An article by Steve Hatherley

(Published in arcane #5; the earlier, longer version is also available.)

"I have a problem."

Actually, I had two. One was Morden, but worse was keeping Jody's character alive. While the other characters were gods, she was a humble gypsy and was unlikely to surviving the upcoming godwar. While I didn't mind if she died (and I explained that she probably would), it didn't seem fair.

As for Morden, he was the villain of the game, the characters' nemesis: a rogue god. This was the campaign's climax - the game would end tonight, one way or another. Unfortunately, I do not play non-player characters well. I am usually juggling too much in my head to pay them the attention they deserve. I had a feeling Morden was going to suffer and decided to kill two birds with one stone.

I explained my problem to Jody, and she agreed to play Morden for me - providing I could arrange a satisfactory exit for her gypsy, which I did. I then gave her a rundown of Morden's plans, and left her to it.

So Jody played Morden, devoting her skills to making him much more sinister and believable than I could. As a result, we created a far more satisfying ending than I think we would have achieved had I been playing Morden alone.

While I have occasionally given non-player characters to other players to have fun with, I have rarely seen other gamemasters doing anything similar. Yet players seem to revel in these temporary roles. They enjoy playing bit parts now and again, it makes a change from the usual. So why aren't more gamemasters doing it?

If nothing else, creating bit parts for players helps cure that eternal game-killer: boredom. Boredom usually increases as the number of players rises and in a group of four or more players at least one person is inevitably away from the action, and bored. I blame the "adventure party," an artificial construct existing only to allow a bunch of friends to roleplay together. However, when players develop complex motivations for their characters, they stretch the constraints of the "group."

Something has to snap and usually it's the party.

I once ran a Call of Cthulhu game where I knew that the investigators would be outclassed if bullets started flying. To assist our heroes, I introduced an old friend: Christian, shell-shocked veteran of the Great War. Being an old friend is usually lethal in Cthulhu, and I expected Christian to die. But things didn't work out that way.

The investigators had a minor falling out and Tony's character could no longer justify spending time away from his business. Yet the investigation wasn't over! So we agreed on a compromise - the investigator left and Tony played Christian.

As Tony had seen Christian's flaky state of mind in action, I let him take control unassisted. Had I planned something specific for Christian, then I would have provided guidelines. As it was, Tony took liberties that he wouldn't have taken with his own character and enjoyed the game more than if his character had (uncharacteristically) stayed to the finish.

Tony's portrayal was invaluable when Christian returned. Quirks and references I wouldn't have thought of were waiting for me to call on.

You might argue that if players take on bit parts too often, they may play those parts to further their characters' means. However, experience has shown me that this is not usually the case.

Take, for instance, the Trial. The trial took place after a character was caught spying on some soldiers. While I could have skipped straight to the exciting rescue scene, I decided that a proper trial, with judges, a prosecutor and defence (all played by the players, while their characters were elsewhere) would be entertaining.

I had in my mind that the accused player would eventually be found innocent - but the trial went against all my expectations when his story fell apart under scrutiny. There was nothing for it - the accused was sentenced to death!

When players take on other roles, strange things occur. The trial also led to complications that would not have arisen had I merely rolled the dice. For example, a judge took a shine to the character defending the accused and this unexpected turn of events presented the players with an avenue to explore while considering how best to rescue their doomed colleague.

Once players are familiar with bit parts, you may consider the next stage: scenes where everyone plays a bit part. I once played in a routine science fiction bug-hunt game with lots of combat. We had been playing for a few weeks, when suddenly we faced a completely different situation. An alien ship was orbiting Earth, and the gamemaster wanted us to play diplomats visiting the ship. How we reacted and the events that occurred influenced our next mission. (Which might be rescuing the diplomats or destroying the aliens. Maybe, if things went well, an alien marine would accompany us next time.)

If you are running a living, breathing world, there may be occasions in which kings and heads of state meet, corporations negotiate, or mafia conspire. None of these are immediately relevant to the characters, but may affect the world around them. If there is opportunity, why not let the players act out those parts? Let them see firsthand what happens when the king chooses a new bride. Let them take part in the events that will shape the future of your world. And who knows, perhaps the events that unfold send your world spinning in directions you had never considered.

As well as curing campaign-killing boredom, providing bit parts for the players opens a wealth of new possibilities. Not only do the players create new avenues to explore, but everybody enjoys a change now and again. Best of all, all this creative energy is free - the players do it all for you!

Copyright © 1996 Steve Hatherley

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