A few years back when I was creating my RT campaign I was trying to decide on how to describe what my Rogue Trader players parents looked like and then I just decided to say you what **** it he looks like ryan gosling and hes married to that asian girl from battlestar galactica. (She had a really high fellowship)

Since then most NPCs I create I cast as a famous actor its pretty funny to tell my players that I manager to sign steve buschemi as the scummy sorcerer they have to deal with or cathrine zeta jones as Aspyce Chorda.

I encourage other GMs to start doing the same since it's very entertaining and funny and can save you alot of work.

P.S. I casted Gerard Butler as Calligos Winterscales cousin in my game. If you take up this little idea of mine please post your own castings!

I've done a variation on this- I generally cast certain NPCs in my own campaign notes so that I have something to hang my description from. And, wherever possible, a voice to attempt for that NPC.

I don't always tell my players which celebrity is "playing" which NPC, as it became something of an extra game/tradition to spot them. For example- a boisterous mercenary general hired by a previous group was described as "a florid-faced giant of a man in gilded carapace, with a silver-flecked beard that could hide a badger. Never seems to speak quietly even when whispering to his long-suffering aide-de-camp, Major Chiswick." He was, of course, played by BRIAN BLESSED! mostly on the spur of the moment (because while one of the party was off hiring soldiers, the RT was out acquiring a harem, and I wanted an excuse to bellow "

Other examples have included various characters played by Sean Bean (almost always ones the plot as originally conceived would have killed off. I have had them deliberately save one of them though), a couple by Ralph Fiennes, one by Chris Walken, a couple by Ian McNiece, one by Christopher Lee and one by Morgan Freeman.

There are a few others cast, but those are either not yet encountered by players, or the players haven't figured them out. Yet.

I've been champing at the bit to use the character of Percy Wetmore, from The Green Mile, as a regimental commanding officer in Only War. And I have an idea for a down-on-his-luck weasel Rogue Trader based on Timothy Olyphant's character in the movie The Girl Next Door ( http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/20200000/The-Girl-Next-Door-timothy-olyphant-20257328-853-480.jpg ).

While trying to describe Jeremiah Blitz as some kind of bling heavy rapper to the party, one of them said so he's like that guy from 5th Element. My mind immediately said YES YES and thus in our Campaign he's been cast as Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker) from that film.