What Systems Have You Had Long Term Campaigns With?

[Retreater]

I was talking to my friend a couple days ago and we were discussing Star Trek, Unity, and Forbidden Lands as well as our fizzled out campaigns in Shadowrun, Numenera, 13th Age, and 7th Sea. We both collect a lot of RPGs, but mostly as curiosities rather than for actual play.

Our group has seen successful, long term campaigns (say 6 months of regular play), but only in a few systems: AD&D (many years ago), D&D 3.x, Pathfinder, Star Wars (Fantasy Flight), Call of Cthulhu, and D&D 5E.

Other times our group has tried games that lasted for a few sessions (at best) or ended after character creation (at worst), including the aforementioned Shadowrun, Numenera, 13th Age, and 7th Sea; but also including FATE, Rogue Trader, Gamma World, D&D 4E, Dungeon World, Monster of the Week, Castles and Crusades, Star Wars (SAGA, d20, and d6), World of Darkness, d20 Modern, GURPS, and Hollow Earth Expedition.

Then there are the books we've bought and never used: Savage Worlds, Savage Rifts, Savage Worlds of Solomon Kane, Warhammer Fantasy (2E, 3E, and 4E), Shadow of the Demon Lord, Mutants and Masterminds, and anything by Palladium.

I realize this community is probably D&D focused, but I'm curious what systems you've used for long term campaigns? Are there others you've bought and never played, though you may mine them for ideas? Is there something that I haven't given a fair shot that is your favorite system?

 

[Slit518]

D&D 2e

 

[Legatus Legionis]

.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

If you're defining a long campaign as twelve sessions or more, then I've only made it that far with D&D and Pathfinder. One of the under-appreciated aspects of a level-based system is that it encourages sticking with a character for the long term, and discourages making new characters from scratch.

 

[ccs]

*D&D BECmi - our campaigns here were mostly in the Basic/Expert sets. By the time Companion had arrived we were mostly playing 1e, though now & then we'd revisit the old characters. Master got some one off play. Immortal just exists on my shelf.
*AD&D 1e
*AD&D 2e
*D&D 3x
*D&D 4e - 2 relatively short campaigns @ about 1 yr each
*D&D 5e
*Pathfinder - each of our PF campaigns run an average of 18 months
*Vampire/WoD - the longest was almost 4 yrs. Felt a lot longer though as we had 20some players, 4 GMs & the game pretty much ran 7 days/week (barring holidays). Pretty much if a couple of people & a GM could get together you could play.
* Hero, Ars Magica, Star Wars (d20) - all of these have seen year long runs.
*Shadows over Esteren - this was the shortest at about 6 months.

That's most of what's had long continuous campaigns. Where we play it each week. All manner of other stuff might count as a campaign, but it's played on a single adventure basis. Essentially whenever the whim strikes. Often for a few weeks in between one D&D campaign & the next as a break.

*Rogue Trader - we'll get this game running yet. Everytime we try & start it something derails it.....

 

[5ekyu]

Defining it as 12 months or more...
DnD 1, 2, 3, 5 (include Esper Genesis)
Traveller, MegaTraveller, TNE, T20, Traveller
HERO 4th, 5th
Vampire-tM 1st
Serenity
Stargate SG-1
Mutants & Masterminds

 

[Immortal Sun]

3.5 - couple different games spanning about 2 years each.
5e - couple different games spanning about 2 years each.
4E - couple different games spanning about a year each.
Deadlands 1.0 - one game for about 6 months.

Sadly haven't found many groups willing to broaden their horizons, or invite new people unfamiliar with whatever non-D&D system they use.

 

[DQDesign]

dnd 3,4,5. but, most of all, Dungeon World.

 

[CrimsonCarcharodon]

I've only run/played medium-to-long term games with D&D 3.5, 5E, and Genesys. I've got a few systems I've done one-shots in: Fate Core, Chronicles of Darkness, Age of Rebellion (FFG Star Wars in general), Rogue Trader, Delta Green, and Savage Worlds.

Delta Green and Fate Core only didn't end up as campaigns due to schedule conflicts, not the game systems.

Likewise, I have plenty that I haven't gotten to play yet: Atomic Robo (although it's just Fate Core with some extra bits), Cortex Prime (when it comes out), Eclipse Phase, Dragon Age, Fantasy/Modern AGE, Dark Dungeons, Star Wars d6, and a ton of OSR games.

 

[pemerton]

B/X D&D
AD&D
4e D&D
Rolemaster
Classic Traveller
Cortex+ Heroic Fantasy (a hack of Marvel Heroic RP)
Burning Wheel
Prince Valiant (this one came as a bit of a surprise)