In roleplaying, we spend a lot of time talking about the heroes, because that is who your players want to be. But what about the common man that fills your world and your heroes have to interact with. Certainly they won't be just slaying monster and selling their plunder to some hole in the wall?
I like to flesh out my non-player characters with at least a description and a name. (On a side note, names can be hard for some GMs...my husband takes forever to think of names for characters, let alone non-player characters.) Sometimes a little background might go a long way, as well, especially if you have a character who likes to talk to the NPCs in their life.
Even if you don't plan on doing much with them, give them a skill appropriate for the encounter they will be in. Say your players are in a tavern and the NPC is playing cards. Give them a card skill (good or bad) to just lively up the encounter, even if the players don't play cards with him. It gives you a good idea of how the NPC may react in a certain situation.
Maybe give them a family, a business, a horse for goodness sake. Just something to give them a bit of a personality the players might remember. It gives your world a more rounded feeling and the players will feel more a part of your world.
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