[Running the Game] Is it all about perspective?

[Reprisal]

Hello,

It's been a while since I've posted on the Forge, but I must say that I've been lurking quite a bit as of late. There's a lot of quite useful information available here, though sometimes it's hard to get through the language used here (more experience should help that, I suppose). Anyway, I'm just getting back into the GM seat after three months of self-imposed exile which was mostly due to burn-out, scheduling, and a lack of interest in the game my regular group wanted to play at the time. After this Summer-long hiatus, I've found that getting back into the mindset of a GM is somewhat difficult. My mind, it seems, has atrophied enough over the season such that I've caught myself speaking awkwardly; it seems like some sort of syntax error coupled with an inability to access my vocabulary in a timely fashion. Though this isn't exactly the crux of my problems, as focus and practice should help alleviate that problem well enough, it has started me to thinking of how I'll get back into the saddle, so to speak.

My primary concern is two-fold, each having to do with perspective in either the literal sense, which I'll cover first; and the abstract sense, which I'll cover last.

Thinking ahead to the time when the campaign begins, I've found that I've stumbled across a moderately serious GMing defficiency. I cannot seem to adequately differentiate NPCs from one-another through the use of different mannerisms, diction and speech patterns. Often, I find myself falling back to simply stating what they say in my own communication style. I find that I'm stressing the right parts and conveying the important parts of the information, but there doesn't seem to be much there to give the NPCs that spark of life vital in making the NPCs memorable, rather than "Y'know, that Communist chick..." (It hasn't happened yet, but I fear that it might if I don't work on this.)

Often, I think it all originates in my aversion to the use of first-person perspective in terms of GMing. I don't think that I've ever fully accepted the idea that I should get into the persona of the character and become that character. Perhaps it's my perspective as a GM, since I don't think I should identify too much with any character, let alone an NPC -- but I'm getting ahead of myself here...

So, in order to more adequately portray the NPCs I'm responsible for, I'm thinking of turning to something akin to third-person perspective as it's used in fiction. Of course, the line between first and third is bound to be somewhat blurry, I'm contemplating making this an overt part of the way the game is played around the table. In other words, I'm going tell the players that I'm going to start making the game somewhat different than what's normally expected. Rather than unreliably adopting certain mannerisms, or vainly attempting an accent of some sort, I'd simply mention these things in such a way that an author might.

For instance, rather than attempting to portray a character, I'd simply narrate it: Kala thought for a moment, and then replied in her sonorous Mandanese voice still tinted with anger, "I haven't a clue. Now, if you're finished rifling through my things, please take your corporate goons and leave."

Though I have no problem with doing this, in fact, I generally favour it over trying to do something I don't believe I can adequately do... I'm wondering if I'll have to address certain aspects that a more traditional style would bring to the table... Of course, there will be some characters that I'll have no problem portraying, but at the same time, being able to "fall back on third person" when I have a bad day seems to be a good idea.

Basically, are there any things that I should take into account in order to make the game run more smoothly?

Other than that, I've also been thinking about the way Players and GMs portray their characters... In my experience, Players tend to think in terms of the first person through the use of "I do this" and "I say that" as well as accepting the second person "All right, you walk into the barracks ready to call attention but find that there's no one there to order around." In addition, I have encountered players who tend to use the third person more than the first: "My character does this" or "Marcus raises his rifle and disengages the safety." More often than not, I've seen this done when a player plays a character that's very much apart from who they are (a female character and a male player, or the other way around).

Thinking in terms of the GM, it seems more logical from my standpoint to adopt the third person rather than the first for simple logistical reasons. A GM usually has to portray dozens of characters, several of which are probably quite important... so using first person isn't really viable. Though the idea of first person is still involved... GMs might be expected, as I suspect, to be able to jump into the bodies of various NPCs at a moments notice -- sometimes without notice -- and portray them convincingly.

To be honest, that sort of idea intimidates me quite a bit. I have a lot of characters involved in this campaign, and even if I devoted a significant amount of time to getting into the heads of each/most of them, I don't think my acting skills are up to something like that. (In other words, I'm no improvisational actor.)

So, I've taken to descriptions...

Kala's fists clenched as they hung by her sides. She closed her eyes and turned her head slightly before sighing in annoyance. Opening her eyes and glaring at the men invading her home, Kala stepped away from her front door. She stared at the floor in preoccupation as they flooded into her apartment and started to search through her possessions.

...rather than trying to adopt the mannerisms of a person on the verge of losing control of his/her emotions.

In any event, I'm going to keep thinking about this and I'll bring it up next time I talk to the guys. So, I'm looking for insights in terms of what works and what doesn't when it comes to GMing NPCs.

Oh yeah, I'll be offline for (probably a day, maybe a bit more) due to moving, so if I don't reply to this thread for 18 to 36 hours, it's probably because of that.

But yeah, thanks in advance,

- John.

[iago]

I think the amount of concern you're showing about the issue of identifying the NPCs in a way that separates and distinguishes them in the minds of the players means you're already on the right path.  If you keep that in mind, whatever your specific chosen solution is will work out just fine.  The real "blandness" problem arises when a GM isn't aware of, or simply forgets about, the NPC distinguishment issue.

There's nothing wrong with doing third-person descriptions.  I'm definitely a first-person "voice actor" GM, but I tend to juggle that with interspersed "out of body" third-person descriptions of things, too.  The two interchange just fine, and you can run a game solely focusing on either mode, too.

For me, the whole first-person thing helps immerse me in the identity of the character.  When I'm using a voice or a mannerism, it helps reinforce, for me, a consistency in portraying the NPC.  That just happens to be my behavioral mnemonic for that NPC, though.

I'd say so long as you maintain consistency in the portrayal of an NPC, whether you're describing their actions and manner, or being them, you'll succeed at conveying the crucial elements of identity.

So, it's good that you're worrying... but don't worry to the point of paralysis. :)

[Ron Edwards]

Hi there,

Can you provide some more specific information about the group? How many people, what age range, and what game system is being used?

Best,
Ron

[John Kim]

To be honest, that sort of idea intimidates me quite a bit. I have a lot of characters involved in this campaign, and even if I devoted a significant amount of time to getting into the heads of each/most of them, I don't think my acting skills are up to something like that. (In other words, I'm no improvisational actor.)  

OK, I have two basic suggestions:

1) Reduce the number of NPCs you need to portray.  Try to structure things so that everything goes through just a few people.  For example, rather than having the PCs interact with many people in a company, have a dedicated attache (or whatever) who represents the firm to them.

2) Use stereotypes.  There is nothing wrong with "that Communist chick" as an identifier.  Indeed, that is much of how we identify people in real life.  A stereotype is great for making an NPC distinctive, in my experience.  The thing to remember is to not be wholly restricted by the stereotype.  After the NPC is established, you can show things about how she varies from the stereotype.  Plus, throw in non-stereotyped NPCs from time to time.  But having a nice, simple handle to recognize an NPC is a good thing in my experience.

As Ron says, knowing more about your situation might help, but the above is my gut reaction to what I read.

[Reprisal]

Thanks for the encouragement, Fred. :)

Can you provide some more specific information about the group? How many people, what age range, and what game system is being used?

Hello Ron, I sure can.

So far, I have four players, each tightly in my age range -- within one or two years of 22. We're going to be playing DP9's Heavy Gear 2nd Edition until the HGPHB is released later this year. This will be the first time we've played a game using the Silhouette rules, but we've already ran through a few scenarios to test out the mechanics and see if the characters are capable of what their players wanted them to do. It was fun, though there were some expectations challenged and what-not. We'll adapt, mechanics rarely get in the way unless their shoddily constructed -- and Silhouette is no slouch.

I've started to put together a small Campaign Website, so if you're interested go check it out. It's fairly low on crunchy bits, but there's also some information on a thread I've got running on my EZboard community.

At this point in time, I'm aiming for a Patlabor 2 type feel to the campaign... high on the politically-minded intrigue, but not so much that it starts to lessen the importance of the player-characters. I'm also trying to balance that with a higher degree of military "realism" (as far as that can go in such a campaign), so I have a bit of information posted on the site about the makeup of the city-state's First Brigade.

Anyway, I hope that helps a bit more to explain my situation, thanks!

- John.

[Mike Holmes]

Often, I think it all originates in my aversion to the use of first-person perspective in terms of GMing. I don't think that I've ever fully accepted the idea that I should get into the persona of the character and become that character.

Like Fred said, thrid person is just fine. When you're reading a book, a lot of the description of non-primary protagonists is done this way. The thing is to hit the high points as you've pointed out.

One way to accomplish this that's not been stated here is to have some sort of mechanical reinforcement behind playing the character. That is, if there's some sort of descriptor on the sheet that can be used in play, then that cues you to emphasize that trait. So, in Hero Quest, the NPC should have descriptors like Temper, Driven, Hates Waterfowl on the character sheet. If a player gets into a situation to bargain with the character, then make a Conflict of it, and bring these traits into play.

This is one of the things about these sorts of games that I really like. I, too, am not the greatest characterizer. But using a system that reinforces personality really helps me.

Mike

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

It's hard to comment on future play ... what games were you playing that led to your comments about what is hard for you to do, as a GM?

Here are some more thoughts.

1. I've concluded after a lot of observation that 1st person vs. 3rd person announcement of a character's action has nothing to do with one's sense of identification with or investment in the character. It can be helpful for a given person, in terms of arriving at a given Stance, but I've seen some people use 1st person to get into Actor Stance but others use 3rd person for the exact same reason.

All of which is to say, use the technique for your own purposes, but you'll have to arrive at which form of announcement-delivery works by yourself.

2. I also think that the notion that "GM entertains the players" can be terribly disruptive to playing effective and engaging NPCs. Note, can be, not is; this varies.

For some folks and groups, perhaps the intuitive notion holds that the more the GM seeks to entertain, the better the NPC depiction (and player engagement with them) becomes. However, for others, those things occur when the GM "lets go" of the need to entertain and simply becomes another participant in a let's-entertain-one-another endeavor.

I submit as well that such a transition has nothing to do, at all, with any sort of funky stuff like "trade GM role" or high-Director-Stance play. It can occur during otherwise entirely-traditional play, and I've seen it make a great deal of difference to several groups' enjoyment of role-playing.

Best,
Ron

[Michael S. Miller]

An more concrete suggestion: Print out cards that have an image of the NPC and the NPC name. Maybe play with the fonts, or colored borders, to make them as distinctive as possible. make them as "tents" or use stands so that they stand up vertically. Then just hold the cards so the players can see them while you're playing that NPC. Leaving them visible while they're not in play also helps to jog the players' memories of the various NPCs and their motivations (important in an intrigue-oriented game).

Good luck!

[Adrian Jay]

i don't think i can offer any help on the topic of 1st and 3rd person descriptions, but i do think that Michael is right about NPC cards.

It's surprising how much difference a visual reminder of an NPC can help give them flavour. It's possible that my visual nature has a lot to do with this, but i would definitely say that a picture is worth a thousand words (or accents, or mannerisms). GMs who put a lot of effort into their NPCs can easily be frustrated when a player forgets who is who, or more often, what their names are. Last time i GMed (i don't GM too often, by the way) i made a drawing of an important NPC and used a paper clip to fasten it to the outside of my GM screen. i only did it because this character was accompanying the group on their mission, and i think it did a good job of reminding them that he was there.

Since i'm in the market for a new scanner, i can help you do up some artwork for major NPCs. This might mean that some of the players will interpret the NPCs based in part on my work, but if you don't mind that, we're set.

[Reprisal]

Adrian, by the way, is one of the guys playing in this Heavy Gear campaign... :)

- John.