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cheshire
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 Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2025 3:12 pm Post subject: Build your own contacts |
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I just did Session 0 with a new group. The usual, character generation, discussion of tone, group boundaries, and the like. But I decided to add a component this time around.
The campaign is set in a single sector, and I let the characters each say that they have a contact that they know (or at least know by reputation) in the sector.
I laid out three rows of index cards. The first row had a profession of an NPC, the second row had a characteristic of the NPC, and the last row had their disposition toward the PC.
The first row had things like, Junk Dealer, Information Dealer, Salvage Captain, Former Imperial, etc. The second row had things like, "trying to hide," "whom you've never fully trusted," "who could never let go of the war," "who is just trying to get by." etc. The last row had things like, "who knows your secret," "who holds a grudge against you," "to whom you owe a favor," etc.
Then the players got to pick card combinations that they thought were interesting and served to kickstart part of their character backgrounds and relations with the sector.
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garhkal
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2025 3:39 pm Post subject: |
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Now that is a funny way to do contact building.
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deano
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Location: UK
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| Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2025 4:26 pm Post subject: |
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I like the sound of this. Do you have the complete set of options to share please?
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cheshire
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| Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2025 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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I might even put them in a spreadsheet for future use, and I'm happy to share that here. I keep thinking of additional options I could have put in.
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garhkal
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| Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2025 1:31 am Post subject: |
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For variety imo there should be twelve options for all 3 categories.. OR even 4 categories!
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Whill
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008
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Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy
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| Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2025 1:41 am Post subject: Re: Build your own contacts |
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This is great. I have a more in-depth Session Zero that includes each player and I co-creating NPC contacts for their PCs. These NPCs also serve as a pool of possible replacement characters should any PCs die over the course of the campaign. But it is a good idea to have some contacts premade and on-hand as well.
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pakman
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Joined: 20 Jul 2021
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| Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2025 11:44 am Post subject: Re: Build your own contacts |
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| cheshire wrote: | I just did Session 0 with a new group. The usual, character generation, discussion of tone, group boundaries, and the like. But I decided to add a component this time around.
The campaign is set in a single sector, and I let the characters each say that they have a contact that they know (or at least know by reputation) in the sector.
I laid out three rows of index cards. The first row had a profession of an NPC, the second row had a characteristic of the NPC, and the last row had their disposition toward the PC.
The first row had things like, Junk Dealer, Information Dealer, Salvage Captain, Former Imperial, etc. The second row had things like, "trying to hide," "whom you've never fully trusted," "who could never let go of the war," "who is just trying to get by." etc. The last row had things like, "who knows your secret," "who holds a grudge against you," "to whom you owe a favor," etc.
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Very awesome!!!
This is a great way to build NPCs.
I use a similar system for background sessions. We run a number of "encounters" all narratively driven to help build character connections.
It is inspired by improv training sessions and a bit from the game Fiasco (which is a ton of fun).
In the backgrounds, I also add in locations that will be important in the future campaign - either just worlds "Bespin, Kamino, Corella" or sometimes more specific or vague.
So two player characters might be at a combination of cards (we used index cards - but you can easily roll on table - but we find the physical grouping of cards on the gaming area is more fun) and then the gm asks a series of questions to form up a scene.
"what is your character doing here...."
"how do you know this person"
"are they friend of rival...:"
This then leads to a way to make background events - just like the OP post.
Side on the scene side - have a category of cards called "Twist/complication" with things that add interesting events to the story.
One player ended up with "romantic complication" - which later turned into humorous shift for his character (he went from a basic smuggler concept to more of a lando by the time of actually rolling up the character).
One of these days I will actually write all this up into something....
thanks for sharing !
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Kytross
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| Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2025 8:37 pm Post subject: |
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| I approve this system. |
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garhkal
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Joined: 17 Jul 2005
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2025 1:18 am Post subject: |
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Any chance you can give us a pic of the selections?
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DougRed4
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| Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2025 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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This is a great idea! Add me as another who would love to see your whole list!
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Anomander
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| Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2025 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Plus one to see system |
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cheshire
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| Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2025 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry I went dark for a couple of weeks, folks. Things have been a lot irl.
I did put the list together, and I thought it would be interesting if you all had a chance to add to it. So, I've left editing of this list completely open, so we're on the honor system, here.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jwSFyB0-imzIHiCG07qgzwrzQ-t9U0bvQBx1RH_loX8/edit?gid=0#gid=0
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garhkal
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2025 1:04 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for posting it.
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pakman
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Joined: 20 Jul 2021
Posts: 454
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| Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2025 12:28 pm Post subject: |
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Very cool. Like the use of the "general disposition" vs. the "Disposition toward you" differentiation.
Contacts were just one of hte results in our background story process (it was a type of Boon that could be gained) so I did not go into as much detail on them on the card (the narrative of the background event built that).
My spreadsheet of cards is really messy and filled with campaign notes - and I don't know when I will have bandwidth to clean it up (got a session friday!!!).
I did however find a pic of some of the cards from one of our rounds.
As I don't want to hijack this contacts thread with my background cards - I made a post on the facebook group (I find it easier than posting pics here, as I dont' have a pic account anywhere).
Chesire - thanks again for posting what you worked on.
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Random_Axe
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
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Location: Toronto
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| Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2025 11:42 am Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | For variety imo there should be twelve options for all 3 categories.. OR even 4 categories! |
Like, the PC's opinion or disposition toward the NPC. |
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