Average People and Citizens in Rifts

[Icefalcon]

I do not use classes for common folk. They just have stats, base SDC and HP and some skills. I do not really do anything else for them unless they are one of the weird races that requires the use of a RCC.

[Killer Cyborg]

Quick question for you, my fellow forumites.

In your games, does EVERYONE have an O.C.C.? In other games, we have Zero-Level characters, classes that are specifically for NPCs, etc. How do you handle the regular run of the mill folks in your games?

It seems unrealistic that everyone would belong to an O.C.C. or R.C.C.

I use these home-brews.

[GenThunderfist]

Honestly I have never really given any thought to what an average citizen's life is like. It's never really come up, I always have assumed some of the more "basic" skills such as Native Language and maybe a piloting skill or something like that. If they are a shop keeper or innkeeper usually they have barter to reflect that, other than that mostly I assume domestic and maybe some of the technical skills. Usually it doesn't come up...for me at least. Any NPC the party deals with is usually one I have made, and enemy types are usually out of RUE or New West, or are just RCCs haha

[Nightmask]

the average person would be effectively a vagabond, someone who's just a farmer or the like with basic skills related to survival depending on the location.

[slade the sniper]

Everyone does something...thus everyone has an OCC of some type. I probably got ruined by Call of Cthulhu, but ever since I have never bought on to the idea that PCs are some special snowflakes that are somehow different because a bunch of numbers on a piece of paper said so...but rather what makes a PC special is that they CHOOSE to be adventurers, they CHOOSE to be heroes and take the risks that others do not. Giving away perks like more SDC, more gear, more skills and silly little GI Joe rules to keep them safe somehow reduces the fact that they are heroic.

Heroes are not numbers, they are not special because they have some nifty toys or are in less danger than normal people, but rather they are heroic because they choose to be extraordinary. Just my 2 cents...

I use a lot of homebrew stuff and stuff from other settings like lifepaths from CP2020 and the career paths from Traveller and others to flesh out NPCs so they are not just unimportant things to save or unimportant things to kill.

-STS

[Pepsi Jedi]

Yeah. The reason why I asked the initial question, is because I plan on running a few city/town adventures, and I don't want to stat up EVERYONE.

Unless they're getting into fights with the player characters, do they need stats? Sort of like the people in the background in the movies don't really need the full script? Just their part.

A farmer is going to be farming, or chilling at a watering hole or what ever. You don't really need to know how good a farmer he is unless it's part of the story. If the story is about compeating farmers or something sure. Other wise he doesn't really need the stats.

[Killer Cyborg]

Yeah. The reason why I asked the initial question, is because I plan on running a few city/town adventures, and I don't want to stat up EVERYONE.

Unless they're getting into fights with the player characters, do they need stats? Sort of like the people in the background in the movies don't really need the full script? Just their part.

A farmer is going to be farming, or chilling at a watering hole or what ever. You don't really need to know how good a farmer he is unless it's part of the story. If the story is about compeating farmers or something sure. Other wise he doesn't really need the stats.

The thing is, sometimes that background person becomes part of the story.
So personally, I like to have some stats rolled up beforehand, just in case.

[Greyaxe]

Yeah. The reason why I asked the initial question, is because I plan on running a few city/town adventures, and I don't want to stat up EVERYONE.

Unless they're getting into fights with the player characters, do they need stats? Sort of like the people in the background in the movies don't really need the full script? Just their part.

A farmer is going to be farming, or chilling at a watering hole or what ever. You don't really need to know how good a farmer he is unless it's part of the story. If the story is about compeating farmers or something sure. Other wise he doesn't really need the stats.

The thing is, sometimes that background person becomes part of the story.
So personally, I like to have some stats rolled up beforehand, just in case.

We usually get surprised when a background character becomes "cool" by accidentally doing something important or gets a good roll and contributes in some way to the plot or changes story direction. We roll up a few stats on the spot and assign skills then generate a level. If the background character survives another session we stat him out fully like an NPC would be. Bottom line we just stat our the character enough to keep the story moving fast. We work on mechanics between sessions.

[9voltkilowatt]

To stat up a layperson I'd suggest just giving them all 7+1D4 across the board. After that add one to two points to the most relevant attributes on the more important ones; most town leaders are likely to be slightly above average at either I.Q. or M.A. (possibly P.B. for the shallow type that just wants the attention. )

As for skills, only give them the ones that are absolutely needed to preform their role as an N.P.C.. If, through game play you find that the character is developing beyond the initial role you gave them you can add a skill here or there to round them out.

[Shorty Lickens]

They dont have a class until you need them to, then I just use the villager OCC from Russia. I think. Is that where it came from?

[Armorlord]

Quick question for you, my fellow forumites.

In your games, does EVERYONE have an O.C.C.? In other games, we have Zero-Level characters, classes that are specifically for NPCs, etc. How do you handle the regular run of the mill folks in your games?

It seems unrealistic that everyone would belong to an O.C.C. or R.C.C.

Everyone has an Occupation, (or a Racial leaning), the important thing to keep in mind is that the starting equipment only applies player characters prepared and ready to begin a life of adventure and travel.
Pre-RUE, I mainly applied Vagabond to generic relatively unskilled people, post-RUE I have tended to rub my face in frustration at the notion that every person who isn't formally trained can 'eyeball a fella'. Though I had made fair use of the Villager from Russia beforehand, I've tended to use it more since RUE.
Whether you make up a new one or tweak an existing one to fit, just about everyone has a job or path in life. You'll even see examples of it scattered around in the books, with one-off mentions of an OCC in character descriptions. (Allow me to boggle again at just how high level Desmond Bradford is, even if two thirds of his classes aren't on the books [Well, Australia later introduced an Administrator OCC but anyhoo.. ].)

[Greyaxe]

Triax 2 has a section that deals with the average citizen. I suggest using it for the CS as well

[Zamion138]

Id just let the npc's do what ever you want them to do and you dont even need to roll % when they do skill....if it helps the story line they pass it helps the story line they fail, you are the GM you are the arch god of the game the only time you dont let some one do something is if its a pc they get to try and fail and pass at usefull stuff. NPC's inless they are fighting your pc's dont need stats or backgrounds or much, in rifts if its an sdc farmer that the pc's **** off and they are in armor the guy will back down inless he is suicidal, his shovel is not going to kill them and will only make your pc's basicly sluaghter him.

gming towns folk= dont sweat the small stuff......even the mayor and the captain of the guards dont need stats inless they are going to be in combat. they dont need a skill sheet...they just do what ,where and when it helps your story

[Armorlord]

gming towns folk= dont sweat the small stuff......even the mayor and the captain of the guards dont need stats inless they are going to be in combat. they dont need a skill sheet...they just do what ,where and when it helps your story

That's just standard GMing advice, but whether you bother to write them up or not, they still have an Occupation.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Quick question for you, my fellow forumites.

In your games, does EVERYONE have an O.C.C.? In other games, we have Zero-Level characters, classes that are specifically for NPCs, etc. How do you handle the regular run of the mill folks in your games?

It seems unrealistic that everyone would belong to an O.C.C. or R.C.C.

For NPC's, I 'wing it' most of the time. for PC's that are just ordinary folk....I would have them use the ed system out of HU1/HU2/BTS1.
Or use 'The Psychic' PCC skills set out of the NB main book for their skills set.

[Pepsi Jedi]

I'm like Zamion138. If I'm GM they do what I need them to do. If I need them to drive a car and skid to a stop out side a bar, they drive the car and skid to a stop out side the bar. if the story needs them to TRY and skid to a stop but screw it up and take out a line of nasty biker's hover bikes.. that's what happens. If doctors need to do doctorish things, they succeed of fail as needed by the story.

The only time dice need to fly is in combat and if the player characters are attacking random citizens, yeah I just wing it. Doesn't mean they're instantly mooks to die by the hundreds or anything but the average joe on the street isn't going to have advanced martial arts and commando training. (( Well some in the CS cities might but i'm usually pretty good about tipping off players. "The man approaching is pretty well built. His hair is high and tight and he has a small scar on his jaw that looks to have come from some sort of claw attack. He moves with a lethal grace and you notice about 10 feet out, that he's got a Coalition States Special Forces Tattoo on his forearm. "CS SF DEATH IN THE NIGHT"
That sort of thing. If that's the case. I'll toss him some combat stats. But you likely don't need to know his percentage to use a radio.

[Icefalcon]

I also have lots of NPC's that become vital to the players.