So, /tg/, I was thinking about DMing a game again, but I was sort of anxious. The problem is, I don't really like parties. They tend to be either boring or quarrelling, too homogeneous or so different, they have no reason to adventure with each other. Oftentimes, every player in the party wants to do a separate thing at the same time. I don't really like this shit.
But you know what I like? Vidya RPGs. Those tend to have a clear cut protagonist, who the story revolves around, and a party of NPCs, who are there to entertain him. Vidya, however, do have a problem - they have a very limited plot, very limited freedom, and unless we develop an AI any time soon, it will remain so forever.
But then I had an idea. What if I grab a couple of imaginative, interesting players I like, throw them in the same setting, tell them to create whatever characters they want and create separate plots, NPC parties and encounters catered specifically to them? I've found the volunteers quickly, and we've just began - so far it's going well.
How autistic is my idea, /tg/? Have you ever considered something similiar?
That sounds like competent/above average GMing.
You mean 1 on 1 GMing?
How are you going to run multiple completely different games at once?genuinely interested
Continued.
While I have only two players (one of them playing a thief from the gutters, the other - a noble elven sorcerer), I have quite a few of observers. And then I've thought - why should they be just observing? Let them have their fun too!
So I've started thinking how can I achieve that. My idea is a karma system. Every observer has karma, ranging from +5 to -5. Using karma, he can cause changes - those changes can move his karma either towards either positive, or negative cap. Every time an observer helps a player (by granting him an advantage or something) or intervenes into plot (for example, by taking over an NPC for a time), he hurts his karma. The only way to get it back to positives is to harm the player - for example, by giving him disadvantages, shifting NPCs' disposition in the social encounters etc.
What /tg/ thinks of this idea? Is it crap? Do you have any suggestions?
>>46664836
By reducing amount of players to managable level. Not six, not five. Three at most.
>>46664792
>I don't really like parties. They tend to be either boring or quarrelling, too homogeneous or so different, they have no reason to adventure with each other. Oftentimes, every player in the party wants to do a separate thing at the same time. I don't really like this shit.
Every time I GM, I have a "main" plot beforehand that all the players will have a reason to follow to avoid this. The easiest example is making all the characters part of the same guild or organization. Sure, fighty mc fighterman might wana find his long lost brother... but at the same time helping his guild become more well known and prosperous helps contribute to the amount of resources he has to devote to that goal... and it will be the same for most everyone else in the party. Whatever Organization they're all part of will be a character itself, in the sense that it will have it's own goal and the players will be working towards those goals.
>>46664861
that's still going to involve you turning away from one guy to talk to the other. Unless you're able to convey information in one minute quips, you're going to have the other players waiting their turn to re-engage in their private world. it may feel as if you're doing the same with a party doing turns and whatnot, but since they're all engaged in the same situation, they're still participating even though your attention is not each individual one of them.
Even with only two guys, this problem will pop up. Are you going to implement a timer of some sort, saying that each player can only take x amount of time before you move to the next one?
Also, karma system with observers could probably make your workload extremely reduced. They'd basically be filling the role of assistant GM's it sounds like, what with them taking control of NPC's and the like.. That karma system though would have to be heavily checked and measured though, otherwise extremely fantastical situations that shouldn't happen might become a possibility.
>>46664931
And that problem is easily solved by playing through the internet. While it slows down the game overall (because speaking is faster than writing), it also allows me to work around several issues. Like meeting people IRL.
>>46664971
sounds legit. Seems like you got a good plan and are ready to try it out. good luck to you.
>>46664845
Sounds interesting anon. Just make sure they don't get too much interferance with their karma stuff. It should be interesting, not game breaking
>>46664971
Whelp Anon, it sounds good. God speed, noble recluse.
>>46664971
So a freeform forum RPG with 4 snowflakes instead of a hundred.
How revolurionary
