For a while I have had an idea for eventually increasing the number of GMs available for running APs. If GMs ran campaigns only for people who committed beforehand to run the AP once they have completed it. For example I eventually want to run way of the wicked as a GM, but want to play through it first.
Does this concept interest anyone? And yes I realize it isn't an immediate solution to the lack of GMs.
I actually like this idea, perhaps that a veteran GM would conduct the AP, train people to how it might go, and send them back to grab more. Some issues I see would be that after running an AP (which could takes months if not years), committing to running it again would be difficult. I could also see a problem in which the new-DMs might railroad or try to replicate 1-to-1 their original kind of game, as that is their main experience with the AP. That said, I think it is a great idea for those who would want to engage in it, and while not the best solution to lack of GMs, would help the community as a whole.
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in theory i think it is a good idea but if you think about it an ap irl takes at a weekly pace about a year and tnen pbps take like five years. an idea maybe wait till you have played through book 2 and then start gming it...
Yes, but we have lack of DMs, because there are constantly new people. You can have 4 running games of rise of the runelords at once, sign-ups all at the same time. And yes, everyone who wants in may get in, but 6 months later you have another rise of the runelords running and 30 more people want in, either because you have new people or some of the old members now have the time to game more, meaning they may have been at their gaming limit back then, but not now. You want to solve the problem? Get people uninterested in pathfinder, but I really don't want to do that, it will always be a thing because members are going to be here faster than DMs will be made.
in theory i think it is a good idea but if you think about it an ap irl takes at a weekly pace about a year and tnen pbps take like five years. an idea maybe wait till you have played through book 2 and then start gming it...
That is an idea worth considering
You want to solve the problem? Get people uninterested in pathfinder, but I really don't want to do that, it will always be a thing because members are going to be here faster than DMs will be made.
This is in err. If you GM a game to have other GMs run that game later, you're a force multiplier. Take your example and numbers. You have 4 games of RotRL running simultaneously, 1/2 of which are future GMs. A PbP group averages 4-6 people, so call it 5. That's 20 people, 10 of which would be GMs. 6 months later you have ten GMs capable, if they only one run game at a time, of seating 50 players, which would be more than enough to cover the 30 available players. Even if you take the bare minimum, it works out to 4 tables x 4 people = 16 people/2 = 8 future GMs x 4 people = 32 people, which is still enough to accommodate 30 new people.
Browman has a good idea. Another good idea would be an updated thread for a poll that states which AP people are most interested in, so GMs could start those games.
The idea of running 4 tables of the same AP at the same time is a bit much. I don't think that GMing games is a numbers game, I think you should GM the games you like not the ones that are popular. If you are an active GM and there is an AP which you would rather play in, wait for the right opportunity. If your policy as a general rule, that you won't GM an AP till you have played it, then you aren't helping the problem any anyway because if everyone did that then no one would actually GM.
From personal experience, I ran Jade Regent as a PBP for over two years and I only got halfway through book two... had 16 separate players in the game. We all know life happens, but dollars to donuts none of them are running JR on the boards right now. I would say you could divide your numbers by 8 or even 10.
Being an active GM leads to requests from players asking you to GM other games for them. The last three PF campaigns I started, started because of that.
I think one of the problems for running AP is how difficult results to compromise to be active for so long time.
I have thought sometimes about some system to allow two people to GM the same game, so the activity of the thread has a higher rate and in case one of the GMs has to resign, the other can carry on with the game while a new auxiliar GM is found.
At least for me, I have yet not started an AP because I know the chances are high that I will have troubles to give it continuity after 1 or 2 years. It feels almost impossible to keep a good rate through the year, unless you are blessed with a job and family live that allows for it.
Whatever solution that A) shortens the time span required to run an AP at full, B) make you feel you can stop GMing at some point and the players will be able to carry on, will increase the interest of people to GM APs.
Another possibility will be a system to recognize the advances at certain AP with one GM when you want to play the same AP with another. Let's say, I compromise to play book 1, afterwards, you can join a game playing book 2 and your deeds are recognized.
In order to do that, some general rules as the ones for the PFS will be needed so the games are somehow compatible. In this way, it will be easier for players to switch between games, and GMs don't need to compromise for the whole AP, if they reach to do the whole, great, but if they can just complete a book, it is no problem as he knows the players can continue with someone else easily. Otherwise the GM struggles trying to keep the game, placing a pace that finally bores everybody until the game dies, instead of finishing it at the point the GM cannot place more energy at it.
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I am admittedly new (time-wise) to Pathfinder, but I raise all my hands (including the vestigial ones, but not the tentacle) to the opportunity of having two GM's.
I have ran 2 games with a co-GM (in real-life, homebrew game), and, I think, everyone enjoyed it much more, since it allowed for games to be run much faster (two GM's means you control half the NPCs, which means you're not sitting around doing nothing), allowed for some exposition where the NPCs talk to each other (This is a touchy subject, abstain for more than two sentences, seriously) the players get twice the attention, and someone can take a break and explain a rule, while the other runs the game for the others.
Additionally, since we were pretty much improvising, if one of us said, "Look, I am kinda burned, I want to play around for a bit.", it's absolutely fine.
The sheer tempo the game picks up with two GM's is enough to warrant considering it, let alone the other bonuses I described above.
I am interested in GMng an AP here. Can any of you direct me to any guidelines/procedures/etc. for the process to get approved and then set up? I haven't been able to find anything to this point on that.
Thanks!
I am interested in GMng an AP here. Can any of you direct me to any guidelines/procedures/etc. for the process to get approved and then set up? I haven't been able to find anything to this point on that.
Thanks!
Open up a recruitment thread with instructions on what you will be GMing, and how folks create characters. Once you pick the PCs, open a discussion thread and a gameplay thread and off you go.
Nothing needs approval.
-- david
Are there any instructions/guidelines on opening up the gameplay thread? I am looking at some of the games and all seem to have tabs at the top for different things.
Does opening up the gameplay thread automatically build that out?
Sorry for the newbie questions, just don't want to create something and have it be wrong and then have to trash and re-do.
Thanks again!
Recruitment - Follow the link that I gave in my last post. You can attach that to a campaign, which gives you the tabs.
Discussion & Gameplay - Been a long time, but I think you can either open it from the tab, or open a thread in the Discussion / Gameplay forum and attach it to you campaign.
-- david
Thanks everyone, I appreciate the help.