What you’re describing sounds like a difference in mate value. It’s a combination of any desirable traits like looks, fertility, resources, or anything else. We might spot an apparent difference in two mate values, but the US doesn’t have many rules or norms around mismatched pairs. Other cultures might though, with rules around bride price and such.

Most animals are pretty good about assessing their own mate value from physical and social signaling and tend settle into matched pairs more often than not. There are some cool social experiments that repeatedly prove this out, but I don’t have any links handy.

And pants!

Oh hell yeah! NPCs trick my players all the time. Commanders, strangers, witnesses, priests, anybody might have an ulterior motive or secret agenda.

Best advice I have is just trust. Player characters don’t need to trust every non-player character but the human players at the table absolutely have to know they can trust you the human GM.

When my NPCs pull some shady stuff, like the reveal last session that leader of the crusade has been plotting to betray the PC crusaders for the entire campaign, that reveal always comes with a huge smile from me. “Yeah y’all, this dude is terrible! But now your characters are on to him and I can’t wait to see how they take him down!”

I’m not pulling one over on my players, I’m inviting them to a party I’ve been planning for ages and now we all get to find out what happens next.

I appreciate the example and I think I see your point. I agree with the underlying logic, in general, but applying it to the N in NPD seems an over extension.

Dictionary definitions for the two terms, as records of common usage, are notably different. Autism refers solely to the condition so your example sentence would be an inappropriate use. Acceptable and understandable in the language, but an uncommon application of the word. On the other hand, narcissism is used for general egoism and self importance first and for NPD second.

This of course doesn’t invalidate your feelings when hearing the word or desire to protect others from the same, but maybe this can offer some comfort if the most common usage is not intended or even understood as a slur or even a reference to folks with NPD.

Serious question: isn’t the word separate from the disorder though?

We can describe people doing antisocial, paranoid, or dependent things even when they don’t have the associated personality disorders. We can also describe someone generally as antisocial or paranoid if they display those traits regularly, regardless of any underlying diagnosis. Is it different with NPD?

Wait… the US military is team MechaHitler now?

THIS

My guess is you’re being downvoted because you claim AI is the coolest invention since the internet, but ironically you present that claim to a corner of the internet instead of inside the safety of a prompt window. Some may find this ironic because instead of asking the “almost resembling consciousness” to generate an almost resembling answer, you opted to consult a primary source instead. Some folks might see this as the behavior of someone so close to figuring it out…

https://libro.fm/ is DRM free. Each purchase gives a link to the raw mp3 file and a share of each sale goes to a local bookstore of your choice. They also offer a subscription comparable to audible of you like that style.

You got it right. That’s exactly what the game is aiming for. If that’s up your alley you should check out Tales From the Loop as well.