All for one and one for all

There's a rule in many games where you can only have one of any given class: only one thief in the party, only one wizard, only one hallucinogenic-using shaman, etc.

It's a sensible enough rule.  If you're the only thief, all the burgling and pickpocketing falls to you.  You have a clear role to play, and a way to shine where no one else can.  If everyone's different, everyone's the best at their own thing.

But what if everyone played the same class?

(The Man in the Iron Mask)

All playing the same class has its advantages.  First, it helps focus the story.  If we're all playing musketeers, we all have some relationship with the king's guard, we all care about good swordplay, and we all understand the same moral code.  Most GMs would be delighted to have such clear hooks to hang an adventure on.

A party of a single class also helps bring out deeper character.  When you're the only wilderness ranger in a mixed party, all anyone needs to know is that you're the guy to track footprints and hunt for food.  But when you're in a whole party of rangers, personality and depth start to emerge.  Maybe you were kicked out of the 12th regiment because of your conduct during the war.  Maybe you're a farm kid looking to put your hunting and tracking skills to good use.  Maybe you're an unscrupulous mountain guide for rich, would-be explorers.

A common class for everyone helps build camaraderie.  With related origins, the party starts off with a shared concept, making it easier to treat the party as a character.

Personally, I like both sides of the coin.  The party should either be all the same or all different.

(The Avengers)

Partway in between is the worst of both: you're not unique so you don't have your own niche, and you don't have the shared team identity to draw out your distinctiveness.

(The Avengers)  Don't ask.

But no matter how diverse your team is, if you zoom out far enough they're all similar.  The elven priest, the giantish trader, and the human tracker seem like they're all different, but they're still all adventurers from the same setting.  A goblin shaman would be similar to the other characters; the mayor of Mexico City wouldn't be.

My advice for starting your game off right:

1. figure out what your party is about
2. and find your place in it.

So what's your ideal role in the party?  What's your favorite part to play?

The party as a character

Characters make up a party of adventurers, but the party itself is a character, or at least something like it.  After all, the party is likely to outlive some (or all) of its original members.  Start by deciding what kind of party this is going to be:

Wilderness rangers. (John Buxton)

(You probably shouldn't roll randomly for any of these, but you could if you really want to.)

Purpose (d8)
1	a small company of wilderness rangers, commissioned by the military
2	a band of pirates/highwaymen, possibly operating under license
3	an exploring expedition, sent to learn about a little-known country
4	traveling entertainers, showmen, musicians, and storytellers
5	hucksters and tinkers, a merchant company, salesmen demonstrating products on the frontier
6	missionaries, evangelists spreading the word about the proper ways
7	a rowdy gang of scavengers and prospectors, looking to strike it rich
8	young, probably wealthy tourist-adventurers on a grand tour

The purpose of the party gives context, why you all came together and what sorts of adventures you may have had in the past, though it doesn't determine exactly what will happen in the future.  A company of rangers could end up running off to the gold fields to strike it rich.  A group of young touring students could get captured by pirates and join the crew.  This is a new world where you make your own destiny.

Pirates battling on the high seas.  (Jean Leon Ferris)

Every adventuring party needs funds, so decide how your party is funded:

Funding (d4)
1	given a grant by your benefactor, expected to check in with results
2	paid monthly by some authority, expected to follow orders
3	supported by your own activities, with everyone sharing equally of the proceeds
4	funded by donations from supporters, people grateful for your work

Some combinations are more sensible than others.  An exploring expedition is probably funded by a grant: from the tribal leaders looking for a new country to settle, from a scientific foundation wanting to publish a new map, from a mercantile company looking for new mining areas, etc.  Explorers funded by their own activities would be quite unusual, though not impossible if they're foraging off the land, hoping to pay back their debts by publishing a book about the expedition.

Fur traders.  (Robert Griffing)

And this doesn't say just how well funded you are.  The party could be very well equipped through generous donations, or they could be completely broke, scraping to get by.  As a general rule, the more money you start with, the more beholden you are to the ones who got you there.  Mo' money, mo' social entanglements.

Wealth (d4)
1	well-funded by benefactors with high expectations of you
2	enough to get you started on your way
3	decently-equipped, in debt to powerful people who expect to be repaid
4	broke, desperate, you've eaten things you're not proud of

Young aristocrats on a Grand Tour.  (Carl Spitzweg)

The party's relationship with the authorities will matter a great deal when they're looking for further support, whether from the superiors that sent them, or the ruling authorities of their homeland:

Authority (d6)
1	loyal, obediently following orders
2	wary of the way people are running things
3	independent, with no concern for what anyone else thinks
4	open rebellion against the authorities
5	rudderless, looking for a new benefactor or goal
6	secretly working for an enemy or someone unsavory

Shooting the rapids.  (Frances Hopkins)

Amongst yourselves you talk about what it's all about, why you stick together through tough times.  What would you emphasize in a recruiting speech, getting someone to join the team?

Rhetoric (d6)
1	camraderie, bonds of friendship
2	fame and reputation
3	a fine life of wealth and luxury
4	caring for those in need
5	dutiful service towards a noble goal
6	learning, knowledge, a deeper understanding of the world

This isn't just for building a good story: talking about what kind of party you'd like to be helps get everyone on the same page.  Figure out the way you'd like to go on an adventure together.

So what kind of party would you like to try?