Rotating Players, Stable PCs Campaign Plan

I've been  running DCC online for over ten years, since the beta, when we all used Google Video Chat and it was free. In those days, player attendance was pretty consistent. I think it may have been because I played during weekdays.

Of late, I've been running elf games on weekends because of my job. Fridays and Saturdays for my American players. Attendance has not been so consistent. We all enjoy the game, but real life gets in the way.

To deal with that, I’ve been running megadungeons lately. I try to not end the session in the dungeon—someone inevitably can’t make it and face the consequences of a cliffhanger they helped to set up. So get in, grab some stuff, and get out. Drop in play. Most players come once or twice a month to the weekly games.

Unfortunately, this has lead to rather shallow roleplaying. There is a serious dearth of funny PC voices and talking in character. We are a bit over meeting the new guys too—will this player even be able to make it again? 

And I miss roleplaying as a GM too; it feels like megadungeons often lack the good NPC meat I need to ham it up.

So, here is what I am thinking for when my DCC players finish the current Thracia delves: 

DCC by the book. The vision that Goodman gives in the core rules (yet is oddly often lacking in the modules).

What does that mean? Well in DCC’s pages are guilds, orders, cults, patrons, and spells that all need questing to satisfy. There’s a whole section about questing for it. Did you know that wizards are not guaranteed to know spells by leveling up? My players don’t seem to. But you are supposed to research and get deep in that shiz. There are tons of things to quest for in DCC. Gold should be sought to level up faster via training. Curses from the appendix should be an onus, driving  PCs to find a way to break them. Luck points should be sought by fulfilling alignment missions. 

But what about the inconsistent attendance of the players? Well, that’s where I wanna try something a bit radical: Five core PCs that the players take turns playing (there are seven classes in the book). That means we have a bit of a first come, first served mentality to attendance. You show up on time, you get a PC, preferably the one you played last time, but not always. Conversely, if there are only like three players, well, they gotta do double duty and run a couple PCs each.

If other players show up and the PCs have been handed out, maybe give them a hireling from a roster that the party retains. If a PC dies, a henchman can level up to first level and start being important.

In this manner, I think there will be an actual running, emergent narrative. Maybe I will be the only one that truly knows what is happening, but I can do session reports for people that care (some are only here to mindlessly cast spells and kick butt).

In the meantime, I’ll be running Arden Vul on my other game day, and trying to find ways to get the players there involved. Maybe a spotlight on one PC at the beginning of each session.

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