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Since I'm unable to host games, but can connect to others, my group thought it'd be a good idea if I could join as a GM in another's group.

The problem is that it won't let me open any files, .cmpgn or otherwise. Can only the host open files, or is there a workaround?

Only the hosting PC can open the campaign file. Typically if they are a player they login as a player then open the campaign while the GM logs in as the GM.

yup, did that for a while with a laptop that for some reason could not act as server. Just gave the campaign file to a player, let him run a server as player and logged in as gm. Afterwards, the players saves the file and sends it back to me. Ideally you use dropbox for something like that.

Our group is currently having to do something similar.

We've got a standard staging campaign (hold's player tokens, campaign settings, Repository Links, etc...) that our host computer loads. The only time he needs to ever download a new file or even save, is if there have been changes to the overall staging campaign (which isn't very often for us, pretty much only when we level).

The GM's build their campaign starting from the same staging campaign (so the tokens are using the same states/etc...). The GM's also have repositories set up in Dropbox, that they export (from their campaign) and save in the same location each time. They also export each map from their campaign that they will need. After connecting to the host computer the GM is then able to Import his maps. Since he has exported his images to the repository on dropbox the images are then handled for all the connection computers as well. Without the repository, everyone except the GM will have broken images, because they'll be trying to retrieve them from the Host computer, who doesn't have them either.

Side Note: GM can save campaigns even if he's not hosting. He just can't load them. So you don't really need the host to save the file and send it back, you can save your own.