Poor DM/ Game Advice

[Doc_Klueless]

Managing things may mean missing a game.

Not aimed at you, @Jd Smith1 : The attitude that the game comes before being a responsible adult is one of the reasons I'm so burned out on both running and playing RPGs. The sense of entitlement that one's enjoyment is more important than another's real life problems is a ... er... problem.

 

[iserith]

Managing things may mean missing a game.

Not aimed at you, @Jd Smith1 : The attitude that the game comes before being a responsible adult is one of the reasons I'm so burned out on both running and playing RPGs. The sense of entitlement that one's enjoyment is more important than another's real life problems is a ... er... problem.

That's not what I'm reading. This is the point I believe is trying to be made: Ultimately, attending a D&D game or not is a choice. You may choose to skip the game due to other obligations. There's nothing wrong with that. But it's still a choice you made. You're in control of your life even if it may seem as though you have no choice except to skip the game.

 

[generic]

Really? Who manages them? I'm serious: unless you're in prison, who doesn't manage their own life?

Perhaps someone, like some who I've known in my life, who can't move by themselves. Someone who is immobile in most capacities.

But, I understand what you may mean to say. We all must play the game of life with the cards we are dealt. I would argue that some can't really play the game at all, but that's a discussion for another time, or for a private message chain.

 

[Jd Smith1]

But, I understand what you may mean to say. We all must play the game of life with the cards we are dealt.

You do understand.

 

[Todd Roybark]

The end of Lost Mine of Phandelver says:

"By the end of the adventure, the characters should be
5th level. If your players wish to continue playing their
characters, you can use the contents of this set to create
your own adventures; the mysterious map found in area 14
of Wave Echo Cave provides one possible adventure hook,
but feel free to explore other ideas using the monsters,
magic items, and locations in this adventure. If you want
to create adventures for characters higher than 5th
level, you'll need the basic rules online or the advanced
rulebooks: the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's
Guide, and Monster Manual."

So, in fact, they drop a few points as to how to continue with the same characters. Absolutely no suggestion of quitting is given. I am not sure why you would misrepresent it.

LOL....I have never read the adventure....I surmised that of course no introductory adventure would advise to quit....it was unmarked sarcasm.

 

[S'mon]

IME even open sandbox campaigns have a natural conclusion. The PCs have defeated the major threats, are 20th level Epic, and sitting on millions of gp. The GM can bring in some kind of new threat, but it may seem forced when the Extraplanar Invasion appears just after the Evil Empire has fallen. Usually it works better to start a new campaign.

 

[merwins]

This is where I have a lot of trouble pinning down a definition. From a player perspective, this may be a new campaign. But from the GM's perspective, it might be the same campaign with new characters.

Consider publishing: paragraph, chapter, book, series, extended series.
I have no idea what the gaming equivalents would be, but you could throw in words like session, scene, scenario, adventure, campaign, and in a pinch, even "reboot."

I deliberately evolved my current game so it could be run indefinitely, or snuffed out instantly. But it can't be run forever with the same characters. The in-game rationale for end-state for a high-level character boil down to fatalism, tilting at windmills, or "merciless" purging. I'm open to see what else my players can come up with.

 

[S'mon]

This is where I have a lot of trouble pinning down a definition. From a player perspective, this may be a new campaign. But from the GM's perspective, it might be the same campaign with new characters.

If it's a new PC group I normally consider it a new Campaign. I may have more than one Campaign going in the same game world; eg I currently have 2 running in Faerun and 2 in Primeval Thule (plus I have two co-GMs running in Faerun & Thule too, in what is ostensibly the same timeline).

 

[Todd Roybark]

All things end, but giving up too early on a campaign is a shame.
Given that recent data indicates people rarely get past 10-11th level, and this probably holds true for each edition, it saddens me to think people might have played 30 years and have never cast a 7th level spell, for example.

I’m not saying you have to go epic, but I remember feeling frustrated as a kid, having a great, but easily distracted DM, and playing up to 5th level, and then starting over again because a new idea came along.

Variety is nice, but I wanted to spend more time in those narratives, with those characters.

I understand going out on a high note, but I personally have had great games, great acts to existing games gel out of nowhere.

 

[S'mon]

My first two 5e campaigns from 2015 (January Wilderlands & November Runelords) went level 1-20 over several years (& Runelords is still running at E20), my main Thule campaign started at 1st in Jan 2019, is around 14th now & on hiatus, but I'd like to take it to 20 for the finale.

My Red Hand of Doom campaign has gone 5-11 since August 2019 and should end around 13th. I think that's a good example of a limited-scope campaign designed more as a film or film trilogy than as a TV series, and not well suited to indefinite play. Whereas sandboxes like Wilderlands & Thule can run a long time before a natural conclusion.