Average length of campaigns?

[zenld]

The group I play with (and its various mutations) average between 6mo and a year for most campaigns with two exceptions: one Realms camapign that ran for a year and a half, and a rifts campaign that ran for 4 years. I know people who have played in campaigns for much longer, but have not been so fortunate myself. Yet. I in involved in a couple of campaigns that I have high hopes for, but as they are just starting, you never can tell.

zen

 

[Gothmog]

Well, I have been running a 2E turned 3E camipain now for 11 years. The PCs are around 10-12th level now. We played on average once a week for 6-8 hours for the first five years, then once a month for the last six years. I'm not sure how many adventures by now, but probably close to 150. Most other games I have played in have been about 50 total sessions, so around 1-2 years of real time. I'm working on some ideas for another campaign for when I finish my PhD and move- I'm anticipating a 4-5 year real-time campaign playing once every two weeks. I know I'm not part of the WotC test market demographic, but a 6 month to one year campaign seems like a waste of time to me- not realy time to get in-depth character development and complex plotlines.

 

[Mista Collins]

The campaign I am playing in has lasted a really long time. I haven't joined it until resently, but this campaign has been going on about once a month for close to probably 15 years. There is roughly close to 15 players and about 10 show up each time we play. Very great homebrew world, sessions aren't that great (10 players is hard to control). There have been some memorable sessions. And I don't see it ending anytime soon.

 

[Arnwyn]

Mine last for years - we don't start new characters or timeline until there's a TPK.

 

[swrushing]

My campaigns typically last about 18 months onn average, with 1 year-2 years being the typical ranges.

My most recent game lasted just shy of 3 years.

Being relatively new to the hobby, I was just wondering if anyone knew what the average length for most campaigns are nowadays? One of my groups will last roughly half a year (but could continue much longer if group wants to). I remember reading in Computer Games magazine where Gary Gygax stated that the average lasted 2 years. Does that seem right?

 

[Numion]

Ours usually last around a year. We've started our fourth since 3e started.

1st went from 1st to 16th level
2nd went from 1st to 24th level
3rd went from 1st to 13th level
4th just started from 1st

 

[Silver Moon]

Our campaign has been running now for 21.5 years, with every indication that it will continue for at least that long. We're are now nearing our 900th game. The current six members of the group include four founding members and the other two have been around since our 2nd and 3rd years. Three of them had taken extended breaks from the group and then came back.

We actually have three different campaigns running which we alternate playing: the original D&D campaign that began in 1982 that we still play most of the time, a spin-off lower-level D&D campaign that started in 1995, and a D&D/Boot Hill hybrid that we began over a year ago. It is unlikely that any of these will end. Each player has approximately 4 different playing characters in the main campaign, 2 in the spin-off group, and 1 in the western.

 

[Piratecat]

I'm at 11.5 years, 300-odd sessions of the same game. I think that counts as the exception.

I play in another game that has roughly 6 month campaigns.

 

[Limper]

Our average is 3 years.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I have wide variance in how long campaigns go, the main factor being how much the PCs like the characters and story behind the campaign, and how fast it moves for them. I've run at most three campaigns at the same time. These are what I would consider the main campaigns I've run and their lifespans.

1st (1 on 1): 2 years
2nd (1 on 1): 2 years
3rd (Ravenloft): 4 months (1 semester, then everyone was gone)
4th (Sigil): roughly 4 years continuous play (1 year break)
5th (Planescape): 2 years
7th (homebrew): 2 months
6th (homebrew): 2 years