Fated Council: Using the B-Team

In tabletop roleplaying, many things change from game to game and from GM to GM. One thing that remains constant, however, is the focus of the game on the party. This post introduces a concept many GMs will not be familiar with: the addition of a B-team into the plot. There are many reasons for introducing such a cast of characters, and many situations in which you can use them in your games. This post aims to unpack some of that.

The Nature of a B-Team

A B-team, as we will be using the term here, refers to a set of non-player characters who carry and conduct themselves in a semi-heroic fashion. Unlike most of the other NPCs in the game, they can hold their own in a fight or in a non-combat situation, and are basically differentiated from the party by the fact that the campaign doesn't focus on them. In most cases, they have backstories, families or other human interests, and a degree of "cool factor" that makes the PCs care about them. They never steal the focus from the PCs, but they do serve to give them a sense that they're not alone in this fight, and that the world is bigger and more interesting than just the party.

The Reasons for a B-Team

The reasons for introducing a B-team are diverse, and vary by both the game master and the campaign. In some campaigns, they serve to show the heroes the enormity of a challenge. In other campaigns, they serve as comic relief or human interest, and in still others, they serve as useful allies in tactical scenarios, something your tactician in the group will be sure to put to full advantage.

Using a B-Team

There are numerous ways to use a B-team in your campaign. They can range from the infrequent apperances of a tangentially related group of heroes to the session-after-session company of a second fireteam in the heroes' squad. How and when you use them is up to you, but here are a couple things that should work well.

Fireteam Bravo

Sometimes, plans made by the heroes or their superiors work better with two teams. Rather than split the party, it can be a good use of your B-team to make them into a second fireteam that works in tandem with the heroes. The B-team might be tasked with taking out a shield generator, extending a bridge, or creating a diversion while the heroes focus on the primary assault. Conversely, the heroes might be expected to fight through to the hanger and open the force field so the B-team can come in guns blazing in an assault transport. In fantasy campaigns, the B-team (or the heroes) might be sneaking in through a sewer or the catacombs to open a sally port or lower the drawbridge.

Whatever the B-team is tasked with doing, you can handle it in several ways. In the first, the B-team's success is a reward for the party's success - for instance, if the heroes manage to escape with the MacGuffin, the B-team might arrive with transport (especially transport that produces excessive dakka) to exfiltrate them from the combat zone, which provides a really good end to a chase sequence. Other times, you might decide to simply have the B-team succeed at what they're doing, with indirect effects on the heroes. When the Sith Lord shows up with his personal regiment to confront the heroes, you can have the artillery battery spontaneously explode to represent the efforts of the B-team without stealing the heroes' thunder (producing a mad Sith Lord, a celebratory moment for the rebels, and a great boss fight). Lastly, you might decide (in combination with one of the above, or independently) that the B-team needs the heroes' help - maybe they got pinned down, or one of them has been stricken with a poison or caught in a magical trap. This can be a good way of giving the heroes a false choice - they can either storm the gate or take out the anti-air turrets, but in the end, they'll wind up doing both, because the B-team will need their help with whichever one they didn't pick.

When the B-team has finished their efforts, they usually reunite with the heroes. Don't miss an opportunity to have the heroes rescue them, or have them rescue the heroes - the B-team should always arrive in an interesting fashion, whether it's with a tank they stole from the supply depot or with a chickenwalker hot on their heels. This can be a great way to throw your heroes into an encounter with little explanation. It doesn't matter how the B-team managed to acquire a vehicle or a pursuit force - as long as they're coming in hot, it keeps the action flowing with little to no interruption.

Human Interest

The B-team can also be a great way to add a human element to your story. Maybe Captain Richards' daughter was kidnapped, and he needs the heroes' help. Maybe Private Solle sacrificed her life to save the heroes, shutting the door behind them and holding off the enemies as the base exploded. Maybe the heroes have to tell her father what happened. That can be a great character moment. On the flip side, maybe James discovers that one of the slaves the heroes have just freed is his sister, or Cassandra realizes the heroes have discovered a clue to the whereabouts of her brainwashed brother who's fighting for the enemy side. As NPCs the heroes have worked with extensively and gotten to know as friends and colleagues, the B-team are a great place to inject some feels into your story, and make it really mean something. Teach the heroes the price of war, or make them realize there is still hope for the dawn.

Advancing the Plot

Sometimes, the B-team can serve to advance the plot: maybe they find a vital clue or deliver a scouting report that helps decide the heroes' next move. They might accomplish an off-screen objective that dictates the heroes' actions in the coming session, or they might get themselves into a pickle in the outer rim and need rescuing by a small, discreet strike team. Maybe they even discover something important the PCs missed that's vital to the plot. Whenever you want to skip or fast-forward a section of something that needs to happen in your campaign, you can simply assume the B-team takes care of it.

Executing Properly

When using a B-team, you have to be careful that they don't outshine or dwarf the significance of the heroes. They should be the B-team, not the A-team. Reserve that honor for the heroes, and remember that like any form of deus ex machina, you should use them with restraint and only when it's fun. Generally, you don't want them to be in every combat encounter, because they'll slow things down by adding a bunch of turns and make it harder to balance the combat. If you're comfortable with it, spoof their damage - roll for it, but don't mark it against the boss's health, and you can balance the encounter like they're not even there. Do be sure to have them take out one or two minions so the heroes don't get suspicious, but keep the emphasis on the battle between the heroes and the forces of evil. Don't let the B-team finish off the boss with a couple lucky crits. Alternatively, give them something important to do that's not the same as the heroes - perhaps the boss fight occurs in the middle of a larger combat, and the B-team are clearing minions to give the heroes space, or maybe they're separated by a terrain feature and have to take out a parallel objective, with only weapons or spells able to reach across the divide to help out either team.

When using the B-team to add emotion to your campaign, be sure not to over-do it. If you use the B-team as a constant "halp plz," you're going to annoy the heroes and make them dislike your NPCs. The B-team should give as much as they get, and they should suffer and triumph as much as the heroes do, to keep with the general feel and flavor of the campaign. In a horror game, you might have them die on a regular basis, while in a swashbuckling campaign they should probably fare much better, winding up imprisoned at the worst, unless you really want to hit the heroes hard. Like all things, wisdom comes with experience, so try it out by gradually introducing human aspects to the B-team and ramping them up or down as you determine is appropriate.

When you use the B-team to advance the plot offscreen, be sure that the heroes don't feel like they're missing out. You should never have the B-team do something that the heroes wanted to do for themselves, and you should rarely have them accomplish major plot-significant objectives. They primarily serve to set up the coming missions, and provide an exposition that otherwise might take a half session to set up.

Final Thoughts

Using a B-team can be great fun. They can add spontaneity, a sense of scale, and a human element to your world, and make the heroes feel like they're not alone, especially in darker or bleaker campaigns. They can share in the comraderie the party develops, and as NPCs they can serve as vessels of the game master for things like clue discovery and plot advancement. They can provide friends for the heroes to rescue, allies to bail them out, or just people who are not so different from themselves. When used with caution and wisdom, a "second party" of heroic characters can be a great asset in your campaign. As with all things in the world of being a game master, experience is the greatest teacher, so run some sessions with a group you trust, and get their feedback - it'll help teach you what the do's and don'ts of running a B-team are far better than I ever could.

Until next time,

Recon, over and out