Round robin gaming group -- almost a reality!

[RodneyThompson]

!!!!

OK, this is exactly what my group decided to try and do about two years ago. Each person got to be GM/DM for a month, and we played whatever game they decided to run. The only catch was that they had to bring pregenerated characters for everyone. We had some great games. I ran a Spycraft adventure set in the world of the Metal Gear Solid games, while one of my buddies ran a He-Man inspired D&D game. We played 7th Sea, Star Wars, and Wheel of Time before it finally died. The problem was that one player basically complained that he couldn't get attached to his characters, and the whole thing fell apart as not everyone wanted to DM and some people just wanted to play.

Eric, if you can make this happen, I commend you. Just bring your group down here to Tennessee and I'll be happy to join you.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I was in a fairly stable "Round Robin" system for 3 years in Austin. Everyone ran at least one campaign. Each week, 2 people were prepared to DM, the Primary and the Backup (because people have jobs, emergencies, etc), and everyone brought PCs for each campaign.

Part of the key was that everyone ran a campaign in a system they felt comfy with. As a result, I ran a D&D and a HERO campaign, a couple of others ran HERO, a couple ran GURPS, RIFTS, MechWarrior, Paranoia, and others. It was like having a buffet. Popular campaigns got requested, others died off.

Within a system, however, one thing that I have tried (with great success) is conceptually related to the Moorcockian "Eternal Champion" thing- a Caravan-based campaign. Have each player generate a few PCs like an old Dark Sun PC Tree, or could even be low/med/high level if you want to try out different adventure levels along the way. Since the caravan is always in motion, new adventures are easy to work into the campaign. One week, its a bandit attack, next time, its exploring ruins, some time after that, an assassin within the caravan looking for a particular target who is difficult to ID.

 

[JoeBlank]

We've tried several schemes but the best seems to letting a ref ref for a "while" (6 to 8 months), long enough to carry a story arc through to completion. You could also let another ref interrupt the story arc for one-shots from time to time to give a ref a break. Our ref pool consists of two who like to do longer arcs and one who likes to do one-shots so we let the latter give the former a break.

You asked a few questions about player reactions to this. As a player, I guess I like the appeal of multiple refs and playing styles. I don't care for the idea of not getting to develop a character over many sessions. That is one of the prime sources of enjoyment for me in D&D (and I suspect many others) so getting a new PC each time the ref switches is most unappealing personally.

This is similar to what my online group does. We rotate DMs in a shared world, so the PCs remain the same from game to game. Advantages: those of us who don't have the time to run an ongoing campaign on our own get to stretch our DM legs for as long as we like, and then rejoin the game as a player. I have run the game for as short as two sessions and for as long as 8 or 9 months.

Seeing Eric's later posts, this is not what you have in mind. If I had the time to game more ofter I would completely dig the string of one-shots, unconnected, as long I could also have an ongoing regular game too. Getting to try out various genres and character ideas sounds fun. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[EricNoah]

Eric, if you'd like me to be involved, count me as interested. This is one of my unspoken fantasies as well. Of course, I 'd also like to get in on the other side of the screen as the robin turns 'round.

We're doing Eberron now (as you may have heard), but I could do Mutants & Masterminds, Star Wars, or any number of esoteric games that currently call my bookshelf home.

Check yer e-mail, Scott!

 

[EricNoah]

The problem was that one player basically complained that he couldn't get attached to his characters, and the whole thing fell apart as not everyone wanted to DM and some people just wanted to play.

I hear you -- I'm trying to impress on folks that this will not be a "get attached to a character" type of game. Fortunately, we're all involved in other long-running campaigns as well (most meeting about once a month too), so we all get that fix in that way.

 

[broghammerj]

Eric,

I sort have been doing this by necessity. I moved away from my original group and now we are all professionals with little time. We get together about every 4 months. My best recommendation is to consider d20 modern. We play it like a series of X-files episodes loosely based on Dark Matter. Everything happens in one shot format. Sort of the old serials in the 50s. One time the group storms a hostage situation at the mall, then investigate a murder, then battles some cultists, etc. There is absolutely no continuity between episodes of the "campaign". They all have the same characters but they're all cops solving different crimes. No long term goals.

 

[EricNoah]

Within a system, however, one thing that I have tried (with great success) is conceptually related to the Moorcockian "Eternal Champion" thing- a Caravan-based campaign. Have each player generate a few PCs like an old Dark Sun PC Tree, or could even be low/med/high level if you want to try out different adventure levels along the way. Since the caravan is always in motion, new adventures are easy to work into the campaign. One week, its a bandit attack, next time, its exploring ruins, some time after that, an assassin within the caravan looking for a particular target who is difficult to ID.

Caravan, eh? Now that's an idea, at least for linking the fantasy games .... kind of like the "wagon train" idea behind Star Trek .... a whole load of travellers, with a few of them having adventures every month ... very interesting!

 

[maddman75]

I'd never thought of that. I now have a new gaming dream that will probably never happen. Curse you Eric Noah!!1!!



Sounds awesome. And I wouldn't be for the same characters. Part of the joy would be to actually play other games. D&D, Exalted, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, Star Wars, whatever floats your boat. And if it don't, it'll be something else next week.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The caravan works like a charm.

If you're sitting there one night with a great idea for a high-level game, you can just tell your players to bring their high level PCs.

Have the caravan wander through a war zone, with the PCs fending off or negotiating with a variety of groups- raiders, dragoons, special forces, etc.

When the caravan reaches the shore, perhaps there is a Kuo-toa artifact carried by a merchant that needs to be delivered to an undersea locale...

AND if you're short on time, you can always use a module, changing certain details to make it fit the caravan setting:

Dying to play ToEE? The various sections can be used as roadside ruins, and White Plume Mountain becomes "Crater Lake"

And so forth...

The party wanders the land, never settling down, righting wrongs.

Think of all the various, long running shows that used this kind of formula. The Hulk, Kung-fu, Hercules, Xena....

If you DO try this out, let the players know the setting beforehand. It will reduce later frustration ("I wanna build my Mage's Laboratory!") and you might get some different PC concepts. Imagine, if you will, the guy who is a regular joe trying to escape his past, a la "Lord Jim," so he drinks a lot and takes up with the caravan as a grunt, slowly redeeming himself, possibly with a final, grand and noble act...

 

[EricNoah]

I just wanted to provide an update as of April 2005:

In 4 months we've had three games with three different GMs:
* Castle Greyhawk D&D, humorous fantasy, d20
* Mutants & Masterminds, supers, d20
* Dark Sun D&D, fantasy (unintentionally humorous ), d20 [run by me]

And coming in May (with any luck), Star Wars (sci fi, d20). I'm told we may get to kill some Ewoks.

We have not been able to have every member of the group present at any of the games so far, but that's kind of the charm of playing this way -- it doesn't really matter if one person can't make it. As much as we'd love it if everyone could experience all of the games, my feeling on this is carpe diem. If we wait for everyone to be available, we'll never get games in.

So far, the impression I get (and it was certainly true for the game I ran) is that GMs generally prepare more material than they end up needing. I had to cut out about 2-3 encounters to fit my game into 4-1/2 hours, for example.

Pre-generated characters are very nice for helping speed things along in unfamiliar territory (an unfamiliar system like M&M, or an unfamiliar rules-set like the psionics ruls for Dark Sun).

Overall I've been very pleased at how it's going so far and am having a great time.