I decided I wanted to flesh out my matrix with some relationships and motivations. Finding nothing readily available in my existing resources (I didn't look everywhere...) I mocked this up:
The results of my 1d6+2d6 rolls transformed my NPC Matrix thusly --
It's a start!
5 comments:
This is the best thing I've seen in a long time. P.ease expand on it!
I actually started using alphabetically named npcs myself for my sanity's sake, trying to keep track of them all. A system to generate relationships would be cool.
I'm unclear how you built the matrix here though. Did you roll the Scattergories die or just map out the letters on the faces? If the latter it will always be the same. I don't own the game, are their multiple dice with the letters randomized on the faces?
I like your relationship possibilities. I wonder if we could just take a big handful of scrabble tiles and throw them down and map that as a matrix too. Anyway, thanks.
@Bryce -- Thanks! I'm still working on it!
@Telecanter -- I mapped the faces on the die. Yes, the relationships between the letters will always be the same, but honestly, does that matter? The names can change... :) There's one big d20 with a limited selection of letters on it. I DO like your Scrabble tile idea very much. I could pull a set of 20 together and then just toss them on a paper. Circle them, write the letters and draw lines. The big lettered d20 could still be used to draw impromptu relationships and/or select an NPC at random... Cool addition! I think I've thought of part 3! :)
... and if you get a blank, it's a null (nobody there).
I've been considering how to handle that. Right now this seems too consistent, I'd like to see a partial disjoint graph instead.
You might also have a entry on the relationship table that is 'no relationship'.
Also, you might have the relationships over the edges, but show groups of lesser relationships via the faces (points on the icosahedron, you've inverted my preferred Polyhedral Pantheons structure). For instance, you might have five members of a social group. Each has notable links to only two others, but the other two are still known to them, just not as well.
Each character thus is a member of three groups and has three strong relationships, but weaker relationships with six more (two per group).
Pondering possibilities here.
No, I don't have a kink for P-P alliteration, it just happens sometimes...
@Keith -- Thank you for the comments! I guess I'm thinking of this chart as a starting point. If there are no lines connecting the NPCs, then they have no relationship at the start of the campaign. Random events or perhaps the actions of the players might cause additional lines to be drawn between the NPCs. I kinda liked three connections as a starting point so that there was a bit of depth and cross-connections within the chart. Also, that's how many the die had... :)
Post a Comment