What would you characterise as your primary style of playing D&D?

MerricB · Oct 30, 2002

During their market research, WotC found that the average game of D&D lasted 18 months and was played by 4 people, a DM, and a dachshund named Colin. (Okay, I made up that bit about the dachshund).

So, I was wondering: How long do people around here play in a single campaign?

Do you run lots of short games - perhaps creating characters for just the latest adventure module your DM has bought?

Or do you settle down for the long haul, in which 10 years is not enough?

The categories are rather rough and ready, so feel free to comment further in this thread.

Cheers!

MerricB · Oct 30, 2002

Incidentally, although I'd like to say the long campaign was my normal style of playing D&D, I've yet to have one last that long... either I move, or my players do.

The current continuous group has lasted 2 years; some of the characters dated from a previous year's play... and the entire campaign I've been carrying around in my head for over a decade, but it hasn't seen continuous play, nor with the same players. I'm the only constant.

Cheers!

MeepoTheMighty · Oct 30, 2002

Most of my gaming was done in college, and we'd typically be playing 2 or 3 games at a time. Most of them would last a semester or so, but we did have one that lasted a year and one that lasted 2 years.

Tuerny · Oct 30, 2002

I voted Short Advenures.

However that is more by circumstance than choice. I really would prefer to run a multi-year epic.

::sighs::

Mr Fidgit · Oct 30, 2002

Tuerny said:
I voted Short Advenures.
However that is more by circumstance than choice. I really would prefer to run a multi-year epic.

that's exactly what happens to my group. even with the best of intentions for campaigning, the games end up dying...

MerricB · Oct 30, 2002

Circumstances, alas, dictate so much in our lives, but especially our gaming habits.

Those of you who do play in these really long campaigns - how do you manage it? And do you make any adjustments to the rules of the game?

Cheers!

chatdemon · Oct 30, 2002

My style is a long (almost 20 years now) campaign, in which i run 'chapters' centered around new parties of characters involved in a different focus of the overall story. Whenever one party is ready to retire to NPChood or the player's get bored, or a big change in our player roster causes a breakdown in the party, they roll up new characters and we start over, usually pursuing a side plot of the previous chapter that I develop into a full blown campaign chapter.

It's worked well so far.

Crothian · Oct 30, 2002

Mr Fidgit said:
that's exactly what happens to my group. even with the best of intentions for campaigning, the games end up dying...

Up until I met above group my games lasted about 10 months to a 18. Currently though no game with the above group has ended early, and the main one is still going strong.

tsadkiel · Oct 30, 2002

All of the above, and often at the same time. We rotate campaigns, but often return to our longest running game - 15 years (rplaying the same PC's) and counting.

ladyofdragons · Oct 30, 2002

I voted long campaign because our group's main campaign has been going for 6+ years, and will continue to do so until we manage to hit epic proportions (after 6 years I'm now 11th level, so maybe after another 6 or 8 years). We've had players come and go, but 2 members of the group have been there since the beginning.

We also have others take turns GMing their worlds to give our main GM a break, and those campaigns usually break down after a short time.