But I want to play Champions

[starblaze]

Just wondering if anyone else out there has the same problem I have of never being able to play Champions/Hero System, but are instead stuck running it. I have been GMing Champions for about 10 years now and I still rarely get to actually play a character in someones game. I have tried PBEMs and Hero Central but they have always fallen apart after awhile.

 

This isn't to say that I don't enjoy running my many campaigns over the years but just for awhile I would like to have the opportunity to be an actual player. Noone in my group wants to run it because they complain that it is too hard to understand or they just don't do superheroes.

 

Does anyone else out there feel my pain?

[Hermit]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Oh sure. I mean, I've been very lucky on HERO central myself, thus far anyways, but even then some games there for me fell apart. At Face to Face games, well, I'm the GM 90% of the time, but sometimes, SOMETimes get one of my players to GM instead (usually solo) but that happens less times a year than I have fingers (How less varies).

[Chuckg]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Sounds like me and GURPS.

 

I've wanted to play in a GURPS campaign for years.

 

Problem -- I am the only DM in my group qualified to run GURPS. And most of the rest don't even want to play it, let alone learn how to run it.

[GoldenAge]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Just wondering if anyone else out there has the same problem I have of never being able to play Champions/Hero System, but are instead stuck running it. I have been GMing Champions for about 10 years now and I still rarely get to actually play a character in someones game. I have tried PBEMs and Hero Central but they have always fallen apart after awhile.

 

This isn't to say that I don't enjoy running my many campaigns over the years but just for awhile I would like to have the opportunity to be an actual player. Noone in my group wants to run it because they complain that it is too hard to understand or they just don't do superheroes.

 

Does anyone else out there feel my pain?

OH LORD what I wouldn't give for a good GM. I've always been a player at heart. Unfortunately, I always seem to be stuck with GM duties.

 

Why? Well, mostly because I suck less than the next guy, I guess. That and the fact that my ideas are too big to be contained inside my tiny little brain.

 

I've been GMing since '85. It's gotten to the point that I'm expected to GM.

 

BUT....... I'm secretly training a new generation of GMs to take over for me soon. They don't know it, but it's happening. Slowly but surly I'm warping their paradigms, widening their perspectives and forcing them to see the big picture as an easily manipulated, megalomaniacal macro-dynamic. Soon... SOON!!! MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

 

Okay, Maybe I GM all the time because of my laugh? (See above)

[Dust Raven]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Yes, I feel your pain.

 

I know a number of good Champions GMs, but unfortunately, most have incompatable schedules with my own. I do know one who has made time, and he's a great GM (hi Robert!), but unfortunately a lot of life has gotten in the way of a good game lately (well, he's getting married soon, so I can understand). But I'd still like to step out from behind the GM screen just play one character (and one not bent on world domination or that has an unhealthy obsession with Morgain Fairchild) for a while.

 

I've recently goaded my girlfriend into GMing for my regular group, but the group has since become irregular with one person going back to school, another moving out of town and a third opting to spend more time pursuing other interests.

[Tom]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Yeah, I know the feeling -- and to an extent it's my own fault. It's hard to just limit myself to only 'one' character sometimes.

 

But sometimes I really want to just concentrate on 'my' char instead of everything on the field plus second guessing the players, and is the main reason I ended up on Hero Central. Of the four games I currently play in, I GM two -- go figure...

 

I've lost track of how many games I've been in that have folded for one reason or another, or I bowed out of. Just like with a FtF game, personalities and expectations do make a difference and when you hit that game where it all comes together, it's worth it. Unfortunately, you can't always tell in advance and they don't always last...

[Trebuchet]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

We have an almost embarrassing surfeit of riches in our campaign of eight people, with three regular rotating co-GMs and two others who run occasional adventures as the mood strikes them (and a sixth will be running his first ever advanture as a GM in another month or so). So everybody gets to play and nobody gets burnt out GMing. (Actually, Mentor is going to take a hiatus running Champions, but he's going to be the primary GM for our upcoming Pulp Hero campaign.)

 

Members of our group who are on the Hero boards include myself, Mentor, Blackjack, DangerousDan, and El Tripon.

[Chimpira]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Man, I would love to play in a Champions game, but it just never happens. The last Champions game I got to play in was over ten years ago.

[Boll Weevil]

Yes, and it gets worse...

 

Not only do I only ever GM but, and I can't stress this enough, I suck hard at GM'ing. I have been playing Champions since it came in the cardboard box and I still have to look up damage rules. I am the worst GM in the world. The degree to which I suck at GM'ing is not measureable with existing technology. I have done a couple of PBEM games with some success. Mostly because I can look up things offline. Did I mention the suckitude?

[schir1964]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Just wondering if anyone else out there has the same problem I have of never being able to play Champions/Hero System, but are instead stuck running it. I have been GMing Champions for about 10 years now and I still rarely get to actually play a character in someones game. I have tried PBEMs and Hero Central but they have always fallen apart after awhile.

 

This isn't to say that I don't enjoy running my many campaigns over the years but just for awhile I would like to have the opportunity to be an actual player. Noone in my group wants to run it because they complain that it is too hard to understand or they just don't do superheroes.

 

Does anyone else out there feel my pain?

I'll climb into that boat of yours also.

 

- Christopher Mullins

[levi]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

I have all but given up the idea that someone other than myself will be the GM in our group. Almost every other player has tried to run games, One guy (ChaosLiege on these boards) even earned himself a phrase we use whenever the players are going off on a tangent "Just go to the @$#% farmhouse!" The most regular alternate GM always has grand ideas that always fizzle out after three or four sessions as he has no ability to prepare for games in advance or make up plot seeds for our heroes or even his own villains, despite the fact that he is the one in our group with the most free time (No wife/girlfriend/kids/job).

 

I can say that the PBeM experience has been a mixed bag for me as well. Either I seem to find a great group of players with a GM who can't seem to get it together or I get a great GM with a group of players who can't seem to string two posts together. Honestly, I'm pretty frustrated with the whole thing and have found myself playing City of Heroes and Texas Hold 'em with my time instead of Champions stuff, which in a nostalgic kind of way makes me sad.

 

Sorry for going on like this, thanks for letting me vent.

[Trebuchet]

Re: Yes, and it gets worse...

 

Not only do I only ever GM but' date=' and I can't stress this enough, I suck hard at GM'ing. I have been playing Champions since it came in the cardboard box and I still have to look up damage rules. I am the worst GM in the world. The degree to which I suck at GM'ing is not measureable with existing technology. I have done a couple of PBEM games with some success. Mostly because I can look up things offline. Did I mention the suckitude?[/quote']I'm gonna disagree here. You can't be the worst GM in the world, because the worst GM (as the several "I only get to GM" or "I haven't played Champions in years" types have posted) is the GM you don't have.

 

Knowledge of the rules is not the biggest requirement for successful GMing (although it certainly helps make things run smoother); ability to tell a fun and exciting story is. And based on your sense of humor and use of language, I have a hard time buying that you can't tell a story (Besides, role-playing is interactive fiction. So if your stories suck, blame your co-authors for botching their lines).

[incrdbil]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Noone in my group wants to run it because they complain that it is too hard to understand or they just don't do superheroes.

 

Do they offer to GM somethign else? If you've been running champs for a while, that meansd they more than likely understand it, or can get there with help. Eventually, ity's payback time for all the work you've done for them. You can always tell them that you won't be GM'ing the next campaign, period, and if they want a game, someone else will have to do it.

[MisterBaldy]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

I was a GM for over 18 years before I actually got to play regularly. An occasional one game here and there...but nothing that really lasted.

 

That was the major reason I got out of the hobby for a while. A lot of unwanted angst and frustration on my part.

 

I have had enough time away, that I wouldn't mind trying again.

[Edsel]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

I have been lucky in that most of the groups I have been associated with for the last few decades have featured other GMs besides myself. The real problem ends up being that the GM usually runs the sort of game that they'd love to play in.

 

For instance, given my druthers, I'd really like to play in a Dark Champions campaign (street level) with little or no paranormal powers. That is the type of game that I am running, but not playing in.

 

Our other principle GM would love to play in a Fantasy Hero campaign. That is the sort of game he is running, but not playing in.

 

Our third GM likes the idea of Star Wars Hero so that is what his campaign is. Againg that is not what he is getting to play though.

 

Fortunately we all like playing a wide variety of games so everybody is pretty happy with how things are working out. Generally it seems to be the case that whatever the individual's predilection is, that is what they are most likey to run as a campaign. Since I am really interested in Dark Champions, that is what I have geared my efforts toward, thus I am best suited to run that sort of campaign.

 

Of course another problem that we encounter is that there are a lot of different games we'd all like to run and play in, but there is just not enough time to do it all. I'd love to either play or run a four-color Champions game but I am busy with my campaign and nobody else has the time to devote to it. Even if they did we just couldn't fit it into the group's schedule.

[GoldenAge]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Actually something of what I said in my earlier post is true. I actually am helping my players make the transition to GM quality gamers.

 

What I've done is attach a perk to each character: If they wish, each player gets to create an organization in addition to his PC. The organization can be anything from an industrial corporation to a level of government. In fact one player has developed the company that has the city's trash collection contract - yup, his organization is the sanitation department. They secretly deal in information – talk about the ultimate dumpster-divers.

 

The only criterion for this is that the player keeps current with his organization in case it comes into play during the game. His character may or may not be a part of the organization. In fact, the player's character can be in direct opposition to his organization (Organization = Oil Company // Character = Captain Greenpeace)

 

It's slowly working. Two of my players have developed criminal organizations. I'm slowly bending the campaign their way and soon they may be in opposition of each other. The players are starting to understand the fast paced dynamics of a modern/post modern game (most are D&D experts, where it takes much longer for change to happen).

 

Two of my players are encouraged and have offered to run their first Champions games.

 

Soon, SOOOOOON I will shrug off the yoke of responsibility and bend my considerable abilities towards ruining THEIR best ideas!!!! MWUAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

 

Seriously though, if you give your players some slack and offer them the opportunity to help develop your campaign they might just surprise you. Give it a try.

[Enforcer84]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Well, I sort of have that problem, but not really. I am running a Champions game because my regular GM is completely unfamiliar with the rules. The other Champions guy has been labelled "Bad GM" and since I knew the system, I run it. But this is the first time I've run a Champions game in 10 years. Rare though it was, my quasi regular group of the past we rotated fairly regularly.

 

I miss it, but I need to work on my GM abilities anyway.

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Hello everybody my name is TheQuestionMan and I am a Hero System/Champions addict. You all know how it starts. I really enjoy the playing superheroess, I collect the comics, the gaming books, I watch the cartoons and movies. I really enjoy making characters and dreaming up adventures for them.

 

Unlike some (Hi Chuckg), I have been as often a player as a GM. I have been involved in an ongoing GURPS Fantasy campaign for 16yrs (Different characters, but same timeline with some guest starring by old characters). We have a main GM and 3 part time GMs (My last "Adventure lasted just over a year"). We play on alternating Friday nights from 7pm to 11pm most of the time.

 

I have never successfully gotten anyone else to GM Hero System/Champions however. I have run several short adventures with various groups, but until recently on managed to to get someone else to GM (Thanks radioKAOS).

 

I understand the frustrations about wanting to play a game (Champions/Shadowrun/Bushido/etc...), but not having anyone to GM. Last year I ended my Shadowrun Campaign because I had had enough of the Game Mechanics and not being able to play.

 

It never seems to work out for long when someone else decides to GM(sighs).

 

I comiserate with you all and wish you luck in the future.

 

QM

[Iuz the Evil]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

I gave up on finding anyone locally... with 3 kids I don't really have time to schedule a whole lot of P&P gaming anyway. Joined a couple PBEM campaigns in the Global Guardians universe, as they appear largely stable (though individual players and even a GM or two may flake, the campaign universe continues). Been a hoot, I recommend it. Presently I'm in Global Guardians 1 (Adamant), Canadian Shield (The Analogist), and the South Warriors (Chemo). I'm hoping to join one or two more... maybe the Golden Gate Guardians and/or the Damocles Directive.

 

http://www.globalguardians.com/

[Markdoc]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Yeah, join the club. Our group has 2 other people who GM, but one of them is out of the running (new baby) and the other one only does d20 (he's also got a new baby, strangely enough, but he's soldiering on).

 

So if it's hero system, it's me to GM. Sigh.

 

I miss the gaming group in Maryland

 

cheers, Mark

[The Main Man]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

It's so good know that I'm not alone.

 

But what I did is turn the group practically into a democracy of sorts.

 

After every adventure, if someone has an idea for an adventure or even a campaign, we make a majority vote on the next GM.

 

We do this until there are no other choices left, and the cycle restarts.

 

This ensures that everyone who wants to GM has the chance to, and everyone who wants to play gets to.

 

Granted, the elected GM can run any system he wants.

[Savinien]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

It's so good know that I'm not alone.

 

But what I did is turn the group practically into a democracy of sorts.

 

After every adventure, if someone has an idea for an adventure or even a campaign, we make a majority vote on the next GM.

 

We do this until there are no other choices left, and the cycle restarts.

 

This ensures that everyone who wants to GM has the chance to, and everyone who wants to play gets to.

 

Granted, the elected GM can run any system he wants.

 

Soon, the Main Man may no longer be able to claim this. I've invited him to join MY game! Everyone knows you never come back from gaming with He of the Large Nose and Rapier Wit.

 

May the rest of you eventually find happiness (or move into the area).

[Matt Frisbee]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Would I like to play Champions instead of GM-ing it? In a word, yes. But I also really enjoy running the game. I have great players (even if I have to make their characters), we have a great place to play (even if it is only once a week) and we always have a great time (even if we get on the segue tour bus a little too often).

 

The point is I'm more comfortable these days being the GM, because it gives me something to do during the week, and something to plan for on the weekend. If I were gaming more than once a week, yes, I would like to play. But under the circumstances, I get to play the roles of all of the interesting people in the campaign -- the always worried but still supportive significant others, the wide-eyed fanboys and girls, the helpless victims whose very lives hang in the balance, the vile and cunning villains whose plans shake the foundations of society -- so don't let those players know that a lot of the fun in on my side of the screen, okay?

 

Matt "Still-loves-to-roll-dice-and-chortle-malevolently-behind-the-cardboard-screen" Frisbee

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

I have been gaming for 20 years now, and as GM for 95% of that, mostly because no one else wanted to do it. I would love to be a player more often, but I would rather GM than not play at all. So my not entirely satisfactory solution to this problem is to run a "GM character", one that is a step above the regular NPC in that it is the character I would l play if I weren't the GM. This eases the longing somewhat, and has had a couple of interesting impacts on my GMing style (which I would rate as "mostly competent").

 

Because I am not good at extemporaneous plot hopping, this character lets me keep the players focused on the task at hand by, rather than wasting all-too-valuable gaming time investigating something that I haven't planned out and haven't the imagination to develop on the spot. The players rapidly figure out who the GM's character is and tend to place a great deal of faith in his (or her) opinions (he can read the GM's mind after all). This lets him make suggestions to keep them from going to far afield (although he is dead wrong just often enough to keep them on their toes). And because this character is generally trusted, he can keep a fractious group of players together, while letting the individual players have a lot of good role-playing strife and angst between them that would normally tear a sane group apart.

 

I have learned a couple of problems with the GM's character over the years. Most importantly, he can't outshine the other players. This usually relagates him to a supporting role which can be frustrating for me, but is crucial for fair gameplay. Generally he can't be the focus of an adventure either, for similar reasons, which makes it difficult to develop him at times. But until I can find someone else to fill the GM's shoes consistently, it will just have to do.

 

_____________________________________________________________

"Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate'', (William of Ockham's famous razor), which translates as "entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily'', or concisely as KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). William couldn't follow his own advice.

[assault]

Re: But I want to play Champions

 

Generally he can't be the focus of an adventure either, for similar reasons, which makes it difficult to develop him at times.

 

Of course you can always use him as a McGuffin. "Why did he suddenly disappear?" is a good one. He can be captured by his Hunted and need to be rescued. He can turn evil, whether apparently or for real. He can have his own "supporting cast" (DNPCs, Rivals, Watchers and so on) who can be introduced into scenarios.

 

In other words, you can embed him in a network of relationships, which would allow him to develop as a character, while acting as a link between the PCs and other NPCs. And not take the focus off the PCs, which is the main point.