Refresh Points

[TheMouse]

On the topic of multiple characters per player:

You generally need to have some sort of structure to the game that facilitates such a thing. Just having multiple characters without such a structure can create issues.

Ars Magica is an example of a game that is set up with multiple characters per player. Each player controls a magus, one or two "companions," and a handful of "grogs." Companions are heroic characters with great skills and abilities. Grogs are servants who are often only minimally talented.

You switch between which group you're playing at any given moment. You might play a magus leading an expedition with a number of companions and grogs one session. Then you switch back to the grogs who were left behind in the base of operations and play a light hearted interlude the next session.

It's actually pretty clever. I could see something like that working for Dresden Files, where the players make up some sort of organization and play various members of it at any given moment. It could make for an interesting game.

[CMEast]

Dang, I was hoping.  I thought it'd be funny to have a character that can absolutely NOT drive.  I relate.  I've totaled 3 cars in the last 2 years.

Even better, give the guy a high deceit skill and an obsession with driving, but with aspects like 'moving violation' and 'walks away unscathed'.

He always wants to drive, he always persuades people that he won't crash the car, he always crashes it!

[CableRouter]

Aye. multiple characters is a major problem.  It is extremely difficult to effectively roleplay interactions between two characters you control.  Supremely difficult to role-play significant disagreements.  Overall it just isn't a good idea.

With a lot of scheduling problems within my usual group (between players missing games for work, others missing sessions for child custody disputes and even one of my players being in jail once), I've created a small pool of backup characters that a player can choose from to run in a session instead of their own character.  If all you've got to work with is a couple of skill monkeys and the party mechanic and they're about to assault a vampire base to rescue an important NPC, they might want to swap in a couple of more combat capable characters instead.  I don't restrict a backup character to any particular player, mainly to avoid the Clark/Superman issue "You know, we only ever see Bob when Jim isn't here."  Each is given their own background and personality and I reward good roleplay for these characters to help players avoid thinking about them as just a different set of skills/powers for their main character's personality.  They also come in very handy when a guest player shows up, the guest gets to play an established character that the group already knows and has worked with in the past so there is minimal disruption in incorporating them into the story.