WADY 10: Side Characters Explored

Mar 21

Welcome to Episode 10 of We Aren’t Dead Yet, a podcast throwing magic missiles into the ttrpg, gamer and speculative fiction sphere and seeing whether we come out alive at the end.

Every Thursday will be WADY Day, a celebration of something gamer, literature or culture shocking with three friends who found each other online via World Anvil and went “Hey! Let’s talk”. We found out we all have a lot to say and different approaches to the same questions.

We have a veteran Dungeon Master, an award winning World Builder & Media Producer, and a bestselling cyberpunk + mythpunk author, here to snark, speak and speculate on fiction, creative professions and games.

Today’s episode… Side Characters Explored!

In this episode, we take a look at side characters in literature and tabletop roleplaying games. We'll start by exploring how to deal with multiple minor characters in your cast and creating layered minor character in literature. Then we examine the role of non-player characters (NPCs) in TTRPGs, discussing the various types of NPCs and offering tips for game masters on how to effectively utilize them to enrich the gaming experience. From establishing clear motivations to creating memorable character traits, we'll provide practical advice on how to breathe life into your supporting cast.

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Have a question you want to ask about the episode, the writing sphere or table top role playing games? Hit us up with comments on substack, down in the comments section below, or by throwing a question up on X @usurperkings or @e__armstrong.

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Cheers for now,

We’ll see you next week for the first episode of our One Shot series!