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From: phred@gitpyr.UUCP (Will Rogers)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Multi-DM campaigns
Message-ID: <431@gitpyr.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-May-85 13:16:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: gitpyr.431
Posted: Mon May 27 13:16:55 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 30-May-85 00:16:21 EDT
References: <2847@drutx.UUCP> <14621@watmath.UUCP>
Reply-To: phred@gitpyr.UUCP
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Lines: 47

[all hail the mighty line-eater bug]

Fascinating comments on this topic.  I have been playing D&D and similar
variants for about seven or eight years now.  We have rotated through a 
large number of DM's in what is essentially a transient population with
a few more permanent locals.  In general MOST, but not all, of our characters
are "transportable".  That is, each DM will allow most characters originating inanother DM's "world" to play in his world also.  Occasionally this is tempered 
by a review to determine the acceptability of any unusual magic items, or powersand the like that a particular character may possess.  Sometimes a DM will      require the character to leave a particularly powerful item "at home" so as to
preserve game balance - This has always worked exceptionally well for us with 
very few complaints from either players or DMs.  The largest problem that we 
have encountered appears to be an economic one between campaigns.  The best 
example is one that my some of my own characters are involved in.  My three   
oldest characters and to a lesser extent the next three spent a long period of
their development in a "world" where, eventually, inflation became rampant and 
the value of a single "gold piece" was very low.  On the other hand, when these
same characters play in some of the newer campaigns of the last three or four 
years they find that the value of their gold is drastically increased.  An item
that would cost them say 10000 g.p. in their original campaign can be had for a
fourth of that value now.  It is easy for me to regulate this problem because itis my own characters that have the potential for great abuse, and I do not 
permit it.  But it does create interesting problems from time to time.  One 
factor that helps to limit the problem is that the three characters who have 
accumulated the greatest wealth are so strong now as to usually overpower other
characters that are common in our playing groups.  So they are basically 
"retired" these days, and my younger and, truthfully, more interesting  
characters see a lot more action.  The older guys simply preserve a certain
mystique about the "old days".
     On the other hand, there are a few local campaigns which have their own,
exclusive sets of characters, and this has worked out quite well.  The DM will
not permit the use of "outside" characters, nor should any character ever be
taken "outside", particularly if you intend to return him to action in that
original campaign.  
     There is occasionally a problem with "time" when characters are moved 
from one DM's campaign to another DM's campaign.  Normally we treat this very
loosely except that using a character in one campaign and then using him in 
another before the first is completed is frowned upon.  By "campaign" I mean
a particular planned excursion probably lasting two to four sessions, not    
campaign in the sense of the DM's "world" in its entirety and perpetuity.

Happy campaigning!

Will Rogers

...!gatech!gitpyr!phred

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omni.omni.vor.ils.dme.sdf.adf.ndb.ohmmmmmmm.hmmmmm.omni.omni........    -Wiley