Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="jdrakeh" data-source="post: 3818932" data-attributes="member: 13892">Honestly, I'd still have players create their own characters. The key to making rotating players work isn't placing constraints on character ceation but, rather, changing how the game itself is structured. . . First and foremost, linear story arcs are right out unless they can be resolved in the space of a single session. If a linear story arc spills over to another session and, suddenly, a player key to the plot is absent -- well, it pretty much kills the game dead. Adventures need to be structured so that the focus can be shifted off of them as needed without negatively impacting the overall campaign. You should always be able to 'cut away' from a story arc and come back to resolve it at a later date. Second, the traditional 'party' paradigm is right out. You need something more akin to the cast of a television serial (e.g., Law & Order) where characters can rotate in and out per episode without any ill effect overall. Basing the game on an entire mercenary company or contingent of city guards works well, in my experience. The idea is that if the player of Character X isn't present for a given game, you can shift the focus to a new story arc that doesn't involve them but that is still about the 'ensemble cast' of the campaign. Really, watch a lot of serialized television -- crime procedurals seem to be the best option. They'll give you good ideas of how to structure short, dramatic, story arcs around a rotating cast of characters. If only one player shows up? Not a problem, run a one-shot just for them, showcasing their PC for the evening. If none of the reglar players show up, but you get a handfull of interested newcomers? Not an issue. Run a side-trek just for them set in the same 'universe' as the main campaign. Television can, contrary to popular belief, be a very useful tool in roleplaying.</blockquote>

Verification