All one class

[randomling]

I'm thinking of running a game (probably a PbP) in which all the PCs start out as a single class. I'm thinking rogues, because it's a flexible class that allows for a lot of differences between characters.

Has anybody had any experiences running - or playing in - a game like this? Did it work? Why, or why not? Any specific pitfalls I should look out for?

Really interested to hear people's opinions on this.

 

[Crothian]

I ran an all rogue game. It didn't last too long for other reasons, but the people enjoyed it. It helps if each characters have a good, solid concepts.

 

[randomling]

Thanks, Crothian. Couple of questions:

Did you enforce it on the players, or did they individually each choose to play a rogue? What was the campaign backstory that required them all to be rogues?

 

[Eternalknight]

I ran a game where everyone was a dwarf fighter. The thing that set the players apart were the feats they picked; we had some who concentrated on crossbows, others melee (both finesse and power). I'd recommended allowing more feats than are in the core rulebooks.

 

[Driddle]

You're not thinking of the Adventurer class from BESM d20, are you? Very generic, very flexible.

 

[Dark Jezter]

I participated in a Rokugan campaign where the DM required all of the characters to have at least one level in the samurai class, but the campaign folded after only a few sessions.

So, I can't really tell you how it would be playing in a campaign where everyone is the same class.

 

[randomling]

I ran a game where everyone was a dwarf fighter. The thing that set the players apart were the feats they picked; we had some who concentrated on crossbows, others melee (both finesse and power). I'd recommended allowing more feats than are in the core rulebooks.

Thanks, EK. I'm actually thinking of branching out a little now: clerics of trickery, pilfering wizards and thuggish fighters are all going to be welcome (no paladins though)! My usual policy is to include feats that are in books I don't have on an individual basis.

Driddle: I've never heard of the Adventurer class! What's it like? BESM doesn't have an SRD does it?

 

[d4]

Driddle: I've never heard of the Adventurer class! What's it like? BESM doesn't have an SRD does it?

actually, they do.

http://www.guardiansorder.com/d20/

there's both 3.0 and 3.5 compatible versions of BESM d20.

so are you planning a "thieves' guild" type of campaign? i've always wanted to do something like that. allowing them to multi-class into other classes after 1st level could also go a long way toward personalizing the characters. a party consisting of "straight" rogues, rogue/wizards, rogue/clerics, rogue/fighters, etc. could do quite well in a city-based thieves' guild campaign.

 

[randomling]

Thanks, d4 - I'll have a look!

Yes, it's going to be a (sort-of) thieves' guild campaign. The campaign's going to start with the PCs under the thumb of a mafioso style boss who has some kind of hold over all of them. They'll be doing his dirty work and hopefully slowly uncovering the truth behind their employer...

Of course I haven't decided what that is, yet. Once I get some players, I'll start a plot thread.

 

[Nifft]

I was thinking of a high-wuxia campaign where everyone was a Gestalt character, with one class being either Monk or Ninja. Yes, it would be silly, but that's sort-of the point.

-- N