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How do I run a campaign like this?
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<blockquote data-quote="JustinAlexander" data-source="post: 6048551" data-attributes="member: 6700092"><p>For starters, check out <a href="http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/1223/roleplaying-games/opening-your-game-table" target="_blank">Opening Your Game Table</a> for a slightly different take on this. In particular, note how a truly open game table accepts the problems that come with the format because it also has unique benefits it can offer. The style you're talking about -- a small, essentially dedicated group that just tries to roll with whoever can show up -- is more difficult to pull off because it has a bunch of weaknesses but no commensurate advantages (other than a hypothetically more regular gaming schedule).</p><p></p><p>A few general tips:</p><p></p><p>(1) The one essential for non-4E versions of D&D is magical healing. As long as you have magical healing, it's generally pretty easy for a party to find challenges that will work. Without magical healing, they're going to have problems.</p><p></p><p>(2) I strongly recommend embracing either full or partial troupe-style play or having each player maintain a stable of characters. Why? Because it will give the group a lot more flexibility in customizing its line-up to whichever players happen to show up that day.</p><p></p><p>(3) I really wouldn't recommend trying this in 4E. 4E is designed around a razor's edge of balance. Where other editions request a standard adventuring party, 4E demands it and requires the DM to be responsible for designing tightly balanced encounters to challenge it.</p><p></p><p>(4) What you want to be doing is restoring that responsibility to the players where it belongs: They need to choose what they feel capable of doing with the current roster they have, and they need to accept the responsibility if they choose poorly. You simply cannot run a sandbox campaign without this being true. And you're going to need the sandbox if you want to run this kind of campaign without driving yourself nuts with wasted prep.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Options include:</p><p></p><p>(1) The player running multiple characters.</p><p>(2) The PC seeking out NPC companions or hirelings.</p><p>(3) The PC choosing to do something else.</p><p></p><p>It's this third option that I keep hammering at because it really is essential if you want to run this kind of campaign.</p><p></p><p>If you're going to have a flexible group composition, then your campaign needs to be equally flexible. Trying to mix a hyper-flexible group composition with the kind of rigid, balance-is-my-only-god-and-this-is-the-adventure-we're-running-tonight approach you're describing is like mixing oil and water.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JustinAlexander, post: 6048551, member: 6700092"] For starters, check out [url=http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/1223/roleplaying-games/opening-your-game-table]Opening Your Game Table[/url] for a slightly different take on this. In particular, note how a truly open game table accepts the problems that come with the format because it also has unique benefits it can offer. The style you're talking about -- a small, essentially dedicated group that just tries to roll with whoever can show up -- is more difficult to pull off because it has a bunch of weaknesses but no commensurate advantages (other than a hypothetically more regular gaming schedule). A few general tips: (1) The one essential for non-4E versions of D&D is magical healing. As long as you have magical healing, it's generally pretty easy for a party to find challenges that will work. Without magical healing, they're going to have problems. (2) I strongly recommend embracing either full or partial troupe-style play or having each player maintain a stable of characters. Why? Because it will give the group a lot more flexibility in customizing its line-up to whichever players happen to show up that day. (3) I really wouldn't recommend trying this in 4E. 4E is designed around a razor's edge of balance. Where other editions request a standard adventuring party, 4E demands it and requires the DM to be responsible for designing tightly balanced encounters to challenge it. (4) What you want to be doing is restoring that responsibility to the players where it belongs: They need to choose what they feel capable of doing with the current roster they have, and they need to accept the responsibility if they choose poorly. You simply cannot run a sandbox campaign without this being true. And you're going to need the sandbox if you want to run this kind of campaign without driving yourself nuts with wasted prep. Options include: (1) The player running multiple characters. (2) The PC seeking out NPC companions or hirelings. (3) The PC choosing to do something else. It's this third option that I keep hammering at because it really is essential if you want to run this kind of campaign. If you're going to have a flexible group composition, then your campaign needs to be equally flexible. Trying to mix a hyper-flexible group composition with the kind of rigid, balance-is-my-only-god-and-this-is-the-adventure-we're-running-tonight approach you're describing is like mixing oil and water. [/QUOTE]
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