GMs: Do you have NPCs in your campaign worlds that the PCs are unlikely to meet?

[Marcus Impudite]

Do you have in your game world NPCs whose existence is an estabished fact but who dwell somewhere so far removed from where the main action of the campaign occurs that the PCs will almost never meet the person in question? (A prime example of this would, of course, be the reclusive multi-billionaire CEO of a multinational who lives on a private island estate so remote and well secured you are unlikely to have a face-to-face with him unless he sends you a personal invitation or makes one of his rare visits to the mainland)

Either way, don't be shy about giving details below...

[tkdguy]

Usually. If I run a Forgotten Realms campaign, the characters would probably never run into Elminster and company. I've run campaigns set in the real world, so the current movers and shakers were there, but the characters didn't run into them either.

[Cygnia]

I tend not to use canon NPCs of established worlds, so it's usually a moot point.

[Curufea]

Yep - most of them are PCs from previous campaigns. But a few of the NPCs are my own creations, going about their business in the world. They may or may not interact with the PCs - it depends where the PCs go, and what they do. I find it's useful to have established characters doing things in the world in various fields (such as political, military, social etc) so when or if the PCs encounter them, they are part of the background of the world. They can't scream out "named NPC! Must be important to the plot!". Pshaw I say, pish and tosh. As if I'd ever just have one plot.

On a side note - I've only ever used written NPCs in modules if I run that module as I usually use my own setting.

[Ian Mackinder]

'7th Sea' has a very detailed background. Loads of "official" NPCs, some of which my PCs really DON'T want to encounter, under any circumstances. These are people that, even if they actually notice you in a favourable way, this will probably not turn out well.

[Nolgroth]

I answered "sometimes" just because of the way I run. My method of presenting the campaign world usually involves several potential hooks with at least a minimal NPC outline. Probably not stat'ed to any great degree, but enough that I am comfortable with running them. Now depending on which hooks the players bite, they may or may not encounter the NPCs from other hooks.

In my last campaign, there was an NPC that the characters may never have run into personally, despite being one of the major catalysts of the game setting. The often encountered the effects of his presence within the setting without actually sitting down for the proverbial cup of tea.

So yes, there are NPCs that the characters will likely never meet. The players generally do not miss out though. They have plenty to do with the NPCs they do meet.

[ghost-angel]

Most of the time.

My current campaign actually has an entire storyline of NPCs that the PCs are affecting directly and have no idea about.

[Greywind]

...yet...

I have characters that I stat up and throw into the world. There are no guarantees anyone will ever meet anyone, but sometimes, things happen that were never planned...

[lemming]

I've had plenty of characters statted up ahead of time that the PCs would meet if they followed the dang railroad, but they often went elsewhere. Thankfully, putting stuff together on the fly was always an option.

[Manic Typist]

In my last campaign, there was an NPC that the characters may never have run into personally, despite being one of the major catalysts of the game setting. The often encountered the effects of his presence within the setting without actually sitting down for the proverbial cup of tea.


Can you elaborate on this? I always love a good example.

Same to you, ghost-angel.

[CrosshairCollie]

If you mean NPCs that don't really affect the plot or gameworld, sure. Random dirt farmer in Eastern Europe is still there, after all.

If you're referring to movers and shakers, almost never. If the NPC is manipulating things, eventually the PCs will encounter, and hopefully stop, him.

[ghost-angel]

Can you elaborate on this? I always love a good example.

Same to you, ghost-angel.

For the current campaign, the pre-campaign background happened off-screen, it involved the stealing of an ancient artifact, and the subsequent fleeing of said thief.

There are four factions that are maneuvering to take over the known world. But currently everyone is on equal or nearly equal footing. Just going to war would destroy everyone.

Rumors of ancient beings that can be controlled, vast and powerful magics, and dark Gods always exist. Now each faction is trying to put things into place to get what they want (control of a vast Dragon army, in a land where no one has seen a dragon in a millennium; control of the most powerful of magics; the favor of the darkest Gods).

The PCs, on the other hand, are just running helter-skelter over everyone's plans - and no one has any idea who they are! It's a mad dash to find out who these agents work for, what they want, and why.

The PCs, on the other hand, think they're off to rescue the girl.

When things progress further, I'll start posting the background that the PCs have set to frappe.

[Greywind]

"steeling"

Is that like when Han was frozen in carbonite?

[ghost-angel]

Idunnowhatchamean :whistle:

[Manic Typist]

Coolness. Look forward to hearing more.

[Vondy]

I have local color non-player characters who help shape the milieu (such as news anchors) who are named but will probably never be met. If, however, a character affects the plot directly then odds are the player characters will interact with them in some context at some point. They may be unidentified and behind the scenes initially, and its possible players will manage to stumble over rather than into them, but they generally do show up at some point. I prefer not to put too much work into NPCs outside of these two contexts.

[GoldenAge]

The rich diversity of Epic City is so vast that there will always be bit players and off-scene NPCs who, without with, many complex machinations would never come to fruition. However, their unusual locations (from local underground to inter-dimensional kingdoms), unobtrusive positioning and/or intentional obscurity will often keep them off the PC's radar.

I have to do write-ups of these individuals (and sometimes groups) because my players (as seems to be the norm) tend to surprise me with both their ingenuity and stupidity :) I like to, at the very least, have a small description of obscure NPC's just in case the PC's surprise me and suddenly follow the local fry cook home to his "secret lair". Who knows?

One organization within Epic City that certainly falls into this category is city contracted EPIC CITY WASTE (ECW) - (Formerly URSA MAJOR WASTE MANAGEMENT - aka: Great Bear Waste (GBW): ECs leading provider of comprehensive trash and waste removal, recycling, and environmentally safe waste management services.

In Public: UMWM (Now operating as Epic City Waste) is the company in charge of keeping the streets, businesses, and residences of Epic City clean. This family owned, third generation company has established a reputation for quietly and reliably managing that which most prefer to ignore, and doing so in a manner that has earned the confidence of a city. Their quiet empire includes a multitude of services; construction waste hauling, commercial and residential cleaning services, recycling, and of course municipal waste management and street cleaning. In the last fifteen years the company has been expanded to include their own Green Valley Landfill complete with methane encapsulation.

In Private: UMWM (EC Waste) has access to informational depths allowed only to those that quietly work in the silent background while the world ignores their presence. Their unlimited and unparalleled entrée as waste managers into all levels of Epic City life and unflappable public reputation for complete discretion provides them the opportunity to be a premier collector and broker of information. In addition, UMWH’s DO provides assassination “cleaning” services: “Send in the Cleaner”.


Odds are that Epic Alliance (Epic City's hero group - my PC's) will never meet all or any of the people running this EC Waste - but I had to write up a complete rundown of the corporate history, the now deceased patriarch, his 70yo son and owner and his 6 children (who have inherited the business).... just in case :)

[Nolgroth]

In my last campaign, there was an NPC that the characters may never have run into personally, despite being one of the major catalysts of the game setting. The often encountered the effects of his presence within the setting without actually sitting down for the proverbial cup of tea.
Can you elaborate on this? I always love a good example.How not to give too much information......hmmmmm.

There is a hyper-advanced alien species known as the Builders (original I know ;) ). While most Builders have a pretty strict non-interference policy, one of them is responsible for several historically significant events. In fact, he is directly responsible for creating two of the characters directly and their (now dead) spaceship. The characters are aware of his existence, but he has proven to be somewhat elusive. In fact, he might be dead. The AI of the spaceship indicated that he died.

Problem with the dead theory is that more recent references keep popping up from time to time.

The characters will probably not meet up with him because Samantha, the captain of the Gemini crew, has other plans. She wants to conquer the Frontier and unite it against a third invasion from a hostile alien force.

Crud. Now I want to run Gemini Ascendant again. Stupid work schedule changes. :(

[concord]

most of the time, I work on stuff that is directly related to the players and the San Francisco area... the PCs tend to latch onto these threads and follow them to conclusion...

sometimes I write up area information, companies, organizations and other big picture items to fill out history or things that are going on in the world outside the campaign area... every now and then the PCs will follow up on a lead that takes them outside the San Francisco area and this is where the outside information comes in handy... but a lot of it just sits there without the PCs ever taking a hard look at it...

for my NPCs, most of them come from the 'neat idea' bin... I write them up then either work them into existing materials or start buildings ideas around them... some the PCs will run into and some they won't...

there have been times where I have had players, who were not able to attend the sessions on a regular basis, work on campaign materials... they will write up NPCs, historical pieces or little storylines involving the campaign's known criminal and terrorist paranormals... once again some the PCs will run into and some they won't...

most of the items that are produced by myself and other players tend to be bare bones to start but over the span of the campaign, which has been running more or less in its current form since late 1996, some of the bones have been pretty well fleshed out...

.

[ghost-angel]

How not to give too much information......hmmmmm.

There is a hyper-advanced alien species known as the Builders (original I know ;) ). While most Builders have a pretty strict non-interference policy, one of them is responsible for several historically significant events. In fact, he is directly responsible for creating two of the characters directly and their (now dead) spaceship. The characters are aware of his existence, but he has proven to be somewhat elusive. In fact, he might be dead. The AI of the spaceship indicated that he died.

Problem with the dead theory is that more recent references keep popping up from time to time.

The characters will probably not meet up with him because Samantha, the captain of the Gemini crew, has other plans. She wants to conquer the Frontier and unite it against a third invasion from a hostile alien force.

Crud. Now I want to run Gemini Ascendant again. Stupid work schedule changes. :(

Well, she is managing to unite the frontier... sadly so far it seems to be against her and not aliens... but hey - can't have everything.

[teh bunneh]

There are plenty of powerful NPCs in my Fantasy Hero game that the PCs have never (and probably will never) meet. Powerful wizards, warlords, priests, noblemen, kings and queens, even other troubleshooters (nee: adventurers) like themselves -- people like that fill the world, but the PCs are not likely ever to have a chance to get any face-time with most of them.

Once, a group of PCs met someone who they think was the Queen of a powerful country, who warned them to choose carefully before they took sides in a nearly-inevitable civil war that was coming. But they aren't sure if it was really her or just one of her agents, or maybe one of her enemies' agents... :eg:

[BoloOfEarth]

I've had campaigns where a mastermind villain was manipulating events affecting one or more heroes, but they never got far enough in their investigations to pin down who or where he is. An example in my current campaign is a set of events affecting Styx, one of the PC heroes. (For the character's origin, he left a lot of the who's and what's and why's entirely up to me.) At this point, he doesn't know who is pulling the strings, but he strongly suspects there's a puppetmaster somewhere.

Pre-superhero, the character once worked a protective detail for the US Department of State, but he was shot and "killed" trying to protect the wife and daughter of a diplomat he was accompanying from Europe back to the US. The wife was killed, but the daughter survived. Styx eventually regenerated (waking up inside his coffin underground) and started his life as a superhero. Note that there is no known connection at all between his original DoS identity and his superhero one.

Since then, he has learned various things:
(1) the Inner Circle of DEMON has circulated fliers to various Demonhames in the area, asking for info on a potentially stolen corpse. The fliers show Styx's former DoS ID picture alongside one where that pic was aged (more accurately, decomposed) to show how his body would look now.

(2) The Mafia, VIPER, and ARGENT have all been involved in trying to locate a St. Christopher medal that was buried with him but didn't belong to him. (The diplomat's wife slipped it into the DoS agent's pocket during the flight.) Other (outside) individuals were hired by completely different people in those same organizations, to fight Styx or break into the hereos' base and try and locate a St. Christoper medal. The heroes have since found the medal and discovered it was a fake concealing an encrypted data disc, but they've been unable to break the encryption thus far.

(3) An informant insists that somebody exists with links high up in multiple criminal organizations, as well as within various government agencies in the US and abroad. This shadowy figure has only been referred to once, as "big M", by one of those high-ranking contacts -- and who incidentally "committed suicide" before he could be arrested or questioned. That victim was directly connected to the player character's original "death."

It's all an intricate web which Styx may, or may not, disentangle before the campaign comes to an end. But at this point, three years into the game, the heroes still haven't met the "big M." Personally, I'm not sure I want the player to know all the answers (and spoil the sense of mystery), but if he pushes hard enough or asks the right questions, he might get there.

[Peregrine]

My counter-question would be "Why would you have a noteworthy NPC that the PCs are unlikely to meet?" Given that a good game is all about the PCs' story, not some NPC's story, if the NPC isn't going to intersect with the PCs, then why is that NPC noteworthy?

Some folks upthread have given the example of NPCs whose machinations the PCs will thwart or otherwise run afoul of. I ask again, what's the point if the PCs are never going to confront and defeat this NPC, even if it is the grand climax of the whole campaign?

[Curufea]

Why does the game have to always be about the PCs?
Surely the running of a world by a GM is a means unto itself?

[Split Decision]

Why does the game have to always be about the PCs?
Surely the running of a world by a GM is a means unto itself?

I'm half and half with you here, Curufea. Whenever I dream something up about the world I help to tell about, I write it up and stick it in its place. Therefore, if the PCs need to go there, I know the whos and whys of the place. And when we run our next campaign with me in the big chair, maybe those PCs will have to go there. And it'll be all ready for them.

I run an AD&D campaign world that is based fairly closely on the D&D Known World, so a lot of the background stuff is there to be looked up. But a lot of it isn't.

ABUNDANT EXAMPLES: For some reason I can't fathom, the PCs glommed on to the headmistress of the University of Biazzan, so I made her their unofficial patron. I think she Identified some of their very earliest magical trasure, and took a bothersome GMPC wizard off their hands. Biazzan is a dot on the map and a paragraph in the source material, so it's a good thing I dreamt up what the city might be like and who lives there ahead of time. Her Peerless Serenity, Lady Basmajian Arias ben Hassan, Imperial Order of the Chrysanthemum, Principal-Margreave of the Imperial University at Biazzan (Wiz 19, LG), was already there, retired from adventuring, happily running her school and collecting curios of magical power, whether the PCs needed her or not.

Also there were Miles Zarx, the half-orc "mercantile representative" -slash- head organized crime thug, and Mario ben Hassan (Ftr 14, CG), the guard captain with friends in places high and low, among other notable personages. I didn't know which if any of these character sheets I'd need to pull out. Furthermore, the failed paladin, John Aulght (Clr 3, Law/War, LG), was persuaded to give up his post as a caravan guard for pilgrims of Hieroneous and join the PCs for a few adventures. His healing powers made him popular among the PCs. His death at the hands of the dissembling priest of Hextor was tragic and he will be long remembered.

And so much the better when the current module I'm running (from Eberron) sends them to the incredibly remote jungle to go pick up a trinket for their patron- they already have a working relationship with Lady Basmajian, and they're predisposed to do what she asks; especially when they find her bloodied and shaken from an early-morning murder attempt at the hands of the dastardly Emerald Claw soldiers.

But of course sending them to the jungle requires a jungle, and I'm glad I had that prepared, too. With hex maps.

Now that Baron Euphemes II has granted them noble title and dominion over a small Barony in place of his drunkard wastrel brother Lernal in exchange for keeping the whole Mind Flayer fiasco under their basinets, it's critical that their new town, their Keep, and their townspeople and peasantry are in place awaiting them. Good thing I had that prepared, too.

And should they be called in front of the Emperor or seek out his Court, then the Imperial City and its inhabitants and some subplots and brigands to rile the PCs up are in order. Certainly as theu acquire experience levels, the chances are good that they'll want to see the man they work for. And the crooked horse trader, the assassins in the Colloseum, the Black Hand rogues who play confidence games on weary outlanders, and the highwaymen (with a couple of Hill Giants as mercenaries) will be in order, on account of they're already written up.

And should they need to travel to the Dwarven Undercity of Makrast(where none of the tall races, nor Halflings, are allowed after dark without some Dwarf escort of good reputation), they're going to want to know what it looks like and who lives there, too. And so... I'm populating and mapping Makrast at the moment. I mean, Burrohur is just on the other side of Tarnslake, in the womb of Broken Mountain. They'll want to know who their neighbors are. Her Doughtyness, Princess Gilla Blayskarats, clan Farkres (Clr 12 LN) is a very capable, young (age 50) adventurer and is becoming a ruler with facility at foreign intrigue. But she can't run a city by herself.

---

So far. I've only mentioned the "successes". Of course there are more than half that I've placed that the PCs won't get a chance to see, because they've levelled past the appropriate time in their life for the meetings, or simply won't have game time enough to get to before the campaign ends. I've got whole adventures written and modules collecting dust that are simply too low a level now.

I've also put together Easterhold, Spearpoint, Crossbones, Ne'er-do-Well, the Nuari chain, some of the Hinterlands... so there's plenty going on that they're just not going to get to this time around.

[tkdguy]

My counter-question would be "Why would you have a noteworthy NPC that the PCs are unlikely to meet?" Given that a good game is all about the PCs' story, not some NPC's story, if the NPC isn't going to intersect with the PCs, then why is that NPC noteworthy?

Some folks upthread have given the example of NPCs whose machinations the PCs will thwart or otherwise run afoul of. I ask again, what's the point if the PCs are never going to confront and defeat this NPC, even if it is the grand climax of the whole campaign?
Noteworthy NPCs can be used to add detail to the game world. They can be used when the GM wants to add a certain detail as background material. Maybe a newspaper reporter writes a story about a crisis developing in a foreign country. Or a senator in DC supports or opposes an issue the PCs care about. The PCs would have little reason to meet these people, but the NPCs add a little depth to the campaign.

[Nolgroth]

My counter-question would be "Why would you have a noteworthy NPC that the PCs are unlikely to meet?" Given that a good game is all about the PCs' story, not some NPC's story, if the NPC isn't going to intersect with the PCs, then why is that NPC noteworthy?The obvious answer is that NPCs can have a significant impact on the course of the game without the characters needing to meet them.

Examples:

1) Holly Newshound: This NPC is a daily feature of the campaign. As the body count piles up, Holly can be heard in the background, reciting all the gruesome details. Clever characters will pick up on subtle (or obvious) clues that are in the newscast. Meeting Holly is possible, but unnecessary.

2) Professor Zoaraster: Good for a pulp game, the reclusive professor is a master in his field and often corresponds with one of the characters' contacts. In fact, a lot of leads that the characters pick up on come indirectly from the professor. After several adventures, the contact promises to introduce them to this font of knowledge. Sadly, he is found dead in his study. Not before sending an ancient artifact off to the contact first! Once again the characters are sent on some wild a wooly adventure. Can even be a delayed adventure scenario, as the characters track down the brutal and secretive cult that killed the professor before returning to find the artifact waiting at home.

3) The elusive prey. Like the Builder from my example, this NPC exists as a possible goal of the characters. The search for this NPC leads the characters through as many adventures as they can, each step supposedly getting the PCs closer to their prey. Usually, the adventures are incidental to the goal of catching up with the NPC (he is either unaware of the pursuit or harbors no ill will towards the PCs). While it is certainly possible to meet the NPC eventually, that might be at the very climax of the campaign.
Just a couple of examples of having important NPCs that do not necessarily require direct PC to NPC interaction.

[Manic Typist]

...I wanna play in a game run by Split-D.

[Vondy]

Surely the running of a world by a GM is a means unto itself?

At which point he should be writing fiction. :straight:

I tend to go in my head for fun and make up all manner of minutiae for the worlds I run, but I have the following policy:

"Canon is restricted to what's seen or mentioned on screen."

If it wasn't in "an episode" it doesn't exist.

[BoloOfEarth]

The world (both the real one, and presumably many game ones) is often more complex that many people think about, and you may well have NPCs and background events that influence things that happen to the PCs, just not directly. That might be one reason for a GM to create a particular NPC that the PCs never actually meet, just in case the players decide to ask, "What caused X to happen anyway?" or "How did the Big Bad get his hands on Z if he's in prison?"

A "background NPC" might also be used for setting or flavor purposes. In my game, the heroes operate out of Chicago, and there are two Stronghold prisons: one in New Mexico, the other on Riker's Island in NYC. Since they're closer to the Big Apple, they usually take captured villains to Stronghold East. As one might expect, there is a hero team (known as The Corps) in NYC, but they're all-business ex-military types that would clash with the PCs' personalities, so the PCs actively avoid The Corps whenever they visit NYC. But I did create the members (at least bare-bones writeups of them) just in case the players decide to meet them.

As to the "behind-the-scenes mastermind" type, they're great for a big climax, but IMO they may lose a lot of their appeal once the heroes connect all the dots. Plus, sometimes a campaign falls apart before the GM gets to the big face-off. I've had that happen at least twice.

[Peregrine]

At which point he should be writing fiction. :straight:

I tend to go in my head for fun and make up all manner of minutiae for the worlds I run, but I have the following policy:

"Canon is restricted to what's seen or mentioned on screen."

If it wasn't in "an episode" it doesn't exist.

"Must spread rep, etc."

[Killer Shrike]

Yep - most of them are PCs from previous campaigns. But a few of the NPCs are my own creations, going about their business in the world. They may or may not interact with the PCs - it depends where the PCs go, and what they do. I find it's useful to have established characters doing things in the world in various fields (such as political, military, social etc) so when or if the PCs encounter them, they are part of the background of the world. They can't scream out "named NPC! Must be important to the plot!". Pshaw I say, pish and tosh. As if I'd ever just have one plot.

On a side note - I've only ever used written NPCs in modules if I run that module as I usually use my own setting.

Agreed, same here.

The world is a big place. There are people in it doing things. Whether the PC's, who are themselves just people doing things in the same big world, ever encounter them or not is immaterial. If it should happen, cool. If not, no big deal.

It increases verisimilitude and makes the world richer. And sometimes, when the opportunity occurs and I loop in some background element, it seems much less like I'm just making stuff up as I go because I didn't just contrive the element on the spot --> its been in place all along. It also allows me to fall back on material at need if I'm rushed for prep time for a session; I might be able to dip into my backdrop elements and pull something out to fill in the current session. Players often comment that I seem prescient, able to foresee the need for things and introduce them long before they are needed, so that they seemingly magically appear in the story when the game moves in that direction without me needing to wing it or flounder around.


And like curufea notes, I so rarely have just one plot line rolling. There's usually one in the forefront, one or two on the back burner, and one or two happening on the low down that the PC's aren't aware of or only have hints of. Also I try to presage the next plot line before the current one expires; it makes things flow more smoothly, and it avoids awkward pauses where everything is "done" and players might naturally feel like they are at a good stopping point and lose interest in the campaign. Background characters help with this as well as they span arcs and thus provide a certain positive underpinning of the continuity.

[Curufea]

Also - if the world is running itself there are a number of other advantages-
1) it generates new plots that can be used later.
2) it generates history and background to make the world believable.
3) you can have more than one PC group in the world at a time.
4) it gives you scope to work out rules for how the world works (and how it doesn't).
5) you can test any rules out you may have invented for NPC interactions.
6) it stops me being bored between sessions with the PCs.

[Vulcan]

Having notable NPC's that the PC's are unlikely to ever meet in person is a necessity. They emphasize the fact that the world does not revolve around the PC's, even if the story does!

Having said that, I rarely fully stat-up these NPC's, because it really isn't necessary. A brief description and personality do just fine, and can be expanded if the PC's ever do meet the NPC.

[Greywind]

Depending on the character, I do. Sometimes it is just for the mental exercise.

[Killer Shrike]

Also - if the world is running itself there are a number of other advantages-
1) it generates new plots that can be used later.
2) it generates history and background to make the world believable.
3) you can have more than one PC group in the world at a time.
4) it gives you scope to work out rules for how the world works (and how it doesn't).
5) you can test any rules out you may have invented for NPC interactions.
6) it stops me being bored between sessions with the PCs.

Well said.

[Split Decision]

Seconded, but I need to spread rep before hitting Cur again.

[Tasha]

Wow, Come to think of it. Two of the greatest Movers and Shakers of the campaign world. The King of the Seelie Court of the Faerie and The Queen of the Unseelie Court of the Faerie. Both are presumed dead in the aftermath of an accident that dumped most of the Non-Sidhe population of Faerie into our world.

I also doubt that they will ever meet the Head of the Vampire Council. Though that person has their own agenda, that is a campaign undercurrent.

I guess in an Urban Fantasy Game there are just NPC's that have a talent for staying in the background.

Tasha

[Vondy]

Wow, Come to think of it. Two of the greatest Movers and Shakers of the campaign world. The King of the Seelie Court of the Faerie and The Queen of the Unseelie Court of the Faerie. Both are presumed dead in the aftermath of an accident that dumped most of the Non-Sidhe population of Faerie into our world.

I also doubt that they will ever meet the Head of the Vampire Council. Though that person has their own agenda, that is a campaign undercurrent.

I guess in an Urban Fantasy Game there are just NPC's that have a talent for staying in the background.

Tasha

But the players know about them and hear about them, no? They at least suspect this shadowy person's involvement? I make distinction between characters who appear or are mentioned on screen and therefore enter the shared consciousness of the group and those that exist entirely within the game-masters personal fantasy headspace. The former exist in my games, the latter are only have potential existence. If they don't get mentioned no quantum wave-form collapse occurs sealing them in the game world's concrete reality. ;)