Narrating the Game--Playing the Incidental Characters

Ideally, all the major characters in a storymap are defined at the beginning of a legend. However, there are often many minor characters that are introduced along the way. Servants, merchants, passing soldiers, beggars, other party guests. These characters are called incidental characters. They rarely play a major role in the story and tend to serve as part of the backdrop of a scene. Normally, the Narrator plays these characters. However, there is no reason why players who are not participating in a scene could not take temporary control of an incidental character. Not only does this permit a player who would otherwise be idle to participate in a scene, but it also removes a burden from the Narrator and has the potential to create a memorable minor character. This technique will not be right for all groups, but it is worth experimenting to see if it will work for your group.