diff --git a/fs/fs_initial_config.lua b/fs/fs_initial_config.lua
index aa1b2e6..9e10b76 100644
--- a/fs/fs_initial_config.lua
+++ b/fs/fs_initial_config.lua
@@ -81,17 +81,6 @@ yl_speak_up.input_fs_initial_config = function(player, formname, fields)
 			"\' exists. This NPC got assigned the same name!")
 	end
 
-	local d_id = yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].d_id
-	local count = 0
-	if(dialog and dialog.n_dialogs) then
-		for k,v in pairs(dialog.n_dialogs) do
-			if(k and k ~= "d_dynamic") then
-				count = count + 1
-			end
-		end
-	end
-
-
 	-- we checked earlier if the player doing this change and the
 	-- player getting the NPC have appropriate privs
 	if(fields.n_owner ~= yl_speak_up.npc_owner[ n_id ]) then
@@ -104,15 +93,21 @@ yl_speak_up.input_fs_initial_config = function(player, formname, fields)
 	end
 
 	-- give the NPC its first dialog
-	if(not(dialog) or count==0) then
+	if(not(dialog)
+	  or not(dialog.created_at)
+	  or not(dialog.n_npc)
+	  or not(dialog.npc_owner)) then
 		-- TODO: pname == yl_speak_up.npc_owner[ n_id ]  required
 		-- initialize the NPC with first dialog, name, description and owner:
-		yl_speak_up.initialize_npc_dialog_once(pname, nil, n_id, fields.n_npc, fields.n_description)
+		yl_speak_up.initialize_npc_dialog_once(pname, dialog, n_id, fields.n_npc, fields.n_description)
+	end
 
+	-- initializing the dialog in the code above may have changed it
+	dialog = yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].dialog
 	-- just change name and description
-	elseif((fields.n_npc and fields.n_npc ~= "")
-	   or (fields.n_description and fields.n_description ~= "")) then
-		dialog = yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].dialog
+	if((fields.n_npc and fields.n_npc ~= "")
+	   and (fields.n_description and fields.n_description ~= "")) then
+		-- we checked that these fields contain values; are they diffrent from the existing ones?
 		if(dialog.n_npc ~= fields.n_npc
 		  or dialog.n_description ~= fields.n_description) then
 			dialog.n_npc = fields.n_npc
@@ -124,12 +119,10 @@ yl_speak_up.input_fs_initial_config = function(player, formname, fields)
 				"NPC name: \""..tostring(fields.n_npc)..
 				"\" Description: \""..tostring(fields.n_description)..
 				"\" May be edited by: \""..
-				table.concat(yl_speak_up.sort_keys(dialog.n_may_edit, true), " ").."\".")
+				table.concat(yl_speak_up.sort_keys(dialog.n_may_edit or {}, true), " ").."\".")
 		end
 	end
 
-	dialog = yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].dialog
-
 	-- show nametag etc.
 	if yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].obj then
 		local obj = yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].obj
@@ -166,16 +159,18 @@ yl_speak_up.input_fs_initial_config = function(player, formname, fields)
 		end
 	end
 
+	-- the dialog id may be new due to the dialog having been initialized
+	local d_id = yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].d_id
 	if(not(fields.save_initial_config)) then
 		yl_speak_up.show_fs(player, "initial_config",
-			{n_id = n_id, d_id = yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].d_id, false})
+			{n_id = n_id, d_id = d_id, false})
 		return
 	end
 	if((fields.add_may_edit and fields.add_may_edit ~= "")
 	  or (fields.delete_may_edit and fields.delete_may_edit ~= "")) then
 		-- show this formspec again
 		yl_speak_up.show_fs(player, "initial_config",
-			{n_id = n_id, d_id = yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].d_id, false})
+			{n_id = n_id, d_id = d_id, false})
 	else
 		-- actually start a chat with our new npc
 		yl_speak_up.show_fs(player, "talk", {n_id = n_id, d_id = d_id})
diff --git a/initial_config.lua b/initial_config.lua
index b059809..1dee804 100644
--- a/initial_config.lua
+++ b/initial_config.lua
@@ -38,18 +38,15 @@ end
 -- example call:
 -- 	yl_speak_up.initialize_npc_dialog_once(pname, nil, n_id, fields.n_npc, fields.n_description)
 yl_speak_up.initialize_npc_dialog_once = function(pname, dialog, n_id, npc_name, npc_description)
-	local count = 0
-	if(dialog and dialog.n_dialogs) then
-		for k,v in pairs(dialog.n_dialogs) do
-			if(k and k ~= "d_dynamic") then
-				count = count + 1
-			end
-		end
-	end
-
 	-- the NPC already has a dialog - do not overwrite it!
-	if(dialog or count > 0) then
-		return
+	if(dialog.created_at) then
+		return dialog
+	end
+	if(yl_speak_up.count_dialogs(dialog) > 0) then
+		-- add the created_at flag if the dialog is already set up
+		-- (this affects only NPC created before this time)
+		dialog.created_at = os.time()
+		return dialog
 	end
 
 	-- give the NPC its first dialog
@@ -69,10 +66,13 @@ yl_speak_up.initialize_npc_dialog_once = function(pname, dialog, n_id, npc_name,
 	local dialog = yl_speak_up.fields_to_dialog(pname, f)
 	-- overwrite this function if you want something diffrent added:
 	yl_speak_up.setup_initial_dialog(dialog, pname)
+	dialog.created_at = os.time()
 	-- save our new dialog
 	yl_speak_up.save_dialog(n_id, dialog)
-	yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].dialog = dialog
 	dialog.n_may_edit = {}
+	-- update the dialog for the player
+	yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].dialog = dialog
+	yl_speak_up.speak_to[pname].d_id = yl_speak_up.get_start_dialog_id(dialog)
 	-- now connect the dialogs via results
 	yl_speak_up.log_change(pname, n_id,
 		"Initial config saved. "..