On 16 Aug 2016 23:58, "Richard Aiken" <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:
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> On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 4:39 PM, Timothy Collinson <xxxxxx@port.ac.uk> wrote:
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>> My goodness - has anyone seen how large the crew of a Tukera freighter is?! That'll fill Smitty's then if only half of them go! 14 of them. <resists temptation to roll them all up>
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> They won't all go to the same bar, even if the adventure text says they will, so long as there is more than just the one establishment (can't remember after all these years how big the startown is supposed to be).

No, it's tiny. And just the one bar Smitty's. Text is clear.

(Although I would add that I don't feel that beholden to the text if I didn't want to!)

But you're right on the ship crews doing their own thing! I wasn't planning on having all 14 in there, just a handful. You know... bar brawl for the PC quantities. ;-)

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>> Did name their ship the Golden Wheatsheaf - imagining a bunch named on the Golden... theme given in TTA.
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> Called the "Gilded Chaff" by those who don't like her, of course.

Oooh, stolen! One of the Vargr can call her that! Thanks.

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>> Although I have generated 10 Vargr UPPs (mainly because I wanted to know their charisma so Gvoudzon could interact with them and all the PCs, if they wish, could play footy with them. (What do you reckon on a task - Difficult Dexterity to score a goal?!)
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> Depends on the quality of the goalie, doesn't it? In Savage Worlds (my system of choice these days), I'd run it as an Opposed Roll of Agility.

Yes, that's a better thought. (I was trying to simplify and just assuming that everyone faces the same goal keeper. Well... you know what I mean...

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>> Concierge (looking after bookings/cargo): Deeko Maistairs
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> With a name like that, you just have to try for the voice of Spike (James Marsters) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and later Angel. A representative scene (Spike has the platinum blond die job): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_qNLDvIi8g

Ooooh yes! Like that. Although of course an English accent doesn't stand out quite like that when it's Brits playing in an English pub!

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> [Oddly enough, Marsters is actually American. He narrates most of the audiobooks in Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" series in his natural voice.]

I didn't know that. He did a good job in Buffy.

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>> That should keep me going for a bit.
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> One thing I do prior to each session is make a list of a couple of dozen different names: some male Human, some female Human and the rest a mix of commonly-encountered aliens. Then as the party encounters NPCs through the course of the session, I pick the next relevant name from this list, create something memorable and then jot down enough notes by the name to enable me to remember their relevance later (e.g. "Port guard, curses every other word, drops every g, young daughter, bribes cheap."). Names that get used go into that sessions notes along with their generated details, names that don't get used form the start of the next session's list.

Yes, that's what I did in my Referee's Handbook thingy I created. Sold a few at TravCon for charity and they seemed to disappear quickly.

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> And - frankly - that's probably the only way you'll use those names, unless the PCs for some reason end up getting [thrown] off the train at one of those places.

Yes. That's what I thought.

Although there is an instruction that for any one journey there's a 50% chance of a one day delay due to repairs or higher priority train. So there maybe a chance to get out and die in an animal encounter ^H^H^H^H ... sorry, what was I thinking.... stretch your legs.

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> Doing extensive prep is fine, particularly if it gives you confidence. Just keep it in your possession until and unless it's actually needed in play.

Yes, good tip. I must learn not to throw *everything* Ihave at them!

Cheers