I just read a post on Mike’s D&D Blog in which Mike asks for advice on how to remember all of the NPCs in the game that he’s playing in. I think it’s admirable that he’s seeking advice on how to be a better player, and as a DM, I know it can be irksome when my players can’t keep the NPCs straight. This is why I, whenever possible, try to use a technique that Paul Tevis refers to as “Conservation of NPCs”.

The idea is simple. Whenever you’re in need of an NPC to fill a particular role in your adventure or campaign, look at the roster of NPCs that you’ve already introduced. If someone in that roster can potentially fill this new role without breaking verisimilitude, do it. See, if you give your players more opportunities to interact with an NPC, they’re going to develop stronger feelings toward that NPC. If it’s an ally, they’ll grow more attached. If it’s a villain, they’ll start to hate him more. If you introduce a new NPC every time you need an NPC for a particular role, most of your NPCs are going to be throw-aways, and the players won’t care that much about them.

There are some definite benefits to doing things this way. First of all, with fewer important NPCs running around, it’s going to be a lot easier for your players to keep track of them and remember who’s who. Second, if your players get attached to a particular merchant or guard or airship captain, they’re going to respond more quickly and more intensely when he or she is put in danger. Similarly, recurring villains are much more satisfying to defeat than one-shot villains are, and as such the players are much more likely to go to great lengths to bring them down.

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