Campaign Length

[Grazzt]

Longest campaign Ive run (and we still have some of the original players) started around 1984. Still going today. (started with 1e, continued with parts of 2e, 3.x)

 

[drothgery]

Average seems to be 1-1 1/2 years. The longest was almost 4 years, though that got interrupted by summers and breaks (and occasionally studying for finals) while I was in college, and was in alternating weeks. Most gaming time was in the just over two year campaign wrapped up last week (and we didn't quite make it to 20th level), as that was played almost every week.

 

[Piratecat]

My campaign turns 16 this year. I also play in Sagiro's, which turns 12 or 13. I think that means that I get to teach my campaign to drive, and I've had to explain the facts of life to Sagiro's...

Hmm. Or not.

We've been blessed with a relatively stable player base and fun adventures to run. Both these games are really fun!

 

[I'm A Banana]

I can't imagine spending more than about 2 years in any world.

Ick.

My campaigns on average are about 6 months, I like to do story arcs. But there have been longer story arcs seeded into and out of it, too -- a year or two here or there.

 

[TerraDave]

When people say their campaign has been going on for 15+ years they are really talking about playing in the same world....a never ending soap opera adventure or a series SNIP

You put it like that...with one player the whole time, and two others a long time, and some common plot elements, and older charecters revived in a paralel play by post...then I can say I have had the same "campaign" for almost 17 years, with active play off and on for over 10.

You know, I have been wanting to do something new for a while now. I think I just realised why.

 

[Flynn]

My campaigns average just about two years in length. A long-term campaign for me runs about 3-4 years, with One Shots to follow it up occasionally over the next few years (but that's probably only because I moved, else it would have lasted more than five years.)

I rarely plan to run a campaign for less than a year, and generally aim for the 2-3 year mark.

My experience may not be typical, however,
Flynn

 

[nutluck]

I voted for the 2-4 year, thought the longest one lasted nearly 5 or right at 5. We took a short break and went back to it so i am not positive on how long it was. Not that it matters but that was not a DnD game, I think the longest DnD game was 1 year for my group. As for your other questions.

What's the average lifespan of the campaigns you run or play in on a regular basis?

It varies from game system. DnD i would say 6 months is avg, for White Wolf World of Darkness games in the 90's the avg was 18 months. Most other game systems the avg was about 1 year. The longest just as a FYI was a SpaceMaster game.(scifi version of Rolemaster for those that don't know and was curious)

Will the arrival of 4e FR setting actually cause your group to stop playing in an ongoing campaign, and if so why?

Nope, as for why. Well we are not sure we are going to switch to 4e, right now leaning towards no unless when the books come out they really blow us away on how good they are. That and even IF we switch to 4e it will happen later, likely after our current and next games are finished so likely that would be 09 or 10 at soonest.

 

[xnosipjpqmhd]

Longest in recent history was just shy of 2 years, though that campaign introduced a meta-campaign plot that I touched on in 2 subsequent (and shorter) campaigns. The shorter arcs give the group time to breathe and try other games/settings, and it gives me time to work on weaving the meta-plot into the next campaign. In the fourth installment the players will begin to see (more clearly) how events in various games over the past 5 years fit together.

So I consider these separate campaigns, but they are telling one big story in addition to all their own little stories.

 

[diaglo]

current OD&D campaign is coming up on 4 years.

previous 3.11ed for workgroups campaign ran for about 4 years.

previous OD&D campaign was just a month shy of 11 years.

 

[greatamericanfolkher]

Longest campaign I’ve ever run was my spelljammer campaign. It went for about eighteen months, and the only reason it ended was because of a few players I couldn’t stand.