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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: steven mancini <mancinis@******.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
Subject: Who makes the contacts in your game? (Was: Ideas Needed)
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 1994 15:34:49 EST
In response to Chris Siebenmann:
]
] If you're uncomfortable with the character, *don't* go and bushwack
] it in a dark alley someday. Go and talk to the player. If I had spent
] 250,000 nuyen on contacts(*) and the GM decided to go make them useless
] without talking to me first, I'd be quite annoyed -- as annoyed as if
] I'd spent 250k nuyen on cyberware or a cyberdeck, and the first thing
] the GM did was destroy it.

I whole-heartedly agree!! This is the BEST advice so far IMHO.

] *: do make him name them and give you personality sketches. Don't let
] him get away with telling you the template names.

Interesting point. In my game I make up the NPC's and their
background since I am the only one who knows the true dirt
behind many of my npcs.

But I am curious- is Chris' suggestion a commonplace occurrence?
Do you other GM's allow the players to create the background and
descriptions for your/their NPC's?

Da Minotaur

P.S. With regard to a previous post- MOO-Man?!?!?! Indeed!..... :)
Message no. 2
From: "C. Paul Douglas" <granite@*****.NET>
Subject: Re: Who makes the contacts in your game? (Was: Ideas Needed)
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 1994 17:09:07 -0500
> But I am curious- is Chris' suggestion a commonplace occurrence?
> Do you other GM's allow the players to create the background and
> descriptions for your/their NPC's?
>
I allow it myself up to a point..As does the other GM in our
group..However the old Gm we had did all that stuff
himself..Bunches-o-work..
-------------------GRANITE
Message no. 3
From: Dave Sherohman <esper@*****.IMA.UMN.EDU>
Subject: Re: Who makes the contacts in your game? (Was: Ideas Needed)
Date: Thu, 24 Mar 1994 09:54:16 CST
From: steven mancini <mancinis%MENTOR.CC.PURDUE.EDU@***.spcs.umn.edu>
>] *: do make him name them and give you personality sketches. Don't let
>] him get away with telling you the template names.
>
> Interesting point. In my game I make up the NPC's and their
> background since I am the only one who knows the true dirt
> behind many of my npcs.
>
> But I am curious- is Chris' suggestion a commonplace occurrence?
> Do you other GM's allow the players to create the background and
> descriptions for your/their NPC's?

Yep. I make my players come up with the names of their NPC associates along
with the history of the PC/NPC relationship. If I think it necessary (that
is, if the NPC becomes (or is about to become) prominent for some reason, I
don't let this stop me from making up the rest of the NPC's life, temprament,
and/or motivations, though.

esper@***.umn.edu
Message no. 4
From: Michael Garoni <Michael_Garoni@****.INTERSOLV.COM>
Subject: Re: Who makes the contacts in your game? (Was: Ideas Needed
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 08:55:00 LCL
:] Interesting point. In my game I make up the NPC's and their
:] background since I am the only one who knows the true dirt
:] behind many of my npcs.
:]
:] But I am curious- is Chris' suggestion a commonplace occurrence?
:] Do you other GM's allow the players to create the background and
:] descriptions for your/their NPC's?

In ours, contacts are created with input from both parties. The player defines
what they know/think they know about the contact and then that is expanded by
the GM if appropriate.

Obi Wan
Message no. 5
From: Chris Siebenmann <cks@********.UTCS.TORONTO.EDU>
Subject: Re: Who makes the contacts in your game? (Was: Ideas Needed)
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 18:03:55 -0500
| ] *: do make him name them and give you personality sketches. Don't let
| ] him get away with telling you the template names.
| Interesting point. In my game I make up the NPC's and their
| background since I am the only one who knows the true dirt
| behind many of my npcs.

I should clarify; I expect the players to tell me more or less what
their character knows about the contacts, and give me something that
gives me a handle on them. The GM is always free to add extra background
or change things, bearing in mind that the character should generally
get their money's worth. The players shouldn't assume that just because
they gave me a name and a personality/background sketch that they know
the true dirt.

- cks

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