That worked all fine and good for our old adventure of the weeks, but when we started looking to building a campaign the thought was “You know, wouldn’t there be more then just these five that have some claim at the stakes in hand?”, and after drawing experience from several tactical RPGs we ended up building a few more characters to inhabit the world that could join in on the party at any time, though we tend to keep the cap at six (The three main PCs, and three companions).

More often than not, that leads to those other PCs following the party being described and narrated by me in my DM duties, but three of us overall enjoy the available pool as there is a higher emphasis on the roleplaying and storytelling aspects then there is on just straight combat. Sessions are more so spent giving the characters a specific flavor and an understanding of why they are there and aiding the party; so when the combat does come in there is something higher at stake then any sort of loot I could drop for them as a DM – us as players have grown rather endeared to the characters we’ve created and have played over the years, and not to just our specific PCs but the whole group in general; so when one of those characters finds themselves in trouble the whole party is up in arms to save them.

That’s what really makes it awesome for me in the DM role. The players see the party around their characters less as a bunch of numbers and stats walking around, and more so as their character’s drinking buddies and trusted friends; and with the outside understanding that the campaign world is an unforgiving place there is a underlying feeling that their character’s friends could die at any time; and as such they play encounters more so in a way to make sure that everyone makes it back out alive, rather than a less realistic “oh, forget you, companion that’s traveled with us for two years who’s being eaten by a dragon, there’s a +3 frost axe I want to get to first!”

Maybe that’s just the storyteller in me speaking, but I’m totally cool with the concept of running multiple characters; definately so in a case like ours. I definately recommend roleplaying as all the characters you run though; if even just for one or two quips from one while one gets highlighted a bit more. When you build up the relations between those characters and the party as a whole, that’s when the game comes alive.

It was awesome. The first couple sessions we focused on the combat, since that was the biggest change. He got a great feel for group dynamics and teamwork. Then we introduced another player, and they split the share of characters. Then we added a third player, and he brought in two more characters. The first player was able to coach the other two, and in the end I had a few players who were as familiar with the game as I was.

For roleplaying, though, we always stayed with one character per player. We just decided that each other character had “other things” to do while the party was in town, or that only one or two characters would negotiate with the kobolds. Speaking from real-world experience, you don’t want more than one speaker when talking to a hostile opponent, so this let us get through the roleplaying and back to the grind of a new edition.
Simon T Vesper´s last [type] ..The Future of D&D?

@Rook
I agree. If it’s a combat heavy game then playing two characters can be a lot of fun. If it’s a skill/role-playing heavy campaign then Id discourage most people from playing two characters.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. Some experienced players can pull off the split personalities needed to run two characters at once. But if you’re rather new to the concept of role-playing games, I say stick with one character for now.

Rook’s last blog post..My Foray into 4E: Taking the “Role” out of roleplaying

The Last Rogue’s last blog post..Sort of Like Heroes #4 – A Tough Question