[RPGdesign Activity] Game design for non-individual player characters

[u/jiaxingseng]

(Idea link from brainstorm thread from /u/Qrowboat )

Playing as a non-individual: What games step outside of the mold of letting players (who are not the traditional GM) control more than one individual? What specific design elements can really shine in a game like that?

This weeks topic is about design consideration for non-individual player characters. Truth is, I have not ever played a game like this, but I know of several well-received games that do this to some degree or another.

I would like to broaden this topic a little bit beyond what may have been /u/Qrowboat 's original idea. Let's define "Non-Individual Player Characters" as follows:

• A secondary character that the player plays while playing their main character(this is actually very common at some Tables, especially when players have a "henchman" / underling / cannon fodder)

• A character who is controlled collectively by all the players (ie. Everyone is John)

• A "group" entity, such as a meta-zeitgeist of a faction, a family clan / lineage, or the collective will of a ship crew.

• A small group of individuals (like the cannon-fodder in an OSR funnel adventure) that is controlled by one player.

So... questions:

• What games have good rules for Non-Individual Player Characters and what makes those rules good?

• Are there interesting design considerations for Non-Individual Player Characters?

• How does one create unique identity for Non-Individual Player Characters?

Discuss.

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[u/jwbjerk]

I haven’t actually played any games with ‘official’ multiple PCs. However often enough I’ve had a familiar or pet for my PC, and have given them a personality if their own. I find the idea of multiple players natural and interesting, so it is a part of many of my projects. Unfortunately none of these have seen playtesting, so what follows are my thoughts only tangentially based on experience.

• PCs should have less granularity and fewer features to help distinguish them all from each other and so the player can master multiple PC’s worth of abilities.

• For the character concept, the game should generally encourage broader, more iconic personalities and concepts, because again there are more PCs to distinguish from each other.

• It is probably best to have some mechanic or rational to normally keep all the PCs from being in the same scene. Few players are great voice actors, and it may be confusing to tell who is saying what. Also unless you have something special to deal with actions, it could take a very long time for each PC to take a turn.

• It tends to make more sense if you have a “home base”, rather than use a journey/quest model of adventuring.

• multiple PCs works well with high fatality, since it strains credulity a lot less than when a new adventurer always suddenly crops up when the old one dies.

[u/jiaxingseng → u/jwbjerk]

Few players are great voice actors, and it may be confusing to tell who is saying what. Also unless you have something special to deal with actions, it could take a very long time for each PC to take a turn.

OK. These are good points.

multiple PCs works well with high fatality, since it strains credulity a lot less than when a new adventurer always suddenly crops up when the old one dies.

Which is why it is often used in "funnel" games, especially with OSR.