I have two groups that I will be DMing for and at first I was going to keep the two groups completely separate. Late last night it occured to me what if I ran the same adventure, same time line and starting date? How would I pull this off? Now as everyone knows I am planning to run Temple of Elemental Evil next year, so my question is this ....
Has anyone run the same adventure for two groups before within the same timeline?
Any suggestions on making this work would be a great help.
I've never actually run two different groups, using the same game and the same time-line before. But it sounds like a good idea.
If you're really pressed for time, it would be perfect. Game prep takes more of a DM's time that any other single thing. This move would cut your prep time in half.
Also, if your two groups have different gaming experience, you can run the "younger" group first, giving yourself a better idea of what you'd like to do with the more experienced group.
Even if the two groups both start out as 1st level characters, the group with the more experience will handle the "new" encounters much more readily than will the "younger" group.
For instance, if both groups consisted of four PCs, the younger group might have trouble with say, 7 bandits attacking them, whereas the older group might handle that situation with ease, so that you want to hit them with 10 bandits, instead. Or 7 bandits lead by a Hobgoblin.
Playing the younger group first would give you a much better idea of how to handle the older group.
Older players sometimes get "bored" running first and second level characters "all over again." Playing the same game with the younger group first, helps you make it more exciting for the older g oup.
I have two groups that I will be DMing for and at first I was going to keep the two groups completely separate. Late last night it occured to me what if I ran the same adventure, same time line and starting date? How would I pull this off? Now as everyone knows I am planning to run Temple of Elemental Evil next year, so my question is this ....
Has anyone run the same adventure for two groups before within the same timeline?
Any suggestions on making this work would be a great help.
Yours Graciously
The Dark Herald
Another option is to run both groups through simultaneously, different starting areas, like a race A competition, to the victor goes the spoils, literally because you could have the groups duke it out at the end
TT _________________ Servant of Azmekidom the Most Prudent Despot, The Unapproachable One
If you haven't come across the West Marches posts before, they are worth reading for this sort of game, particularly if you just want to treat the Temple and surrounds as a sandbox which I assume you do. Link here:
Greets DarkHerald... a number of years ago I had started a "home brewed" Greyhawk campaign that started with 5 players and grew into 8 players, then 12, then into a huge group of 15.
I had too "social" games of the group of 15 before I split them into two different groups (mainly who wanted to game with who as not everyone got super well with each other) establishing each groups motives and adventure pursuits/tasks, but still apart of the same campaign, sharing in the same goal.
I readjusted my campaign and had both groups playing every other Saturday night, so every weekend was a game alternating between the two. They were encouraged not to talk about thier games with the other group. One group searched for a sword & location (ancient library) and the other group searched for scrolls (9 in all... in different areas of Oerth) and a few other items.
Certain actions by one group would influance other group and sometimes the groups would leave notes or NPCs to update the other group. Sometimes one groups actions or failure to act would have an effect on the other group.
I developed NPCs and villians that interacted with both group in the campaign sceme. It was great and I had some of the players help out by keeping record of their events and providing "props" for the other group.
It accumilated with the two groups merging together again for one huge campaign final game (which went relatively well overall with 16 people at the final game), with the ultimate combat scene with the main bady and the end of a 14 month long campaign.
Sure enough, there were charcters who died or players who left, but I had new players come in and each group maintained a core of 6 devote players with one group being up to 8 and the other at 9 players for a few months each.
I was lucky in that I had the use of a game room at a local game store, which not only attracted other players (thus the size of my games) but at the end of it all, we had three game groups sprout from it. I ended up with a core group of 8 players who went on to game with me for another 2 years (then with much grief, I ended up moving away).
The thing is, it is possible to run two groups in the same campaign, if there is different objectives to be achived, which would allow the groups to remain apart from each other and have minor interaction thru certain events/story lines that could assist or impair the other's group. A "home-made" scenario/campaign would most likely work out better as it would be more flexable. Not sure how a regular mod would work out.
It can be very rewarding, a good personal experience, but you'll have to put some work into the campaign, I actually had for a few months a "DM assistant" who helped me do some brain-storming and create encounters and NPCs for both groups.
I hope this gave you some encouragement/insight on running two groups. Keep good records on both groups/the PCs, campaign developments, and objectives/tasks completed or not completed.
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Greets DarkHerald... a number of years ago I had started a "home brewed" Greyhawk campaign that started with 5 players and grew into 8 players, then 12, then into a huge group of 15.