Characters and dialogue
Learning paths through this topic
Show the right name in old chat lines after a player renames their hero
A hero changes name halfway through the session and now the log reads as if "Aldric" had said things only "Mira" could have said. Here is how to keep lines tied to the person, which name to show for old lines, and the order problem with late-arriving renames.
Decide what happens when two players talk to the same character at once
Two players walk up to the quest giver together, and one hears the middle of the other's conversation or the character answers both at once. Here is who gets the character, who may listen in, who waits, and what frees the character when someone wanders off.
Let a title held by one player pass on when two challenge it at once
Only one player at a time can be the warden of the pass, and two reach for it in the same second. Here is the rule that gives it to exactly one, how much better a challenger has to be, and what happens when the holder is gone for weeks.
Store what two player characters share without mixing up who feels what
Ana saved Bo's life, Bo hardly noticed, and the game has to say two different things when each one talks to the other. Here is how to keep the shared past in one place and each person's feeling in its own, and the key mistake that mixes up two pairs.
Make a handshake or hug between two players work only when both want it
One player starts a hug, the other walks away, and the first is left embracing the air, or both offer at the same moment and nothing happens. Here is the little exchange that handles asking, answering, crossed offers, waiting too long and moving apart.
Settle who answers when a character asks the whole party a question
The ferryman asks if you pay or fight, and four people say four things. Here is how to turn the party's votes into one answer, what a tie falls back on, and what happens if too few people answer in time.
Hand the party leader's role on without flipping it on every wobble
The leader makes the story choices, and then their connection blips for a few seconds. If the role jumps to someone else and back each time, nobody knows who decides. Here is a handover rule with a waiting time and a clear answer for who takes over.
Time a shared line so players reading different languages all finish it
Everyone sees the same moment in their own language, but a line that is short in one language is long in another, and some players read slowly. Here is how to choose one display time that fits the slowest reader, with a ceiling so scenes do not drag.
Catch up a player who joins mid-story without retelling everything
A friend joins at chapter four and either gets a wall of summary or none at all and cannot follow the next scene. Here is how to work out the few earlier events that this particular person still needs, and where the search should stop.
Tell two knights in the party apart when an NPC talks about them
When two players pick the same kind of hero, a line like "the knight is hurt" points at nobody. Here is how a narrator picks the shortest description that still names exactly one of them, and what to say when the two look identical.
Carry friendships over into a new season without starting from zero or full
When an online world resets for a new season, characters should remember you a little, grudges should soften faster than bonds, and a long absence should fade more. Here is the carry-over rule, the cap, and the rounding that treats good and bad alike.
Let a secret spread between characters but grow less certain each time
A character who heard the news from a friend of a friend should not speak about it like an eyewitness. Here is a way to carry how sure each character is, how it fades along the chain, and what changes in what they are willing to say.