Quote:
Originally Posted by khorboth
The most important balance for me is how much "screen time" to give the character.
All the other suggestions are good, but if the character is never there it'll never work. And if the character takes over sessions while the PCs struggle to get a word in, it'll never work.
The best method I've found is to have frequent small doses. The quartermaster left a note in your pack. The cook made your favorite meal. The waif is making eyes at you again. Little single sentence reminders that the person is there will keep the NPC in mind, reinforcing their reality to the players. I've had the PCs get attached to even really nasty folk this way because they've become a real person to the players.
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Excellent point! Consistency/constancy is an important factor. It is easy to be detached from a character who is expected to serve his story role or his function in the plot arc and then disappear.