Efficiency of NPC portraits in building mood?

[lachancery]

Using images to build mood is something FG can handle well. Over the last 6 months, I've been using portraits I find on the Net to display when the players meet important NPCs.

I've had marginal results in mood building when doing that; often, there is one or two players who makes out-of-character comments about the picture. You know, like sexual remarks when it's a good looking female, or the reverse for not-so-good looking ones, or references to either real world celebrities or characters from other settings. Most of the time, the remarks are funny, but they are counter-productive to mood building during a role-play moment.

Mood pictures of scenes and locations do not trigger these out-of-character comments. I'm beginning to think that NPC portraits may be something to avoid for mood building. (Yes, I could chastise my players for not being in character, but I have noticed this in two different groups now, hence this thread.)

Have others seen similar experiences?

[Callum]

I find that NPC portraits really help my players to picture things. They don't tend to make OOC comments (except to say that the picture is helpful). I try to ensure that the pictures all have a similar style, which may help.

[Trenloe]

I like it when you use NPc picture - it really helps me to visualise them, and is great if we meet them again in the future as we will recognise them easier than a name.

I've been using NPC pictures in both face-to-face RPGs and virtual RPGs for a while - I'll try to use them whenever possible. I even do this for baddies the player's are expected to just attack (if there is a picture I can find easily). At first, people make comments, but over time as they get used to the idea these comments usually lessen to the point of only the odd one here and there. With a public FG game, this is something that might never go away - a more dynamic player base bringing new players in more often than not who might not be used to seeing character portraits being displayed.

Yes, it's a shame that people will always make OOC comments - please don't let that put you off. Unless it's annoying you too much, in which case that's OK to stop doing them... :)

I've actually just remembered. One of my long term players (in a private, friends only game) draws moustaches on basically every character portrait I display in FG. That annoys me a lot and pretty much breaks the mood. So, I have to lock them to avoid him drawing on them.

[lachancery]

Yes, it's a shame that people will always make OOC comments - please don't let that put you off. Unless it's annoying you too much, in which case that's OK to stop doing them...
Most of the time, whatever is being said is funny, so I enjoy the laughter as well.

It's more in the category of honing my story telling performance. If reactions to portraits can vary wildly, then either a) I want to better understand what creates the varying reactions, or b) use them when the story is not as sensitive to the mood. Mind you, anything done out of character can throw off a mood being built, and the story being told along with it...


One of my long term players (in a private, friends only game) draws moustaches on basically every character portrait I display in FG. That annoys me a lot and pretty much breaks the mood. So, I have to lock them to avoid him drawing on them.
Now, see, that's funny! I would have a chuckle at that, but it's the same as what I was describing... Jokers in my games just haven't thought of that one yet, or I'm sure I would have seen graffiti on my images... "JOE WAS HERE" on the wall of the Forsaken Inn. ;)

[Trenloe]

Now, see, that's funny! I would have a chuckle at that, but it's the same as what I was describing... Jokers in my games just haven't thought of that one yet, or I'm sure I would have seen graffiti on my images... "JOE WAS HERE" on the wall of the Forsaken Inn. ;)
OK, just wait until the next game... ;)

Actually, the thing that breaks the mood for me is that FG saves the grafitti, so the next time I open the picture of the evil arch-nemesis he still looks like a silent movie villain with the grafitti long moustache and monocle scrawled on the image the last time. Gggrrrr, not so evil, time-to-tremble, looking now, is he?? :p

[Mirloc]

I pretty much use pictures for any character with a name. So anyone the characters may see on an ongoing basis gets their picture.

I pull pictures from a variety of places (thank you Google) and the players get it. In fact one of them made a comment about one picture I was using, and another one slapped them down with a "When you're the GM, you can use whatever picture you want...". The players really appreciate the pictures, as it gives them a frame of reference for scenery, etc.

[GunnarGreybeard]

I can see the occasional comment/joke as not being an interruption, etc as long as its not something that is done every time a picture gets put up.

[Phystus]

Question for those using portraits: do you particularly seek, or particularly avoid using celebrities or movie characters?

I'd expect that if the players recognised the picture they'd have some expectations about the NPC. Just wondering if you'd found that to be the case, and whether you found that to be good or bad.

Thanks,

~P

[lachancery]

Question for those using portraits: do you particularly seek, or particularly avoid using celebrities or movie characters?

I'd expect that if the players recognised the picture they'd have some expectations about the NPC. Just wondering if you'd found that to be the case, and whether you found that to be good or bad.
I was having a similar conversation Monday with a player in one of my games. Since my games are in Middle-Earth, he was saying that taking a recognizable character from the movies or the video games would be powerful for mood & personality setting. I had been going in the opposite direction, taking unknown portraits from the Net...

On the flip side, one of the portrait I did use last week looked like a painting of Angelina Jolie in a woodland setting. I only noticed the similarity after the players called it out. That was counter-productive, as comments about the resemblance were made shortly I put up the picture, which detracted from the conversation being role-played at that time.

So, conclusion I got from this: it's not so much about the celebrity as it's about a known character with a strong personality.

[Fot5]

I use pictures of locations and items extensively in my campaign, and I've only used character pictures for a few NPCs. I also create special tokens for villains and allies that the PCs are likely to encounter in battles. On the other hand, I also create fairly details descriptions of NPCs, and I work those descriptions into the interactions that PCs have with them. To do this, I created an Excel spreadsheet that randomly generates descriptions of physical (gender, build, hair, distinguishing marks), attitudinal (e.g., arrogant, timid, aggressive), and habitual (e.g., bites fingernails, smokes, etc.) characteristics of each NPC. This seems to be more memorable to my players. In fact, Valthrun (the wizard in Winterhaven) was (he's now dead) a tobacco chewing gnome, and my players inevitably offered him a spittoon every time they interacted with him after their first encounter with him.