My wife and I often joke that I never do the same job twice. I just pick up a job that I’ve never done before and they keep employing me. So what about planning a campaign like that? Pick, or even better randomly roll for a skill, then build a game based on that skill. If you want to let the players in on the concept, that’s up to you. I’d keep it a secret and see how long it takes them to figure it out. There will be some frustration because it’s likely you’ll hit some skills that the players don’t have. If skills can be used untrained, then let the players struggle through. If not, include some way of them employing someone who does have that skill. Don’t have an NPC steal the spotlight, have the game be about finding the expert and getting them to the place they need to ply their trade. Then just gloss over them doing their job. I’d only roll for their success if there’s a time restraint or other pressure the players have to deal with while the NPC is doing what they do.
In a system with a lot of skills, some are really going to challenge your ability to make a game about it. I’d say try not to skip the really odd ones because you’ll probably come up with a strange game to match. Pull it off well and you may just end up with a really memorable game.
Just a fun idea if you’re out of them for your next campaign. Have you ever done anything similar? Let us know in the comments.
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