Gaming as a whole

[pnyoomah]

I've read through some of the posts and realized that issues are universal with gaming; power gamers, how to end a campaign as well as keeping the life in a story that brings the players back the next session. I'm currently running a Rolemaster game that has lasted now for three years and my biggest problems are:

1) I enjoy creating worlds so much that sometimes they become too large to keep track of. Story lines also can get so involved that single encounters become linked to a web of deceit involving many.

2) When to allow a player's character to die when they become too cocky instead of letting them reap the fruits of their labors in a tribunal or being flogged by the group. Some players are easy to sacrifice for the good of the group when they become disruptive, however. One jedi in a Star Wars campaign gained the enmity of the group right from the beginning and most wanted to kill her within the first hour, killing the game the first day. I felt bad for the rest of the group but, the player owned the shop we gathered at, so.

3) Allowing a game to end. My group gets so into their characters backgrounds, histories and all that accumulates during the campaign that it's hard to call an end to it so, one major event has to lead to another until there's little left and I have to create more antagonists from hidden, backwater areas that were supposedly missed the first time.

These issues I'm sure everyone that's run a game has encountered. Roleplaying is an avenue to escape the mediocrity of daily life and be someone else, somewhere else for a while. Which, I think is the main reason we do it.

As far as house rules, the Star Wars game that West End created was great in that they tell the GM right off the bat, the rules are meant to be a guideline. Fudge where and when you need to, telling the story is the most important part of a session and is the only thing that helps a campaign last, not the rules. I do have a standing law in my games that the rules should keep the characters from doing all they want to whenever they wish. Progressing as is normal with time and experience is more fun to me. I'd rather have a 1st level character who has to survive on his own guile and luck than a higher level demi-god who can create an island retreat on a whim.
Unfortunately, in my group I'm the only one who can keep a long campaign rolling and fill it with interesting plots, helped by the group as they adventure. All the games I've been involved in end after two or three sessions with the GM losing interest or the campaign has gotten so epic that he doesn't know where to take it next.

Perhaps one day. But, any ideas or suggestions would be helpful. Thanks

[Praetorian]

Unfortunately, in my group I'm the only one who can keep a long campaign rolling and fill it with interesting plots, helped by the group as they adventure. All the games I've been involved in end after two or three sessions with the GM losing interest or the campaign has gotten so epic that he doesn't know where to take it next.

I Will address this part as I have been in this position one too many times.

My suggestion is to identify those players that want to GM- the ones that seem to have an interest or a previous GMing expirience or whatever. Pull them aside one evening or get them to lunch or something and talk to them about what type of game they would like to run. Offer your input and see if you two can't come up with a campaign that excites both of you.

Then, from there work out some ground rules about handing off GMing responsibilities. Its a little tricky, but basically leave one GM in charge of the overall plot and the other GM will serve as a backup to pull a little heat of the primary GM and give him/her a break once in a while.

There are different responsibilities when GMing in tandem like this. The primary GM is responsible for taking the lead in most of the campaign.. big NPCs, big plotlines, world development, that sort of stuff.

The backup GM is there to serve as a soundboard and feedback. When it is there turn to GM they have the repsonbility of coming up with an adventures that is tangental to the overall storyline- but not so much it is unrealistic for the PCs to go down that path. Maybe instead of fighting the over-arching lizardman threat the backup GM has te players go and hunt a Hill Giant king... and once the Hill Giants are resolved (a couple nights gaming at most) its back to fighting Lizardmen.

Of course, the GM and Backup GM have PCs of their own. Not quite NPCs, but characters they can take control of when playing. I find that servants or henchmen are really useful in this role. They are not too powerful 9often a step down from the PCS) and benefit greatly from a player taking the time to give them a personality. Its a lot like troupe-style roleplaying.

...and so on. Primary GM runs a number of nights worth of gaming and then hands off to econdary GM for a couple nights of gaming. It takes two mature players/GMs that are excited about the setting- but it works.