How Many is Too Many?

[The Rose Dragon]

I have this inexplicable urge to be a part of as many RPGs as possible. In real life, I once opened three games simultaneously (all of them fell through), and I am trying to open a third PbP game. When the second one doesn't even have enough interest.

So, how many is too many? Is there such a thing? Am I just addicted and deluding myself with talks of probability of someone posting in one of my games approaching 1 if I have enough games?

[nargbop]

There Can Be Only One!

[Frosty]

I have this inexplicable urge to be a part of as many RPGs as possible. In real life, I once opened three games simultaneously (all of them fell through), and I am trying to open a third PbP game. When the second one doesn't even have enough interest.

So, how many is too many? Is there such a thing? Am I just addicted and deluding myself with talks of probability of someone posting in one of my games approaching 1 if I have enough games?

If you have an interesting enough game on here, I might join.

[The Rose Dragon]

Well, I wouldn't say it's interesting, but I have this game still open.

[Frosty]

I only have DnD books, so anything modern I probably can'y join, unfortunately.

[The Rose Dragon]

That's not the point, though. I think I'm addicted to RPGs, so I need to have as many active as possible. Or something like that.

The question is, should there be a limit that's not the sky?

[Morty]

Don't you know that the only true way is to play only one RPG game and then act in an elitist and condescending way towards everyone who plays anything else?

[TheDright]

Find and download the srd for d20 modern. It has most of the information (except product identity) that you need to play.

[Tsotha-lanti]

I guess this is like blindingly obvious, but how about limiting onesself to as many games as one can handle.

That's 1, for me. Of course, just what that game is changes faster than my players can keep track of.

[fendrin]

Seriously, I know what you are talking about (though more from a player's side than a DMing side). I have managed to keep from going overboard (especially seeing I know I'll be involved in at least one new game when 4e comes out).

Honestly, I think that the best thing to do is to have only a few games, but make sure you recruit players that you know will be able to post as frequently as you would like.

Beyond that, it's your job as DM to keep them interested. If you are juggling too many games, you won't be able to give each game the attention it deserves... and if it doesn't deserve the attention, you shouldn't have started it in the first place.

[nerulean]

I tend to play in two or three real life games, each of which run six hour sessions on a weekly basis. I am, however, in the privileged position of being a university student and thus having way too much time on my hand, and cannot recommend this to everyone.

I've also played in upwards of five online roleplays at once, each of which got plenty of care and attention from me and which I tried to keep going even when they were waning.

That said, there's no way I could DM that much! DMing one game leaves me exhausted, I certainly couldn't do more. It requires a lot more expenditure of effort than just playing.

[Tsotha-lanti]

I tend to play in two or three real life games, each of which run six hour sessions on a weekly basis. I am, however, in the privileged position of being a university student and thus having way too much time on my hand, and cannot recommend this to everyone.

What with work, school, pregnant S.O.s, careers, and the like, my group is lucky if we meet to play once a month.

Oh, those days of yore, when we'd spend entire weeks playing every day during the summer...

[WalkingTarget]

The question is, should there be a limit that's not the sky?

Probably.

One semester, my circle of friends had weekly Deadlands, Hunter, L5R, and D&D games, semi-regular Mage and BESM games, and occasional one-shots with CoC or whatever else people wanted to try going (all tabletop, not PbE or PbP), but I was the only one involved in all of them. The fact that I managed to pull off good marks in all classes as well made one friend refer to me as his "hero".

Things tapered off a bit after that. I don't get to play any at this point.

[TheThan]

I only have DnD books, so anything modern I probably can'y join, unfortunately.

http://www.12tomidnight.com/d20modernsrd/Home.php

there.. problem solved.

anyway i try to stick to one or two games. i can't seem to be able to do more than that (either as a player or DM).

[obliged_salmon]

Full time job, part time grad school, girlfriend, GMing a Serenity campaign, playing a 3.5, PbP playing two 3.5's, and then looking to DM at LEAST one 4.0 campaign come summer time. I can't possibly, you know, DO it, but I'm sure as cheesecake gonna give it the old college try.

[valadil]

I'd rather do one game in depth than several shallow games. I'll spend the same amount of time planning for game no matter how many I'm actually in. More RPGs just ends up diluting my attention.

Three a week is way too many for me. I can't handle it.

Two a week works pretty well when I'm single. I'll even GM one of them.

One a week is what I'm doing right now. I have the capacity for more, but I don't actually need it.

One of my groups started doing bi-weekly and even monthly games because everyone in that group wanted to DM. I was playing one day a week with them, but still kept track of three or four characters. It wasn't a huge time commitment, but it was more characters than I wanted in my head at any one time, so I bailed. Maybe I'll get in on it again when I can actually get in on just one game.

[The Rose Dragon]

http://www.12tomidnight.com/d20modernsrd/Home.php

there.. problem solved.

That doesn't help, since the game heavily uses d20 Future and d20 Cyberscape supplements.

[TehJhu]

I usually can't DM more than one game on a board, but playing several is easy for me.

I've DMed groups of 7 or 8 peopl IRL, that was hectic. It was also tough when I started up games with 4 people who had no idea how to play at all. Every three seconds they'd ask me questions about something.

[SoD]

Hmm, I'm in two PbP's at the moment, DMing an ongoing thing, planning a large scale campaign (1-20 at least) for when I head home, trying to juggle schoolwork, and my part time job (which I need to reaply for), plus social time, hoping to start a relationship soon, plus my me time and I'm applying for two more PbP's, and, before I go to sleep tonight, I need to run up three characters, one 18th, one 16th, one 15th (I think), when I get back home I'll be in another long ongoing campaign, possibly more than one. Oh, plus time to practice my music and end of year music exam (x4), applying for University, end of year drama performance, plus maths exam, english exam, neither of which I'm enjoying, and both of which I'm about to start up again after about 10 months break.

Sleep is overrated.

[geez3r]

It all depends on the game itself really. I'm currently a player in 2 RL games that kills my Saturday from about 11 AM to like 2AM, and no I don't have those mixed up, while also running the PbP "A new Chance" here on the boards. The 2 RL game's I'm involved in are the kind of "hey I drew this dungeon on the back of a napkin like 3 minutes ago, let's try it out" games, where a lack of preparation is part of the fun, which might also explain how the whole campaign world go so out of whack.

But with the PbP I'm running, there are well over a dozen very active players who keep me on my toes. If I don't check the boards in 2 days there are like 30 new posts for me to read and respond to. Well it's not that bad right now because a lot of them are tied up in combat right now, but you get the idea.

What you need to do is find a level where you are still having fun at all the games. If it ever feels something akin to a job, then something has gone awry. If you're not having fun, then you've reached your limit.

[Nebo_]

I'm involved with seven games at the moment.
Running one PbP, playing in 2 PbP, running one IRL, playing three IRL.

The most I've had going is 12, IIRC.

[Mewtarthio]

That doesn't help, since the game heavily uses d20 Future and d20 Cyberscape supplements.

How about this?

[skywalker]

5.

Clearly, the answer is 5.

One for Ebberon, one for Forgotten Realms, one for (insert white wolf game of your choice here), one for deadlands, and one completely free choice.

This is obviously the optimal formula, it ecompasses pure fantasy, epic stuff, mage-punk, noir/hardboiled/40s pulp advetures, horror, modern times, and the wild west. You've covered as many genres as possible in four games, and you've got the 5th one completely free. Go forth and game.

[The Rose Dragon]

How about this?

Still lacks Cyberscape. Better, though.

[Serpentine]

My friend is currently in 8 tabletop games, including a couple she's DMing, and 4 LARPing games. On the other hand, she's mad.

[Chineselegolas]

Back last year I was in 6 PbP games, two in person games, and spending my spare time reading DnD book and creating characters because I wanted more...

I say too many is different for different people, with there not being a limit for some. If you can be in a dozen do them all well and keep the characters from merging into an amorphous blob of generic traits then good for you.