How many people who share DM duties play a character while they DM?

[Celtavian]

In our group, three of us take turns DMing. We all have characters that we play in the campaign, and we continue to play them while we DM though they usually take a backseat to the other characters because of how difficult it is to DM and run a character. How many people are in similar situations where they end up running their character while its their turn to DM?

I've always wondered if our group was odd considering that we have used this practice for years because none of us can stomach running a continuous game without occasional breaks.

 

[diaglo]

my characters find other things to do while i'm the referee.

 

[Skade]

I don't really share DM duties, but I do usually run a character or two in my games that are more than just NPC's. These characters come and go in the campaign, though many of them are nearly as much the focus as the PCs. Still, I have little mercy on these characters, and I'm often as cruel, if not more so to these characters as the PCs. Also, in combat they are usually run by a player, so that they do not overshadow the others with my inside information.

 

[Bagpuss]

FREAKS!!!

Kidding, we share DM duties but we don't DM the same campaign world. Heck we don't DM the same games most of the time.

Me I most recently ran a Scarred Lands campaign (9th level) which we should return to eventually. I also intend to return to my Cyberpunk Corp War campaign although one two of the original players are left.

Richie runs the following games that we return to 2nd Ed AD&D Campaign (11th level) and a Flashing Blades campaign.

Mark started a new Cyberpunk Campaign recently, we occasionally return to his 2nd Ed AD&D Campaign (Characters are Gods, mine is a Lesser Deity the rest of the characters are Godlings and Demi-Gods).

How do deal with everyone knowing the key villans secrets in a campaign where the players also DM?

 

[jasper]

I generally have an npc along. Some are pcs in other campaigns. But I don't shared worlds. So if fred a 5th level npc imc. He may be a sixth level in the other DM's.
Also depending how it going I let my pc be passed around the gamers for who wants to be incharge of the rolls. And do cast power no to block an action declared by gamer. And some times I declare power word charge!

 

[JoeBlank]

I play/DM in a strange campaign, where everyone is allowed an opportunity to DM. Out of 6 players, 4 of us have acted as DM for at least one adventure, most for more than that.

Each time, the DM has found something else for his PC to do during the adventure, either unrelated to the adventure or playing a minor, off-screen role in the adventure. On one occasion, the DM wanted his PC to continue to interact with NPCs from my adventure, so I continued acting as DM for him while he acted as primary DM, but there was no overlap between his adventure and the actions his PC was taking.

 

[Celtavian]

re

How do deal with everyone knowing the key villans secrets in a campaign where the players also DM?

Normally, when a person is running the game, they are reduced almost to the status of NPC's. The DM makes his character rolls out in the open and does not act on DM knowledge. The other players, usually the one planning tactics, gets to decide the DM's characters actions to a point. Its a little strange at times, but we have fun playing this way. We have done this for years since we were young gamers.

Most of the guys in our group like to play and DM, so it works out well. This way their characters don't fall behind in level and still gain magic items. You really have to have a bond of trust between the players and DM to do something like this otherwise it could get real abusive.

 

[Bagpuss]

Hmm you missed my point if your in a shared campaign world how do you maintain campaign secrets? You know like where the evil villans fortress is. Or when the DM of the current game kills off a major villan that was going to be the focus of the games you were planning to run.

 

[Celtavian]

Hmm you missed my point if your in a shared campaign world how do you maintain campaign secrets? You know like where the evil villans fortress is. Or when the DM of the current game kills off a major villan that was going to be the focus of the games you were planning to run.

Each DM usually makes his own villains and runs them when he is running the game. The campaign is varied because each DM puts their mark on it with their own ideas, villains, secrets, etc, etc. We don't switch DMing duties in between adventures and over the course of a long-term campaign, there are more than a few enemies and plotlines.

 

[Desdichado]

Occasionally we've done that, but in general, we rotate DMs, but each have seperate campaigns when we do so.