Multiple GM Campaign ???

[magictiger]

Hi Guys,
I had this idea of me and my player group taking turns GMing a campaign. But now Im afraid its going to turn into a nightmare. We haven't started yet. We just made the characters for it. We have never done this kind of thing before. And Im completely in the dark as to what to do or how to get it started. Any suggestions are welcome. Has anyone tried this kind of game before?

I want this to be a campaign where theres one major goal to solve or stopping evil, and not a bunch of unrelated one shot games like we usually do each week with different characters. I got tired of them. Our characters didn't develop fast enough using that method. We decided to make it a Beyond the Supernatural game with a twist. We added D-bee's (alien & mutant) to it. Even though one of our players wanted to play a heroic demon from another book. Im not sure if hes going to be over-balanced yet for this.

Any suggestions or advice will be helpful. I hope this is not confusing. I will try to answer back if you have any further questions about it. Thanks guys.

[Glistam]

I've played in games like this before and these games can be a lot of fun. Each player takes a turn being G.M., their P.C. becomes a background N.P.C. and everyone else plays in whatever adventure that player sets up. As long as the G.M. can keep their (N.)P.C. from stealing the spotlight and every G.M. repsects the others' stories, this can work out well.

The trouble I see here is that you envision this as an overreaching campaign. With one G.M. that's perfectly feasible. To make this work with multiple G.M.'s could be very tough. Each person will have their own ideas they will wish to run, and they may or may not fit into the story of the overall game as you've envisioned it.

My experiences with this type of gaming have fallen into three different categories:

1. One player is the G.M. with the overreaching story, and when other players G.M. they just run side missions that don't necessarily tie into the overall story. Even though their adventures may be set in the same world, they don't really advance the plot of the game. Think of this like "filler episodes" in a t.v. series.

2. Each player takes turns running the game, but when it's their turn to run they pick up the story from where it left off and run it with their own touches and ideas. This method will get one story, but what the first G.M. envisioned may be totally different by the time his (or her) turn comes back around again. I think of this as similar to a group sitting around the campfire, where one person starts telling a story and another person picks it up, adding to it as they go.

3. Each player, when it's their turn to G.M., runs the game for several sessions (not just one) so they can get their story arc done. Once they have concluded their arc, the next player becomes G.M. and takes those same characters (or the ones who survived, anyway) in the same world and runs a new story that builds off of the first. It can incorporate elements from the last G.M.'s stories or it can be completely new. The linking element is that the characters are the same, and they are in the same world. You can think of this as a t.v. show with multiple seasons, and each season has a different writer.

This third way is not too different from #2, but it allows a G.M. to actually finish their story/plot before another player picks up the story and runs in a (potentially) different direction.

In any of the cases above, it can be challenging to see plot threads or N.P.C.'s that you laid in place as G.M. become "mangled" by other players when it's their turn to run, causing your plots to unravel. Other times it can be great when that happens, because the new G.M. may take it in a direction you never considered and that may even be better.

For myself, when I've done this I usually try to stick to #1 and just run a quick one-shot. I'll try to keep what I input into their world within reason (for that world) so as not to overbalance things, but that's an easy temptation to give into. Sometimes I may try to insert little things that lay the groundwork for a plot that I might run with if I were to G.M. fully, but I usually keep it subtle so that I can just reference it later and it doesn't derail the main G.M.'s campaign.

I guess this can boil down to some general guidelines:

1. Work together with the other G.M.(s). When they take the game over you should make sure they have a clear understanding of what you would like them to do about any "baggage" you left over from your run. Keep them involved as necessary to make sure that what you pass the torch they are ready to take it.
2. Respect the other G.M.(s) ideas. They may want to take something you set up and run with it in a direction you didn't expect, or they may drop it entirely to run with their own story. Be open to their ideas. This also works in reverse - maybe you disliked what the previous G.M. was doing or what that G.M. has left open? Be open and honest about your intentions to leave their stuff alone and go in a different direction if that's the case.
3. Resist temptation. Becoming G.M. of a game your own character is in can make it tempting to give out all sorts of crazy loot, or take your old P.C. and put them in the spotlight. In the case of loot (or experience, or powers, or allowed characters, or whatever) you should make sure that what you're doing not only fits in with what's come before (previous G.M.), but also with what will come after (next G.M.). In the case of giving your old P.C. the spotlight... just don't. Let the other players (including the old G.M.) have the spotlight.

[SpiritInterface]

Gilstam has laid out the options and difficulties quite well.

As a Player/GM currently in a multiple GM campaign. As a matter of fact it is my turn to GM the upcoming game. When we first started we built the world and laid out the history, then we set up the basic story line we wanted to follow and the basics of the Hero group and its goals, the adversary organization and its mission. As the story has progressed the GMs got together and talked about how it is going, do we want to make changes, add or subtract elements, change out heroes.

I was asked to add a new element, how it is to be added has been left to me so as to be a mystery to the other players. I was given a goal and the challenge has been to come up with a 1 or 2 session story that is fun for the players and meets the goal.

The main thing is for the GMs to communicate and coodinate and have fun.