Campaign Length

Well, the homebrew Irrin campaign my friends and I played when I was in the Air Force has lasted since 2003, has been built upon, and played in our different groups (and systems) we've found as we went our different ways. So while it always hasn't been on at my current table (though it is now), it's been going on in a related, somewhat interconnected game somewhere.

kheris said:

I've seen posts on a few boards about people playing in, or running FR campaigns that have lasted (or are still being played after) 10, 15 or even 20 years. Now, I've been playing RP games for around 14-15 years, and only two of those have lasted for over a year of consistent play (a 2e DarkSun game, and a 3.5 FR campaign I ran that went from 1-30+). Many of these posters say that 4e will destroy these campaigns, but how many people actually play in games that run nearly this long?

What's the average lifespan of the campaigns you run or play in on a regular basis?

and

Will the arrival of 4e FR setting actually cause your group to stop playing in an ongoing campaign, and if so why?

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I have been running in a campaign with a friend that started years before his son was born. That same son is now in his second year of college learning to be a forensic pathologist. With the exception of a Christmas break we have been playing 1-2 times a week for 25+ years.

We have multiple DMs who rotate out as a campaign finishes up, and currently have 2 games running concurrently, so when 4E comes out we will just rotate it into our games as we have time.

The game that started in college and went through grad school...about 7 years. With some breaks here and there (but also a lot of weekly play). Current campaing, about 3.

But there have also been ones that have been about a month. Ideally I would alternated 2 year D&D (or other games that lend themselves to extended play) campaigns and shorter campaigns in other games.

Simon Marks said:

The question the Poll asks and the question the thread asks are not the same thing.

Poll says "What is the longest campaign you've played in on a regular basis?", which was seven years (but not D&D)

Thread asks "Average length of your games?"

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Yeah, the average length was for discussion purposes (one long game may be an exception to the rule, but I might have chosen poorly with the poll... :\ ), and also because I didn't think that I could include two polls, sorry about any confusion.

When people say their campaign has been going on for 15+ years they are really talking about playing in the same world....a never ending soap opera adventure or a series of books that never end until the author dies and someone else finishes the tale *cough* Jordan....

Gamers today have a different concept of gaming than those of yore. Campaigns have different meanings. Campaigns of today try to tell a story with chapters with the same characters if possible (if they live-STAP I'm looking at you)....gamers that say they have been in 15+ year games sometimes do not play the same character for that entire time...sometimes they do....

in my 26 year game I've several characters that I rotate in and out of play. Some are high level and some aren't. When I am not playing them, the DM controls them. The advantage of playing in such long running games is history, in and out of the game.

My current FR Sembia Campaign is in its third year. The characters are now 13th level (and we're finding the mechanics to be oppressive at this level). 3e edition (and 4e will likely be 'worse' in this respect) does not support long campaigns as written, due to the fast rate of advancement. I use a much slower rate. We like long campaigns.

Interestingly enough, my FR campaign was slated to run through level 20, but I had already shortened it before the 4e announcement because we aren't enjoying the high level campaigning as much as we did the lower levels. The last four chapters of the story are lengthy scenarios that will advance the party one level each. This campaign will be replaced by 4e homebrew campaign.

My Eberron campaign was put on hold until the 4e Eberron comes out, although I may start over again in Stormreach at that time.

The other campaigns in our group are:

Sword Coast campaign (run by my brother in law): currently level 13 as well. This campaign has focused on reimagined classic adventures, adapted for the FR. We are in our last scenario (Hall of the Fire Giant King) right now. The GM was going to run the classic D1-3 and Q1 for us as well, but had already decided to stop after this scenario because we don't enjoy the high level combats. This campaign will be replaced by a 4e Waterdeep campaign. Some of us will be playing descendants of our 3e characters.

Age of Worms (also run by my brother in law): currently level 16. This story has been really good (except for the fast pace of advancement). When it is done (and after 4e comes out), it will be replaced with a 4e campaign in Golarion. We will all play perfomers in a carnival that makes a circuit through some part of that world. The GM hasn't given us all those details yet.

Shackled City (run by a good friend): currently level 16. This story has also been good. When it is done, it will be replaced by a homebrew inspired by PoL and based very loosely on the Keep on the Borderlands.

Savage Tide (run by another good friend): currently level 10. The GM hasn't said what, if anything, he will replace it with once it ends. It will probably last a few months past the new edition.

Eberron (run by yet another good friend): currently level 14. The GM hasn't said how long this campaign will continue, or what he will replace it with.

I also run SWSE for the kids. This campaign will be replaced with a D&D 4e campaign once the new rules come out.

Average length 8 months

My two longest campaigns both stopped and then restarted. in 2ed it totaled 5 years: 1990-1992 and 1999-2000

My current group is 6 years old and has played 9 campaigns. One stopped at after about a year then later restarted for 6 months, ending at 20th level.

The longest campaign I've ever played in ran from 1st to 20th/ 21st level in four years. It was a tight campaign and very well run, one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had.

The release of 4th edition should have no effect whatsoever on the other campaigns I've been involved with. Those campaigns can continue on to their natural conclusion in 3.5 before a new 4th edition campaign begins. I don't see any reason to transfer a 3.5 campaign to 4th edition, nor would I want to no matter how long the campaign runs. 3.5 is just fine for the campaigns as they exist, and 4th edition offers a wealth of brand new opportunities.

Average 1-2 (closer the lower end)
Longest was about 4.

In the poll I answered what was my longest.

My games generally go 2-3 years, with the longest so far being 4 years. And that's too long for my liking, I'm thinking of chopping them down into bite-sized 'chapters' so we can play different games or allow for players coming and going. Nothing kills a game quite like when you only start with two players, the group eventually grows to 6 players, then the two original players move away. Ugh, that really doesn't work with a PC-centric game.