad luck doesn't cost too much.
- The PCs drive their own fortunes: A West Marches setting (note that I did not say 'game') does not revolve around the PCs; if they want something, it is up to them to get it.
So, how do we design good West Marches NPCs?
We need NPCs who are useful, motivated, and fun to talk to, but who won't remove the need for PCs to make difficult trade-offs and seek their own fortunes.
Capable, Friendly, Accessible: Pick Two
I got thinking about that classic project management triangle where you can pick two from Cheap, Fast, and Good, and must sacrifice the third. What if we designed NPCs this way? Using a triangle like this as a GM-facing tool gives us a good starting place to build from. Of course the three qualities on the triangle don't perfectly map onto NPCs. What does 'fast' mean in this context? Or 'cheap?' We need to come up with three relevant qualities.
Capable: This NPC can do something useful for the PCs. Maybe they are great in a fight. Maybe they can get info from someone in the enemy organization. Maybe they can teach the PCs new skills, or can provide them with valuable supplies. An incapable NPC is someone without any of these things. They have nothing of value to offer. The NPC may not realize this! They may fly believe that they are sufficiently capable, only to disappoint the PCs in a critical moment.
Friendly: This NPC is willing to help the PCs. They don't even have to be actually friendly friendly. Maybe they are a grumpy jerk, but they trail along behind the PCs because they are lonely. But they should be emotionally prepared to help the PCs with reasonable requests. An unfriendly NPC might not be outright hostile, but they aren't interested in working with the PCs for one reason or another (incompatible values, opposing factions, or even just pure pettiness).
Accessible: This NPC is within easy reach and is not impeded from working with the PCs. An inaccessible NPC could be located in an inconvenient place on the map. They could be imprisoned. They might have a contractual obligation they can't abandon, or their services are gated behind a payment of some kind. Perhaps they are transient, and they must be found first.
Pick Two
Capable, Accessible, but Unfriendly: This NPC has the goods, is easy to find, but just doesn't want to help you. Maybe they think you're too pitiful to help. Maybe they've been burned before. Maybe they believe you're working for their enemies. This type of NPC challenges the PCs' interpersonal skills.
Friendly, Accessible, but Incapable: This NPC is here and ready to help, but they don't actually have what you need. They aren't the great sharpshooter they advertise. They'd love to help you find the lost city, but they have no clue where it is. If they had two coins to rub together they would gladly give you both of them. This type of NPC challenges the PCs creativity.
Friendly, Capable, but Inaccessible: This NPC is exactly who the PCs want on their side... if only they could get at them. Maybe they are constantly out on their own quests. They might have an employer who manages their tasks and there's a queue. Maybe they got snatched during a bandit raid and are languishing in a hole. This type of NPC challenges the PCs' resources.
Of course this is just a starting place. You need more than these three adjectives, but it provides a solid structure to build from while applying all this other great advice from other designers.