this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2025
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This is fortuitous, session zero for "my" new campaign is next week, and the format is a bit wonky so any guidance or advice from anyone who's tried to do similar would be helpful.

4-5 person table, we're starting a GURPS 4e magic campaign. Fantasy setting, think like Hogwarts but community college. This isn't super important, but gives some context for the format.

Here's the wonky part:

I want to rotate GM every session. My plan is for each player to build a student who will be their PC, and also create a professor who will be their main "quest giver" when they're the GM. The idea is that each session will be a different class period taught by one of the professors, GMed by that corresponding player.

They give an assignment which is basically a one shot: "Get the imps in the walls out", "Get to the top of that mountain and back in 3 hours", "Find the center of this maze", "Kill this spectral dragon", "Find the herbs to make this potion", that kind of thing. Or they can string all their sessions together into a mini arc, whatever's clever.

The other players will be students in the class for this session; the GM's student character either took this class already, doesn't need it, or can be a TA NPC for that session. We'll cycle through everyone a few times, and maybe collaborate for a "Triwizard Cup" sort of finale.

For several players, this will be their first time GMing. I think this format could prove to be an excellent way to let players dip their toe into the GM space: they get 3 or 4 sessions to plan, they're exposed to multiple other session ideas inside the setting, they still get to play most of the time.

I think the school setting in particular is well suited to this format, though I'm a bit on the fence about TA NPCs; I don't want to encourage bad habits.

What do you think, does it have legs or is this doomed to failure? Is it already a thing, and I'm just not familiar with the term?

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[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 day ago

I think mission of the week is a great way to encourage a table to start GMing.

I wouldn't bother with the TA NPC - it only complicates the GM's session. Just handwave and say the student isn't in this class.

If you're doing the first teacher/quest giver, I suggest having playing them with weird preconceptions about each PC. Treat one like the teacher's pet and another like a troublemaker. Crank up the grade school pathos.

Also, drop hints about something worthwhile in the teacher's lounge.