Player-Side Jobs

In anticipation of running a hilariously big table this summer (think GenCon tournaments in 1980,) I’ve been brainstorming ways to offload some of my responsibilities to the players and also give them more to do when it’s not their turn in the sun. I’ve come up with this list:

Player Responsibilities in Order of Delegation:

1 Turn Captain

Keeps tracks of in-game hours, Turns and Rounds. Also keeps track of food and water.

2 Light Captain

Keeps track of torches – who has them and when do they expire. Keeps track of lanterns in the same way. Torches last 1 hour. Lanterns burn for 4 hours on a pint of oil. (Candles burn for 6 hours. Magic swords last indefinitely.)

3 Sergeant

Keeps the game moving when exploring or fighting by calling out the Turn order and getting the players to announce their actions.

4 Rules Captain

Make sure that everyone at the table understands the player-facing rules.

5 Mapper 

Maps the dungeon as the Ref describes it.

6 Counselor

Makes sure that everyone at the table has a chance to contribute. Direct the table to spotlight underexposed players. 

7 March Captain

Responsible for keeping the marching order in the dungeon.

8 Quartermaster

Keeps track of and distribute treasure, gold, magic items, and other loot you obtain.

9 Secretary

Records in-game events as well as upcoming events that you expect to happen. Record quests and missions the party is pursuing and will pursue. Keep track of these things chronologically too.

10 Archivist

Records in-world lore that you may want to refer to later. Will write or delegate the writing of the adventure session recap.

11 Social Captain

Records info about NPCs the party has met or heard of. 

12 Cartographer

Maps important places the party has been to and details about the places. Can be the same person as the Mapper.

13 Tactician

Records the amount of damage each enemy has sustained. Highlight priority targets in battles. Suggest (but don't demand) coordination in battle.

I really have no idea what the AI was thinking here. 

14 Navigator

With input, makes the final decision on move overland or in a dungeon.

15 Caller

Coordinates important decisions among the several players. Settle intra-party disputes.

16 Calendarian

Keeps the in-game calendar for the several players and Referee, including making notes as necessary.

I arranged the list in order of job importance. We will go down the list and assign roles until nobody wants to do any of the other jobs. 

A lot of these jobs pair well together, such as the first two listed. Players can and should pick up more than one role if they can.