Metagaming

Metagaming:  For those who don't know the term, it is multifaceted, and can be complex.  In its basest form, Metagaming is cheating.  Metagaming is often taking out of game information and using it in game.  You the player have read every book printed by the ancient venerable and inscrutable masters, you know more than the average bear, hell you probably know more than the average DM.

Your character does not.  

When your storyteller starts describing the creature that just stepped out of the puddle of primordial ooze, with dripping fangs, a purple shaded hide of gnarly skin, and flashing scarlet eyes, some of your players will begin flipping through their character sheets after the prerequisite number of 'that creature is your mom jokes'; they will already preparing to fight the creature's weaknesses.  They've read every book cover to cover.  You were just trying to prepare a fun session, and now there is no exploration, there's no mystery.
 

This is not OK.

If players want to waltz through the universe without any discovery, they should be playing Doom, with the god code on, not playing in the game you've worked so hard to prepare.  Its not cool, its not good sportsmanship.  It's not really gaming.  Sure, gaming can be broken down into well prepared math vs other hopefully well prepared math.  But gaming is so much  more than math.  We play to escape predictability, we play to escape the mundane, hopefully we don't play just to win.  Let me tell you that winning without struggle is boring, like DMV boring.  Its overcoming the enemy with teamwork, its about experiencing an amazing story, going home and dreaming about it.  That is why we game.

When you notice that your players are starting to break your game because of out of game knowledge, please stop them.  Pause the game, and tell them that it doesn't matter if  they know what they are fighting, the rest of the players may not.  Tell them that if a PC has a secret, but you know it out of game, don't arm wrestle them down with investigation checks, and bluff checks, and manipulation rolls, trying to get it out of them.  That's not fun.  Players that give up their information willingly are more likely to have fun.  If a player understands that you don't allow metagaming and still chooses to engage in that behavior, give them the choice, and kick them out if necessary.  They may have to sit out for a few sessions, trust me, they want to game more than they want to cheat. 

Remember that we play to play.

Sorry today's post is a little short.  I'm working on a free Shadowrun adventure that will be posted for anyone who wants to use it.  It should be up in a week or so.  

Drama

Drama is the blood of any game.  It informs much of what the players are trying to accomplish, be it the destruction of a great foe, the righting of a wrong, the search for profit, the battling of a curse, the quest for ale.  As a storyteller, it is often tough to craft the perfect dramatic moment.  It is always possible, but it takes time and precision.  Here are some do's and don't's of crafting a dramatic moment.

Describe combat-  Combat should be so much more than rolling dice.  You should describe every sword thrust, every plasma bolt, the heat of the Inn that some enemy set ablaze.  These moments should be crafted in such a way to emphasize the flow of combat.  Combat should be fluid, full of rich description.  This can include micro-moments of facial reaction to the description of blood flowing from an open wound.  Don't shy away from description, for they are some moments to let you shine.  If you need some more for instances, I highly suggest that you check out critical role on GeekandSundry, hosted by voice actor and all around awesome guy- Matthew Mercer.  First episode can be found above. 

Death- This technique involves the flat out murdering of someone close to the pc's.  When you feel like it's time for them to spread their wings and fly in the world, kill their mentor, their patron, or anyone they feel beholden to.  This will generate drama.  Please take note, that your instinct will be to make this a cutscene...DO NOT DO THIS!  Pc's who have their free will taken away will be angry.  Find those moments where they cannot help the npc.  They can die off camera, or be wounded unto death off camera, the pc's can arrive just as he gives them one last piece of advice before perishing.  Make them choose between saving a pc and an NPC.  Have a contingency in place that seems legit.  The pc's might do something impressive and jump in front of that sniper bullet.  If they choose to sacrifice to save an NPC.  Let them make that choice, don't save them.  The drama will still be there, and will be amazing.  You can also put the NPC in an environment that the pc's won't be able to get into.  Hermetically sealed chamber, magical ward, tower that will take several rounds to climb or fly to.  Make sure the pc's can see what is going to happen.  They will be powerless to stop it, but they won't feel as powerless as with a cutscene. 

Music-  Melody lends rhythm to events.  Dissonant music brings conflict and foreboding.  Use music in your games and players will suddenly find themselves in the tavern, or on a beach listening to the dirge for a northern king.  Try not to pick music with lyrics, they force concentration away from the story, and onto the music.  Players, like everyone, are easily distracted, its up to you to hold their focus.  For combat, find a mix of light quick songs, that will inform the players that they are in a fun combat.  More dramatic music should reflect the levity of the events, and the possibility of death.  Find moments to cut the music off.  Fighting a few rounds in silence could heighten things, especially if the pc's are losing.  For sci fi, I suggest finding some techno like Daft Punk, for fantasy, there are some wonderful lyric-less Irish songs that will enrich your game to no end.  For moments when you do need lyrics do youtube searches and listen to things.  You will find no end to clubbing music, to medieval germanic chanting, to everything you could possibly want under the sun.

Go slow- Drama is a dance.  Describe things carefully, but not too specifically.  You want to use terms that don't drag the story like saying there are exactly thirty seven columns each carved with two hundred images of Glam the thunderbutt, unless Glam's Thunderbuttussus (Plural?) is integral to the plot.  Use descriptions that leave it open the the imagination.  The player brain knows what it wants in there, where you only surmise what they are seeing.  Everyone will have a different cliff face, a different meadow, a different neon saturated nightclub.  Your job isn't to force them to see your world, your job is to enhance their own vision of the world they see.   

Go fast- Sometimes its ok to go fast.  Forcing the players to rush into decisions creates some amazing moments.  Don't be afraid to use these when you must.  It can often help you craft specific moments later, especially if you can predict what players will do under pressure.  Give them some opportunities to discuss a plan of action, but not too much time. 

Food- Food is the best way to create drama.  Slip things in over a character's meal, and game will be amazing.  The food table is supposed to be safe, regulated, ritualistic.  Players might be away from their weapons, they might be sharing a drink.  They won't expect that corpse to fall through the table just as a haunch of venison was set before them.  Moments of safety turned on their head creates a great amount of drama. 

Change your perspective-  This is a technique that forces you to move.  Stand up to talk down to the pc's.  Get down low to beg for help or assistance.  Force their characters to get into their bodies.  If you are roleplaying a drunken lord who doesn't like the look of one of the pc's, stand up and lord over them.  If you don't have squeamish neighbors, actually shout at them.  Be careful when employing this technique, make sure that your players feel safe in the space.  Roleplay pain that an NPC is experiencing, it will help the players get there in their heads.  Get soft and conspiratorial, force the players to hang on your every word, get close, it will force a game session to get intimately more awesome.  Don't touch another player unless you know them well, and have their permission.  

Above all, roleplay is the key to drama- Getting as into the NPC's skin as possible, knowing their motivations, and how desperate they are to achieve them will help you craft drama, and help your players get swept away into it. 

Comedy

Unless your game was forged in the withered heart of an ice troll, moments of comedy should be cherished.  Comedy are those moments in a game, where the weight of purpose falls away, allows the players to float above their wounds, their sorrows, and usually laugh harder than they would in real life. 

Why is comedy important? 

Comedy allows to  temporarily mask the game in the ridiculous, a different form of heightened reality.  It can arise in many forms.  Players will often utilize comedy to roleplay themselves out of tense moments, or to add a sparkle of awkward to a vigorous combat.  These occurrences lighten the mood, and laughter is the surest sign that someone is experiencing happiness. 

A quote book:
Every game should have a quote book.  This is an archive of every humorous thing someone  has said, including the GM.  Allow anyone to be able to say, "That's going in the quote book!" 

Here are some of my own examples.

"She's is my girlfriend, she just doesn't know she's my girlfriend!" Said by a player whose former lover had amnesia.

"Don't talk to me like I'm  five years old, I control reality!"  Said by...me.

"We have to go down deeper into the deep deepness."  Said during an exploration of the underdark.

"Baseballbat, baseballbat, deagle, deagle, great sword, shotgun, grenade, knife....etc."  One of my players in a vampire larp describing his gear every time anyone new came into game.   

"Bankers don't dodge well."  Said by a ventrue vampire character after being targeted by a swarm of shadow tendrils. 

"I eat the poop."  Said by a player who played just the most awful rancid goblin you  ever laid eyes on.  Gods bless his foul mouth.  

These are the moments we remember.  Sometimes we don't even remember the tense moments, but we always remember the comedy.  So you may know that comedy cannot be forced, or it won't work.  But you  can increase its likelihood with a  few techniques.

Accents- Accents are an incredible way to get yourself into a character.  I know what you're saying, "I can't do accents."  Everyone can do accents, with varying degrees of skill.  The best way to work on accents is to listen to them.  Watch lord of the rings, pick out distinct dialects to mimic.  Practice, practice, practice, even if its bad.  Hyperbole the accent to its worst form and have fun!  Also, there are many helpful youtube videos out there around accent work, if that is your bag.

Physical comedy-  Physical comedy is the art of falling down, into, or through something.    You can help this happen by changing the physical locations of the game.  Have the players play somewhere muddy, or have them suddenly have to scale buildings up to a rooftop chase.  Force them through livestock pens after being doused in adhesive, and see what happens.  Have them run through residential areas in pursuit, and describe just the weird things they come across.  Force them to stop by sheer ridiculousness to see a man in a rubber chicken suit eating icecream while watching jeopardy.  Have them interrupt a baron's naughty encounter, that'll start some comedy. 

Drugs and alchohol- NO, I'm not saying do a ton of drugs and drink like George Orwell.  I'm saying your characters can.  Players roleplaying drunk is some of the best memories I have had gaming.  It also helps shy players get out of their shells as their inhibitions go down in game (weird, I know).  Gassing the pc's with hallucinogens is also a great idea.  See who rises to the occasion.  Above all things, don't use comedy as a punishment though.  Allow your players to choose to roleplay.  Make sure that none of your players have strong anti-drug and alcohol sentiments as well.  Make sure to practice safe roleplaying, or you'll get space crabs.

Crazy NPC's- This is another good way of getting your players into a state of comedy.  If they have to chase a crazy alchemist cause he is trying to cure everyone of  foot warts and he's riding through town on a flaming carriage singing while he lobs alchemical elixirs at people that forces everyone also to sing their feelings, you're on the right track. 

These are some techniques to lighten the mood of your game.  Of course as in all things there are a million more.  Please don't hesitate to comment if you think of one that you love. 

  

The True Villain

This is the one- The big bad, the doctor evil, the emperor, The Thanos, the greater demon prince, the Red Dragon, the god.  This is the person who has slaughtered their way into the PC's hearts.  This is the top shelf scotch of evil.  Writing a compelling villain can be tough.  You don't want them to be cookie cutter bad guy who is interested in wealth and power for its own sake.  A compelling villain will have a motivation that is very human.  Here are some things to remember when crafting your big bad.  In the beginning, you may not even have a big bad yet.  You might have a false trail to someone who isn't the final evil.  This is all fine. 

1. Define roughly their motivation.  Are they seeking an ancient magic to stave off death?  Are they trying to unite nine temples in order to open a dimensional prison to release the rest of his or her kind?  Is he trying to kill the god responsible for the flooding of his village?  Is he trying to destroy everything his emperor father built?  Is he trying to unite the people under one banner before he lets a host of parasites into their food supply to supplicate them?  A compelling villain started with good intentions, but along their way, they crossed a line and never looked back.  A truly amazing feat if you can pull it off is to craft a final villain out of the pc's actions.  Find the one person they screwed over in their incessant search for rainbows and golden happiness, and give them a grudge...and power. 

2.  Know their philosophy.  Every villain should have a rough philosophy on life.  Think of it as alignment from DND.  It should be a rough set of morals or lack thereof.  This will help inform what tactics this villain uses.  Is he brutal but spares children?  Are her forces comprised entirely of robots because he doesn't trust organics?  Does he always leave a calling card behind?  Philosophy should be informed by her past.  This will help cement this NPC in your head, and begin show tracking patterns for the pc's to follow.  It should be noted that some villains won't leave a trail, and won't have a discernible motivation.  You can do this purposefully, just to keep the pc's on their toes.  So long as you keep a strong motivation.  Even the Joker has a motivation, and a philosophy. 

 3. Know roughly what they can do:  You should have a rough idea of what class or species informs the majority of their powers.  Are they a magic user?  A powerful fighter?  Do they command a mighty starship?  Are they a dragon in disguise?  Are they an ex mercenary with full conversion cybernetics?  Its important to only know one thing in the beginning, the pc's can't kill him yet. 

4.  What are the forces they control?  What do their minions look like?  Do they have entire clans of giants under their sway?  Do they control a hives of hunter killer drones, swarming from asteroids to destroy unsuspecting ships?  Are they master shadowmancers, commanding ethereal spirits to murder everyone wearing green shoes?  Do their forces shift and change, implying the conquering of other species and organizations? 

5.What ground do they control?  Are they the leader of an entire nation?  Do they have fortresses spread out across the mountains?  Do they command a fleet and their own starport?  Do they travel through dimensional rifts to destroy their enemies?  Are they spreading grave blight over the land to nourish and maintain his forces?  Defining some of the ground they control will help you form an idea of the resources at their command.  

6. How does this guy get around?  The more mobile you make this NPC, the better.  They should be able to get away most of the time until the end.  In case the pc's do get the drop on this girl (trust me, they will try).  Do they teleport?  Do they have the ability to transfer their consciousness into a living vessel?  Do they slip in and out of reality?  Or do they have a super fast car (don't make it a car)? 

7.  Final showdown- You should have a rough idea of how the final showdown is going to go, and where it will happen.  It will excite you about the game and the journey.  Be prepared to throw this out, because no plan survives contacts with the pc's.  

World Building: Cities.

"Remember maps are a representation of the territory, they are not the territory themselves"
-Tracy Hickman

World building a city:  Its a daunting task.  You want to create a compelling rich world full of things to do, and see.  It has many steps and will be part of the bulk of your work as a GM. 

Walk the grounds:  What kind of world is this?  Are you putting them on the equivalent of Hoth?  Or are you dabbling more into a Dark Sun kind of setting, all sand and heat?  What does the night sky look like?  Are the stars important?  Or are they just pinpricks in the night?  How many moons are there?  Is it tidally locked?  Are there mountains?  Are there visible Nebulae?  Where are the major bodies of water?  Put down a city.  Where do the streets flow?  What do the people do?  What culture do they adhere to?  Who are they at war with?  What animals scuttle in the forests?  What do their children aspire to be?  Building a society can be as easy or as difficult as you want to make it.  Walk around the place in your mind, find the poverty, find the wealth and affluence, step through the halls of power and witness the ancient societies begin to form in your mind.  See the guards walking the streets.  See the cars, or the space hoppers, see the poor clinging to the walls of filth.  See the people who hide their guardianship in the shadows, see the people who pretend with righteous splendor in the light. Places hold romance until visited, things hold mystery until explored.  The horizon is a place that the players want to go but can't, not yet.  Keep them in the present using lush environments.  Meaning is found in spaces between your words, let the players picture the place, that will make it the best of their imagination.

"Plate tectonics- Create terrain
Ocean currents Determins Climate
Climate bands- Weather patterns
Rainfall- erodes and changes terrain
Course of Rivers- Spread civilization
Technology and magic are all evoked from the spread of geopolitics."

Tracy Hickman- World building. 

After topography, you might want to think culture, the cause of all conflict.  For city building, break the city up into quarters, not like fourths, but like chunks.  Find the affluent areas and define what guilds, societies, gangs, nobility are in power.  Find the poorest chunk and define how much control the thieves guild has, or the street thugs, or the church.  You should have NPC's of interest in each chunk you define.

For City building these are some things to consider:

Mercantile quarter- Name at least five goods and or services people can get from there, be it drugs, textiles, armor, guns, etc.  Whether the gear is legal or not, and what's generally available.  Give them some characters to interact with.  Good place for PC's to get gossip, and begin learning of the halls of power in the area.  This should also be a major cultural center with art and theater, showing the players where they are. 

Dockside- Everything happens at port.  New people come in, old people go out.  People are robbed, stabbed, turned into fondue.  Pirates come in, goods and services, hookers, beer, supernatural animals, illicit artifacts, aliens, smugglers, gold, nuyen, credits, whatever you want.  Good place for people to get connected into the underworld if need be.  Also a good place to host the information broker NPC.

Residential areas- This is where the bulk of the population is.  Great place to show between rich and poor.  Packing as much poor into as little space as possible allows you to show decadence vs squalor.  PC's who end up in a fancy dress ball will be reminded of the street choked with homeless they recently passed through.  NPC's here can be anyone, local community leaders trying to make a difference, local thieves trying to make a buck, local artisans down on their luck, magic users trying to hide while they concoct plans. Illegal drug dens, brothels, etc.

Archive- This is a location inside the city that holds knowledge.  This can take the form of a university, a forbidden library, a mage's guild, server banks.  Its a good place to put an arcanist character or information broker.  Remember that knowledge should be jealously guarded, and the rarer the knowledge, the better the guards.

Military- This is anywhere that holds a fortress, or barracks.  It should be a center for guards, and is as dangerous as you want it to be.  Good place for Patron NPC.

Foreign Quarters- This is  where you put other species, or other foreign powers.  You get to explore themes on race, power, inequality.  They are very human elements and are things that players will explore both as players and as PC's.  It is a place to explore emotion, so use it, or I'll hit you with a pie.

Sewers- This is a great place to explore.  Players will find the darkest secrets by sifting through the sludge.  down here are secrets, thieves guilds, assassins guilds, ghouls, gangs, illegal goods, monsters.  Here is where you should send them.  They will feel equally safe, and in danger. 

Rooftops- Just like the sewers are a realm to themselves, so too are the rooftops.  Topography changes, players are forced to think differently about spacial constraints.  They will most definitely be somewhere they shouldn't.  Cats, late night lovers, owls, ravens, children, these are all now perception vs stealth checks you can throw at your party, until they get into that one window they've been trying to find.  "LACE CURTAINS MY OVERSIZED RUMP!  They're all lace curtains!"

Golden Palace- This is the area that holds all the wealth.  Who holds it?  What do their houses/ apartments look like?  How many servants do they wield in the arts of seneschal?  What security do they have?  How do they treat the poor?  How do they treat their fellow rich people?  Web of stabs should be found here, both literal and sociopolitical.   

Clerical:  This is the last place to consider.  If religion plays a part of your game, where do the people draw their faith from?  What major religions are practiced?  Are they true believers?  Do they just reap the locals for wealth?  These are all possible places to explore. 

Writers Block:

This is the bane of any storyteller-  Writers block.  When I first starting running a game in earnest, I had three great sessions and then hit writers block, and hit it hard.  My game became crap and died pretty quickly.  So I sat back and developed some techniques to help me through it.  I haven't really suffered writers block since, and now I think I am closer to "getting it" as I ever have been. 

The cure for writers block is different for all people, this are things that helped me.

1: Read-  Pick up your favorite book, or a book in the genre your playing and start to read.  Soon you'll find that brain sludge turning into gold.  Try not to steal things outright (you can, people do it all the time), but take thoughts and make them your own.

2:  Play a game-- Play a card game, play a video game, play a board game.  Trust me, there is nothing better than playing a game of magic the gathering and seeing a story unfold in front of you.  Suddenly you've worked goblin sled riding a giant earth elemental holding an alchemical grenade, and its the game your players still talk about five years later.  If you can, play in a roleplaying game as a player between games, it will take some stress away and you'll see story again from the other side.

3:  Look at art- This one is huge.  Go on pinterest, type in the genre you're running and look at imagery.  Your brain won't help but churn out some ideas.  Link ideas together in your brain stew, and start writing.  Movies also count. 

4: Write!  You have to keep writing.  Keep putting those ideas down, even if they are craptastic and give you eye scabs to look at.  You're going to have crappy games, I still do, and I've been doing this for close to thirty years.  Take the nuggets of gold you love and Jackson Pollock them on the page, see what forms.

5: Go for a walk- Seriously, get outside, go breathe some unprocessed air, leave your game at home and clear your head.  

6: Find a friend to bounce ideas off of.  This one is great, if you think an idea is garbage but you want a second opinion, get someone honest in your life and say, hey would you think a game involving jumping from one flaming zeppelin to another with queen Xarna's crown jewels strapped to your own crown jewels would be exciting?  If they say yes, give it a try.

7: Remember its a game!  You're playing, so play.  Test ideas in your head.  See things from a players perspective.  See if you encountered the same thing as a player if it would feel awful or fun.  You may end up answering your own questions.

8:  Make a cup of tea-  Seriously, how can three trillion English people be wrong?  Also, I'm not a census taker, I have no idea how many English people there are in the world.  According to doctor who, most people will be English in the future, so bite me.  Tea is calming, and helps you relax, and there is a neuro-chemical exchange in the brain that makes you a better person with amazing pecks and fabulous ideas...don't quote me on that...just drink a cup of tea.

9: Prepare to scrap the game- If the game isn't working, its ok to scrap it, really.  If your heart isn't in it, you're wasting your time, and your players time.  Do this only if you've given it your all.  You owe yourself that much, and your players.

10: Be social- Go out into the real world.  There are a billion characters out there to observe, they will say terrible, amazing, heart curdling things.  Just be there to write it down in your head.  Also profanity is always acceptable....In general....unless you're at a funeral, then its just amazing. 

NPC types

So, there are tons of different NPC types that you can throw at your pc's.  These can be as broad as archetypal characters to specific characters with living breathing goals.  You don't want to make too many characters with specific goals in mind.  If you've planned out the lineage of an average road bandit beyond what you can pull out of your posterior pocket dimension, you've probably gone too far.  The following are some of the things you can use to frame your mind into NPC generation.

The Patron- This is a rich NPC or even a powerful NPC who takes the pc's under his wing.  He can either be working toward an honest betterment of the world, or maybe he is really an evil douche hose, trying to get the pc's to do what he needs.  Treat these characters with extreme amount of caution.  Its easy for pc's to get demanding of their patrons.  Make sure you have a ceiling in mind of what this person can and cannot do.  These characters usually take the form of nobility in fantasy settings, or powerful magic users, or dragons in disguise, or demons in disguise, or spirits in meat suit disguises, or faeries in disguise (I'm trying to say disguise them if you're rolling fantasy), or six goblins standing on shoulders in disguise.   In Shadowrun they take the forms of Mr. Johnsons (powerful individuals working at the behest of a megacorp).  In L5R, probably a daimyo or regional governor would work for this position.  In Vampire it should be a prince or primogen.  In Rogue trader it can be a powerful space marine captain, a dark eldar Wytch lady, really the possibilities are endless.  The Patron as the true villain also can work, but you really have to watch yourself.  First sign of provable skulduggery, and your plot is proper fucked.

The true villain- Don't take this role lightly.  Your true villain is the person behind most of the pain, anguish, severed limbs the pc's have had to endure.  They have a really horrible plan in mind, something that will ruin thousands if not millions of lives.  Think big and you'll have a lot of places to go.  Think too small and the pc's will solve the problem really fast.  The bigger she is, the slower the dance should be before the pc's are in a position to fight her.  Drop hints, make the legend as big, or bigger than it needs to be.  If your true villain is subtle, make sure he or she is either perceived as a friend (making the betrayal that much worse), or make sure that the pc's are the only ones who see the shaping of the evil plan.  If you dance the dance right, the pc's will have a great epic showdown.

The thorn- This is my favorite character type to throw into a game.  Its an enemy who is actually a friend.  Someone who appears to be an ongoing thorn in the pc's side, but is actually a hero, doing their best to stay alive.  They plan conflict with the party as a way to train them, to make them stronger.  It should be revealed eventually that they are an ally, and after that, you should definitely off them in a horrible way, making the discovery a relief, and the pain of loss that much greater.  Think Snape from Harry Potter, and you're on the right track.

The information Broker- This is someone the pc's will go to for vital information- they will pay for it, out the nose.  Whether the info is good or not is up to you, what matters is, make the pc's jump through hoops to get the info from this individual, either by trading away vital resources, or performing horrible tasks for the broker.  Remember to keep this character swathed in the shadows as much as possible.  You can even have this individual working for the Thorn, or the True villain if need be.  Networking as many interconnections as possible makes redundancies for giving info and exploring untraveled plot trees, which actually help in gaming.

Henchman- These are the bulk of the threats the pc's will face.  They can take many forms, guards, kobolds, orcs, hordes of hormagaunts, undead, minor samurai from an enemy clan, ghouls.  They should have purpose, and you should vary them as much as possible, mixing them up to create different threats.  If your henchman are cookie cutter minions, your players will get good at fighting them, and get bored.  As the pc's hunt down lieutenants of the true villain, change who they are fighting.  Make some ranged, some heavy, some average, some hidden, some obviously out in the open.  Also remember that because of math, in many systems, the henchman will have a better chance of killing pc's than the true villain.  I've seen five guards maul the pc's by sheer weight of numbers, and i've seen pc's kill a huge ending bad guy who was armed with claws and a flaming corpse cannon in two rounds of combat... single man tear (learn, move on).  I'm kidding about his equipment, if I recall he fought primarily with harsh language.  

The arcanist- This is a magic user, psychic, thaumaturgist, etc. etc.  These character types should guard their secrets jealously.  They should always be a source of occult information, and they should be able to accomplish things the pc's wouldn't else wise be able to perform.  They should toy with the pc's as much as possible.  They should use magic or psychics that the pc's haven't seen yet (this may force you to make up something not in the books *gasp*).  It should be cool, and something the pc's will want to learn, or utilize.  This character can also fall under the patron or info broker.  The arcanist should have toys, but shouldn't be assailable...yet.

Commoners- These are people on the street, people in bars, average citizens who spend their days gossiping and passing out in their cups.  They have general information usually.  If a pc asks someone along the road what they've seen, they should have something for the pc.  Remember to build that into your campaign, a mix of bad information and good information.  Commoners are mostly trying to get by, they may ask for help, or they may offer succor to the party (succor is food and comfort etc, etc.).  Reward the pc's for dealing with commoners, allow it to spread the myth of the adventuring party, who saved the daughter of lord Ducaine and brought the evil bandit king to heel.  Commoners can breed like rabbits, so making family connections in other towns can be a funny way of letting the pc's feel good about their accomplishments.

The good soul- this is an NPC who is honestly good.  They take the forms of clerics, doctors, kind orphanage wardens (it doesn't happen often, but it can), the kindly knight on the road.  These are people who prove that there is good in the world.  It is important, especially in dark toned games, to find those who are trying to assist the world, to make it a brighter place, to save humanity.  In harsher games, its moments of kindness and levity that help the pc's know what they fight for.  Some games will not have The good Soul in them.  Vampire for instance, doesn't usually have a straight up good person, unless they are a mortal who the vampires encounter.  Usually the good soul will have other aspects overlayed on their person.  The sheriff of the city trying his best to keep the place from erupting into civil war.

The Sheriff- See what I did there?  I dovetailed.  Its when you do a thing to go into another thing....I'll explain when you're older.  This character represents local law enforcement.  Ninety percent of the time, the pc's will do something illegal and come to blows with the law.  The Sheriff should be someone that the pc's can't steamroll, or why wouldn't they be in charge of the city/town.  The Sheriff can be either good or bad, depending on what is needed in that moment.  The Sheriff can be the tool of a great good, or great evil also, doing what they are commanded to do.  If the Sheriff is generally a good person, the pc's should be able to reason with her.  If they are bad, well...I hope you kept a lock picking kit in your sock drawer, and your sock drawer in your underwear, cause its time for a prison break.  Sheriff's might take on the roll of patron for a few games, hiring the party to go route out a nest of evil shovelhead vamps, or to destroy a Rokkit ship of ork's just starting a Waaaaaggggh (waaagh's are great, so long as you aren't on the receiving end of them).

The Assassin- This is something mid to late game.  The true villain knows that the pc's are a threat and they send someone to kill them in the open, or in their sleep.  Pay attention to your players.  If you know someone is dissatisfied with their character, they are the one the Assassin is going to target.  Make sure the player is ok with their pc's auto death.  Don't tell the other players if you're going this route.  It makes for a huge wake up call, especially if the pc's have been waltzing through the adventure with little to no difficulty.  Even if you don't go this route, the assassin should almost kill a pc, like make it as close as possible, or if the dice are in the assassins favor, do kill a pc.  It depends on who your players are.  I am a huge advocate of lying on dice rolls when necessary if it feels like the pc's are getting mumped to death, or are doing way too well.  DO NOT USE THIS AS A PUNISHMENT THOUGH.  Don't lie on every dice roll, it becomes a really bad habit.

The Warlord- This is usually a local general or military commander who is used to generate combat based plot.  They can be an enemy, or someone the players have to deal with regularly.  A warlord should always be more powerful than the pc's (within reason), and should be something to be feared, and respected.  If you are running out of ideas and need a breather to plan a few game sessions.  Drop a war on the players.  Game sessions will be stealth, combat, riches, negotiation for a bit while you gather your plans and decide where to send the pc's next.

The shadow of the past- This is a character from a pc's past.  They can be a family member long thought dead, they can be an old teacher, they can be a childhood best friend.  They should show up at a dramatic moment.  These npc's can be used to give the pc's information about a great destiny, or about an encroaching threat, or they can seek assistance when needed.  They should evoke emotion and memory, and the pc's should never quite be able to trust this individual, because, why are they here now, right after we defeated Lord Highbane Mc hashtag Necromancyfunsorrynotsorry and stole his book of shadowy secret seven herbs of death magic?  And wasn't my father supposed to be dead?  Wasn't that mole on his other nostril?   

The Merchant- These are npc's who sell stuff.  It is important to remember not to give them too much stuff.  Also, protect your merchants, players will always try to steal from them, always.  Merchants can be a good source of information too.  Every interaction with an NPC should be a possibility of learning more.  DO NOT MAKE A MERCHANT A PUSHOVER.

Agent of chaos and comedy- This NPC is to bring moments of levity.  They can be the jester in court, the malkavian on the street, the drunken dwarf who just came from a demilitarized zone and he really has a lot of jokes to get off his chest and he has a huge crush on an elf who won't give him the light of day, but he knows if he talks about the size of her spellbook, she'll be receptive to his charms or lack thereof.  Sometimes its a rival pirate captain who loves life and wenching.  These characters should introduce moments of antics and comedy.  Sometimes a pc will fill this role more than anything you can come up with (if you're really lucky and have a Sean in your group).  Sometimes a break is necessary from all the killing and drama.  Keep track and act accordingly.       
    

   

NPC bullet points

NPC Types-

So I've mentioned that you should bullet point NPC's when your generating your game.  I'm going to give you an example of how to develop an early game-  Lets take any setting- Lets say the pc's are fantasy characters just meeting on the road-  We'll make up a town- Kosrin-Vei in the land of lets say- Scyrith.  The town used to be the holdfast of a clerical order who hunted undead.  This order is long gone, all but buried in myth.  These are the plots around the city.  See if you can connect them in interesting ways.  I'll give you some NPC's and examples on how to weave them into your story. 

Pc's are all coming from the road.  They witness things from different characters perspectives.  They see bandits using grapnels to get over the walls, too far to do anything but close enough to let the city watch be on the look out.  Another player sees a group of children being led out into the hills to pick mushrooms.  A third player sees an old gristled knight riding back into town, heavily hooded and cloaked and they spy a distinct ring on his finger.  A fourth player sees a servant jumping out of a window and sprinting off into the mists holding a rich doll.  Innocuous events, right?  Sure.  How would you piece them together?

Lord Ducaine Aryl- Lord protector of the town.  Fighter based character.  Tall, wearing full plate armor with the mark of the Iron Sword legion.  Generally a fair and noble ruler.  Decent at fighting, observing, and diplomacy.  He prefers to listen first, speak after.  Notes:  Lord Ducaine's daughter has recently gone missing, but he is trying to hush it up while his men find her.

Lady Vay Lusteran- Enchantress of the court.  Magic based character.  Young to middle years, wearing long blue flowing robes, holds a staff of magical power.  Generally quiet and observant.  Decent at sorcery, deceit, and mercantile arts.  She is gregarious and kind in appearance.  She prefers to lavish items upon anyone in her presence to make them feel at ease.  Notes:  She controls trade in this region by various merchants, and enforces it with bandits and assassins.

Sir Wayland Cort- Sheriff of the town.  Social character.  Elder years, wearing leather and scale mail, he wears a ring bearing the sigil of the old order of clerics (remember what the pc's saw?).  He is smart and socially able to outwit most who try to probe into his life.   He is loud, does like his wine and a good story.  He is a talker, not a fighter.  He mentions off hand that he has been in bed all day with a hangover.  He will try to swat away most inquiries.  Notes: Sir Wayland was in the old cleric temple hidden in town, not outside on the road as the players might suspect.

Gesa Aryl- Daughter of Lord Ducaine- A child of ten years.  Short, mousy with freckles and currently wearing an old peasant dress and cloak.  Normally very talkative, she has seen something horrible and now is silent.  She has no applicable skills currently as she has been traumatized.  Notes:  Gesa  witnessed a terrible necromantic ritual.  She has since been taken.

Alright, four NPC's and some notes.  between 15-20 minutes of work, and already we have a million ways this could go.  The child could have been captured by Wayland after she saw him give over the cleric secrets to some wicked evil.  She could have been kidnapped by bandits to keep her father under control.  She might have been one of the children under influence being marched right out the front gate into the wilderness.  The servant could have her doll, or he could be a red herring.  The enchantress might be secretly working for the  clerics, maybe not.  See, you have twenty odd plot trees to explore, and no distinguishing order.  Players can go in whatever direction you want.   Lady Vay might hire them to investigate the bandits (trying to get them killed), Sir Wayland might warn them that an ancient enemy is rising, the king may hire them to look for his missing daughter.  With an hour worth of work, you'll probably have a decent plan laid out for two or three games.  You'll have to work on specifics for things, but it will be far more satisfying for the players if they can march in a direction and find plot waiting for them.