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Forums » RP Discussion » How do you feel about side Characters in rp?

And I mean any. Good, bad, ones who want to watch the world burn, the third wheel, the one full of wisdom, the drunkard, the ally, the rival, the flirt, family members, the one who might be the bigbad, friends or what ever type of person they are.

Then of course you have how they interact with the main characters which can lead to so much more depth. Or maybe they just get mentioned because your character knows them in another rp and they only get mentioned in passing. But it just makes for good story telling. There are endless reasons to use them.

Collaboration of course is important with these but it still fun when done.

I find they can be important to plot development and help weave the story more intricately. I don't think they have to be included to weave a good yarn but they definitely add flavor(as long as they aren't misused).
I always use side or secondary characters, and I do agree, they do bring a lot of flavor to a story. It helps make it more interesting. So I feel very good about them. I don't think I have ever had an RP where I never used side characters. 😄
Side characters of some variety are usually going to be necessary at some point, and I've often had/seen side characters develop into full characters themselves. Some have even become favorites or ended up with some really epic stories.

I also have some characters that tend to work best as side characters rather than the stars. And I don't mind not having a starring role at all sometimes, and just adding more to the games of others.
Eternal_Dream Topic Starter

Exactly. Their use is so versatile. And like you said sometimes they evolve into something that takes the story to new levels. Seeing what they become along side my main characters is always fun. And I agree that the stories turn into something incredible them.

I love having their involvement and sometimes the little things they do affect so much and it's nice to see what develops because of it. Side Characters are like droplets of water the ripples they created can be small or large.
I definitely use them. Some have active separate profiles and some will come up through the course of a plot without requiring an external reference point. Even if I don't develop side characters that are named, I will readily utilise NPCs of varying levels of develop depending on what is required.
Eternal_Dream Topic Starter

ink_and_bones wrote:
I will readily utilise NPCs of varying levels of develop depending on what is required.

Yes. Their uses are limitless and can make things extremely interesting create arcs that lead to interesting plots and so much more. But I know some don' t like side characters at all which I don't think I understand at all.
I think NPC/side characters are fun to write into stories and definitely add to their depth. I usually have a few ‘types’ in reserve to bring in should the scene/plot call for it. To answer the question in short, I feel good about side characters! :)
Eternal_Dream Topic Starter

I think they are a good way to move the plot along or ad twist. They are extremely useful and sometimes just conversation between the two rp characters feels like? Is there no one else in their world? Do they not interact with any one else? Why not? But that's just me. I'm sure others may prefer not to have them. or maybe only use them on a minute scale.
I think that a fleshed-out roleplay requires side characters? It'd be really weird if the only conversations that were happening were between the roleplay characters, or if there was really no mention of any other characters (especially if the roleplay was set in a well populated area). Plus, I think they're really helpful in adding drama or conflict to a roleplay when it's necessary. So yeah - I love side characters!
On a side-note on side characters, I recommend watching Free Guy! I just watched it and now I can’t think of NPCs the same anymore. :D

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