How to DM AND play char.?

[rawgt3]

I would really like to play as a char., but I have tons of ideas for adventures and no one else wants to be DM. I have ideas for a VERY long campaign (lvl.2-20+) so I really don't want to wait to play. I have three theories that might let me do both without spoiling every thing.
1.) I could make my char. leave the party for about a month if I let him join Guardians of the Green.Allowing me to be full-time DM in his absence.
2.) I could draw the basic outline of the dungeon and then roll randomly for traps and encounters ect.
3.) I could just be a silent char. and not say anything unless they already know it, I suceed in a roll (spot creatures..ect.), or to hint them in the right direction to innitiate a quest. The only problem with this is that I tend to be the face char. and I don't like to base social skills soley on rolls. And if I do the talking, then I'll know exactly what to say and therefore always be right because I don't like being wrong perhaps we could take turns being the face char.?
Like I said these are THEORIES so please, if you have a better idea,I'd like to know about it.

 

[Grymar]

Tough one, man. You are talking about bringing in a DMPC, one of the hardest things to do well (some would say impossible). I would suggest picking one side of the screen or the other and sticking to it. Trying to play both sides is just not a good idea in my experience. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but I have no better advice.

Good luck!

 

[Asmor]

Tough one, man. You are talking about bringing in a DMPC, one of the hardest things to do well (some would say impossible). I would suggest picking one side of the screen or the other and sticking to it. Trying to play both sides is just not a good idea in my experience. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but I have no better advice.

Good luck!

As a rule, DMPCs should be avoided.

There are exceptions to every rule, but if you have to ask then you're probably not ready (no offense-- I wouldn't trust myself to do a DMPC either). As Grymar says, DMPCs are hard to pull off right and very, very easy to screw up... not just the character, but the entire game.

On top of that, they've got a lot of stigma because most people have played in a game (or games) already that were ruined by a DM's abuse of a DMPC.

It's a topic best avoided entirely. Stick to NPCs, BBEGs, etc. Remember, as the DM, you don't play a character... You play hundreds of characters.

 

[Gilladian]

Yeah, I don't recommend playing and Dming in the same game. Your idea of random traps, etc... just doesn't sound very practical for anything except a very generic dungeoncrawl type game.

I would suggest you get one of your buddies to run a game alternately with you - play one week, DM the next. That way you get both sides, and nobody is overburdened with the job.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I would suggest you get one of your buddies to run a game alternately with you - play one week, DM the next. That way you get both sides, and nobody is overburdened with the job.

Yeah, I agree. Take turns. DM'ing can be intimidating and a lot of work, especially when you're inexperienced. Share the love.

 

[MojoGM]

I always see completely negative reactions to the idea of a DMPC, but my experience has been the opposite (for the most part).

To me, it really depends on the kind of game your playing and the group. For many years I ran a 2E Spelljammer game with 2 PCs and a DMPC. It worked because the character I played was NOT a party leader or very outspoken. Every now and then he would pipe in with a suggestion, but since he was only right about 50% of the time his opinion was weighed with the same regard as any PC.

It worked well because those were the days of youth when we would play for 8-10 hours at a stretch, and a LOT of it was RP (which I was able to participate in even if no NPCs were present). And it was a casual game, the players and I were close friends and nobody had any turf issues or ever felt like the DMPC was getting special treatment.

On the other hand, years later I had a NPC that was played on and off by guest players, and he kind of became a DMPC for the most part. This was different because it was a larger group and we played for a shorter time, so I eventually removed him from the game (now, that being said it was my intention to remove him anyway once I had set some things in motion that were to come into play later, but I did it sooner since I saw it wasn't working and several of the players also agreed).

So, I'd say give it a try, but be careful. And also be prepared to take him out if it causes a problem. And you should also clear it with your players, if even one of them has an objection then don't do it.

It might work well, it might be a trainwreck. How else are you going to find out?

 

[Doug McCrae]

I'd strongly advise against DMing and having a PC in the party at the same time. The danger is that that your PC becomes a Mary Sue. You end up favouring him over the players' characters, giving him special bennies and having him solve all problems. The players rightly become p---ed off at this - they're supposed to be the heroes, not you.

Mary Sue characters are a classic DM error. Maybe the most classic.

 

[Blue]

If alternating DMs isn't your group's thing, maybe convince them that you'll run a campaign every other session, if someone will run a different one the alternate sessions so you can play.

Don't play a DMPC. Really. I'm beggin' you, and I don't even know you.

At the absolute best, it turns into a persistent NPC, and you're still distracted from your DMing duties to run them. And ti really could turn into the worst, where it gets lots of screen time, figures out the clues if not one else gets them immediately, finds the treasure that works just right for them. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you'll never end up there, but do you even want to end up in the "best case".

If you're looking forward to playing, you'll want to make the DMPC have traits you want as a player. The never-talks, never comes up with plans, never shows initiative won't do it. And anything more is a slippery slope. Plus it takes focus away from the DMing, which really isn't fair to all the other players.

Good luck,
=Blue(23)

 

[Mishihari Lord]

I'll join the chorus: La La Laaaa ...

DMPCs are a bad idea. Don't go there. You'll regret it if you do.

 

[Jack99]

I agree with all the above posters, except the OP. DMPC's are in general a very bad idea, and maybe 1 DM in a thousand (and group) can pull it off without it causing issues.