Gm Pc?

[ploogle]

I was just wondering what y'all would think about a GM maintaining a char in a game? Just for presence, of course...who said the players got to have ALL the fun? Of course, your char would know what's going on in the game at all times, but nothing is absolutely certain! You could even have the characters be the GM for your char. What do you think?

[sambudak]

Originally Posted by ploogle

I was just wondering what y'all would think about a GM maintaining a char in a game? Just for presence, of course...who said the players got to have ALL the fun? Of course, your char would know what's going on in the game at all times, but nothing is absolutely certain! You could even have the characters be the GM for your char. What do you think?

I think they're a bad idea. NPCs are all the GM's characters. IME they tend to be viewed dimly by players-- for many reasons that will be pointed out by others shortly.

[jahn]

It's really tough to keep it from looking like you're biased towards your character.

[Archangel Beth]

I'd do a search on "GM's PC." In general, having a NPC that is intended as a sidekick for the PCs is frequently done, and can be very useful. Also, if you ever rotate GMs in a campaign -- letting one of the usual players run a session or two -- the NPC can be used as a character.

However, as noted, if the GM becomes biased -- or appears to have become biased -- toward the GM's "PC," that is a bad thing and will breed resentment among the players.

[Brandy]

Here's a pretty good old thread on the subject. Good discussion on both sides of the issue.

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

On top of what I mentioned earlier, one of the worst things which can happen with a GMPC is that if the other players start expecting the GMPC to come up with the solutions or paths to the adventures that GMPC becomes the main protagonist and all the PCs are just second fiddles...

Most players will eventually resent being made to play second fiddle, unless that's what they signed up to do in the first place.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by ploogle

I was just wondering what y'all would think about a GM maintaining a char in a game? Just for presence, of course...who said the players got to have ALL the fun? Of course, your char would know what's going on in the game at all times, but nothing is absolutely certain! You could even have the characters be the GM for your char. What do you think?

It depends. Do you mean a GM PC—a character who is built like the other PCs, and forms an ongoing part of the party of adventurers, and gets loot and eeps? Or do you mean a recurring NPC, who is there purely in a supporting role, who doesn't get an equal share of camera time, and who isn't as rounded a personality?

I think that the former is a bad idea. In the first place, it's going to be hard for the regular players not to suspect you of favoritism. In the second place, it's all too likely that they'll be right. Slanting things in your own favor is hard to avoid. For example, if you're building scenarios, and you have a horse in the race, it's just too easy to build the sort of challenges that your GM PC can overcome more effectively than anyone else.

I would go so far as to say that it's so very easy to slant things to favor a GM PC that I would immediately suspect any GM who wanted to have one of intending that sort of self-favoritism. Like Bertrand Russell's old definition of philosophy as "the systematic abuse of a terminology invented for that purpose."

Bill Stoddard

[HeroPenguin]

Originally Posted by ploogle

I was just wondering what y'all would think about a GM maintaining a char in a game? Just for presence, of course...who said the players got to have ALL the fun? Of course, your char would know what's going on in the game at all times, but nothing is absolutely certain! You could even have the characters be the GM for your char. What do you think?

Everybody else has their stated opinions on this, but I would like to add one important point. In a group where nobody is prone to taking charge and becoming the leader of the group, a GM PC designed to be the team leader/spokesman/sponsor/mascot/whatever can be VERY helpful. My old GM used this device to much success when our group was still together. It's not something you WANT to do, but it's a viable way to get an adventure rolling. If later on, a PC begins to evolve into a more commanding role, then the GM PC can be fazed out as well.

[dravenloft]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I would go so far as to say that it's so very easy to slant things to favor a GM PC that I would immediately suspect any GM who wanted to have one of intending that sort of self-favoritism. Like Bertrand Russell's old definition of philosophy as "the systematic abuse of a terminology invented for that purpose."

Bill Stoddard

Actually.... My GM does the opposite. She's prone to cripple her characters to the point I feel sorry for them in her effort to keep from favouring them.

I have to remind her sometimes that it's OK to make the NPCs and GM-PCs awesome, because then my characters aren't doing all the work.

[LostPassWord]

Try looking up GMPCs on RPG.net in the roleplaying open forum. I would guess that 9 times out of 10, such things end badly.

I have had very bad experiences with GMPCs and GM self insertion fantasies. If I get the feeling that the GM has a PC disguised as an NPC, it kills the game for me.

If you are going to do this, be fair to the other players. Write down what the GMPC knows ahead of time. If the GMPC knows everything, then the PCs are just background to that character and this kills the fun for some.

I would not want to have multiple GMs for one character. In your situation, I feel this would lead to an aura of retaliation. If one player feels slighted, then you could end with a huge argument of the proper way to retaliate. That and a council of GMs would bring the game to a slow crawl as the players tried to decide on what should happen to this one character and how it affects all the party.

I am not saying this could not be done. I believe it would be near impossible to be done fairly. Be ready to kill of the GMPC by fiat if it interferes with the enjoyment of the other players.