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Old 10-04-2008, 04:41 PM
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Marc Marc is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Sant Sadurni d'Anoia, Catalunya
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You're not crazy.

It can be a great experience! In my village we've organized it three times, but never playing Twilight 2000. And I remember another time (this time as a player, not as a referee) in Barcelona, in the UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya), in the annual roleplaying day that the university's Roleplaying Club used to celebrate.

I must recognize that we did not organize a campaign in any case. We prepared a long adventure that lasted the entire day. We used to play in a warehouse, each group separated from the others by mobile panels. Each group with its master, characters and objectives. But all the groups playing "in the same map" at the same time, but beginning in different places. The masters periodically met in another room and take note of every group positions and status.

In all the cases, the characters were generated previously by the referees. Generating the characters the same day stole too much time to the game. Of course, the objectives and backgrounds of each group were carefully plotted. After all, they determine the way the groups will react when they met each other.

And when two or more groups finally meet each other, everything is possible. Are they enemies? Have they the same objective? Can they cooperate? Is an alliance against other group possible? Will they rely in the word of the other? One group has first detected the other and is preparing an ambush?

Of course there are some problems. Some of them can be solved. But I'm afraid that others are inevitable. The referees must be well organized and they must try to keep the same rhythm. Leak of information between game tables must be avoided. But when combat erupts...

First, the rhythm goes to hell. You will realize that specially if you're the kind of dynamic referee that likes to resolve the combat turns in a realistic quick way (not as playing chess). Perhaps the first actions will be quick, if surprise is archieved. In a medieval game the players of both groups who are not hidden can meet in the same table and make their characters kill each other openly (with the two referees arbitrating). Then everything is solved as a normal roleplaying combat. With the great difference (for me very, very satisfactory difference ) that it is not possible to make a plan in the middle of the combat without the other group could not hear it. Of course a player can make a hidden action talking with the referee.

If the combat is a modern firefight kept at a hundred meters, it's better not to get the groups together. Each group can play in its table with its referee, with the difference that, after each initiative step, the referees meet in another table were they annotate, in a common map, all the fresh positions of the characters. Of course, each group has his own map were players plot their actions and the referee giving them the information that they can know.

You have a lot of options. You must think about the plots, the NPC's, the characters, the place, the maps, the referees. Sometimes one player get upset with their "killer". A discussion can erupt. Characters feel more comfortable dying at the hands of an NPC.

But always, the better is when everything has finished and all the players get together. Some beers will help. Then everyone discovers the tricks of the others, the status and intentions of each group, the heroic deeds, the funny critical misses, who has killed who...

In short, a lot of work, but a very satisfactory experience.
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