overcoming boredom to save campaign

[Charles Dunwoody]

Any suggestions from anyone out there on how to prevent boredom in an ongoing campaign leading to starting over? Let me elaborate.

When 3.0 came out I started a new campaign with new players using just the PHB and Dungeon Magazine. We got to 9th level and the group changed dramatically. I allowed myself to be talked into starting over which in hindsight was a big mistake.

Now, every time characters get to double digit levels I get bored. I have a good campaign going now in Tellene (Kingdoms of Kalamar) with a story arc the players are interested in. And I can't seem to stop thinking about making a new campaign, a fresh start.

Start overs nearly killed the game I'm running. So a few months back I decided to stick with what we have and things have smoothed out. But I get bored. We play every other week for around five hours. Any suggestions?

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Could you clarify a little... What bores you about the double digit levels?

Is it the length of time spent with the same characters?
Writing material for that level of power is boring?
Running longer combats?
Creative energies want to work on something different?


If it's the first then I'd suggest a mini game or two to shake things up a little.

Possibly keep them related to the main game. i.e. Next time the players blow up some BBEGs castle, have them play a squad of his low level warrior guards trying to escape the destruction - make it last about 1/2-2 sessions? Ought to provide a pleasant change of pace from the higher level game.

Maybe get someone else to run a 1-2 session game and just take a break from things?

 

[Kyramus]

I get the impression that there is no fear. Put the fear back into the players. The fear of death. The fear of loosing an item.

Monsters with character classes are fun. Monsters with acid like the digester is fun. rust monsters which have drunk potions could be fun. find ways to use things other than they are supposed to.

Finally the best help. Think comic books. Each comic book comprises a plot that ends pretty fast. Sometimes the plot goes through several comic books but each one stands roughly on it's own. If you run a game episodic like, you might not get too bored.

-puts a TV producer's hat on you and a big bull horn- Make a few episodes and find out how that works.

 

[Chris Parker]

You want fear? Throw an intelligent Umbral Blot at them. Hell, make it quest them with something near impossible. If they fail, it shows them what all those levels in Sorceror does for it.

That or make them discover a henceforth unknown plane/kingdom/continent/underworld/hamlet with highly advanced citizens and monsters.

They one round something almost twice thier challenge rating? Show them what a Tribe of Kobolds with levels in casting classes and Rogue can do... specially when thier chieftan has an item that grants him invisibility noone can see (That only works for kobolds, of course. Be nasty if that thing got in PC hands)

Or you can always go philosophically trippy on them and have them question existance. Hell, have existance question them.

~Chris.

 

[Piratecat]

I'd recommend going and reading one of the high lvl story hours here: Sepulchraves, or The Jester's, or Wizardru's, or (contact)'s, or a few others (including my own.) These are fun reading, but serve primarily as a good way to see examples of successful and interesting high lvl play. I read these, and I'm suddenly swamped with clever ideas. Can't go wrong with that!

I happen to really enjoy high lvl play. Not everyone does, but the options for both bad guys and really sneaky plots increases along with levels. If you find that higher lvl play isn't as much fun for you, considering halving or quartering the amount of XP that you normally give out.

 

[Ant]

Take the players out of their comfort zone - a nasty plane-hopping accident leaves the players stranded sans equipment on a quasi-plane of diseased offal and hunted by fiendish, slavering carrion beasts.

Take yourself out of your own comfort zone - like DMing a particular style of campaign? Well, do the opposite. If you're used to hack 'n slash try directing the campaign away from fighting and into politics. It's more fun and a lot more deadlier than it sounds.

Keep combat focused - we all know that high-level combat can crawl so reduce the number of bad guys and make the remaining tougher and/or smarter. Just make sure they're interesting! Keep a little fodder handy for the insane mage with the Fireball fetish, though.

 

[Charles Dunwoody]

Could you clarify a little... What bores you about the double digit levels?

Is it the length of time spent with the same characters?
Writing material for that level of power is boring?
Running longer combats?
Creative energies want to work on something different?
QUOTE]

The length of time with the same characters and creative energies elsewhere. I try to weave the characters' stories into possible adventures but I haven't been real successful. And with Eberron, Fireborn, GURPs 4.0, and D20 Future all coming out in the next few months I have been somewhat distracted by the shiny new toys out there! I feel like a young Jedi trying to resist the Dark Side or more accurately an overweight DM trying to turn down pizza.

I've considered a mini-game and/or a guest DM. But my player's confidence was shaken in the last few months when several campaigns fell apart. I think I should stick out this campaign for a while yet.

Also, two of my players hate the idea of 1st level and the rest aren't real thrilled with low levels either. So I have another reason to want to stick things out for a while; this group has been around four years now and I think they've earned the right to have a shot at gaining higher levels!

The campaign can be dangerous. I ran the adventure Glacial Inferno from Dungeon and the huge fire elemental killed three of the five characters. They knew what they were getting into but didn't plan well. And huge fire elementals are quick and fast. So fear isn't a problem I don't think.

I like the idea of five encounter adventures from Dragon 320. Shorter and more compact so I can try new things. I think getting out of my comfort zone is a good idea. And I am interested in running an adventure in the planes, since that is harder to do at low levels. Comic book style play might help. Or an advanced civilization on another plane; Dragon 321 has a new plane of light that might inspire me. I'll check out the high level threads here also.

Great ideas everyone. Thanks! I'll start looking around and see what piques my interest.

 

[Charles Dunwoody]

One other point I should make about why I'm bored with the characters. I started this campaign up fast as a generic D&D game. The characters got a few levels very quickly.

The combination of generic D&D and fast levels is what is boring to me. The group doesn't really have a good reason to stick together. For instance one player really wanted to play a swashbuckler (from CW) and to let him get it out of his system (2nd time he wanted to do so) I said go ahead. However, none of the other players want to swashbuckle.

The class is balanced. But a swashbuckler just doesn't seem to fit in the plate armor and chainmail world of D&D that I'm used to. If the campaign was a swashbuckling campaign then it might work. But a swashbuckler, a haughty elven sorcerer, and a religious warrior just seem odd together.

It's my fault for allowing unconnected characters to adventure together. But at the start of the campaign I was under some pressure to get things working again and I made compromises. Compromises I'm not ready to back out on but that are now driving me crazy!

I blame it on my AD&D (didn't know it was 1st edition at the time) roots but I like a campaign to start at 1st and keep going. The fast leveling is something I can live with, but it gnaws at me sometimes in the dark hours of the night. I know I should get into the 3.5 mode, if it feels good do it, and allow the game to start at any level. And I did. But it is distracting to me.

 

[dren]

It's my fault for allowing unconnected characters to adventure together. But at the start of the campaign I was under some pressure to get things working again and I made compromises. Compromises I'm not ready to back out on but that are now driving me crazy!

I understand those kind of comprimises, and believe me, I feel for you. But at the same time, virtually any party can "work" if they have a common goal. Make sure those players (and the characters) are working towards a common goal, and they will start to gel. I've seen many players drop a character if they know the direction the campaign is going in.

Introduce goals and missions where combat isn't going to work. Have intrigue, mystery, diplomacy and strategy come into play...and not just for one night, but for an ongoing mission. Players love a sense of accomplishment, but if all you are giving them is bigger and badder, it just seems like an arms race.

Mix up the types of threats you give them. What happens if they have to face a maurading lycanthrope, that is one of their major allies; they know they can't kill it. Or, what if the prince is plotting to kill the high priest, they know it but can't prove it. If they accuse the prince, they get arrested. They are not allowed to see the high priest no matter what they try.

 

[DM_Jeff]

New Stuff

If you are tempted by new toys, maybe your PCs will be too, but there's no need to end the game, just shake it up. Things I've done:

*Introduced a sudden, unexpected rise in psionic plots, NPCs and monsters.
*Use 'When the Sky Falls' disaster sourcebook from Malhavok Press.
*Send the party to the planes via the 'Infiniate Staircase'.
*Teleport them to another part of the world, a hostile part, where they have to work their way back 9and wade through all sorts of different, bizarre ideas).
*Start a war between nations.

-DM Jeff