Guy Hoyle Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 It's popular to think of famous people when you play NPCs (or PCs for that matter). But I often have a hard time coming up with celebrities. So I thought I'd solicit a little crowdsourcing. I'm running through the GM's pack, and I thought I'd cast Clint Eastwood (rest in peace) as Argrath, Christopher Lloyd as Dunorl Brandgorsson, as a examples. A few more I'm looking for: Leika Blackspear Asborn Thriceborn Kallyr Starbrow Tarndisi the Dryad What celebrities do you generally use for NPCs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squaredeal Sten Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 (edited) 57 minutes ago, Guy Hoyle said: It's popular to think of ...... What celebrities do you generally use for NPCs? None. And I don't confuse movie actors with their roles either. Now here is a quiz back to you: which actor is the more formidable American fighting man: Jimmy Stewart or Ohn Wayne? Edited July 4, 2023 by Squaredeal Sten Spelling / typing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Hoyle Posted July 4, 2023 Author Share Posted July 4, 2023 I know Jimmy Stewart was a fighter pilot in WWII. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squaredeal Sten Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 11 minutes ago, Guy Hoyle said: I know Jimmy Stewart was a fighter pilot in WWII. Actually a bomber pilot. And eventually executive officer of a bomber wing. While John Wayne made war flicks in California. So if you were an enemy of the US, * John Wayne would talk tough and pose. Well away from you. * Jimmy Stewart would lead several hundred friends to your city. Fly straight and level despite the antiaircraft fire (he actually led raids) and bomb your worklplace and/ or house flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodney Dangerduck Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 I will often loosely base an NPC, or even a PC, on a character portrayed on film or TV. For example, Josie Wales, La Femme Nikita, or Lagertha (Vikings). In Apple Lane, we have a Mrs Marlowe (Brokenwood) town gossip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodney Dangerduck Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 45 minutes ago, Squaredeal Sten said: John Wayne would talk tough and pose. That's somewhat unfair. He made modest efforts to enlist. Arguably, he should have tried harder. It was mainly his studio that prevented it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Hoyle Posted July 4, 2023 Author Share Posted July 4, 2023 16 hours ago, Squaredeal Sten said: None. And I don't confuse movie actors with their roles either. Now here is a quiz back to you: which actor is the more formidable American fighting man: Jimmy Stewart or Ohn Wayne? Noted. But I was asking to help me bring a little life to my NPCs. What do you use to breathe some life into the stats of your NPCs, since you don't base them on real or fictional characters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreJarosch Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 17 hours ago, Guy Hoyle said: I thought I'd cast Clint Eastwood (rest in peace) as Argrath As far as i know Clint Eastwood is still alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Hoyle Posted July 4, 2023 Author Share Posted July 4, 2023 I must have confused him with someone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qizilbashwoman Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 21 minutes ago, Guy Hoyle said: I must have confused him with someone else. I mean, Ronald Reagan is dead, we can always celebrate that instead 😉 3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squaredeal Sten Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 2 hours ago, Guy Hoyle said: Noted. But I was asking to help me bring a little life to my NPCs. What do you use to breathe some life into the stats of your NPCs, since you don't base them on real or fictional characters? Sometimes I think of people I know. Both thise I like and dislike snd not necessarily tjose I know well. Sometimes I think of fictional characters, like my recent discussion of Long John Silver as a Eurmali. Sometimes I just work from the needs of the scenario to their runes to implications of those runes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodney Dangerduck Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 4 hours ago, Guy Hoyle said: What do you use to breathe some life into the stats of your NPCs, since you don't base them on real or fictional characters? Often some stereotypes. Pick genres you love. "Spoiled rich kid". "Fat disreputable merchant" (maybe Sidney Greenstreet from Casablanca). "Scheming political Machiavellian matron" (pick your favorite soap, GoT, etc.) might work for Leika. Or loosely base on historical characters. For example, I think Amelia Earhart works, as a rough guide, for Kallyr. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajagappa Posted July 5, 2023 Share Posted July 5, 2023 6 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said: Often some stereotypes. Pick genres you love. "Spoiled rich kid". "Fat disreputable merchant" (maybe Sidney Greenstreet from Casablanca). "Scheming political Machiavellian matron" (pick your favorite soap, GoT, etc.) might work for Leika. Or loosely base on historical characters. For example, I think Amelia Earhart works, as a rough guide, for Kallyr. I almost never have any real-life characters in mind, but definitely use standard archetypes (e.g. Harlequin or Pantalone from commedia dell'arte). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mordante Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 I plumb for famous people as characters (both PC and NPC) as it helps people have a image in their minds eye and helps with immersion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joerg Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 You need to give some additional reference to the age of the celebrity in question, and in case of (good) actors the roles they were impersonating. A younger Sean Connery as in Time Bandits could be a good candidate for Argrath, but not when he played King Arthur alongside Richard Gere's Lancelot. 1 Quote Telling how it is excessive verbis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfbrandi Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 2 hours ago, Joerg said: A younger Sean Connery as in Time Bandits could be a good candidate for Argrath Surely, the part of Argrath is made for Charles Hawtrey (seen here getting deep into the mysteries of Ginna Jar): 2 1 Quote NOTORIOUS VØID CULTIST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nozbat Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 I have a number of favourite actors that I use as templates for NPCs ... sometimes as a combination of all of them.. Marlene Dietrich (in anything) Alan Rickman (in any of his many roles) Greta Garbo (in anything) Audrey Hepburn (in anything) Chief Dan George (in Little Bigman) Richard Harris (in Man called Horse, or anything else he was in actually) Jeremy Irons (the Patrician in Terry Pratchett movies) David Bradley (Cohen the Barbarian) Ralph Fiennes (in anything) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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