John Out West
Explorer
Wrote in my Blog about a game I hosted for a college club a few years back, and am working on a PDF to let others host one-shots for clubs or stores.
The idea is/was simple: Multiple DMs host games for 4+ players each, all coordinated by a Grand Master. The GM handled crossovers, kept time for the DMs, and played the big bad.
The theme was a castle raid- the BBEG had taken hostages and raised an army held up in a castle. The groups split into teams with missions like "Rescue the hostages, destroy the secret weapon, assassinate the BBEG, and secure the portals." They each also had their own entrance, including entering through the sewers, attacking the main gates, flying over a blimp, and breaking out of the castle's prison.
Crossovers were the most important bit, otherwise we're not playing as a group, but instead as 4 separate groups- which misses the whole point. Players can help each other on purpose, hurt each other on accident, or make selfish/selfless decisions regarding other groups.
My favorite crossover moment from the original game was when one team flushed a bunch of their enemies into the sewer, where another team was forced to fight them amongst a wave of foul water.
Scheduling all the encounters like train stops allows crossovers to flow. I broke the one-shot into three 1-hour acts, and each act into four 15-minute segments. (With 10 minute breaks between each act so players could stretch their legs without disrupting the game) Each segment is a fight, or social encounter, or puzzle within the castle. If the players were too slow, DMs could make the encounters easier or have enemies run away. If the players were too fast, DMs could have more enemies join the fray.
The Grand Master's is kept busy, keeping track of each groups progress, relaying crossovers, and keeping the Dungeon Master's on time. Plus, the GM is expected to be a master of the rules, and could give rulings for unsure DMs, especially when the players do something crazy. This reduced the need for experienced DMs. One of the DMs of the night was a long time player, but never actually DMed before. (He did great!)
I'm working on turning this one-shot raid into a PDF, and running it for my local game store. I'd love some feedback from other seasoned DMs. Is there anything else you'd emphasize other than crossovers and scheduling for such a large scale encounter?
The idea is/was simple: Multiple DMs host games for 4+ players each, all coordinated by a Grand Master. The GM handled crossovers, kept time for the DMs, and played the big bad.
The theme was a castle raid- the BBEG had taken hostages and raised an army held up in a castle. The groups split into teams with missions like "Rescue the hostages, destroy the secret weapon, assassinate the BBEG, and secure the portals." They each also had their own entrance, including entering through the sewers, attacking the main gates, flying over a blimp, and breaking out of the castle's prison.
Crossovers were the most important bit, otherwise we're not playing as a group, but instead as 4 separate groups- which misses the whole point. Players can help each other on purpose, hurt each other on accident, or make selfish/selfless decisions regarding other groups.
My favorite crossover moment from the original game was when one team flushed a bunch of their enemies into the sewer, where another team was forced to fight them amongst a wave of foul water.
Scheduling all the encounters like train stops allows crossovers to flow. I broke the one-shot into three 1-hour acts, and each act into four 15-minute segments. (With 10 minute breaks between each act so players could stretch their legs without disrupting the game) Each segment is a fight, or social encounter, or puzzle within the castle. If the players were too slow, DMs could make the encounters easier or have enemies run away. If the players were too fast, DMs could have more enemies join the fray.
The Grand Master's is kept busy, keeping track of each groups progress, relaying crossovers, and keeping the Dungeon Master's on time. Plus, the GM is expected to be a master of the rules, and could give rulings for unsure DMs, especially when the players do something crazy. This reduced the need for experienced DMs. One of the DMs of the night was a long time player, but never actually DMed before. (He did great!)
I'm working on turning this one-shot raid into a PDF, and running it for my local game store. I'd love some feedback from other seasoned DMs. Is there anything else you'd emphasize other than crossovers and scheduling for such a large scale encounter?
