NPC Cards

In running the role-play/skill challenge scene in the first game, I used a new method to introduce NPCs that seemed to work great. For each of the important NPCs I created a character card as follows: color picture of the NPC in question (mostly from Character Builder, but a few google image searches), plus name in large script and three adjectives to describe the character. I could fit three of these character cards on a single sheet of 11.5 x 8.5 cardstock paper in portrait layout. The picture took up the left half of the sheet for each NPC and the words on the right half. Cut them out so that you have a bit of cardstock about 2.5 x 8.5 inches for each NPC.

For example, Prince Jorum Edmund had the adjectives benevolent, just and ambitious.

I then laid all the cards out on the table and told the players to paw through them and let me know when they saw someone they wanted to talk to. There were about a dozen NPCs represented on the cards.

Whenever I spoke in character as one of the NPCs I would hold the card up to make sure everyone got a good mental image of the NPC.

This method was great fun. I hope it will have the effect of imprinting the NPCs on the players' memories so we can avoid the "Hey, let's go talk to old what's-his-name, you know, the king guy" that I see and hear about in nearly every game.