Roleplaying Games
The Stochastic Boss: A Solution to NPC Leaders
In some games the player character group will have an NPC leader who is present most of the time. Unlike a quest-giving NPC, who doesn’t leave their base, this presence causes some problems. It is easy for the players to refer to their boss all the time; asking for advice, permission or confirmation in every small thing they do.
This presents two challenges. First, this is a burden on the GM. The GM will have to make decisions for the players and give them information from the bosses perspective. Secondly, it takes away some of the autonomy of the player characters. The PCs don’t get to make decisions on how to proceed.
One solution I’ve heard used is to have a shared NPC as a boss. This is someone who will make decisions according to the will of the players. In cases of disagreement, a vote will say which side the boss will take. This is a fine solution, but in situations requiring fast decision-making it will slow things down.
I’m proposing another model for dealing with this problem; “the Stochastic Boss”. By using a game system with numerical personality traits like in Pendragon, the GM can stat up the NPC leader’s personality. When it comes to making a decision, either the GM or the player whose character is asking the question can roll on the appropriate personality characteristic to see what the boss decides. If there are multiple opinions in the group, the characters can use social skills to influence the boss, giving modifiers to the roll. This way the players know that they have some influence on the leader, but also know that it is not dominated by one person.
