|
Duet Dialogues V: NPCs
I will probably be spending most of these blogs talking about NPCs, which are very critical to duets, but today I just want
to focus on one aspect of handling NPCs; introducing a NPC ally. By NPC ally I mean someone who either travels with the PC
or assists them in a meaningful and regular way. NPC allies are important as most roleplaying in duets occurs between the
PC and her NPC allies.
Now nothing is more frustrating than when a PC rejects a NPC ally. My advice is to never draw up a NPC until after a few adventures when you are sure the PC has accepted the NPC, even if the NPC will be in combat just have the basic stats and nothing else. There are two reasons for this. First, it avoids you wasting time drawing up a NPC the PC will reject. Second, after a few adventures the concept for the NPC will gel and when you draw up the character then it will be more accurate. Remember the stats should reflect the character not the other way around. OK with that advice out of the way let's dive into the introduction.
Now nothing is more frustrating than when a PC rejects a NPC ally. My advice is to never draw up a NPC until after a few adventures when you are sure the PC has accepted the NPC, even if the NPC will be in combat just have the basic stats and nothing else. There are two reasons for this. First, it avoids you wasting time drawing up a NPC the PC will reject. Second, after a few adventures the concept for the NPC will gel and when you draw up the character then it will be more accurate. Remember the stats should reflect the character not the other way around. OK with that advice out of the way let's dive into the introduction.
The Introduction
First impressions are very important with NPCs. What you say when you introduce a NPC will determine the player's decision
on how the PC reacts. This is an important distinction, remember you have two audiences the PC and the player, but of the
two the player is always the most important. Choose your words carefully and give yourself fifty words to make an impression.
This is all you need. Verbosity is a poor trait for GMs and limiting yourself and making your words count is a valuable technique.
Obviously, you need to have an idea of a personality as well as the basic abilities of the NPC before you craft your introduction. Often the abilities will be decided by the PC, she is looking to hire an additional warrior for the party, a pilot for her starship, or a new apprentice to train. The personality is mostly for the GM to decide, but with practice you will pick up on how your player reacts to different personalities. Now, when crafting NPC allies there are five good traits to consider and these need to show at the introduction.
Obviously, you need to have an idea of a personality as well as the basic abilities of the NPC before you craft your introduction. Often the abilities will be decided by the PC, she is looking to hire an additional warrior for the party, a pilot for her starship, or a new apprentice to train. The personality is mostly for the GM to decide, but with practice you will pick up on how your player reacts to different personalities. Now, when crafting NPC allies there are five good traits to consider and these need to show at the introduction.
Five Good Traits for NPC Allies
Competence - Players do not tolerate incompetent NPCs. NPCs need to be able to pull their weight. Obviously, they don't need
to be universally competent, but in the area for which they were hired they need to be able to do the job. Players will tolerate
more exotic personalities when the NPC is truly competent.
Connection - If there is a connection between the NPC and PC this will help secure the introduction. Don't overdo this, but if you have an idea for a zany and slightly annoying character that will be in the campaign then make it a relative. This is pretty accurate to real life we can pick our friends but not our relatives.
Humor - Humor is always good; but self-effacing humor is always best. When a NPC can laugh about their own misfortunes and poke fun at themselves the player will respond positively to this. Once again this is true in real life as well.
Loyalty - Players love loyalty. If you make a NPC loyal to a PC then the PC will be loyal to the NPC. Don't abuse this loyalty with betrayals and the like because this can make the player skittish about trusting NPCs. You need PCs to trust NPCs for duets to work, so don't jeopardize that unnecessarily.
Mystery - Players like a little mystery, but not too much. Never reveal everything about a NPC at the beginning leave stuff out and fill in as the campaign progresses. We never share everything with a stranger at our first meeting so why would a NPC. On the other hand the masked minstrel who wishes to join the PC's party and is known simply as No Name will be dropped in a heartbeat. Sure in a group campaign something silly like that would be allowed, but in duets PCs do not tolerate fools, disruptive individuals, or glory hounds.
Connection - If there is a connection between the NPC and PC this will help secure the introduction. Don't overdo this, but if you have an idea for a zany and slightly annoying character that will be in the campaign then make it a relative. This is pretty accurate to real life we can pick our friends but not our relatives.
Humor - Humor is always good; but self-effacing humor is always best. When a NPC can laugh about their own misfortunes and poke fun at themselves the player will respond positively to this. Once again this is true in real life as well.
Loyalty - Players love loyalty. If you make a NPC loyal to a PC then the PC will be loyal to the NPC. Don't abuse this loyalty with betrayals and the like because this can make the player skittish about trusting NPCs. You need PCs to trust NPCs for duets to work, so don't jeopardize that unnecessarily.
Mystery - Players like a little mystery, but not too much. Never reveal everything about a NPC at the beginning leave stuff out and fill in as the campaign progresses. We never share everything with a stranger at our first meeting so why would a NPC. On the other hand the masked minstrel who wishes to join the PC's party and is known simply as No Name will be dropped in a heartbeat. Sure in a group campaign something silly like that would be allowed, but in duets PCs do not tolerate fools, disruptive individuals, or glory hounds.
Four Introduction Examples
1) "A senior lieutenant enters the room and stands at attention. His dress uniform is spotless, but fairly bare for an
officer of his age. He looks at you with surprise and then hands over his papers. 'Ma'am, I mean Sir! Lieutenant Cross, I
am your new executive officer."(48 words)
Alright, there is an order which means the PC has to accept the NPC, but we have set up an interesting character here. Maybe he is a little sexist, but he corrected himself quickly and remained respectful. His neat uniform shows he took this meeting serious, but for some reason his career has been less successful than it should have been. Is this due to incompetence or politics? Thus there is a little mystery already. This is a solid introduction and also allows a lot of room for Lt. Cross to develop as the campaign progresses.
2) "An old man wearing disheveled clothes as if he slept in them the night before is hurrying towards you. He is staggering from the weight of several books. 'My lady, I was the scholar assigned to your task yesterday and I think I have an answer to your question!" (49 words)
This is a winner for a positive reaction. We have the stereotypical sage with an answer to the PC's question (thus demonstrating competence), but we toss in this image that he spent all night working on this question and his dedication is now unquestioned. This shows not only dedication but also loyalty and this sage will likely be the individual the PC goes to in the future for her research needs.
3) "The next in line is a half-orc who nervously checks the relatively nice clothing he is wearing. He mutters a prayer and comes forward. My lady, I am Gursg and I have this note from Priestess Dai'nara. He sighs and hands it over. Dai'nara is calling in her favor."(49 words)
OK so we have a NPC tied to another NPC and obviously the PC owes Priestess Dai'nara a favor. Thus most likely Gursg is ensured to be hired, but there are a lot of questions about Gursg. He is likely a lay follower of Priestess Dai'nara's faith, but the detail of that is a mystery. He is clearly not a stereotypical half-orc and seems shy and is attempting to be civilized. The problem with this introduction is that his competency is in question, but if Priestess Dai'nara is a friend then he is likely competent as she wouldn't have sent him otherwise. Still this is a big mystery introduction, but will probably work due to the connection which allows more time to develop Gursg.
4) "A logistics major is quickly approaching, though he is carefully avoiding the wounded on the ground. 'Captain, Major Harlan Suen, now don't shoot the messenger, but we need to get your unit to the dropships in two hours. So what is our status and what do you need me to do?'" (51 words)
Now this introduction has a lot of positive factors. The major has a sense of urgency, but is mindful of his surroundings. He has a little humor but clearly understands the gravity of the situation. He uses 'we' and 'our' when he speaks, but also signals that the Captain, his junior in rank, is in charge for the moment. This is a potential friend and ally of the PC depending upon how the evacuation goes, and a friend in logistics is a valuable friend indeed.
Obviously, the introduction is not the entire first encounter between the NPC and PC, but it does set the tenor for the encounter and frames the personality for the GM to roleplay. With a good introduction the GM is halfway to having the player accept the NPC as an ally. I know I have written a lot about just 50 words, but this is important and mastery of introductions is a useful skill. Introduction s also work in other ways, if you want the player to dislike or fear a NPC then those first 50 words are critical. Fortunately, if you can win over a player you can easily elicit other emotions just as well.
Alright, there is an order which means the PC has to accept the NPC, but we have set up an interesting character here. Maybe he is a little sexist, but he corrected himself quickly and remained respectful. His neat uniform shows he took this meeting serious, but for some reason his career has been less successful than it should have been. Is this due to incompetence or politics? Thus there is a little mystery already. This is a solid introduction and also allows a lot of room for Lt. Cross to develop as the campaign progresses.
2) "An old man wearing disheveled clothes as if he slept in them the night before is hurrying towards you. He is staggering from the weight of several books. 'My lady, I was the scholar assigned to your task yesterday and I think I have an answer to your question!" (49 words)
This is a winner for a positive reaction. We have the stereotypical sage with an answer to the PC's question (thus demonstrating competence), but we toss in this image that he spent all night working on this question and his dedication is now unquestioned. This shows not only dedication but also loyalty and this sage will likely be the individual the PC goes to in the future for her research needs.
3) "The next in line is a half-orc who nervously checks the relatively nice clothing he is wearing. He mutters a prayer and comes forward. My lady, I am Gursg and I have this note from Priestess Dai'nara. He sighs and hands it over. Dai'nara is calling in her favor."(49 words)
OK so we have a NPC tied to another NPC and obviously the PC owes Priestess Dai'nara a favor. Thus most likely Gursg is ensured to be hired, but there are a lot of questions about Gursg. He is likely a lay follower of Priestess Dai'nara's faith, but the detail of that is a mystery. He is clearly not a stereotypical half-orc and seems shy and is attempting to be civilized. The problem with this introduction is that his competency is in question, but if Priestess Dai'nara is a friend then he is likely competent as she wouldn't have sent him otherwise. Still this is a big mystery introduction, but will probably work due to the connection which allows more time to develop Gursg.
4) "A logistics major is quickly approaching, though he is carefully avoiding the wounded on the ground. 'Captain, Major Harlan Suen, now don't shoot the messenger, but we need to get your unit to the dropships in two hours. So what is our status and what do you need me to do?'" (51 words)
Now this introduction has a lot of positive factors. The major has a sense of urgency, but is mindful of his surroundings. He has a little humor but clearly understands the gravity of the situation. He uses 'we' and 'our' when he speaks, but also signals that the Captain, his junior in rank, is in charge for the moment. This is a potential friend and ally of the PC depending upon how the evacuation goes, and a friend in logistics is a valuable friend indeed.
Obviously, the introduction is not the entire first encounter between the NPC and PC, but it does set the tenor for the encounter and frames the personality for the GM to roleplay. With a good introduction the GM is halfway to having the player accept the NPC as an ally. I know I have written a lot about just 50 words, but this is important and mastery of introductions is a useful skill. Introduction s also work in other ways, if you want the player to dislike or fear a NPC then those first 50 words are critical. Fortunately, if you can win over a player you can easily elicit other emotions just as well.
Duet Dialogues VI: Romance
Today we will cover romance!
It really isn't that hard to run romances, but there are a few tricks that can help you avoid some potential pitfalls. We will focus on three issues: determining the appropriate comfort level, designing the romantic interest, and running the courtship.
It really isn't that hard to run romances, but there are a few tricks that can help you avoid some potential pitfalls. We will focus on three issues: determining the appropriate comfort level, designing the romantic interest, and running the courtship.
Comfort Level
First things first, the GM has to determine what his and his player's comfort levels are for romances. Comfort level means
many things, but can be boiled down to the level of detail. This includes how much you go into the roleplaying between the
two characters; how much of the campaign is to be focused on the courtship and how explicitly you describe things (see Kirk's
Tip #1 below). When the GM and player are significant others there is more intimacy, hopefully stronger communication, and
a higher degree of trust that should allow them to find their mutual comfort level fairly easily. In other situations it is
best to do things conservatively and to take small steps to see if the player is even interested in having a romance as part
of the campaign, though from my experience almost all players really enjoy romances.
Sex is NOT Romance: I might as well address this right up front. Anyone who has been in a serious relationship that has lasted longer than a few years knows this is true, but for the rest of you just accept this wisdom. What makes a romance successful is the banter between the characters and how they deal with the difficulties of their relationship not the physical attraction, though that is a component of it.
Kirk's Tip #1: Less is more and a good GM leaves things to the player's imagination. I am not just talking about intimate encounters, but also other things like descriptions of individuals and locations. Detailed descriptions are the mark of the inexperienced GM as they are a waste of time, boring, and counterproductive. All you need to do is to provide a framework and then leave the details to the player's imagination. You cannot be as effective in describing something as the player's imagination is at conjuring her ideal vision of that something and if you try all you will do is disrupt the player's imagination.
Sex is NOT Romance: I might as well address this right up front. Anyone who has been in a serious relationship that has lasted longer than a few years knows this is true, but for the rest of you just accept this wisdom. What makes a romance successful is the banter between the characters and how they deal with the difficulties of their relationship not the physical attraction, though that is a component of it.
Kirk's Tip #1: Less is more and a good GM leaves things to the player's imagination. I am not just talking about intimate encounters, but also other things like descriptions of individuals and locations. Detailed descriptions are the mark of the inexperienced GM as they are a waste of time, boring, and counterproductive. All you need to do is to provide a framework and then leave the details to the player's imagination. You cannot be as effective in describing something as the player's imagination is at conjuring her ideal vision of that something and if you try all you will do is disrupt the player's imagination.
The Romantic Interest
So you have decided to introduce a romantic interest, well now comes the hard part and that is designing a romantic interest.
Do not rush this; take your time and do it right. What follows are some questions you should ask yourself when designing a
romantic interest:
1) Is this the real relationship or a prelude? Sometimes you will want to use a few romantic foils in a campaign, in other words, a few losers that the PC dates before you spring the true romantic interest. Personall y, I run these for their comic value. You can have someone who talks endlessly about himself, the slacker, the egotistical snob, and even the nice guy who the player just has no chemistry with (this is easier to roleplay than it might seem). The big advantage to these prelude relationships is that they help you prepare and set up the real relationship. Pay attention to the PC's reactions to these prelude romantic interests and this will help you when you design the real one.
2) Why would the PC be interested in this character? This takes a little insight. Now if you are GMing your significant other just figure out why she is with you and extrapolate from there, otherwise just follow your instincts. Here are four things that are universally admired in romantic interests: honor, humor, loyalty, and competence. Honor means many things, but really at its heart signifies a character who believes in both themselves and something greater than themselves. Humor is always a winner, but the best humor is self-effacing humor, when a character can laugh at himself it makes the character more likable and even more noble at the same time. Loyalty is also important. If a character displays loyalty to others or a cause then the PC will know that this character could also be loyal to her. Competence means that the character is good at something, people like individuals who have some expertise. It may not be a heroic skill, just something that the character is good at and most likely enjoys doing.
3) What are the flaws of this character? People have flaws and this is why we love them. No one wants to be in love with a perfect person. Give the romantic interest humanizing flaws. For example, a soldier who detests his nation for its war crimes but continues to serve because it is his nation. Another example, a noble who is very demanding (sometimes harsh) of his servants and friends, but who holds himself to an even higher standard. A merchant who is always poor because he is too generous. Flaws also provide character growth and when the relationship helps remove a character’s flaws it strengthens the relationship and the personality of the character.
4) Is there a campaign division between the PC and the character? Romantic interests are usually very competent and skilled; they have to be equals to the PC to make them suitable for a relationship. This means that they can steal the spotlight and we need precautions to avoid this from being disruptive to the campaign or the relationship (unless that is your plan). One method is to give them each complementary abilities, for example, one could be a skilled warrior and the other a gifted wizard. Another method is to give both separate arenas, one involved in business the other involved in politics. A final method is to just give them space, for example, they are both military officers, but are in different units. These simple methods allow both characters to shine and to have their own areas.
5) What are the difficulties for this relationship? Every relationship has difficulties. These can include societal, cultural, racial, familial, professional, political, and religious obstacles that make things a little complicated. The GM should give careful thought to how difficult these obstacles will be, because if they are too great it will ruin the relationship, and if they are insignificant then what fun is there in that. One difficulty to consider in a broad sense is whether this relationship has a future. Sometimes the romance is easy but it is not meant to last due to the difficulties of the relationship, this can be tragic and the GM should think it through at the beginning of the relationship and plan accordingly (including dropping hints that this may be the case).
Kirk's Tip #2: This is a classic trick from fiction and movies (after you read this you will notice it being used all the time): give the romantic interest an upstanding friend. If someone has good people as friends then we think higher of that person. The reverse is also true; if some has bad people as friends we will think less of them. Now this trick can be used by taking a NPC from the campaign who the PC has already decided is respectable and have them reveal that they are friends with the romantic interest. This instantly shores up the PC's opinion of the romantic interest because of this friendship.
1) Is this the real relationship or a prelude? Sometimes you will want to use a few romantic foils in a campaign, in other words, a few losers that the PC dates before you spring the true romantic interest. Personall y, I run these for their comic value. You can have someone who talks endlessly about himself, the slacker, the egotistical snob, and even the nice guy who the player just has no chemistry with (this is easier to roleplay than it might seem). The big advantage to these prelude relationships is that they help you prepare and set up the real relationship. Pay attention to the PC's reactions to these prelude romantic interests and this will help you when you design the real one.
2) Why would the PC be interested in this character? This takes a little insight. Now if you are GMing your significant other just figure out why she is with you and extrapolate from there, otherwise just follow your instincts. Here are four things that are universally admired in romantic interests: honor, humor, loyalty, and competence. Honor means many things, but really at its heart signifies a character who believes in both themselves and something greater than themselves. Humor is always a winner, but the best humor is self-effacing humor, when a character can laugh at himself it makes the character more likable and even more noble at the same time. Loyalty is also important. If a character displays loyalty to others or a cause then the PC will know that this character could also be loyal to her. Competence means that the character is good at something, people like individuals who have some expertise. It may not be a heroic skill, just something that the character is good at and most likely enjoys doing.
3) What are the flaws of this character? People have flaws and this is why we love them. No one wants to be in love with a perfect person. Give the romantic interest humanizing flaws. For example, a soldier who detests his nation for its war crimes but continues to serve because it is his nation. Another example, a noble who is very demanding (sometimes harsh) of his servants and friends, but who holds himself to an even higher standard. A merchant who is always poor because he is too generous. Flaws also provide character growth and when the relationship helps remove a character’s flaws it strengthens the relationship and the personality of the character.
4) Is there a campaign division between the PC and the character? Romantic interests are usually very competent and skilled; they have to be equals to the PC to make them suitable for a relationship. This means that they can steal the spotlight and we need precautions to avoid this from being disruptive to the campaign or the relationship (unless that is your plan). One method is to give them each complementary abilities, for example, one could be a skilled warrior and the other a gifted wizard. Another method is to give both separate arenas, one involved in business the other involved in politics. A final method is to just give them space, for example, they are both military officers, but are in different units. These simple methods allow both characters to shine and to have their own areas.
5) What are the difficulties for this relationship? Every relationship has difficulties. These can include societal, cultural, racial, familial, professional, political, and religious obstacles that make things a little complicated. The GM should give careful thought to how difficult these obstacles will be, because if they are too great it will ruin the relationship, and if they are insignificant then what fun is there in that. One difficulty to consider in a broad sense is whether this relationship has a future. Sometimes the romance is easy but it is not meant to last due to the difficulties of the relationship, this can be tragic and the GM should think it through at the beginning of the relationship and plan accordingly (including dropping hints that this may be the case).
Kirk's Tip #2: This is a classic trick from fiction and movies (after you read this you will notice it being used all the time): give the romantic interest an upstanding friend. If someone has good people as friends then we think higher of that person. The reverse is also true; if some has bad people as friends we will think less of them. Now this trick can be used by taking a NPC from the campaign who the PC has already decided is respectable and have them reveal that they are friends with the romantic interest. This instantly shores up the PC's opinion of the romantic interest because of this friendship.
The Courtship
The courtship is really a campaign within the campaign. Obviously, you can steal from romantic movies and use some of the
staples like rival love interests, falsely interpreted signals, separations due to some crisis, and so forth. The most important
thing is to honestly roleplay the romantic interest. Sometimes he will be mad, sometimes he will be jealous, and sometimes
he will act irrationally. This is how you make it feel real and you just have to trust your instincts and make a leap as
this is challenging roleplaying. There are some generic stages to the courtship which are as follows (this is a little too
formulaic, but it is accurate):
1) Meeting: This is how the two meet and this is important if you look at fiction and movies this is a critical scene. I find that putting the character in an awkward situation is the best bet. For example, a military general is at a formal ball and is being pursued by many young girls for his recent victory. He is miserable and then meets the PC.
2) Flirtation: This is the witty banter stage of the relationship.
3) Complexity: This is when some complexity comes into the relationship, it might be difficulties due to some obstacle, a period of long distance separation, a rival love interest appears, or so on.
4) Early Relationship: The complexity and the couple begins a relationship and there should be the typical difficulties of early relationships like misunderstandings, conflicted priorities, meeting friends and families and so forth. For example, imagine if the player's new boyfriend takes her back to see his family, but a spirit of an ancient ancestor arises to take exception to the player there you have an instant adventure, maybe even a dungeon crawl, a possible big fight, and all inspired by the courtship story arc.
5) Complexity: This is probably a more serious obstacle and is really the final hurdle to the relationship. It could be new, like the love interest is crippled from battle or is kidnapped by enemies of the player or has died and the PC needs to bring him back from the land of the dead.
6) True Love: At this point the relationship is secure and the courtship is over, but this does not mean that the romance is ended it just moves into a different stage. My next duet dialogues will deal with romances and duet campaigns after this stage.
Kirk's Tip #3: Patience. Don't rush a romance. Stretch it out, toss in obstacles, and make things as protracted as possible without turning off the player. Also keep the main campaign going strong and use the romance as a sub-plot. The patient GM is the masterful GM.
1) Meeting: This is how the two meet and this is important if you look at fiction and movies this is a critical scene. I find that putting the character in an awkward situation is the best bet. For example, a military general is at a formal ball and is being pursued by many young girls for his recent victory. He is miserable and then meets the PC.
2) Flirtation: This is the witty banter stage of the relationship.
3) Complexity: This is when some complexity comes into the relationship, it might be difficulties due to some obstacle, a period of long distance separation, a rival love interest appears, or so on.
4) Early Relationship: The complexity and the couple begins a relationship and there should be the typical difficulties of early relationships like misunderstandings, conflicted priorities, meeting friends and families and so forth. For example, imagine if the player's new boyfriend takes her back to see his family, but a spirit of an ancient ancestor arises to take exception to the player there you have an instant adventure, maybe even a dungeon crawl, a possible big fight, and all inspired by the courtship story arc.
5) Complexity: This is probably a more serious obstacle and is really the final hurdle to the relationship. It could be new, like the love interest is crippled from battle or is kidnapped by enemies of the player or has died and the PC needs to bring him back from the land of the dead.
6) True Love: At this point the relationship is secure and the courtship is over, but this does not mean that the romance is ended it just moves into a different stage. My next duet dialogues will deal with romances and duet campaigns after this stage.
Kirk's Tip #3: Patience. Don't rush a romance. Stretch it out, toss in obstacles, and make things as protracted as possible without turning off the player. Also keep the main campaign going strong and use the romance as a sub-plot. The patient GM is the masterful GM.
Duet Dialogues VII: Evolving Campaigns
Duet Dialogues VI dealt with romance in duet campaigns and today we are dealing with how to keep a campaign fresh. Think of
most action/adventure movies; the movie covers the nascent relationship between the protagonist and the love interest which
culminates with a kiss after the bad guys are defeated and the world is saved; then the credits roll. Typically, the eventual
sequel will replace the love interest, sometimes by killing off the character, but usually just pretending the relationship
never happened. The assumption is that character growth, relationships, and so forth are detriments to adventure. Today we
flip this assumption on its head. Duet campaigns can thrive with committed relationships, families, and even settling down,
all it takes is a little creativity and effort.
One movie sequel that I am fond of (though the rocket-propelled airship still really annoys me) is the Mummy Returns because our two main heroes are not only happily married, but they have a kid! This is a sequel that logically builds upon the original; this is so rarely done in movies and television, though there are signs that this is changing. The Mummy Returns is what we are talking about when we discuss an evolving duet campaign, logically moving it forward while also keeping things entertaining.
One movie sequel that I am fond of (though the rocket-propelled airship still really annoys me) is the Mummy Returns because our two main heroes are not only happily married, but they have a kid! This is a sequel that logically builds upon the original; this is so rarely done in movies and television, though there are signs that this is changing. The Mummy Returns is what we are talking about when we discuss an evolving duet campaign, logically moving it forward while also keeping things entertaining.
Endings are Good
At some point campaigns need to end. There are many different opinions on this, but my preference is to end campaigns where
there is a sense of closure or when the enthusiasm for a campaign significantly fades. Evolving a campaign is not always a
good idea; maybe ending the campaign when true love is found and the bad guys defeated is the best plan. For a television
example, think of Buffy if you ended the series with Season 5 it would have been better, yes, you wouldn't have had Once More
with Feeling, but really Seasons 6 & 7 are examples of what happens when a campaign goes on to long. Now if the player
and GM really want the campaign to continue then the GM needs to be able to evolve it to keep it fresh and support logical
development.
Three Techniques
What follows are three solid techniques for evolving a campaign, it many ways they are reinventing the campaign to make it
fresh and exciting. These techniques include skipping ahead, changing roles, and altering the genre.
SKIPPING AHEAD!
One useful trick to evolving a campaign is to jump to the future. Now when you do this you need to change the setting and make the move to the future realistic and meaningful. Time stops for no one. Don't hesitate to mix things up with NPCs; some may have died, some may have moved away, some may have switched sides, and some may still be the same after all these years. Something like turning an old rival or enemy into a new friend is the sort of thing that really shows how time can change things. You should also change broader campaign elements: there is a new monarch, a war is being fought with an old ally, and a new evil threatens the land. Most importantly change the PC, give then some experience, some new belongings, and new responsibilities and duties.
CHANGE ROLES!
Another useful trick is to change the role of the PC. Before the PC was a student, soldier, or knight and now the PC is a master, commander, or lord. You can change an entire campaign by merely shifting the perspective of the PC towards the campaign. Before the PC was involved with wars on a tactical level, but now the PC is making decisions on the strategic level. Now definitely give the PC some opportunities to have an adventure in his old role if that would be fun, for example, the lord heading off to a tournament to compete against an old rival.
ALTER THE GENRE!
If you totally want to reinvent a campaign, alter the genre. For example, a traditional adventuring campaign totally changes when the PC is named to a position in the royal court. Now the focus is politics and intrigue which will require the learning of new skills. You could even totally shift the campaign for example a medieval knight somehow winds up on a starship a million light-years away and has to find his way home. Massive changes to the genre can annoy players so the GM might want to test the waters before springing something like this on the player.
SKIPPING AHEAD!
One useful trick to evolving a campaign is to jump to the future. Now when you do this you need to change the setting and make the move to the future realistic and meaningful. Time stops for no one. Don't hesitate to mix things up with NPCs; some may have died, some may have moved away, some may have switched sides, and some may still be the same after all these years. Something like turning an old rival or enemy into a new friend is the sort of thing that really shows how time can change things. You should also change broader campaign elements: there is a new monarch, a war is being fought with an old ally, and a new evil threatens the land. Most importantly change the PC, give then some experience, some new belongings, and new responsibilities and duties.
CHANGE ROLES!
Another useful trick is to change the role of the PC. Before the PC was a student, soldier, or knight and now the PC is a master, commander, or lord. You can change an entire campaign by merely shifting the perspective of the PC towards the campaign. Before the PC was involved with wars on a tactical level, but now the PC is making decisions on the strategic level. Now definitely give the PC some opportunities to have an adventure in his old role if that would be fun, for example, the lord heading off to a tournament to compete against an old rival.
ALTER THE GENRE!
If you totally want to reinvent a campaign, alter the genre. For example, a traditional adventuring campaign totally changes when the PC is named to a position in the royal court. Now the focus is politics and intrigue which will require the learning of new skills. You could even totally shift the campaign for example a medieval knight somehow winds up on a starship a million light-years away and has to find his way home. Massive changes to the genre can annoy players so the GM might want to test the waters before springing something like this on the player.
Children
Children are very tricky to do properly, but they can add to campaigns when they are done properly. Children come into campaigns
in many ways but generally they reflect a desire by the PC to be responsible for someone else. This includes apprentices,
heirs, wards, and even servants who are young. I have found that most players when given an opportunity will take some poor
waif under their wing. This should not mean that their adventuring days are over, just that adjustments will have to be made.
Having such a responsibility truly adds to a campaign and is a valuable tool for story and roleplaying purposes so GMs shouldn't
abuse this relationship and should be mindful of how they handle it.
BEWARE WESLEY CRUSHER!
One common mistake made by many professional writers and GMs is to make children geniuses in order to make them cool and useful for story purposes. They try to balance this by making them incredibly immature. This is annoying and shoddy character design. Children are children and when you realize this you will be more successful. Childre n are drains on resources. Children make mistakes. Children demand attention. Children are a lot of headaches. Still they are entertaining, they grow and develop, and you build an attachment to them that makes all the difficulties seem worthwhile. You don't need to make children cool or useful; you just need to make them children.
DESIGNING CHILDREN CHARACTERS
Secondary: Children should be secondary characters; assuming that the PC is an adult. As a secondary character they are support characters and if the children are dominating the story and adventures on a regular basis then something is wrong. Yes, they are important, but they are secondary to the bigger issues of the campaign.
Age: Age is important with children and not as much with adults. Children often do not acquire adult thinking till about 21 for humans. If you as a GM are not familiar with kids then either do some research or stick to older children.
Personality: Children have personalities and these personalities both remain the same and change as they develop, but the ability of children to significantly change is what makes children, well, children. So whatever personality you develop for a child remember it will be changing in reaction to the PC who is responsible for them. Be kind. If you think the PC is doing a good job then improve the child's personality or more accurately model it closer to the PC.
Strengths/Weaknesses: Children have strengths and weaknesses, but these are shaped by expectations as well as anything. Still remember children are malleable and PCs like the idea of being able to shape their wards and apprentices though natural talent will affect this.
Give an Out: PCs, unlike us in real life, typically have more resources so they can afford someone to watch their child when adventure comes knocking. As long as the PC is making an effort to provide for the child then give some freedom. Remember this is not real life and as someone who deals with kids as a stay-at-home dad dealing with kids in minutia is not worth roleplaying.
BEWARE WESLEY CRUSHER!
One common mistake made by many professional writers and GMs is to make children geniuses in order to make them cool and useful for story purposes. They try to balance this by making them incredibly immature. This is annoying and shoddy character design. Children are children and when you realize this you will be more successful. Childre n are drains on resources. Children make mistakes. Children demand attention. Children are a lot of headaches. Still they are entertaining, they grow and develop, and you build an attachment to them that makes all the difficulties seem worthwhile. You don't need to make children cool or useful; you just need to make them children.
DESIGNING CHILDREN CHARACTERS
Secondary: Children should be secondary characters; assuming that the PC is an adult. As a secondary character they are support characters and if the children are dominating the story and adventures on a regular basis then something is wrong. Yes, they are important, but they are secondary to the bigger issues of the campaign.
Age: Age is important with children and not as much with adults. Children often do not acquire adult thinking till about 21 for humans. If you as a GM are not familiar with kids then either do some research or stick to older children.
Personality: Children have personalities and these personalities both remain the same and change as they develop, but the ability of children to significantly change is what makes children, well, children. So whatever personality you develop for a child remember it will be changing in reaction to the PC who is responsible for them. Be kind. If you think the PC is doing a good job then improve the child's personality or more accurately model it closer to the PC.
Strengths/Weaknesses: Children have strengths and weaknesses, but these are shaped by expectations as well as anything. Still remember children are malleable and PCs like the idea of being able to shape their wards and apprentices though natural talent will affect this.
Give an Out: PCs, unlike us in real life, typically have more resources so they can afford someone to watch their child when adventure comes knocking. As long as the PC is making an effort to provide for the child then give some freedom. Remember this is not real life and as someone who deals with kids as a stay-at-home dad dealing with kids in minutia is not worth roleplaying.
Sagas
One final thought. Campaigns can change characters. Imagine that you have a campaign that follows a knight through a grand
campaign that eventually leads to her becoming queen of her kingdom. You evolve the campaign to be queen for awhile and then
decide you want to go back to life as an adventuring knight. Why not start out as the daughter of the queen heading out to
prove her mettle as a knight? Even if you don't go that close there is nothing stopping you from continuing the saga of a
PC in a new campaign by making that PC an important NPC. Get permission from the player of the old PC, but usually players
love to see their character remaining important even after the campaign.
Duet Dialogues VII: Sharing the Work
Wow, it has been awhile since my last blog on duet campaigns! Needless to say I have been busy, but I am back with another
installment and this one is how to share game design work with your player to prevent GM burnout.
Duet campaigns have a tendency to get complicated especially if you go at a fast pace and introduce a lot of detail into the campaign. Eventually, the little things like coming up with new names and places as well as drawing up NPCs will sap your time and energy. There are lots of tricks for dealing with this from borrowing heavily from outside sources (like books and movies), using already drawn up NPCs with only minor tweaks to make them new, and switching to a less complicated set of mechanics. There is another option and that is to share the work with your player.
Not obviously you can't use your player to develop adventure hooks or to draw up villains (actually, sometimes you can use your player to draw these up you just have to be clever about it), but there is a lot the player can do to help ease the burden on the GM.
Duet campaigns have a tendency to get complicated especially if you go at a fast pace and introduce a lot of detail into the campaign. Eventually, the little things like coming up with new names and places as well as drawing up NPCs will sap your time and energy. There are lots of tricks for dealing with this from borrowing heavily from outside sources (like books and movies), using already drawn up NPCs with only minor tweaks to make them new, and switching to a less complicated set of mechanics. There is another option and that is to share the work with your player.
Not obviously you can't use your player to develop adventure hooks or to draw up villains (actually, sometimes you can use your player to draw these up you just have to be clever about it), but there is a lot the player can do to help ease the burden on the GM.
FOUR STEPS TO SHARING THE WORK
1) Let the player design what they enjoy designing. Maybe your player loves to draw up characters then let her draw up the NPCs for the campaign. Maybe your player loves drawing up religions then let her design the faiths for the campaign. Sometimes you and your player will enjoy the same thing and in that case it is a balancing act of the time you save versus your enjoyment of the task. Personally, anything I can get my player to design is something that adds to the campaign and saves me a lot of work. Often I find that players do a far better job on the design work they do because they can focus on it better than the GM who already has a lot on his plate.
2) Make it fun. Do not make your player design something they won't enjoy doing this accomplishes nothing. Also if you can frame a project in terms to make it seem as fun as possible, this can be done with context. If you say something like I need five knights for the campaign you might get some interest, but if you ask for five knights who are a tournament team known for they unique style and tell the player she needs to draw them up and come up with their unique style you have a project that is now a lot more fun.
3) Provide positive feedback. I can't emphasize this enough give positive feedback. I have never gotten a project back from a player that wasn't worthy of praise they always pour their hearts in it and really try to make it fit the campaign so heap on the praise. Remember most players can't read your mind so share it with them. Praise will also make the player more likely to take up another project in the future.
4) Use it. No matter what the player drew up you need to use it. I personally love roleplaying characters that my players come up with it is a great challenge and when the player says "you got it perfect!" there is no better praise, but the goal here is to rely upon the player and to also show the player that their work is more than appreciated it is now part of the campaign. This is the same with character backgrounds; if a player gives you a character background then you should use it.
Alright, let's have some examples. I am currently running a Heroes Unlimited duet campaign with my wife, and yes this was because of the Heroes Unlimited PbP I am running got her jealous. :D
The duet campaign has been moving very quick and we have been progressing well, but I am starting to feel the drag of too much GM work. This is especially true as I am running both a PbP and a duet campaign in the same setting. So I have given my wife two projects which have really helped.
1) Let the player design what they enjoy designing. Maybe your player loves to draw up characters then let her draw up the NPCs for the campaign. Maybe your player loves drawing up religions then let her design the faiths for the campaign. Sometimes you and your player will enjoy the same thing and in that case it is a balancing act of the time you save versus your enjoyment of the task. Personally, anything I can get my player to design is something that adds to the campaign and saves me a lot of work. Often I find that players do a far better job on the design work they do because they can focus on it better than the GM who already has a lot on his plate.
2) Make it fun. Do not make your player design something they won't enjoy doing this accomplishes nothing. Also if you can frame a project in terms to make it seem as fun as possible, this can be done with context. If you say something like I need five knights for the campaign you might get some interest, but if you ask for five knights who are a tournament team known for they unique style and tell the player she needs to draw them up and come up with their unique style you have a project that is now a lot more fun.
3) Provide positive feedback. I can't emphasize this enough give positive feedback. I have never gotten a project back from a player that wasn't worthy of praise they always pour their hearts in it and really try to make it fit the campaign so heap on the praise. Remember most players can't read your mind so share it with them. Praise will also make the player more likely to take up another project in the future.
4) Use it. No matter what the player drew up you need to use it. I personally love roleplaying characters that my players come up with it is a great challenge and when the player says "you got it perfect!" there is no better praise, but the goal here is to rely upon the player and to also show the player that their work is more than appreciated it is now part of the campaign. This is the same with character backgrounds; if a player gives you a character background then you should use it.
Alright, let's have some examples. I am currently running a Heroes Unlimited duet campaign with my wife, and yes this was because of the Heroes Unlimited PbP I am running got her jealous. :D
The duet campaign has been moving very quick and we have been progressing well, but I am starting to feel the drag of too much GM work. This is especially true as I am running both a PbP and a duet campaign in the same setting. So I have given my wife two projects which have really helped.
Project One: If you have time could you come up with some more superheroes and supervillains I can use in my campaigns?
What follows is the list that my wife gave me:
Calamity Jane - alter limbs and multiple selves
Groundpounder - heavy hitter with earth powers
Cascade - water form and multiple selves
Alley Cat - male, feline traits, not attractive, strength, a brawler
Sojourner - African American female, flight, high mental affinity, strength
Kindle - can change into and throw sticky ("Greek") fire
Prism - energy expulsion and light power
Oasis - water and earth powers
Conquistador - male, vigilante with mask and sword
The Bugler - male, vigilante with a mystically-empowere d bugle
The Grey Cardinal - male, vigilante, dresses as a Catholic cardinal in grey robes
The Witness - vigilante with super hearing and super sight
Shepherd - psychic dog mutant
Pioneer - earth powers, power channeling
Good Samaritan - danger sense, clairvoyance, speed
Pale Face - hairless albino with electricity powers
Chime - petite young woman with sonic abilities
Darkwing - large bat-like wings but otherwise human male in appearance with very dark skin and very muscled, very strong, healing factor
Radiohead - can pick up radio waves with his brain, very intelligent
Sir Stalwart - very high PE
Alias - shapeshifter and power-mimic
Colt - horse-mutant with satiny black fur and beautiful dark eyes
Sapphire - beautiful purple skin, violet hair, eye beams
Vortex - air form and spinning
Gamut - male, elasticity
Hush - makes no sound and can leech sound from an area
Kickstart - a super-charged martial artist known for amazing kicks and leaps
Cellophane - can become insubstantial, light expulsion, regular form is slightly transparent and seems to glow from within
Outcast - multiple limbs, adhesion
Pique - the queen of the comeback, known as the most verbally-dangerous supervillain of them all
Filigree - very delicate features that seem to be chiseled out of blue ice, has frost powers
Greenhorn - alien immigrant with pale green body and single rhino-like horn erupting from forehead
Joshua - gold-skinned mutant, wingless flight, does not need air to breathe
Ragdoll - female, elasticity
Fluke - a master of probability, everything just seems to fall effortlessly together for this supervillain
Writhe - female, humanoid black snake
Lemming: he uses his large area-effect hypnotic powers to entrance large groups of people and march them to their doom
Stench: gets a perverse sense of joy out of backing up sewer and cutting water mains; can take a water form
Stooge: can control large flocks of angry pigeons...
Rascal and Vandal: 2 super-hip and flashy young mutants. Rascal has a rocket-powered skateboard and Vandal can create a paint-like substance with his bare hands. They like to graffiti important buildings (usually with something lame like "You've been Vandalized!") or disrupt public events (such as cutting the power at a concert and then setting off firecrackers inside the venue that spell out "YOU RASCAL YOU")
Jackboot: a powerful and militaristic cyborg that heads up a gang of goose-stepping thugs
Blitz: speed, strength
The Lizard: 8' tall lizard with adhesion, strength, and a powerful tongue attack
Sanctuary: aura of calm, maybe force fields
Flint: obsidian body, body weapons (throws shards of obsidian)
Peekaboo: female, intangible, X-ray vision, dresses skimpily
Beacon: radiates light from body
Firecracker: fire and sonic powers
Replica: mimic
Spectrum: multi-colored skin, multi-colored light expulsion
Sparrowhawk: humanoid falcon with strong avian features, feathers, and wings
Visage: wears a mask, has a horrifying face that can stun any who see it
Barrage: heavy hitter
Scout: all minor abilities - extraordinary PS, PP, and sight
Monsoon: water and wind powers
Project Two: Man, coming up with super crimes is difficult could you help me come up with locations for super crimes?
What follows is the list that my wife gave me already in d% form:
01 Brewery
02 Bottling plant
03 Bottled water factory
04 Paint factory
05 Glass factory
06 Armaments factor
07 Desalination plant
08 Sewage plant
09 Recycling center
10 Water tower
11 Mail distribution facility
12 Police station
13 Library
14 Children's hospital
15 Fire department
16 Public garden
17 Canal
18 Fountain
19 School bus parking lot
20 Greyhound bus station
21 Train station
22 Printing press
23 Mint
24 Bank
25 Fish farm
26 Chicken farm
27 Dairy farm
28 Basilica
29 Synagogue
30 Temple
31 Festival celebrating a fruit
32 Festival celebrating whales
33 Festival celebrating Italians
34 Antique Roadshow
35 Exhibition of ancient sacred texts
36 Sarcophagus on tour
37 Marathon
38 Street market
39 Charity run
40 Labor union strike
41 Taxi strike
42 Sanitation workers strike
43 Bird migration
44 Insect infestation
45 Disease outbreak
46 Construction project
47 Opening of new building
48 Demolition of old building
49 Audition for national TV show
50 Movie being filmed in the city
51 County fair
52 Illusionist/mesmeri st on tour
53 Reunion concert
54 Auto show
55 Horse race
56 Local elections
57 Dog show
58 Clean up the city day
59 Holiday with fireworks
60 Dispatch center for emergency services
61 Telephone switchboard center
62 Central food preparation facility for elementary school lunches
63 Water main break
64 SAT exams
65 Celebrity cook-off
66 Restaurant open houses with food tasting
67 Bike to work day
68 Candle-carrying memorial walk to commemorate crime victims
69 Film festival
70 Airport
71 Graveyard
72 Zoo
73 Embassy
74 Art gallery
75 Marching band competition
76 Baseball game
77 Hockey game
78 Slaughterhouse
79 Heating oil reserve
80 Genealogical records repository
81 Aquarium
82 Bridal exposition
83 Commuter parking garage
84 Jazz festival
85 Gay and lesbian pride parade
86 Cybercafe
87 Little League championships
88 Boat show
89 Revival meeting
90 Natural history museum
91 Planetarium
92 Wax museum
93 Presentation of key of the city
94 Presentation of honorary degree
95 Graduation
96 Charity dance-off
97 Veterans' hospital
98 Auction
99 Beauty contest
00 Mansion Walk - once a year open house to showcase exclusive homes
OK these were fun projects and they really helped me. I have heaped praise on my wife, including putting what she did in this post, and have already used them in the duet campaign and will use them in my group campaign as well. So if you are running a duet campaign and find your energy lagging ask your player for some help. I should say that this also works with group campaigns as well.
Comments, questions, and cries of joy and anguish are always appreciated.
What follows is the list that my wife gave me:
Calamity Jane - alter limbs and multiple selves
Groundpounder - heavy hitter with earth powers
Cascade - water form and multiple selves
Alley Cat - male, feline traits, not attractive, strength, a brawler
Sojourner - African American female, flight, high mental affinity, strength
Kindle - can change into and throw sticky ("Greek") fire
Prism - energy expulsion and light power
Oasis - water and earth powers
Conquistador - male, vigilante with mask and sword
The Bugler - male, vigilante with a mystically-empowere d bugle
The Grey Cardinal - male, vigilante, dresses as a Catholic cardinal in grey robes
The Witness - vigilante with super hearing and super sight
Shepherd - psychic dog mutant
Pioneer - earth powers, power channeling
Good Samaritan - danger sense, clairvoyance, speed
Pale Face - hairless albino with electricity powers
Chime - petite young woman with sonic abilities
Darkwing - large bat-like wings but otherwise human male in appearance with very dark skin and very muscled, very strong, healing factor
Radiohead - can pick up radio waves with his brain, very intelligent
Sir Stalwart - very high PE
Alias - shapeshifter and power-mimic
Colt - horse-mutant with satiny black fur and beautiful dark eyes
Sapphire - beautiful purple skin, violet hair, eye beams
Vortex - air form and spinning
Gamut - male, elasticity
Hush - makes no sound and can leech sound from an area
Kickstart - a super-charged martial artist known for amazing kicks and leaps
Cellophane - can become insubstantial, light expulsion, regular form is slightly transparent and seems to glow from within
Outcast - multiple limbs, adhesion
Pique - the queen of the comeback, known as the most verbally-dangerous supervillain of them all
Filigree - very delicate features that seem to be chiseled out of blue ice, has frost powers
Greenhorn - alien immigrant with pale green body and single rhino-like horn erupting from forehead
Joshua - gold-skinned mutant, wingless flight, does not need air to breathe
Ragdoll - female, elasticity
Fluke - a master of probability, everything just seems to fall effortlessly together for this supervillain
Writhe - female, humanoid black snake
Lemming: he uses his large area-effect hypnotic powers to entrance large groups of people and march them to their doom
Stench: gets a perverse sense of joy out of backing up sewer and cutting water mains; can take a water form
Stooge: can control large flocks of angry pigeons...
Rascal and Vandal: 2 super-hip and flashy young mutants. Rascal has a rocket-powered skateboard and Vandal can create a paint-like substance with his bare hands. They like to graffiti important buildings (usually with something lame like "You've been Vandalized!") or disrupt public events (such as cutting the power at a concert and then setting off firecrackers inside the venue that spell out "YOU RASCAL YOU")
Jackboot: a powerful and militaristic cyborg that heads up a gang of goose-stepping thugs
Blitz: speed, strength
The Lizard: 8' tall lizard with adhesion, strength, and a powerful tongue attack
Sanctuary: aura of calm, maybe force fields
Flint: obsidian body, body weapons (throws shards of obsidian)
Peekaboo: female, intangible, X-ray vision, dresses skimpily
Beacon: radiates light from body
Firecracker: fire and sonic powers
Replica: mimic
Spectrum: multi-colored skin, multi-colored light expulsion
Sparrowhawk: humanoid falcon with strong avian features, feathers, and wings
Visage: wears a mask, has a horrifying face that can stun any who see it
Barrage: heavy hitter
Scout: all minor abilities - extraordinary PS, PP, and sight
Monsoon: water and wind powers
Project Two: Man, coming up with super crimes is difficult could you help me come up with locations for super crimes?
What follows is the list that my wife gave me already in d% form:
01 Brewery
02 Bottling plant
03 Bottled water factory
04 Paint factory
05 Glass factory
06 Armaments factor
07 Desalination plant
08 Sewage plant
09 Recycling center
10 Water tower
11 Mail distribution facility
12 Police station
13 Library
14 Children's hospital
15 Fire department
16 Public garden
17 Canal
18 Fountain
19 School bus parking lot
20 Greyhound bus station
21 Train station
22 Printing press
23 Mint
24 Bank
25 Fish farm
26 Chicken farm
27 Dairy farm
28 Basilica
29 Synagogue
30 Temple
31 Festival celebrating a fruit
32 Festival celebrating whales
33 Festival celebrating Italians
34 Antique Roadshow
35 Exhibition of ancient sacred texts
36 Sarcophagus on tour
37 Marathon
38 Street market
39 Charity run
40 Labor union strike
41 Taxi strike
42 Sanitation workers strike
43 Bird migration
44 Insect infestation
45 Disease outbreak
46 Construction project
47 Opening of new building
48 Demolition of old building
49 Audition for national TV show
50 Movie being filmed in the city
51 County fair
52 Illusionist/mesmeri st on tour
53 Reunion concert
54 Auto show
55 Horse race
56 Local elections
57 Dog show
58 Clean up the city day
59 Holiday with fireworks
60 Dispatch center for emergency services
61 Telephone switchboard center
62 Central food preparation facility for elementary school lunches
63 Water main break
64 SAT exams
65 Celebrity cook-off
66 Restaurant open houses with food tasting
67 Bike to work day
68 Candle-carrying memorial walk to commemorate crime victims
69 Film festival
70 Airport
71 Graveyard
72 Zoo
73 Embassy
74 Art gallery
75 Marching band competition
76 Baseball game
77 Hockey game
78 Slaughterhouse
79 Heating oil reserve
80 Genealogical records repository
81 Aquarium
82 Bridal exposition
83 Commuter parking garage
84 Jazz festival
85 Gay and lesbian pride parade
86 Cybercafe
87 Little League championships
88 Boat show
89 Revival meeting
90 Natural history museum
91 Planetarium
92 Wax museum
93 Presentation of key of the city
94 Presentation of honorary degree
95 Graduation
96 Charity dance-off
97 Veterans' hospital
98 Auction
99 Beauty contest
00 Mansion Walk - once a year open house to showcase exclusive homes
OK these were fun projects and they really helped me. I have heaped praise on my wife, including putting what she did in this post, and have already used them in the duet campaign and will use them in my group campaign as well. So if you are running a duet campaign and find your energy lagging ask your player for some help. I should say that this also works with group campaigns as well.
Comments, questions, and cries of joy and anguish are always appreciated.