Jhaelan:
Federation campaigns work really well, if you've a set of players happy to collaborate. Naturally, like any party-based game, a bad apple sours things immensely
Absolutely agreed.
I think there is this notion all RPG's must be some sort of Sandbox where you can play a Lord or a Fisherman or anything in between.
I prefer to give players freedom - but at least set the stage for things where they all share some stake from their faction or individual perspective and that is where we begin. I like to give them all resources they can trade or be stingy with - because the other mistake is to make each Kingdom quite self-sufficient.
I have had real life table top sessions where the players are like this:
Me as GM: : Okay you are all walking towards the Vale of the Magi on your quest and you come upon an Elf on the way. It is Jerry's character Applewinnigan.
Applewinnigan: "Hey guys, I am Applewinnigan an Elven Magi and if you are going to stop the Magi of the Vale I would like to help." says Jerry.
Dave the established Player: : "Why should we let this guy in our adventuring party?"
Me as GM: : "C'mon Dave, just do it. It's Jerry okay? He is just here for today and he has to go back to college. Can't you just let him in the group so we can move on?"
Dave the established Player: : "No, I would never trust someone just standing on the road waiting to go adventuring. He could be an agent of the Magi or the Mage himself seeking to trick us. I tell him
"AppleWinnigan, you are a new adventurer are you? I bet you just spent 200GP on adventuring supplies on the back of the player's handbook, huh? or are you really an agent of the vale?" I cast
magic missile.
Me as GM: : "C'mon Dave, not this again."
Which is why I am careful to craft a story that has some plausible reason for player interaction to begin immediately but also for ways to add players once it starts instead of just "well, this guy is a PC so you trust him for some reason and let him on the High Council."
This message was last edited by the user at 21:32, Tue 15 Nov 2016.