The Arena. One on one combat...while everybody else watches.

[BigVanVader]

Hi. This is pretty much a tabletop problem, but it could be a problem with skype sessions or other, non-forum or non-chat based games.

A few years back, my buddies and I wanted to make a pro wrestling game, and have a whole campaign of us climbing to the top.

We were having fun figuring out the system, what it would be like, etc, but we ultimately dropped it because we realized that one or two guys would be playing out a fight, while everybody else sits and watches. Have you ever had trouble keeping another player's attention while the fighter has a little solo encounter in the tavern? Well picture half a game of that.

So, I see threads on other places, of people who have played 'arena' type games, where the party signs up to fight in the colosseum, or are slaves trying to fight for their freedom, or other such plots, and that's basically the same thing but more fatal with more weapons, right? So my question to those players and DMs is, how did you hold everybody's interest, while one or two players fought and played?

It doesn't count if everybody fought as a team the whole time, it has to be a situation where a small portion of the table fought while the others didn't.

 

[Dragongrief]

Having the other players be the opponents/monsters is one option. If you have problems with some players trying to throw matches, make sure they know it will make their that much harder.

 

[neonagash]

Hi. This is pretty much a tabletop problem, but it could be a problem with skype sessions or other, non-forum or non-chat based games.

A few years back, my buddies and I wanted to make a pro wrestling game, and have a whole campaign of us climbing to the top.

We were having fun figuring out the system, what it would be like, etc, but we ultimately dropped it because we realized that one or two guys would be playing out a fight, while everybody else sits and watches. Have you ever had trouble keeping another player's attention while the fighter has a little solo encounter in the tavern? Well picture half a game of that.

So, I see threads on other places, of people who have played 'arena' type games, where the party signs up to fight in the colosseum, or are slaves trying to fight for their freedom, or other such plots, and that's basically the same thing but more fatal with more weapons, right? So my question to those players and DMs is, how did you hold everybody's interest, while one or two players fought and played?

It doesn't count if everybody fought as a team the whole time, it has to be a situation where a small portion of the table fought while the others didn't.

Roleplaying encounters involving side bets, stopping the NPC's friends from cheating in some way and letting them try to find ways to cheat themselves helps.

Other then that you can always just keep it quick too. Most of the time 2 equally optimized, relatively equally leveled characters fighting wont take long.

With a pro wrestling game you could have tag teams, backstage fights against other teams during matches, and assorted RP skullguggery. As well as shooting pre recorded interviews that will air after the current match.

Oh and dont forget the classic " outsider runs into the ring with a steel chair and goes berserk" thing. Theres really lots of ways for outsiders to be involved in a pro wrestling match.

You could probably torrent videos of the old new world order, wolfpack and degeneration X matches for examples. Theres probably more recent ones but i havent watched wrestling since those days.

 

[BigVanVader]

Roleplaying encounters involving side bets, stopping the NPC's friends from cheating in some way and letting them try to find ways to cheat themselves helps.

Other then that you can always just keep it quick too. Most of the time 2 equally optimized, relatively equally leveled characters fighting wont take long.

With a pro wrestling game you could have tag teams, backstage fights against other teams during matches, and assorted RP skullguggery. As well as shooting pre recorded interviews that will air after the current match.

Oh and dont forget the classic " outsider runs into the ring with a steel chair and goes berserk" thing. Theres really lots of ways for outsiders to be involved in a pro wrestling match.

You could probably torrent videos of the old new world order, wolfpack and degeneration X matches for examples. Theres probably more recent ones but i havent watched wrestling since those days.

That would be hilarious. The players are just the CliQ, running roughshod on fools like a heel faction. That actually would be a really interesting way to go about it.

 

[neonagash]

Exactly, lol now I'm getting all nostalgic and considering running a short pro-wrestling campaign myself.

 

[SuperZero]

So, I see threads on other places, of people who have played 'arena' type games, where the party signs up to fight in the colosseum, or are slaves trying to fight for their freedom, or other such plots, and that's basically the same thing but more fatal with more weapons, right? So my question to those players and DMs is, how did you hold everybody's interest, while one or two players fought and played?

I think most of the time that kind of thing is party vs party rather than one-on-one.


But to answer your question... run multiple fights at once. It might not work in cases where the results of one fight impact what happens later, but I've done this for a superhero game where the PCs were auditioning for an established team and each had to spar one NPC in their training room.
I had everybody roll initiative, took actions for all the NPCs that beat their opponent, and then had every player take one turn.
In-game the fights took place consecutively, but we played them all at the same time.
It can't work in all situations (if there's a possibility of a PC dying and it would impact how the other PCs would act, you can't have the others start until they know the outcome of what happened first), but for a pro-wrestling game I don't see why it wouldn't.

 

[Herobizkit]

Having the players be part of the same faction, have the players run the villains, and have lots of RP action outside the ring are all very doable ideas.

Or you could go whole-hog and have a "manager" mode where the players control a whole franchise and compete against other franchises for ratings...?

What if the "campaign world" is 100% wrestling-focused, like the world of Kinnikuman / Ultimate MUSCLE?