James Ruhland
02-07-1998, 10:37 PM
.
>
>
> I wouldn't recommend sidekicks. In my experience, they don't function
well.
>
It depends, IMO, on how much an additional burden the DM wants to take on;
Sidekicks (or, I'm old, Henchies) are just like other re-occurring NPCs
(with the added burden that they're not just re-occuring, but almost
constantly present). If the players are reasonable/good at it, then they
can take over much of the job of "running" their own henchies (I.E. almost
as secondary characters), and much of the "adminstration" as well (though
it might be fun to keep the alighnment & motivations/goals of henchies
secret. . .)
Also, the player shouldn't be allowed to take advantage of this
oportunity, and make the henchman some kind of servile automaton, or mere
extension of the PC, but run the henchie as a distinct person. And, in the
final event, the DM can overule any action the player makes on the henchies
behalf (I.E. "he vollenteers to stay behind and sacrifice himself while I
get away with the Plantner of Chronos". there better be a *good* reason,
established in advance, why this should happen). And the DM can assume
control at any time (making this option, IMO, better than having the
players run multiple PCs, at least from a fun [read=wickedness]
standpoint).
>
>
> I wouldn't recommend sidekicks. In my experience, they don't function
well.
>
It depends, IMO, on how much an additional burden the DM wants to take on;
Sidekicks (or, I'm old, Henchies) are just like other re-occurring NPCs
(with the added burden that they're not just re-occuring, but almost
constantly present). If the players are reasonable/good at it, then they
can take over much of the job of "running" their own henchies (I.E. almost
as secondary characters), and much of the "adminstration" as well (though
it might be fun to keep the alighnment & motivations/goals of henchies
secret. . .)
Also, the player shouldn't be allowed to take advantage of this
oportunity, and make the henchman some kind of servile automaton, or mere
extension of the PC, but run the henchie as a distinct person. And, in the
final event, the DM can overule any action the player makes on the henchies
behalf (I.E. "he vollenteers to stay behind and sacrifice himself while I
get away with the Plantner of Chronos". there better be a *good* reason,
established in advance, why this should happen). And the DM can assume
control at any time (making this option, IMO, better than having the
players run multiple PCs, at least from a fun [read=wickedness]
standpoint).