Revolving DMs - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Revolving DMs

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
spuppett
Apr 24, 2009 11:20:50 My group is planning on having revolving DMs. We currently have 5-6 people (including myself, the main DM) in our group. None of us have a lot of DM experience. I've probably got the most with a steady year. 2 of the other guys kind of want to try their hands at it, and I'm all for it. I decided (before this idea came up) that we were going to do the Scales of War adventure path. After the interest from some of the other guys, I thought this would be the perfect time to do this. We could rotate through the individual adventures.

What I'm looking for is general advice or things to avoid or look out for with multiple DMs.

Thanks.

Edit: Any chance I get this moved to the DM forum? Clicked the wrong button.
Edit: I'll just do the old copy&paste.
#2
deadchannel
Apr 24, 2009 15:05:31 This really depends on your group, of course, but it can be very satisfying alternating GMs. Do you play anything other than D&D? I only ask because when I've done this in the past we had the different GMs run different systems/settings. This keeps the games separate in the player's heads. You don't want the games to overlap. If you only play D&D maybe try assigning a different setting to each prospective DM; you get FR, someone gets Eberron, etc. Alternating adventures would work ok, but it doesn't let anyone think very long term and that can take away a lot of the fun of running a game and crafting a campaign. On the flip side you could do Delve nights to give the new guys a chance to get comfortable behind the screen. The RPG hobby needs GMs so make it fun for them.
#3
etarnon
Apr 24, 2009 17:16:27 I would definitely set this up as multiple campaigns, in different areas of a world or different worlds.

That way styles don't clash.

Failing that you all agree to work together, same set of rules same house rules but that is really tough.
#4
Arbitrary_Aardvark
Apr 26, 2009 0:30:01 I was once in a game where the tables were set up to form a hollow square. The players sat on the outside of the square, and the DM sat in an office chair in the middle. Everytime someone's initiative came up, he turned to face that person.

That's one way of creating revolving DMs.
#5
ciaran
Apr 26, 2009 11:16:53 Don't change DMs in the module. Its better for everyone that way.

Prior to you taking the wheel, let they each run a one day game, so they get their feets wet and have some things to think about before their turn comes up.
#6
bone_naga
Apr 26, 2009 11:33:59 Make sure that for the sake of consistency you all agree on any houserules and your interpretations of any rules that are vague or have caused issues in the past. Also, what happens to the character from last adventure whose player is now the DM for this adventure? Does he sit out or join along? Is he controlled by the DM or another player? Does he get XP during this time? Can the DM award magic items to his own player? What happens if the character dies under the control of another player? If the DM is controlling the character, should the PC's die rolls have to be made openly to ensure fairness?

Also, the same DM should run any connected adventures (where elements of the plot of one carries over to the other), so that knowledge from one does not give him an unfair advantage in another.

It certainly can be done, and it can be a very enjoyable experience, just hash out all the details ahead of time so that there is no perceived unfairness.
#7
ostracized
Apr 27, 2009 19:42:44 I ran with me and another GM for many many years.

1. Same rules. If someone wants to change a rule both DMs have to agree to the change.

2. Same world. Multiple characters over multiple campaigns frequently changing is bad leads to people not being interested in storylines and turns it more into random style encounters.

3. Storylines stay with the GM. If you are running a story line and the other DM is running a storyline there is nothing wrong with intermixing them. But if the PCs are on the trail of an enemy do not switch DMs until they are at a stopping point FOR that storyline. It just needs a point where the other DM isnt stuck running your storyline and can do their own.

4. Designate one DM to be the MAIN storyline. This is the big epic story. The other DM will usually work on more localized stories that effect the characters in some way. Trying to run two seperate Epic storylines is a nightmare for the DMs, and trying to stick both DMs with localized stories tends to bore the players. Use the advantage of two minds to your benifit.
#8
cheesiem0nkies
Apr 28, 2009 20:58:01 My group ran this a while and some of the stuff we noticed worked is,

-If your running different storylines it might be best to run seperate, alternating campaigns (better with pair of DMs)
-If you have 3, like your group then perhaps you can all "contribute" to the story by sort of passing the token along. You know those games where each person says a word after previous person to make a story? Sorta like that. Each person can interpret the last adventure how they want and carry it along, hopefully setting up something for the next DM
-Everything everyone has already said
#9
Elemental_Elf
Apr 29, 2009 0:32:13 The best way to run multiple DMs (abring multiple campaigns), in my experience, is to break the campaign into individual story arcs that follow the same characters. A Story Arc can last multiple sessions, ours last any where from 1 to 5 (usually). These story arcs are a self contained story that showcase the PCs accomplishing something. Each DM runs their story arc, then passes the baton to the next DM. Over the course of a campaign you will probably see many, many stories with varying themes and a plethora of NPCs. Its probably better to follow the 'Star Trek' model of adventuring, meaning it doesn't entirely matter how your the PCs got from Mithril Hall to Waterdeep what does matter is that they're in Waterdeep now and there's most likely a quest to be had. You can follow a more traditional path but it can be limiting to other DMs, especially if one ended their story arc in a far off land.

In my experience its always good to sit down with the other DMs and work out some themes that will be present across the story arcs and, more importantly, a few allies, enemies and organizations that will appear through out the campaign.

One of the coolest things about this style of DMing is for Dms to leave plot hooks laying around and watch as the other DMs pick up those story threads and run with them.
#10
Kynesis
Apr 29, 2009 2:07:02 Revolving DM games are well worth doing - there's often alot to be learned for everybody involved, even if you've been gaming for a long time.

Considering that you're attempting it with a group who haven't got alot of experience, I'd recommend focusing on actual DM'ing more than trying to get the rules precisely right.
Nailing down pacing, comedy, drama and getting the feel for a parties/players strengths, weaknesses and when to fudge a few rolls and when to let consequences hammer down are infinitely more important.

Figure out a setting where you won't be stepping on one anothers toes (even if you just pick different compass points). You'll normally need a central goal that ties the various story arcs / quests from each DM together (find / retrieve quests are often most practical).

Keep the adventures simple, with multiple DM's keeping track of each DM's NPC's names, motives, morals etc.. can quickly turn into a muddy mire, it also makes it easy to recover if it starts going ^^s up or if somebody important is absent... speaking of which, decide well in advance what the DM roster and party composition will be.

Meta-gaming can be a problem for some (acting on information their character couldn't possibly know) and power creep as each DM adds his own valuation of xp, magical items & treasure.

Being a new DM is alot like public speaking, sharing it out amongst you is a great way to ensure everybody has a turn under pressure - you might find you've got a real star amongst them who just needs to find his feet. Feedback is important, focus on the positive.

Something you might consider if one of them isn't confident about running a game (or is too busy to dedicate the time) is getting them involved at the DM'ing level by having them assist with things like maps & monsters.
When my group was learning we regularly assigned somebody to take care of such things pretty often, rolling up treasure, NPC's and monster stats, helping keep track of combat rounds, initiative, timing for special NPC actions or being an extra voice for NPC's.
#11
ekio
Apr 30, 2009 13:51:55 My group has 6 people in it and 5 people DM in that group. We play in the same world, in the same story, with the same characters. It's been a blast for the past 6 years.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 spuppett Apr 24, 2009 11:20:50	My group is planning on having revolving DMs. We currently have 5-6 people (including myself, the main DM) in our group. None of us have a lot of DM experience. I've probably got the most with a steady year. 2 of the other guys kind of want to try their hands at it, and I'm all for it. I decided (before this idea came up) that we were going to do the Scales of War adventure path. After the interest from some of the other guys, I thought this would be the perfect time to do this. We could rotate through the individual adventures. What I'm looking for is general advice or things to avoid or look out for with multiple DMs. Thanks. Edit: Any chance I get this moved to the DM forum? Clicked the wrong button. Edit: I'll just do the old copy&paste.
#2 deadchannel Apr 24, 2009 15:05:31	This really depends on your group, of course, but it can be very satisfying alternating GMs. Do you play anything other than D&D? I only ask because when I've done this in the past we had the different GMs run different systems/settings. This keeps the games separate in the player's heads. You don't want the games to overlap. If you only play D&D maybe try assigning a different setting to each prospective DM; you get FR, someone gets Eberron, etc. Alternating adventures would work ok, but it doesn't let anyone think very long term and that can take away a lot of the fun of running a game and crafting a campaign. On the flip side you could do Delve nights to give the new guys a chance to get comfortable behind the screen. The RPG hobby needs GMs so make it fun for them.
#3 etarnon Apr 24, 2009 17:16:27	I would definitely set this up as multiple campaigns, in different areas of a world or different worlds. That way styles don't clash. Failing that you all agree to work together, same set of rules same house rules but that is really tough.
#4 Arbitrary_Aardvark Apr 26, 2009 0:30:01	I was once in a game where the tables were set up to form a hollow square. The players sat on the outside of the square, and the DM sat in an office chair in the middle. Everytime someone's initiative came up, he turned to face that person. That's one way of creating revolving DMs.
#5 ciaran Apr 26, 2009 11:16:53	Don't change DMs in the module. Its better for everyone that way. Prior to you taking the wheel, let they each run a one day game, so they get their feets wet and have some things to think about before their turn comes up.
#6 bone_naga Apr 26, 2009 11:33:59	Make sure that for the sake of consistency you all agree on any houserules and your interpretations of any rules that are vague or have caused issues in the past. Also, what happens to the character from last adventure whose player is now the DM for this adventure? Does he sit out or join along? Is he controlled by the DM or another player? Does he get XP during this time? Can the DM award magic items to his own player? What happens if the character dies under the control of another player? If the DM is controlling the character, should the PC's die rolls have to be made openly to ensure fairness? Also, the same DM should run any connected adventures (where elements of the plot of one carries over to the other), so that knowledge from one does not give him an unfair advantage in another. It certainly can be done, and it can be a very enjoyable experience, just hash out all the details ahead of time so that there is no perceived unfairness.
#7 ostracized Apr 27, 2009 19:42:44	I ran with me and another GM for many many years. 1. Same rules. If someone wants to change a rule both DMs have to agree to the change. 2. Same world. Multiple characters over multiple campaigns frequently changing is bad leads to people not being interested in storylines and turns it more into random style encounters. 3. Storylines stay with the GM. If you are running a story line and the other DM is running a storyline there is nothing wrong with intermixing them. But if the PCs are on the trail of an enemy do not switch DMs until they are at a stopping point FOR that storyline. It just needs a point where the other DM isnt stuck running your storyline and can do their own. 4. Designate one DM to be the MAIN storyline. This is the big epic story. The other DM will usually work on more localized stories that effect the characters in some way. Trying to run two seperate Epic storylines is a nightmare for the DMs, and trying to stick both DMs with localized stories tends to bore the players. Use the advantage of two minds to your benifit.
#8 cheesiem0nkies Apr 28, 2009 20:58:01	My group ran this a while and some of the stuff we noticed worked is, -If your running different storylines it might be best to run seperate, alternating campaigns (better with pair of DMs) -If you have 3, like your group then perhaps you can all "contribute" to the story by sort of passing the token along. You know those games where each person says a word after previous person to make a story? Sorta like that. Each person can interpret the last adventure how they want and carry it along, hopefully setting up something for the next DM -Everything everyone has already said
#9 Elemental_Elf Apr 29, 2009 0:32:13	The best way to run multiple DMs (abring multiple campaigns), in my experience, is to break the campaign into individual story arcs that follow the same characters. A Story Arc can last multiple sessions, ours last any where from 1 to 5 (usually). These story arcs are a self contained story that showcase the PCs accomplishing something. Each DM runs their story arc, then passes the baton to the next DM. Over the course of a campaign you will probably see many, many stories with varying themes and a plethora of NPCs. Its probably better to follow the 'Star Trek' model of adventuring, meaning it doesn't entirely matter how your the PCs got from Mithril Hall to Waterdeep what does matter is that they're in Waterdeep now and there's most likely a quest to be had. You can follow a more traditional path but it can be limiting to other DMs, especially if one ended their story arc in a far off land. In my experience its always good to sit down with the other DMs and work out some themes that will be present across the story arcs and, more importantly, a few allies, enemies and organizations that will appear through out the campaign. One of the coolest things about this style of DMing is for Dms to leave plot hooks laying around and watch as the other DMs pick up those story threads and run with them.
#10 Kynesis Apr 29, 2009 2:07:02	Revolving DM games are well worth doing - there's often alot to be learned for everybody involved, even if you've been gaming for a long time. Considering that you're attempting it with a group who haven't got alot of experience, I'd recommend focusing on actual DM'ing more than trying to get the rules precisely right. Nailing down pacing, comedy, drama and getting the feel for a parties/players strengths, weaknesses and when to fudge a few rolls and when to let consequences hammer down are infinitely more important. Figure out a setting where you won't be stepping on one anothers toes (even if you just pick different compass points). You'll normally need a central goal that ties the various story arcs / quests from each DM together (find / retrieve quests are often most practical). Keep the adventures simple, with multiple DM's keeping track of each DM's NPC's names, motives, morals etc.. can quickly turn into a muddy mire, it also makes it easy to recover if it starts going ^^s up or if somebody important is absent... speaking of which, decide well in advance what the DM roster and party composition will be. Meta-gaming can be a problem for some (acting on information their character couldn't possibly know) and power creep as each DM adds his own valuation of xp, magical items & treasure. Being a new DM is alot like public speaking, sharing it out amongst you is a great way to ensure everybody has a turn under pressure - you might find you've got a real star amongst them who just needs to find his feet. Feedback is important, focus on the positive. Something you might consider if one of them isn't confident about running a game (or is too busy to dedicate the time) is getting them involved at the DM'ing level by having them assist with things like maps & monsters. When my group was learning we regularly assigned somebody to take care of such things pretty often, rolling up treasure, NPC's and monster stats, helping keep track of combat rounds, initiative, timing for special NPC actions or being an extra voice for NPC's.
#11 ekio Apr 30, 2009 13:51:55	My group has 6 people in it and 5 people DM in that group. We play in the same world, in the same story, with the same characters. It's been a blast for the past 6 years.