GMs: How long is your typical campaign?

[stephenwendell]

Hello Game Masters!

I'm curious to know what the proportion of short-run to long-term games there are. If you are a GM, please respond to this poll by selecting the option that best describes your game (or games). The options are fairly self-explanatory. If you're unsure, just pick the one that seems right to you.

All game masters are encouraged to respond to the poll, no matter the game system you use or the length of your game.

And, of course, you're also welcome to tell us about your game!

Thank you for your participation.

 

[Ktulu]

I tend to run games that last between 10-20 sessions (each session being roughly 4-5 hours). I prefer shorter stories rather than long-running campaigns. It's not uncommon to revisit the characters in another short-campaign, furthering their adventures.

We play almost all games using D&D (previously 3.5, now 4e), with the rare Star Wars, or Sorcerer thrown in.

Current game is set for the 22nd session; players are at 12th level and the war they've been working against has finally begun. This will probably end up as my longest running campaign, as it's only about half-way through the story.

 

[Festivus]

I am just finishing up running Age of Worms, a two year long campaign. Another DM will be taking over and running a one year campaign (Paizo Second Darkness), followed by War of the Burning Sky and then we don't know what.

Very typically my campaigns are two years long. I ran a Neverwinter Nights online campaign for about two years, and I ran another campaign prior to that which was two years. I start getting burned out on the story after that.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I prefer the 6-12 month, "short campaigns". I don't really run multiple story campaigns. I set up a storyline (and side-stories) and create all the setting elements based around that story.

When the story is fulfilled that campaign ends. I then go about making a new campaign setting and storyline and players make new characters.

This is the case for all the games I currently play; D&D, WoD (Normal, Changeling, Vampire and Promethean) and Cthulhutech.

 

[MonkeyDragon]

The group that I run for has "seasons." The other DM and I take turns, each running our game of choice for a few months (3-6, mostly) and then switching. So although my current campaign is only about four months old, it's the third season of running it, and overall I've been running this campaign for over a year over the course of the last three years or so.

It works really well for us, since you get the fun of a long running campaign without the burnout.

 

[Henry]

We run quite a few one-shots, but actual campaigns are 6 months to one-year affairs, and we switch off to let other DMs in the group have shots at running different game systems they want to run.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Normally, about 6 months. HOWEVER, we've been running 4e since it came out (other than a few one-offs here and there) and are planning on going all the way to level 30.

 

[chaotix42]

My current 4e game started at the launch of 4e and will probably finish up around June/July, so that's roughly a year. Previously I've had games run a few months up to a year, though I GMed a RIFTS game that went off-and-on for 2 years.

 

[Nebten]

When I start a campaign, I like to finish it. First "campaign" was a AD&D Ravenloft adventure that went for a couple months that had a beginning and finish to the story. Next one was the Time of Troubles series with Dragon Mountian for the endgame. That took about a year. Next was a 3rd ed modification of the Night Below box set that took about 2 years to complete being done over PbP with real life sessions every 3-4 months. I am currently running 3.5 version of War of the Burning Sky. We have been playing for 1 year and going to start the 7th module this weekend. In between these campaigns, I would only run RPGA (LG/LFR) games which I guess would be considered with one-shot games or multiple year campaigns.

I normally don't plan on doing a long-term campaign unless I know I am going to have the players to last through the series of the game. I also take at least a year or more off inbetween these campaigns since I put so much time in to preparing each session. I also do this because I like to see the characters go through all the levels of advancement and reach those higher tiers from their humble beginnings.

 

[Piratecat]

I've run a mess of one-shots and three finished campaigns: one 2 years, one 3 years (before I handed it off to another DM), and one 16 years. I'm currently running two 4e campaigns that I expect to be 6 years long each.