Running two games from the one story

[Airam_A_Thesius]

So, I began running a game of 3.5 where I created my own world and so far we've played several sessions each with rave reviews. However an interesting thing happened, through the jigs and reels I ended up with eight players, but only four can play on the day we all agreed on for the game. Boldly (I think) I've decieded to run two seperate adventures along the same timeline with the same overall metaplot. The only difference being the party's inital choice of direction. Has anyone ever had experience with this? If so can they share their thoughts? I can only imagine the pitfalls, but I want to deliver the best adventure I can.

Advice? Thoughts?

 

[Arrgh! Mark!]

Just organise in your mind whether you want both parties in the same universe, or whether the other doesn't exist.

There will be differences just because of the playing style.

Personally I'd be more wary of being bored by running the same adventure twice in short succession. It could help the second group's run through though.

 

[Wild Gazebo]

I've had a lot of fun with this. I have never allowed two groups to meet but have allowed the consequences of one groups actions effect the others. I have one on-going plot...started aprox. 1991 ish involving an entire continent at war through a mixture of national, religious, supernatural, and demonic boundaries that I have run four different gaming groups through. I have kept notes and allowed newer PCs to discover events and relics of older games (and older PCs). In fact, the first adventure (and the PCs actions) spurred the war that created the atmosphere/situation for the second adventure (and second group of PCs). Mostly I keep the groups separated geographicaly and chronologically to avoid any major problems with consistentcy--because I have had some hold-over players who have played in two groups at different times...they tend to appreciate the history a bit more.

 

[Nalfeshnee]

this has happened to me before, so to speak ive run the same adventure in a physical roleplay and again as a pbp on another forum. they started out exctly the same... though by the end were completely diferent! though i think that is good becasue it tells you a lot about the two groups' differing playing styles, pace etc, which makes you better equipped to deal with the different groups.

my advice would be to assume theyre in parallel universes, kind of how instances work in mmrpgs and ignore what happens in one while dming the other and vice versa. alternatively you could set them in the same reality, though i feel thats too much work, escpecially if they are in the same/similar areas due to unintended action overlaps

 

[Kae'Yoss]

You can always do the dimensions concept, or the generations concept:

Dimension: They're not in the same world. Well, they are, but not in the same instance. They're in two different parallel universes, in more or less the same place at the same time - but with subtle differences.

This can be fun! In one game, NPC x is a traitor, while in the other, he's loyal. Or he's a double agent. Or, though he's loyal, he's accused of being a traitor because of his "other" self.

The actions of group A affect group B in subtle ways (and vice versa). Group A kills the Evil Overlord of Tyrannia, and because of that, Tyrannia in World B is a meritocracy. (Tyrannia is a small country, not very much known about it, maybe even hidden, and both travel there). In World B, the rulers are accused of being real Tyrants, of course.

You could even make it two different kinds of worlds: One's d20 Fantasy, the other d20 Sci-Fi.

Generations: They play a century apart, or 30 years, or an aeon. The younger generation always finds out about the elder's exploits, and they have to repeat (or undo) what they did. And the elders get handed prophecies by a Mad Seer, about their heirs being fated to do that-and-that, but for the youngers to be able to succeed, the elders must first do this-and-that.

 

[Terwox]

I've tried this a few times and never really had good results, or heard of friends having good results when they tried it. One game goes well but the other one stutters and stops... one group of players works better than the others, etc.

I've had some luck with running different sets of players through the same homebrew world, but interlaced storylines depends too much on both groups working out and having fun. If that's a guarantee though, you might be set! It would be pretty cool if it worked out.

 

[Lanefan]

I've tried this a few times and never really had good results, or heard of friends having good results when they tried it. One game goes well but the other one stutters and stops... one group of players works better than the others, etc.

Allow and maybe even encourage player transfer between the two groups every now and then...it keeps things fresh...let the PC's jump from one party to the other with their players. Any time the parties meet, or are both in town at the same time, works for this.

I've had some luck with running different sets of players through the same homebrew world, but interlaced storylines depends too much on both groups working out and having fun. If that's a guarantee though, you might be set! It would be pretty cool if it worked out.

Well, maybe I'm lucky, but I've been doing exactly this in Riveria for the last about 8 years (before that, it was a single-party game) - both parties represent the same adventuring Company with the same base, etc.; the actions of one can and sometimes do affect the other; sometimes the two parties will be working on the same storyline without realizing it, and so on.

The hardest part...and I mean the *hardest* part...is keeping the two groups at something like the same in-game time, or at least within a month or two. If they get too far separated in time, co-ordination of anything becomes hopeless and you might as well run two separate campaigns. Also, if they're somewhat close in time, every now and then you can have them get together for some mass affair - the last time I did this was when their Keep got attacked - it gets a bit hairy running a session with 10 players, about 30 PC's (many retired PC's were at the Keep and thus involved in this), and a horde of attackers, but it worked out.

What's also fun is being able to introduce a story element in one party, then have the other party be the ones who have to do something with/about it...example: Party A finds the Crown of Tregotha during an adventure but has no idea what to do with it; Party B learns the Crown's significance but doesn't have the Crown; meanwhile Party A has left the Crown at the Company's base for later perusal and gone off on a different adventure, Party B stumble on to the Crown once back at base and hie themselves off on an adventure to place it on the head of its rightful owner the Dead King of Waterland, etc., etc. Hard to co-ordinate sometimes, but well worth the effort!

Lanefan