HAHA! thanks for the endorsement,

But the only reason my game is like a living World is:
1) You lose players for a little while here and there so I wanted a reason for them to get "back in the game".
Indeed, which is advantageous, because it means I can bring in a new group whenever I feel I have the time to manage multiple groups,(And with the Guest DM Idea, I can even get them rolling when I HAVEN'T time, and let them RP amongest themselves... so long as I don't get totally undermined.

) Or bring in a new character and get him up to speed. I think the greatest challenge there would be the potential issue of the veteran PC's not wanting to risk their necks to help the greenie.
Holyman said:
2) Player knowledge vs character knowledge, you really only nmeed to know what your character knows and not what every street name of the major city is or that this town is 20 miles from that one. If your character doesn't know that why should you.
Indeed. I prefer to play my character's knowledge of a setting to equal my own. So, if I don't know the setting, my character will PROBABLY be a peasant-boy hero. Similar to a certain trio of "Wool-headed Farmboys" from an author we both know and love.
Holyman said:
3) And the major reasons, I am to lazy to fill in all the details of a grand world, and I like to keep things malleable. Example: If I would have had all the religions laid out and then Scratched_back came in with his character ideal it would have been harder for him to shape it to the world. Easier to shape the world around what the player wants.
And this is another major reason I was opting for it. It allows players more 'control' over things while saving the DM work for the most part, and lets everyone own a piece of the story.
Holyman said:
And you could do the same, if the charatcers are first lvl - are they slaves fighting for their lives. Captured and dragged who knows where? Do they know the city they are in, the country? And later when they "lvl up" prestige can be just as great of an reward as XP, and gold. And they can be allowed to venture out.
Haha, and thusly you've typed up much of my brainstorming.
Holyman said:
This could take on a "living" aspect if you let anyone who wants make a character, and then when a group of four gladiators are ready, take them to the bloody sands for an "encounter". This would be heavy combat with a little RP in "the tunnel" before they go to die.
Which was exactly what I had in mind to start... just because it will be easier for me to work with if I have more time to mull over the different characters and work on hooks for them and things.
Holyman said:
You could have "guest DM's" run an encounter, do a little PvP (not to the death), and let some players try new things and combos. And they not only have to go out and fight monsters. They could run the gauntlet = traps & blades in a walled "hallway" while arrows are fired from a tower.
Lots you can do have fun, I am around to bounce ideals off of if you need me.
HM
Or a fight *IN* the gauntlet for particularly prestigious matches.

Kinda like that old show Battlebots or whatever, with the remote controlled fighting cars with chainsaws and stuff... with the traps.
I figured this was a promising premise, inspired after seeing a couple gladiator based 4E games. I figured I let some 3.5ers get in on the action... and get my feet wet in DMing.
I am thinking I will likely start recruitment this weekend, perhaps, since currently it looks like my friday morning/afternoon are open as well as all day saturday, and Sunday afternoon for a bit... I should have some time to sit down and work some stuff out.