How does controlling/playing with multiple characters work?

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salimkhop89

How does controlling/playing with multiple characters work?

Post by salimkhop89 »

Hi! I'm looking to start a DCC game with my friends soon, and I'm trying to understand the funnel and what comes after. I have several questions about this.

Per the question above, do players control their characters like they're moving a group of people all at once/as independent units? So essentially, a 4-person playgroup is like a small battalion. Or is it that they control one character and if they die, another immediately replaces them and takes their stuff?

What happens if more than one of their characters survives the funnel? Do they continue to play multiple characters, or pick the one they like the most?

What if all of one player's characters dies during the funnel? Do they make new characters, or borrow some from another player?
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Re: How does controlling/playing with multiple characters work?

Post by GnomeBoy »

Different people do it in different ways, but I think most let players play all 3 or 4 characters at the same time.

1. They start getting whittled down pretty fast, so it's less of an issue than you might think. Usually the first trap or combat can take out multiple Zeroes, which puts people on guard if they weren't already; they will then be trying to protect some number of their Zeroes by having them stay away from danger, which usually leaves just a few at the table taking actions. It's super rare that you're going to have to adjudicate the actions of 20+ characters in a row. Things happen, Zeroes perish, fewer to deal with in the next encounter, ...even fewer in the encounter after that, etc.

2. Zeroes have few options for what they can do, so being able to 'team up' all of your characters can make up for that. They make up in numbers for what they don't have in special abilities. Similarly, there are times when only a few Zeroes will be able to act; if they are attacked by a large animal, maybe only 4 or 5 altogether can even get in an attack on the thing, so you're really only dealing with those few at that moment.

3. In combat or action sequences, going by player initiative makes it manageable. On the player's initiative, they get to use all of their characters. In practice, they are more likely to use one or two and the others are "hanging back" or whatever.


If more than one Zero survives the funnel for the same player, again, different people do this differently. Some level all of them up and let players play all of them, arguing that 1st Level is still pretty dangerous. Some have players pick one of their Zeroes to level up. And others have all of them Leveled up, but the player is meant to pick one to play at a time, being able to switch between adventures.


If all of a player's Zeroes die in the course of a Funnel, there is usually a remedy. Most Funnels have a point where "survivors" or other NPCs are found, meaning a player who's lost their characters can 'restock' by rolling up some new Zeroes (or maybe some pre-gens are handy). Also, sometimes the idea gets used of someone who still has all of their characters handing over one or two to the player who's lost theirs. Again, different people handle this in different ways.


So what are your answers to your questions?
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