Stunts and NPCs

[Vanman]

Can NPCs stunt? I don't see any reason they can't, but I'd feel a bit weird assigning a stunt value to a stunt I describe. Has anyone ever used your players to determine the value of a stunt? Or at least use their opinions in making that decision?


I've been thinking about putting stunts to a vote. Someone describes a stunt. I assign a value I'd give it but listen to what the players think. If they all think it's cooler than I did, then I'd likely give that bonus to the describing player. But if I think it's a bogus stunt and everyone says 'Yeah that's cool, give it three dice!' just for the sake of getting the extra dice, I can nix it. Has anyone ever done anything like this? If so, how did it work?


Cheers.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

Named NPCs should stunt; otherwise, they come across as two-dimensional and bland.


 Just set up the descriptions of the stunts beforehand, and polish them a bit. It's easy to justify one-die stunts, and relatively so for two-die stunts; I wouldn't (openly) award my NPCs three-die stunts, though. If you want an extra die or two to add to dice or Essence pools, how are your players gonna know?

 

[Persell]

it gives advice on giving stunt dice to NPC's in the book


you can ask the PC's if it qualifys...


Ideally you can use this.


but in reality they may develop a atmostphere of blackmail "if we dont get stundt dice, neither do you" or blatantly deny it in cases where it would kill their PC.

 

[Vanman]

Named NPCs should stunt; otherwise, they come across as two-dimensional and bland.
 Just set up the descriptions of the stunts beforehand, and polish them a bit. It's easy to justify one-die stunts, and relatively so for two-die stunts; I wouldn't (openly) award my NPCs three-die stunts, though. If you want an extra die or two to add to dice or Essence pools, how are your players gonna know?

I hadn't thought of setting up the descriptions beforehand. Nice one.


Is your signature from Carlos Mencia?

 

[Vanman]

it gives advice on giving stunt dice to NPC's in the book

Of course it does. As I said on another thread, I have the memory of a cro-magnon newt and I hadn't yet gotten to that section yet in my current re-read. Thanks for putting up with the Question That's Obviously in the Book.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

Named NPCs should stunt; otherwise, they come across as two-dimensional and bland.
 Just set up the descriptions of the stunts beforehand, and polish them a bit. It's easy to justify one-die stunts, and relatively so for two-die stunts; I wouldn't (openly) award my NPCs three-die stunts, though. If you want an extra die or two to add to dice or Essence pools, how are your players gonna know?

I hadn't thought of setting up the descriptions beforehand. Nice one.


Is your signature from Carlos Mencia?

 I got it from a t-shirt, but I don't think the original saying is attributable to Mencia.

 

[Persell]

I assign typical stunts to npcs before the game, with typical i mean stunts which fit the nature of the npc. I assign them a stuntvalue, too and then describe them to the players when the npc does them. Works especially well for fights which are planned ahead, like "confronting the deathknight in the hearthroom of his manse". you know the terrain, you know who is going to be there. why not plan ahead?


And I would never ever tell the players a stuntrating or anything, it is not me against them, it is us together telling a story. It does not have to be "fair" it has to be good. Information like that usually only distracts.

 

[simnine]

If the character is not an extra, it can stunt.

 

[Jakk Bey]

They got a name, they can Stunt.  And should.


I can't get behind pre-generated Stunts.  It goes against my idea of what Stunts are.  Stunts are about taking risks, about taking advantage of the moment, a bit of free form gaming, about improvisation.  No two Stunts should be the same, because there shouldn't the same situation arising.  


It keeps my interest up as an ST to roll out with Stunts for NPCs, and if you can get your players to stop for a moment and do a double take on the action that an NPC does, then you've got some fun.  


Mind you, I rarely use the extra dice for their Stunts, but certainly special effects from Stunts come into play.  Dragon Blood villain makes a flurry of attacks that are handily deflected and parried, the PC smiles, and then gets ready to loose his super-duper Combo of Doom, only to hear the floor creak and then collapse.  You take your inspiration from the action, and from your players, and hopefully, they do the same with what you're putting out there.  


Stunts shouldn't be static, but really about being in the moment.

 

[Vanman]

The only reason the pregenerated stunt interests me is that one of the villains I've been thinking of is, in essence, the equivalent of a professional wrestler. And, since every professional wrestler has a finishing move, he, too, will have a finishing move. So I will write up the basics of the move and then modify it as appropriate depending on the situation.


He may even have one or two followers/flunkies who follow him around and commentate on his fights, ala Jim Ross and The King.


As for normal stunts, your advice is good. Thanks for that.

 

[simnine]

"FINISH HIM!"

 

[Silence In Daylight]

I can't get behind pre-generated Stunts.  It goes against my idea of what Stunts are.  Stunts are about taking risks, about taking advantage of the moment, a bit of free form gaming, about improvisation.  No two Stunts should be the same, because there shouldn't the same situation arising.  
Stunts shouldn't be static, but really about being in the moment.

 It'd be optimal if players and the ST could all stunt readily and spontaneously, without redundancy, but that requires a level of imagination that most gaming groups aren't quite at. It's a worthy goal to aspire to, but for players who have some difficulty being creative on the fly, is having a few preconceived stunts such a bad thing? Compared to the awkward thirty seconds or so of silence where a player is struggling to come up with a stunt, says 'Fuck it,' gives up, and just rolls the dice? That's not fun for anyone.