A question...very odd too.

[mallninja0088]

The only people I know around my very small town that play RPG's are my brother and I.  Now for the question.  How could I GM and play a character at the same time?  Is there a way to do that?  My brother is capable of being the GM, but he is younger than I am and he wouldn't enjoy it.  The only way I know of for only two people to play is for the player to run 2-3 chracters.  But....I want to play too.  So what should I do?

BTW, I hope this is the right place to put this.  I am sure questions like this don't come up very much.  

Thanks.

[Jürgen Mayer]

Hm, maybe you could try some of the RPGs where you don't really need a GM, like C&C by Dav or Pantheon by Robin Laws.

[Matt Gwinn]

How could I GM and play a character at the same time? Is there a way to do that?

Simple, just do it.  The secret is being able to separate what you know as the GM from what the character would know.  The problem I see is that your charcater will end up being more support than anything.  My experiences with this usually involves the GM playing a healer as backup.  Honestly though, you're really only playing a well developed NPC.

Your other option is to play a game that doesn't require a GM.  I can't think of one off the top of my head, but I'm sure soemone around here can name a couple.

The only way I know of for only two people to play is for the player to run 2-3 chracters.

Why do you need more than 1 character to begin with?  One of my best gaming experiences was a DC Heroes game where I was the only character.  1 on 1 games allow for a lot of character and story development without the hassle of making sure everyone gets to play a part.  Not many people play that way because the group dynamic is more fun, but if you are limited to 2 players to begin with, I say go with a 1 on 1 game.

But....I want to play too. So what should I do?

Again, I suggest a game that doesn't require a GM.  Your other option is taking turns with GMing duties with a 1 on 1 game.

,Matt G.

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Brad,

Opinions about this will obviously vary, but I think your best bet is to have you be the GM and your brother be the single player, playing one character.

It's clear from your post that you are assuming that there must be more than one fictional player-character in action. I'm not sure why that must be. Would you care to explain that assumption?

Also, you may consider the concept of playing an NPC who's a companion and ally of the single PC - this approach may be very effective but does carry a few pitfalls to avoid.

Best,
Ron

[contracycle]

I agree that one-character games can go very well - my longest lasting fantasy campaign originated with a single character, and later branched to include more players.  Having a game in progress also makes it easier, potentially, to introduce new players if you can rustle any up.

A GM can never really be a player as well, as they always to some extent have to be the GM.  OTOH, most stories are about single characters with a supporting cast - so maybe you can get your player jollies out of that supporting cast.  Make them interesting and dynamic; their primary purpose is to assist the PC.

A straight dungeon crawl is not very satisfactory with a single player - nobody else to bounce ideas off, that sort of thing.  But, its very hard to do like a prison drama with 5 characters; so try to think about stories that work best with single protagonists.  An interesting example might be "The Shadow of His Wings" (1988) by Bruce Fergusson - not terribly standard fantasy, but interesting, and the kind of story that could only be told from a single character viewpoint.  Also, David Gemmel's books.

Give your brother The Coolest Funnest Time He's Ever Had.  Then he will tell his friends (there must be some) and then you have a good chance of getting more players.

[GreatWolf]

Once upon a time, my brother and I played Champions and alternated GMing.  We each had a superhero, though, so when I was GMing, I treated my character like an NPC, and vice versa when my brother was GMing.  I'll grant that the game was mostly a "monster of the week" campaign, with loads of gratuitous violence, but then, that's about all I personally get from superheroes anyways.  Shows why I'm not a comic fan, eh?

It worked, it was fun, and I have several fond memories from that time.  If nothing else, it is another option.

(P.S.  I'm not knocking comic books.  Rather, I'm displaying my personal lack of interest.  Please please please don't read in any value judgments here.  :) )

[mallninja0088]

Thanks alot you guys.  My brother just expressed interest as taking turns being GM.  This is going to help quite a bit.  The game we are playing is the Star Wars D20 verison by wizards.  We both really like that game.  We have never gotten around to playing yet though.  We have created like a billion characters though!!! Any more tips would be welcomed!

Thanks!

[Dav]

Check-out Ghost Dog, by Guardians of Order (it is based on the movie).  It has some great depth, and was originally designed as a one player-one GM system.

Dav

[mallninja0088]

OK.  I am not looking for systems to use this with, I am looking for advice to play a game with those ideas.  Thanks alot though... I will take a look at the systems, but that is just not what I am looking for.  

Thanks for your help.

[Clay]

The only advice I have is "Just Play".  One player one GM can work quite well.  I've had some excellent one-on-one sessions, and more than three players I actually find to be a bit of a burden.  Keeping that many people occupied at once is a challenge.

You've already got characters created for Star Wars.  So play that. with just the two of you.

I believe that DustDevils would also work nicely for a two player game, since the GM is not guaranteed to be the one in charge at any given time.

[mallninja0088]

That is about all you can do!!!  LOL  We are also going to try to switch off as GM once in a while...hope that idea works...I think it will.

TTYL

[Laurel]

My first question is are you and your brother more interested in playing "Star Wars?"  or more interested in playing "D20"?

If its the former, what you might do is both create characters and set them in the same chronicle, different locations.  Then you can each take turns, say a half hour or hour, switching from GM to player, so that both characters and their stories got equal time/space.  Share NPCs and such, or use events in one story to relate distantly to the other.

If its the later, and you guys want to play more traditional d20 with less storymaking focus, then put a lot of detail into your villains and sidekicks for your brother's PC, and encourage him to give you ideas and suggestions for what kind of events he'd like to see happen over time.

[Zak Arntson]

The only people I know around my very small town that play RPG's are my brother and I.  Now for the question.  How could I GM and play a character at the same time?  Is there a way to do that?

My best one player/one GM experience consisted of me and my brother. His PC was a "fish-out-of-water" (an Asian-themed character who immigrated to a European-themed setting), and the whole game was him establishing himself. I didn't play a permanent character, but through improvisation, I created several recurring NPCs who I played more or less like my own PCs.

The one GM/one player situation went a long way towards making the NPCs feel more important to the story, while still protagonizing my brother's PC. In fact, with that pattern established, when we got another Player, the game didn't have the same energy.

[mallninja0088]

Laurel:  We like playing both.  Star Wars is an awsome setting.  We both like the D20 system alot.  So, speaking for my brother, we both love the game as it is.  

Zak:  Awsome.  Our game is going to revolve around this Wookie Jedi and Soldier who are keeping the peace in a city.  Not all the details of the setting are fleshed out enough to play now but we are working on it to make it the best possible setting to play in.