Other people playing NPCs?

[Silence In Daylight]

I've tried having other people sit in and play important NPCs (a mentor, the villain of the day, etc.) for several sessions after reading about the idea from a story. So far, my only problem is finding people to do so--the players liked it.


 Anyone else ever try something like that?

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

Yes, I had my friend Jake step in an portray Ahlat once in a high power game, and then turn around and portray the Mask of Winters masterfully in the next session. He was DAMN good at it.

 

[Jakk Bey]

I've done it several times, but it does take a good group to do so.  


I use secondary casts a lot in my games.  In WW games, I tend to use normal folks and heroic folks, as well as a primary cast of powerful folks.  The secondary cast are usually retainers, allies, or affiliated folks.  


It gives you a chance to tell slightly different stories, giving details that your primary cast might not have access to, or give it a different spin--how your secondary cast views the main story, different views of your main cast.  Plus you get to do a low power game in conjunction with your main powers.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

Secondary casts...I remember seeing a ST: TNG episode ('Below Decks,' I think the name was) that ran on that premise. One of the most entertaining episodes in the series, I thought.


 Will need to give that some thought...

 

[Jakk Bey]

Sometimes I hand out the secondary characters, drawn from the ranks of the NPCs that the primary cast has run into, other times, I ask the players to make up secondary characters within certain criterea, and other times, I ask the players to come up with stats for the NPCs that are already there.


Secondary casts don't have to be low powered either.  You can even run a secondary cast that's of equal power, either working in conjunction, but far away, from a different camp--say Lunar cast and Solar cast, and Sidereal cast all working on a problem, but from different angles--or even on the other side--did a great game where the players got to play Magi in Miami, and then got to play their Technocrat opposition as well.  Got to examine their Magi's plans from the outside, and see how they were percieved from that side of things, as well as generate the plans that would be used against them, and my players were just ebbil about tearing down all they'd worked so hard to create.  


It gives you a chance to do pieces that don't involve your primary cast, but reveal the world and what's going on around them, details they might otherwise miss.

 

[Persell]

I usually do it when a good friend comes over to visit for a few days and wants to game. he is a good rper and usually does a splendid job. i would not trust this to everyone.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

I remember back when we played Star Wars they used to do this. The ST got all of us to take up different pre-made characters on practically the other side of the galaxy and issues and discuss the current state of affairs and maybe do something about the PCs.