Great GM: Creating EPIC NPC Dialogue on the fly for Tabletop RPG games - Game Master Tips

That dreaded moment when your PC's decide it's time to talk to a totally non- plot driving character, 'Where are you from?" they ask. 'Eeerrm well...' Today's episode will help you make up that dialogue easily and on the fly. Hope this helps.
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[@murraylindsay4163]

"Goal is to get away from the strangers as soon as possible"...it's always hilarious how Players forget what their Characters look like. "I was being polite and friendly! What's with the hate?" "You're two meters of scarred reptile-man packing armour and a sword that could cut a horse in half with a stroke."

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Exactly!!! LOL

[@grendelkhan3082]

Murray Lindsay All I have to say, my players almost never bathe, one specifically never does, think of a woman holding a cudgel and wearing untreated rotting bear skins and coated in blood, matting the fur and her hair....WOW, BOY DO I WANT TO TALK TO THAT!

[@whitetuxmafiaandfilms5042]

Grendel Khan, You joke...but I'm into it

[@Never_heart]

Murray Lindsay I actually was that player except I was the token human... except I was the size of a full grown 5e Goliath in heavy full plate armor with an eyepatch hiding and sealing the eye of Demon Prince even the small sectiin that was unarmored, his head, was covered in dozens of brutal scars and despite carrying a greatsword only had a single arm which he adapted to learn to fight with 2 handed weapons with. Then I wondered why the 5 hear old halfling was afraid of me...

[@oldscorp]

one of my players leaves a captured evil witch with a couple of his fellow militiamen(2 npc guys) and says: im going to leave for a bit if i returned and find you've done anything stupid there will be hell to pay! so the npc guy asks "uhh...what do you mean?" and the player gets mad that my npc's dont respect him and defy him all the time and etc(a thing i actually hate in npcs which tend to be like that most games)."he is supposed to respect me, im his superior!" ME : Youre not his superior, you threatened him out of the blue and he really didnt understand what the heck you meant by that BECAUSE I DIDNT ! wth are you talking about?

[@eclairz9275]

The salient point i got from this is that every NPC has something they would rather be doing than talking to the players.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

As in real life. In computer games the NPC's live for the PC's to come and talk to them. In role-playing I feel they should react like real people. If you've no value to me, why should I spend time with you.

[@eclairz9275]

I don't disagree at all, it's a very good point.

[@MarvelX42]

The NPC might be thinking: "If you've no value to me, why should I spend time with you." Well, maybe because that NPC isn't a horrible person?

[@justatallguy]

It's not about being a horrible person, and more about having important things to do. If an NPC is working to manage a group and fill in wagons to get food to the starving kids in town (a nice, charitable person) and some random, weird outsider comes talk to them and ask random questions about unrelated subjects they might be nice to the player for a couple minutes, but at some point they will be like "Why don't you come over later? I have important things to do!" or even "I don't know anything about that and I don't want to get involved, my work is important." In essence, one doesn't need to be a "horrible" person to not wanna talk to strangers who approach them in the street. They might just be a busy person, or a cautious person. Specially if the adventure is in medieval times, people were much more on their own than now, and thus more careful, even paranoid.

[@MarvelX42]

I said "maybe" and had a question mark at the end. Also, yes, just a simple short statement to let someone know that you are busy is great. I would expect that from any normal nonhorrible person.

[@themarvin01]

Once got stuck doing a Russian accent for four hours cause I made the Drow Merchant have one. I did not expect them to fall in love with the character so much. Mushanti you are my bane.

[@moobles2998]

oh my god I can almost picture the pain you went through. Mushanti I love you.

[@theeristicwriter8280]

Nebula Storm had the same thing happen when I made a gnome serial killer with the most ridiculous voice, that I fully planned for the party to kill and be done with when they discovered the truth but they instead held him prisoner and reformed him into a fellow party member for the rest of the campaign. I had to contort my voice for hours at a time for months all because they all liked the character too much XD I was both proud and so so angry lol

[@Takapon218]

I did the same with my sorceress NPC and her French accent. My players decided she was the best and they keep going to visit her whenever they have any questions about magic stuff

[@falonsherrard6004]

Mine was Bilfiz the gnomish tinkerer. He speaks in a high, slightly British accent that I hate but every time they're in town "oh we gotta go say hi to Bilfiz" who also hates them because they killed all his cows. Edit:oh. And they stole his crossbow.

[@PalleRasmussen]

Matthew Mercer as Victor.

[@thequalitycomedian7842]

I can imagine the players talking to an NPC for ages and in the DM’s mind he’s just like “... he just wanted some coffee...”

[@deathunboundgaming85]

Time Stamps, Summary, and Ramblings (0:00)-(0:40) Introduction (0:40)-(1:20) Imaginations is Key (Research, Association, Personal Experience, Inspiration) (1:20)-(3:17) The NPC needs a goal. As well as opposition to that goal to make it interesting. (3:17)-(4:08) Making the dialogue interesting by applying your personal experience. (4:09)-(6:10)The Education level of the NPC (6:11)-(7:43) The General Origin of the NPC (7:45)- (8:25) The Disposition of the NPC towards the party. (Indifferent, hostile, or friendly.) (8:26)-(10:18 )The personality or attitude of the NPC.Their approach to life. (10:18)-(11:10) What the NPC was doing and what they will do after the PCs leave. (11:11)- (14:22 ) The NPC's role. Do they provide information? Do they hinder the players? Help them? Are they just filler? (14:25)-(14:54) Put yourself in their shoes, with that goal and then limit yourself accoridng to their values. (14:54)-(22:28) More Examples of Quick NPC Interactions to help you to do it quickly. Also, his NPC wants everyone's money. Making compelling dialogue on the fly can be very difficult. However, putting yourself in the NPC's situation can make it much easier. 1.Give the NPC a Goal. Can be as simple as "Get away from the strangers as soon as possible" "Make enough money to move to the big city." 2. Think about how educated they are and how that would affect the way they speak and interact. 3. Think about a simple origin of the character. I.E. Born into slavery. 3. What is the NPC's disposition towards the party?(Hostile, Friendly, indifferent) 4.What was the NPC doing before the party met them and what will they do afterwards? 5. What is the role of the NPC? What will they do for the party? This one took a lot more time than I expected, and I feel like the structure of the video is very strange, because of how many examples you included. I personally think that the best piece of advice you gave today was putting yourself in the shoes of the NPC, and then pursue their goal in the most appropriate way. Twenty minutes of information on making dialogue on the fly is a lot to keep in mind 'on the fly', so that's a bit counter intuitive. One of these days I'll have to look through and define my NPC system and share some of my own personal experiences.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

These are amazing. And you are a true friend of this channel. The time it must have taken. I really thank you for this!

[@deathunboundgaming85]

Yeah i have a lot of time on my hands now a days. No problem.

[@noahhillard]

Thanks I have trouble keep these things on my mind in game. Love the List!

[@braedonwatkins967]

Bless your soul

[@vladtheinhaler146]

Screen shot.. Printer.. Slap that list on my dm screen✅

[@gtkall]

My players ended up inside a mine, they had just gotten away from the goblin miners that were chasing them and... I needed to show them the way and fill time... but had nothing planned, cause they went at a direction I hadn't mapped. So I acted quicly and while they were searching, an ogre named Urduk showed up. I made him look like a fool with a mind of a 5 year old, he befriended them and showed them the way. I also made him stubborn and forgetful; and the tunnel he showed them lead to a fallen bridge. After that it was time for some action, so I made the goblins come chase the players down the bridge. Meanwhile, Urduk, who stayed behind cause he was distracted by some pretty rocks, finally remembered that he had showed the wrong way to the heroes, and came rushing down the bridge, shashing it down from his weight and taking the hordes of the goblins down to the abyss with him... Poor Urduk... My players really bonded with him in such a short period of time and it was all unscripted! One of my proudest moments as a newbie GM :D Thanks for that video, really helped me with the mentality I need to keep when playing an NPC.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

That sounds wonderfully sad and awesome at the same time! Thank you for sharing! Those are often the moments that will stay with you forever!

[@VuldarLeveL]

I did not have your scene but when you mentioned bonding to a random npc I remembered Carl, our animated armor. We found him and decided to use him as an easy trap disposal unit. After we named him though it became nigh impossible for us to have him serve as our canary. He's still part of the group.

[@Jeffk1]

I did similar with an ogre named Gubgub. My players still remember gubgub even multiple campaigns later. They've said they hope to see him again in another life in my new campaigns

[@Never_heart]

gtkall A bit of a Witcher influence there it seems. I do love every interaction with ogres in that series.

[@ArvelDreth]

gtkall The scenario doesn't make any sense. The players went down a fallen bridge, the goblins chased them. How is it that the ogre causes a fallen bridge to fall and kill the goblins?

[@rogerwilco2]

The differences between the two kings around 5:26 is that one is peaking in "lower class" Germanic origin words, while the latter one is speaking in "upper class" Romance words. I find one of the amazing things about English is that it's almost 2 separate languages, one Germanic (Anglo-Saxon) and one Romance (Norman/Latin).

[@kregorovillupo3625]

NPCs are seldom found around alone, they may be with theyr friends, and they may want to have a word too. That could make interesting ways of dealing information and make it look more realistic. Like: PC at the city gate-Good morning mr guard, could you tell me where i can find the smith? GuardNPC1-Yeh sure, you have to... GuardNPC2 kicks 1on the leg-Shut up you idiot! Fang will give us another day of corvéé for speaking while on duty. (to the PC) Go in and stop bothering.

[@OpposingReflection]

I ran a pirate game recently. One of the Pc's was sitting on the ship rail not doing much and I thought it'd be fun to mess with him a bit. I just randomly looked at him and, with a badly pronounced Irish accent, challenged his character to an arm wrestle and then a drinking contest. Throughout the rest of the game the players LOVED this character. .. so much so that when it seems like he died I, in being nice for now, revealed at the end of the game he had survived! Thus Seamus the, now one armed, drunken, crazy, stereotype pirate was born. All because of a random arm wrestle challenge.

[@willinnewhaven3285]

Years ago, some characters in a friend's campaign were, where else, in a tavern. We were sitting near this scholarly NPC who was looking at a tattered old book and making notes. My character asked him politely what he was studying. He said "experience points" and someone asked him what they were and how to get them. We talked about it and decided we didn't want them.

[@oz_jones]

I love this

[@michaeldibden]

Novice DM here, currently running my first game using 5e...I just discovered your vids and they're SO GOOD. Very insightful and helpful. Thanks a ton! Also, don't listen to that crusty comic book guy lol! XD I thought your american was pretty great!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Welcome to the table! And thank you for the support - though I do welcome all comments if they are constructive and help us learn! Glad the videos are helping and feel free to ask questions and engage with this space!

[@shallowsins64]

Random npc rules -How do they feel -What are they doing or what do they want -where are they from

[@TheDryfus]

WOW, The more I watch this channel, the more I like it. Keep up the great work.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

My gratitude! We love people watching and sharing the channel!

[@LupusZockt]

Great video :-) I monstly prepare 8-10 "blanko" NPCs before the session. I have a really bad short term memory, so it is hard to remember the relevant stuff in my head, while I talk to the players and take track of the conversation. These NPCs normally look like that: I write down the age, gender, alignment, 2 personality traits, an ideal, a bond and a flaw. Also I leave some room to write a name, a race and a motivation on the fly. Normally I create 2 old characters, 2 good ones, 2 bad ones and 2-4 "neighborhood guys" this way. At the session, when I need a NPC, I take a look at my notes and look for a matching age and alignment for this situation. I fill in a motivation (only 1-2 key points), a race and a name, that fits in the situation. This three notes I can write down, while talking to the players and maybe let the character introduce him or herself. This method helped me a lot, to create NPCs on the fly that feel kind of meaningful to the world.

[@emmy4691]

"...bow in front of this high knob." I lost my shit, right there.

[@netghost07]

Good afternoon, kind Sir. This is the moment i need to stop for a second, take a step back and give you all my gratitude. I am an RPG-enthusiast from Germany who constantly seeks ways to improve his game and i need to say, i love your channel. I love your lessons, the insight you provide, the way you structure your knowledge and opinions to pass them on to us. I really, really enjoy every last one of your videos. You should definitely give classes on GM'ing. I hope you keep going and going for us being able to learn all you know and implement them into our games. I am a big fan and let me tell you again, your work here is absolutely stunning, amazing and fantastic. (English isn't my native tongue, as you can see, but i hope my poor words can give you a glimpse of how thankful i am)

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Can I say how deeply moved I am by your words - which are in perfect English. Mein Deutch ist err... terrible. My German is horrendous, so I cannot repay your compliment in your own language! Thank you for taking the time to send this message, you cannot know how much it encourages me and the team to continue doing these videos. As long as they are helpful to someone then it is worth it! Thank you mein herr.

[@alexg7669]

Your channel is gold. I'm using your channel for my first attempt as a GM with a total of two rpgs under my belt. It fantastically helpful. Thanks!

[@Anachronism91]

I love this, as somebody who struggles with NPC dialog regularly. I think a good way to remember it is figure out the NPC’s big before and after, and their small before and after: - big before - what is their origin/story/education - big after - what is their big goal - small before - what were they just doing before you interrupted them - small after - what are they going to go do after they’re done talking to you

[@Creaturefeatures]

I do NPC’s on the fly all the time. This level of thinking will allow them to be even better. Great video. I love the background scenery in this video!

[@squattingheads]

oh man, thats next level dming tips

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

One I'm sure you're ready to use!

[@kanevsjolt]

This video is what i NEEDED. I always love it when minor npc encounters are turned into plot points I can use. This is precisely the kind of advice that can facilitate it! Thanks for another super helpful video!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

My pleasure! Let us know how it goes?

[@kanevsjolt]

Haha Definitely!

[@kanevsjolt]

How to be a Great Game Master Soooo update. It went pretty well. I fleshed out a cast of brothel characters hired by a PC and a vampire that wants a fast track to having a very large and fun feeding pool. Player said the world felt very lived in, so Im guessing thats a success???

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Hell yes!

[@damonhicks969]

When I first started DMing I spent hours predetermining all the NPCs story and found that I wasted a lot of time because the players never ended up interacting with them in which case I would just roll them over to a later part of the game. Later on, I developed a random roll based method that was better received by the players. I had 3 dice that all got rolled to decide the general outcome when a player would ask an NPC a question. The first die was a modifier for how much the NPC likes the player on first glance (based on charisma and occasionally other modifiers like race/class differences). The second die was a persona roll for a preset list of characters from movies or books that I could mimic to some reasonable degree. The last die was a gender or sexuality preference adjustment. This method made for some wild combinations that were fun to play such as a sassy, and gay Willem Dafoe character as a barkeep in a tavern that the party regularly returned to so they could make me have to roll play that odd and fun character. Another fun character was a female spell reagent shop owner that seemed to experiment with the mushrooms a bit too much and talked like Matthew McConaughey (alright alright alright!). The important part was to make sure you documented the gist of the interaction so you could accurately remember and build the character for future interactions after the initial on-the-fly creation. It sucks for your players to love a character only to go looking for that NPC later and you have forgotten what happened in the initial run in. And if the combination flops and the character you rolled doesn't mesh well in the situation you can always kill them off in ironic and humorous ways such as a Sean Bean mayor of a town that was shot by orcs then drawn and quartered then ran off a cliff by a cattle stampede.

[@xeltanni8999]

It would have only been "ironic" if your Sean Bean mayor actually survived all of that. =P

[@TriMarkC]

Damon Hicks I love this idea!! Your players have some insight into the funny aspects this could create, you have some relief in creating NPCs on the fly down to a set of known variables, and yet it still allows for a good variety for named NPCs. I’d be interested in seeing your 3 die lists, please.

[@brittanydavidson2516]

I would love to see this list as well!!!! ♡♡♡♡ It would make it easier for me to feel confident enough to try and be a DM!

[@GirlPainting]

great tips, as always :)

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Gratitude.

[@jiminyfatal]

Thank you for the information. This is a 'weak' area of my DMing. I generally like to write down 2-3 'things' the character may say in their voice as a guide.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

It's not a bad idea. But practice makes perfect.

[@TheOwlslayer]

Great stuff, as always. Keep up the good work!

[@christophergritti9873]

Love these videos. Very helpful in building my first Starfinder homebrew. thank you!

[@WitchOfTheServitor]

One of the best tips for NPC dialogue I’ve ever seen! Thanks a million

[@alundrajehuthy1801]

Just recently I've been introduced to your channel, quite at random really, and i've been blasting through all of the content. Such great info and so well explained throughout. Thanks! I'll be sharing it with my players and fellow DM's as a must see! Cheers and keep up the good work!

[@johnstephenalbert]

Your videos are really good, high-level advice for all kinds of RPG situations.

[@WookieeRage]

Prepping for the weekend I'm glad to have resources like this!

[@shawnobrien4263]

Glad I found these videos. I am really enjoying the tips you have provided so far

[@mattalford3862]

This is EXACTLY the video I've been looking for. Thank you!

[@robbierobot9685]

You've got some great videos with great info, but this is one of the best for me.

[@anathema1828]

Nice work on the video- thanks for sharing!

[@harpymaslow]

How many people are there in your head Guy ? xD Impressive :)

[@harpymaslow]

Anyway, it was really helpful ! Thanks

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

ERr... We don't talk about that... :)

[@dragon-wolf9916]

We do too!

[@whiskeyfur]

When I'm running? .... wow. Trying to think back to the largest group I've ran at once and.. I think I had the PC's interact with an another adventuring group... and each one was very different. Online has some advantages where I can change the label I speak with, but I've had 8 NPC's in a scene before... all active speakers.

[@mischa2643]

My group is on a sloop right now with Captain Saf, her first mate Dion, a ships boy called Sprog, and 10 distinct crew members. It's an adventure!

[@triboomer2]

I want to thank you for your videos they are so inspiring to jump back in to gming again! I've been gming for a good amount of time but all ways looking for something new to use.

[@QFGlenn]

This was amazingly informative. Thanks for this video!!!

[@alexeyagapov4205]

This channel is great. Thank you for the content!

[@lindslea6011]

Just wanted to say thank you for making these videos! I’m new to being a GM but your insight has been super helpful. I feel like I have the information to confidently run a good campaign now!

[@AruruAmanaje]

Sensational! Thank you for the tips!

[@roundishwhale]

This has to be my favorite Video on your Channel so far, this helped me a lot thanks for uploading this^^

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

You are welcome and thanks for watching

[@chrispeters5780]

I'm a novice DM. Your videos are so helpful! Thank you!

[@gawby]

I sat with a friend with a few ideas. We then started to roll randomly on the character creation tables. It worked like magic.

[@trenton6961]

This was very helpful i paused several times during this video and took notes on a document which has 3 and a half pages! thanks so much this will help my caimpaign so much!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Glad it will help! 3 pages, good grief!

[@joshuaselesnick7614]

This is a master class, thank you. It truly is how to be a great GM

[@webby8005]

This video is fantastic!! I am homebrewing my first DND campaign and have reduced the number of npcs so it would be easier for me to create dialogue. But with these tips, I feel it will be much easier to incorporate more NPCs!! thanks so much!

[@SakutoNoSAI]

As a proud Virginian, born and raised, you do and excellent Carolina style accent. For a foreigner of course, there a couple South African give aways, but very impressive. As a note, I can't do the same for your country.... yet! Lol

[@SSNewberry]

Good topic and excellently done.

[@GregTom2]

Ah, thanks, very helpful advice; I'll keep that in mind.

[@hawkeyes277]

THIS is fantastic. All your videos are great, but I'm gonna need to study this, it's worth mastering.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

I don't think I have mastered it either just yet. There are times when one is going to get thrown lol. But glad the video is of help!

[@foxavo]

At about 7:50 I just got an idea! Friendly NPC is someone they were supposed to meet in town, but they have no idea who they look like. They're greeted, shown their rooms and sent out to do whatever it is they do, all the while the friendly NPC has actually killed their contact and found their instructions. They quickly stash the body and take his place to try and line their pockets. Maybe sending them to a gold mine taken over by 'corrupt' guards and miners and he tries to run off with the spoils they bring back. Maybe when he goes missing, they find his room and find the body of the original guy stuffed in a trunk and they've just attacked innocent people and have to chase after him so they can clear their name... Doesn't take much to set off an idea, but once it starts, it snowballs! Love these videos because they help spark lots of little ideas I can weave into a story if only to give it a little pep or maybe turn into an epic adventure that sends them halfway across the world trying to track down the gentleman (gentlelady) who wronged them.

[@WisdomThumbs]

This will probably help my friends more than me, but I enjoyed the entire presentation. It got me thinking about the rare filler characters who have everything they want, and how most of those folks would be very unhelpful.

[@diedrichmusic3696]

Wow! thanks so Much! I have been trying to create a day or two of a quest, and I have encountered this before, and would not like it to happen again. It's really helped me a lot, thank you! (You're also extremely hilarious!)

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Glad to have been of help, and that someone finds my sense of humor funny :)

[@whitecloud197]

Stumbled across this video in my research on how to DM video, extremely helpful to me, and I'm looking forward to watching all your other "How to be a great GM" Videos. I have not yet had my very first DM experience but it's coming, soon.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

That's great to hear! DM now! Find a group and do it! :) Please let us know how it goes?

[@DomHart]

Your videos always have a nice sense of organization that is displayed as headings. I wonder if you'd be willing to publish you bullet points as a link or as text in the read more.

[@MW-ty5zw]

A lot of the information I get in my university lectures is very applicable Dungeons and Dragons. I suppose being a teacher and a dungeon master are two very similar things. Fantastic videos man! I absolutely love your way of approaching things and how it all just comes to you that easily.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

You are totally on the mark - a lot of what I use as material in these videos was done for my script-writing/acting/directing lecturers that I used to give. After all this is just another form of entertainment, just moderated with dice... Imagine Jurassic Park with a roll being made every time... now that would be a movie! LOL. Or the stage play - Phantom of the Opera -where the Phantom has to roll Stealth to hide his face... mwahahahaha.

[@Chameleonxx3]

His tips also are great for writing in general, books and other stories. But yes, a GM is basically the A.I. or God behind everything that guides everybody how it pleases while making it fun for everybody.

[@Ky-Nas]

I start with a voice, and that certainly helps.

[@RibbonRoulette]

Thank you for everything you do. Seriously.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

This man can make part of his glasses disappear. All hail,... How to be a Great Game Master! Bow before your new God!

[@mikaangeli5765]

I'm so excited for my first time as GM. We got 2 groups at our discord Server and I'll be the GM of both. I'm watching sooo many GM videos and write random stuff ideas and some stuff I can read aloud

[@Sethan777]

Awesome!!! Thank you 😊👍👍👍

[@kittyandtiny9159]

Someone wants coffee really bad and is having trouble getting it.

[@roobs2976]

very helpful! thank you for the video!!

[@jblackburn]

very useful... i stumbled upon this by mistake but its very good. examples are well thought out and the concepts presented well. love the accents... I've never had a problem with creating NPCs in my campaign but I'll be watching this video a couple of times as I plan this week's session just to polish up what I already have.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

That's awesome! Glad the mistake was made and that you continued to watch! Welcome to the table!

[@TheLolbot3000]

This was actually great, thank you!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

As long as it helped I am glad :)

[@lysander1]

Veyr handy advice. Will perhaps adopt on friday night,

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Sweet! I love Friday night games. I think those are my best times!

[@konradchwast3011]

It is beautiful thing, that Game Master from Poland (me) find guy who thinks in the same way about RPG and storytelling (story is more important than dices, rules etc.) from totally another part of world. Totally awesome!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

I know right?! That's one of the things that drives me on this channel - meeting folks like yourself and discovering this amazing connection! Welcome to the table friend!

[@guibarbieri6569]

Great video, really helpful Thanks a lot

[@chicopapass]

I'm glad I watched this. I noticed I often forget to apply mood to my characters. They often are just "the guy who is a street thug twiddling his thumbs at the moment" or "The authority figure who will hire you for some task". I could work a bit more on motivations other than money and could also try the standoffish NPC who just wholly brushes off a player character. Good advice.

[@pppgggr]

WOW! I asked for this like a week ago. This was REALLY fast, and in time for my session this weekend. Thank you so much!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Hehehehe.... my list system isn't perfect I must admit, but we're working on it. Glad you like it! And let us know how it goes this weekend?

[@pppgggr]

Well, even if it was cutting in line so-to-speak, I'm glad you made it so soon! This is probably the area that I struggle the most in with regards to GMing and the tips here are going to be priceless in fleshing out my game!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

:)

[@trenton6961]

yeah i struggle alot in this too another thing my players like to do is question people so they go and tie up a super unimportant person and i have no idea what he know so i just tell them the basic information

[@denolaj]

Maria Von Trapp as a GM: "The hills are alive... no for real guys, they are alive and try to eat you!" Also, gm-bias for bards :P

[@dankatz5224]

haha I lol'd!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

So many times I've wish those hills ate that woman... so many times.... :p

[@alexschoebel6893]

dude, this is really helpful thanks

[@marka7759]

your chanl is a big inspiration! thx for sharring your exp.!

[@springyshelf6169]

Thank you very much, this helped

[@kevinmason1310]

Fantastic!! I have been GMing for years and this advice is something I will have to appy on my next game!!!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

That's great! I hope it helps improve the fun at the table!

[@kevinmason1310]

I am sure it will. I have been vety lucky by having some awesome players who complement my p GM style. .but one can always improve the craft

[@sminksangsura277]

Keep up the good work! I recently discovered your channel and have been pouring through the videos. I appreciate the conceptual approach and I very much enjoy your style. Subscribed! I eagerly await more help with being a DM (perhaps a great one someday).

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

My gratitude - I am only glad the videos may be of benefit to you! Welcome to the table and please feel free to ask questions, comment, and help grow our conversations!

[@MrBigCookieCrumble]

This was perfect!

[@CriticalEatsJapan]

Another great video! If the NPC's are just random townsfolk I usually like to keep a short list of potential rumours on hand. They can either be selected or randomly rolled and depending on who they are, they may know more or less of the information. Of course many of the rumours will be pointing them towards their goal, but others may be side quests or, as you noted, open for further development later...

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

That's also a great idea - the pre-constructed rumours.

[@rogerwilco2]

I like to have my NPCs to have a quirk. It sometimes makes them really memorable to the players. For example, I had these two captains of the guard that the players were helping, but one was a neat freak while the other was very sloppy and disorganized.

[@johnread-jones9846]

"Now, tell me what you want! What you really really want!" "I wanna... I wanna.. I wanna...."

[@Daemus_TV]

I hope youre still active on this channel, these videos are great. Just wish i found them sooner!

[@DearthXalex]

Love your intro

[@Frittefrizz2935]

Awsome.

[@edwinjames4870]

I just found your videos. I know I have been hiding under a rock. Love them very practical advice. I think though after watching a couple I need to go back and take notes. One question if all my voices tend to one of 3 different voices what can I do to make each NPC stick out. Hopefully you check back on these pages occasionally,

[@philhatfield2282]

Great bit of info in this. Well done! This reminds me of the methods of NPCs I use.The "Extra" - General appearance, General attitude, That "One Thing" (which will get the NPC to go from being an extra to becoming...The "Minor Player" - Goals and motivations, Personality, Basic stats, and Equipment, plus all of the "Extra's" bits.The "Main Character" - Full stats, Gear and Equipment, Pronounced Personality, Background, plus everything above.Having this, coupled with the advice in this video, will really enhance the NPCs in a game. Good job "How to be a Great Game Master"!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

My thanks and I like your thinking process with the idea of the shift from extra, to minor to main. That's really cool.

[@Fallout3131]

Thank you! I am trying to so hard to look at videos like this. I seem to have things in my head I can think of, but whenever I need to think of things on the fly and just produce content for what players are asking and wanting I stutter and have to scramble in my head, its horrible.... Thanks !

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

I hope this helps! Let us know if it is!

[@erho2967]

Soooo very useful!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Gratitude! Remember you can ask questions!

[@TheLolbot3000]

Hell all of your vids are super useful. I'm trying to get all of my DnD players to watch them too ^.^

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Gratitude! As long as they're helping you guys have fun then that's cool! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to drop them here or at www.greatgamemaster.com

[@darynu]

I love when people from the UK (doesnt matter which part) do american accents. Cracks me up. I'm sure we do the same for all of you as well

[@doomdoot6731]

Sometimes I feel like the whole "npc creation" goes entirely above and beyond players' heads: If you taunt a guard, and then wonder (out of character) why the GM decides to have the guard charge you with drawn weapons, you as a player are doing something wrong. And considering that on my first time GMing I have quite a chunk of first time players as well (whom I try and help out with little tips and tricks for their characters here and there), it sometimes really frustrates me to see how my players seemingly get upset when the world doesn't bow to their characters - despite of being completely insignificant to the world as of now. Do you by any chance have any tips on how to handle that issue, and bring all of us down to a comfortable level again?

[@xeltanni8999]

GAWD YES! Do I ever know what you're talking about. I have players who, literally, kill people (NPCs) if they disagree with them or show any sort of freewill and personality other than bowing and lauding how amazing the PCs are... and THEN *I* get told I'm being a bad GM and picking on players for this outright murder in broad daylight in the middle of town actually having less-than-amazing consequences for the player. I have never given any indication that any NPCs the party runs into are just mouthpieces for the GM (if you try and ask Farmer Bill what the king's generals are planning, you're not going to get much more than local rumor at best) or that PCs enjoy some sort of legal immunity whenever they feel like killing someone for no reason in front of hundreds of witnesses. The only logical rationale I have been able to determine is that these players have been ruined by playing video games and expecting NPCs to just be "NotPCs" so they don't A) matter or B) count as other people in the setting. So basically I don't have "murder hobos" as players, I have full blown sociopaths. That is the only thing that makes sense. If Guy ever happens to see this (a 2 year old video and a comment not near the top makes it seem highly unlikely) I would *love* an answer for how to fix this issue. "Talk to them" won't work, btw, because after the second outright murder I did that and that was when they said I was being a bad GM and picking on them. So, if Guy or anybody out there has *something* helpful to say, you can't imagine how interested I'd be in hearing it.

[@giorgoskanellopoulos3981]

@Xel Tanni Your players are probably frustrated that their quest isn't progressing as they were expecting and are trying to have fun (aaand get back at you maybe?) by killing your "uncooperative" NPCs. First and foremost, try not to get discouraged by this and definitely don't show it to your players (it feels very bad seeing your DM sighing at your actions, whatever they may be). A piece of advice that comes to mind is to always "give" something to your players for their efforts at investigating (or trying to progress in any way). Farmer Bill doesn't know anything, but maybe his neighbor's son was just chosen to join the Royal Guard (and may have more useful info). Of course, I'm not saying you should be serving clues left and right, but it can really help new players if they have a faint sense of direction. Also, try to roleplay your NPCs (you may be doing this already:) to make players sympathize with them and not regard them as "just another farmer who refuses to be useful, lets kill him!" Finally, your players may just have entirely different expectations for the game. They may want to get right into the action and not bother with the process of figuring out what is happening step by step! Discuss what the want to play and try to build your story with that in mind!

[@VilleHalonen]

Excellent stuff, thank you! I don't suppose a comment on an old video gets through very easily, but just in case: do you have more examples of attitude and disposition? Most NPC advice tends to just stick with "attitude", and maybe go from friendly to hostile or something similarly straightforward. Your approach is more nuanced and I'm definitely looking into how I could expand this.

[@BionicleFreek99]

I think of it from the perspective of saying that the NPCs are *my* PCs, along with that i also build lists of characters that exist in the world that i can draw from them when i need them, say the group meets an interesting fellow in a crowd and asks for directions, i just pull someone from the list that would spice up the situation and in that way i already know how this NPC will react as i already have them planned out and my players seem to really enjoy that.

[@shannonzanzarella6759]

Haha, your Spaceship captain sounded just like Kevin Spacey from house of cards...

[@benvoliothefirst]

I laughed at the differences between high and low British English. I LOST it when you did such a good Southern US impression|!

[@Nibilli]

I usually just choose a name and a goal. All the rest comes along. The name of an NPC really gives me all the info on the personality and the story, education and so on. The goal gives me the Before and After, the skillset of the NPC (and what he can do for the players) and the Before/After context of it. Honestly when i have to improvise a Name and a Goal is all i need. The name gives a ton of information, even without giving the name directly to the players. So for example my group asks a guard. If he is Bjorn, he certainly feels quite though and perhaps is a stranger. And that is enough to play it out. If the guard is Sophia, she'll be soft and helpful, of perhaps even timid, and other guards will come defend her. If she is Jane, perhaps she is more adamant and commanding that small outpost. The goals for me are somewhat simple and this video really helped me getting more out of my npc ! Just a question, how do you deal with a crowd or a multi NPC dialog? I often have problems with this since i have way less time to think, and usually players get confused between my voices impressions. I try to punctuate, describing the characters, or turning my head to a different direction, but i really struggle to get it done well most of the time when, when in reality it would make a great story. Any tips?

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

You raise a valid point and I love the idea of the name helping to shape the character. The question you ask about handling groups of NPC's talking to one another is a challenge. One of the most effective ways of doing it that I've seen is to physically stand in different places around the table. This helps slow things down, makes the PC's turn their heads to look around (which helps with immersion) and gives you time to change 'accents' and gears.

[@Nibilli]

Doesn't that slow the pace of the dialog? I'll try it with two chairs then seems fun ! Thoses kinds of issues are the prime example of the limitations you encounter while playing on Skype/Roll20, where as a GM you lack many tools to work with.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

I does slow the pace a bit, but if you watch something like Dinner for One or maybe simply stand a few feet apart each time it may not be a huge factor. And yes Skype and Roll 20 for all their glory do totally lack physicality. For now. Soon though... it'll be 3D and room projection.

[@Nibilli]

Already really enjoyed the 360 vid, really appropriate for roleplaying ! Feels like your part of the table ! I'll try that tip this week end then, thanks !

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Let us know how it goes! We love hearing about others stories and experiences!

[@couchyrick6300]

heavy hitting facts

[@tiggerdyret]

This is an amazing video. It's so frustrating that I am danish and that accents and dialects don't have the same connotations as they do in English. If you use a dialect in danish the players are just gonna think, "Ah he is from this part of Denmark". :P

[@SerenityM16]

Really helpful :)

[@jasonhuber1234]

Thanks for the amazing tips! Btw, to me you looked a little bit like a much younger John Hammond in this episode.

[@sirslaughter5884]

Perfect timing, trying to teach a new dm how to do this very thing.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Glad I can help in time :)

[@petercsizmadia8391]

Best DM advice. ❤

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Gratitude thanks for the comment. Now if you wanted to share this video around, that would be appreciated too :) But thanks for watching either way.