One of my favorite things about DCC as a system is its use of time to “balance” spell use and challenge players. Unfortunately, if you are following the traditional style of gameplay, I think it is often hand-waved away to avoid complexity for the GM. So when I started my latest campaign, I did some hard thinking about making time a central component, leaning into it more. I didn’t want to catch myself fast-forwarding through weeks, just so the players’ characters were powerful enough to run the next adventure or fill our already too infrequent sessions with too much filler. Especially since this campaign would be faction-based, and in-game time would be key to the rival factions’ progress toward their goals. So, with those criteria in mind and some heavy brainstorming, what I am calling “Roster-style Campaigns” was born.
What is a roster-style campaign?
It is a style of play that borrows some ideas from both West Marches and the Troupe systems. In a Roster-Style campaign, play centers on a central organization that ties all the characters together. They belong to an organization, like a guild, that is bigger than themselves and that they feel some sense of duty toward. The guild is central to the story of these characters in this type of play, normally from the onset. As members of the guild, the characters are subject to the rules and shared beliefs of that organization, but otherwise, campaigns will play out similarly to the conventional idea of a “campaign.”
Mechanically, the guild will periodically offer characters contracts and missions to complete. From the GM's perspective, the needs of the guild are unique from those of the characters, and their timelines are not shared. In fact, there may be events that need to transpire simultaneously, and barring some extremely powerful magic, these events cannot be solved by any one party of adventurers. In situations like these, multiple play sessions may take place simultaneously in-game, using different sets of adventurers. Because of this, and faction goals, the GM’s records of time become some of the most important tools for running the campaign.
With the campaign centered on the guild, it is the primary source of contracts (adventures) for players to complete. The Players then pick a character from their roster (see my suggested gameplay mechanics below) to complete the contract. Each contract has a set deadline, and the in-game world evolves regardless of whether the characters complete it. Other in-game hooks may arise, further intensifying the game's tensions and their relationship with the guild. Such as a popular NPC who asks a character for a favor.
This style of play also intensifies the tension of a player’s actions, as the contract deadlines don’t change, and their need for downtime pressures them. Two weeks to regain burnt stats, or regain HP now has a cost. Evading capture as part of a heist and needing to lay low increases the threat of capture or the pressure of time. This style of play introduces a whole level of meta-strategy to the game that takes place outside the table without adding crunch to the session.
Suggested gameplay mechanics
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Each player may have up to three characters at a time. (There should be some sort of ongoing cost associated with each additional character; in my current game, it is yearly dues of 500gp).
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All outstanding fees must be repaid to the guild before a player can recruit a new character (this is intended to help keep players from viewing characters as easily expendable).
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Players may only use one character at a time in a party, with the exception of being a (silently behaving) torchbearer.
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A character that is not otherwise busy may be used as a torchbearer/retainer. It will gain XP at 1/4 the rate when used this way and is paid a 25% share of any gold the player obtains.
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Items and gold can only be traded between characters when in direct contact with one another, or by leaving them in a common area for the others to obtain. There is no hand-waving of how items are traded between characters.
Things for the judge to keep in mind
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The guild is larger than the player characters; some contracts can be acquired by other members, not under the players' control. This can help to keep the contracts from feeling like a chore list.
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What other factions exist in your world, and how do their goals conflict with the guild? Keep your world alive outside of the players’ actions as well. My favorite rules for factions are those presented by Mausritter (discussed here under “Factions”); I would adapt them to place an in-game time for each goal progression check rather than between sessions, such as every two weeks.
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This style of play is completely experimental. It’s been something I have been testing out, as always, flavor or adjust to meet your needs.
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Like most sandbox campaigns, players are asked at the end of a session which direction they would like to take the campaign next time, and the GM preps for that decision. This could include running another contract with some of their other characters, while the others are otherwise occupied. For simplicity's sake, I would encourage completing one contract before starting another, unless the characters are lying low, traveling long distances by boat, or engaged in some other low-interaction activity.
Which guild should you run?
Prime examples I can think of would include Lankhmar’s Thieves’ Guild, the Forgotten Realms’ Black Network, or the Harpers. But if you want most of the work done for you, I would also suggest my own faction supplement, the League of Dark Few, which was written with this style of play in mind. It includes maps of the League’s home, a full cast of characters, the organization’s rules, a contract generator, and a deadly funnel to initiate new members and kick off your campaign.
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