The Shadowrun NPC Wiki is now open!, Wiki Fun! Options

[Jürgen Hubert]

Backstory: One of the games I am currently running is a D&D campaign, and I was becoming increasingly frustrated with how much time it took to write up NPCs - it often took more time than designing the entire rest of the adventure! Thinking that I was not the only GM who had this problem, I set up the d20 NPCs Wiki, a central repository where d20 GMs can submit their own NPC creations (without even needing an account - all that's required is some knowledge of the basic Wiki formatting rules!) and in turn use the creations of others.

And it has grown very nicely indeed since I founded it earlier this months - it has more than 200 entries already! This gave me the idea of expanding the basic concept to other game systems - such as Shadowrun. While, sadly, I am not involved in a Shadowrun campaign right now, I have been involved with Shadowrun since 1st edition, and I remember wishing that it took me less time to write up NPCs.

Thus I have set up a Shadowrun NPCs Wiki as well - if enough people contribute, it can save game masters using it a lot of time during adventure preparation. I've made a start - I have submitted a Human Security Guard to show the basic formatting - but I hope more contribution will follow...


Your thoughts?

[Velocity]

Not only is this a great idea, but my players and I have been debating setting up a wiki for our entire campaign, cross listing NPCs with relevant companies, plotlines, etc. This will serve as an excellent template. :)

[Edge2054]

*nods* Great idea with that. I may have to add a couple NPCs to that list along with my current PC runner.

Any thoughts on NSRCG support? Allow people to upload NSRCG files and download them for later use? Maybe a small description of said file.

For instance: Nicholas Brandt, Human Shadowrunner, Jack of All Trades, Well Connected Leader of a Seattle Based Team. (My current PC). Then have the link underneath to download the NSRCG file.

[Jürgen Hubert]

The Wiki is text only, and I'm afraid I can't change that. That being said, if you are able to store such files on other sites, then linking to them would certainly be appropriate...

[Jürgen Hubert]

And we have a new entry by a second contributor!

Say hello to Chuck-Chuck.

[Velocity]

Yeah, I added Chuck-Chuck. :) He's an NPC from the campaign I'm currently running. A semi-retired street sam, he's a good acquaintance of the PCs and occasionally joins them when they feel they need a little extra muscle.

[Apathy]

Anybody want to port over the characters from Blackjack's Webpage?

[Digital Heroin]

Wouldn't that be kind of... uncool without permission?

[Jürgen Hubert]

[Apathy]

I sent Blackjack an email about this yesterday, but haven't heard back yet. (In all likelihood, he no longer checks that email address very much, since he doesn't do SR anymore.)

[Jürgen Hubert]

[Jürgen Hubert]

I removed the last edit from the Main Page, because it really messed that page up visually. If anyone from here did this, could you please explain what you intended to do so that I can do it properly?

[Wireknight]

The security guard NPC's initiative score is incorrect. With his quickness of 4 and intelligence of 3, and subsequent reaction of 3, his initiative would be 3(+2d6) with his boosted reflexes cyberware, rather than the 2(+2d6) that is currently listed. I corrected the entry to list this, and added an AZ-150 Super Stun Baton to his gear list so that he has something with which to employ his existing clubs skill of 4.

[Jürgen Hubert]

Thanks - I guess I goofed up there...

Three NPCs so far. Any others?

[JongWK]

Dammit, this is a good idea.

I'll see if I can post something later, but today I'm flooded with work (deadlines... *sigh*).

EDIT: Jürgen, you also post at RPG.net, right? :talker:

This post has been edited by JongWK: Jul 27 2005, 01:59 PM

[Mugzy]

I have a good number of NPC's-

A pair of 'Star detectives, a slumming griffin shaman and ameteur burger flipper, a grossly obese dwarf Mr J, and his Ork bodyguard who hates his job but loves the pay, a UCAS CIA field agent, A Troll hash slinger who charges extra for plates, and of course, more runners than we can shake a stick at, among others...

Does the Wiki software allow for us to add our own entries, in addition to editing them?

[Jürgen Hubert]

[hermit]

How do I submit stuff to there? Been playing with Arcady's lifepath tool, and got some fairly nice NPCs out of it.

[Jürgen Hubert]

Go to one of the index pages. Click on the "Edit" Function. You will notice a couple of names within double brackets - those are links. Enter a name for your own NPC in the appropriate category - also in double brackets. Save the change.

Now you will see the new link - in red. Click on the link, and an "edit" page for a brand new entry with the name you have chosen will appear. Enter the text, save it, and you are done (though you should enter another link on any other appropriate index pages)

If you want to know how to format your entry properly, there is a template for entries linked from the main pages. Just take a look at it and click on the "edit" function again. Copy and paste the code to your own entry, and fill in the blanks.

Does this help you?

[Edge2054]

Added a human fixer by the name of Teeg, check him out, let me know what you guys think.

I've got a few other contacts we're using in our current campaign that come to mind I'll post after getting some feed back and once I have time again.

[hermit]

Okay, some of my contacts posted; all of these fallout of my experimenting with Arcady's lifepath generator.

[Yoan]

I added one, with four to follow.
Problem:
People are not following the standard formatting.
ie:
http://shadowrunnpcs.wikicities.com/wiki/Chuck-Chuck
http://shadowrunnpcs.wikicities.com/wiki/E...f_Escort_Gunman

[Velocity]

Yeah, I prefer the formatting I used for Chuck-Chuck: it's clearer and easier to read.

[Yoan]

[Jürgen Hubert]

To be honest, I see the template more as a guideline than a rule. Sure, it would be great if everyone follows it, but this isn't supposed to be a professional publication, after all. And each GM has his own format for writing down NPCs anyway.

The way I see it, if you have a couple of NPCs in electronic lying around and don't have the time to format them, then simply add them as they are. I'd rather see as many submissions as possible rather than limiting artificially...

EDIT: So if you have other templates you think might be useful, don't hesitate to enter them in the "templates" section...