Campaign Length

[Qualidar]

For years we switched between several long-standing (2-10 year) campaigns, never playing more than one adventure in a row from the same one. This was largely to prevent DM (i.e. me) burnout, but also because I noticed the players just had trouble getting into the same thing over and over again. Recently, however, we had to go on hiatus due to some health issues I've been dealing with. After 6 months of not playing I decided I had to jump back into the ring, but I decided to start slow. So now we're playing every 2-3 weeks, but in an ongoing campaign of limited duration (the Freeport trilogy). Once we finish up with them I'm planning to do the same thing with some other campaigns/systems. I've found that playing as little as we are, there doesn't seem to be any more burnout issues, and I've really enjoyed interweaving the adventures together into one coherent, believable whole. The only problem now is my dying to get whatever I'm working on now done with so I can get to Pulp Action Theatre, Star*Drive, Sidewinder: Recoiled, Oriental Adventures, Dungeon's Adventure Path...etc...etc...

Oh, yeah: I'm wearing a cross my grandfather brought back from Rome 20 years ago, but other than that, I'm not a jewelry person, either.

~Qualidar~

 

[JesterPoet]

And jewelry? I lost my college ring the third week I had it and have yet to reorder a replacement. And a nipple piercing. So there.

You lost a nipple piercing? That must have an interesting story attached to it.

 

[mac1504]

You lost a nipple piercing? That must have an interesting story attached to it.

Or detached as the case may be...

 

[mac1504]

Our group has had a several month hiatus, but we've been struggling to play a long-running campaign for the nearly three years the group has been together. For one reason or another, we can't seem to manage playing in a campaign for over six months. Somehow we end up starting a new campaign; I believe I've rolled up more characters in the last three years than I have in my entire twenty years of playing D&D!

Jewelry- just a titanium wedding ring.

 

[eris404]

Does your group run one long involved campaign, or lots of short ones?

It depends on who's running the game. I had a "short" d20 Star Wars game last for a year and a half. I think we tend towards long-term because we like character and story development.

Do you vary the systems, or only play one thing?

We tend to play mostly 3.0/3.5 D&D, but we have played lots of other systems in the past (the old CoC, Deadlands, Rifts, plus a couple of WoD games no one talks about). We've played other d20 games and will probably play more.

Which do you prefer? Do you like the in-depthness (hey, I'm an English major, I'm allowed to make up words) of a long-running campaign, or do you like the variation of playing lots of different things in short bursts?

We're very much into long-term immersion. Short bursts usually don't work well with us, but we might try an "inbetween" d20 Modern game another player wants to run.

Are you wearing jewelery right now? Do you normally?

Not right now (I just woke up), but I wear one ring, a Hellboy watch, and four earring. I have three piercings in one ear - I'm 33 today (It's my birthday!) and I have had multiple piercings since I was 13. 20 years! Take that you cooler-than-thou whippersnappers.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Does your group run one long involved campaign, or lots of short ones?
Long and involved. We do, on occassion, run short adventures with new characters, but these are always in the same world and often have some degree of significance to the over-all metaplot.

I also play in an Oathbound game, which is more of a string of short-term conflicts within the setting with lots of travel, but having Leadership, my PC has enough NPCs that remain with him in his journies to add some depth to inter-personal relationships.

Do you vary the systems, or only play one thing?
Both games are d20, but where Oathbound is fairly standard to "core" with its add-ons, Aedon is a different beast entirely (re-tooled for low magic and a more immersive playstyle than the standard rules). Over-all, I prefer what ever system/mode-of-system suits the campaign being played.

Which do you prefer? Do you like the in-depthness (hey, I'm an English major, I'm allowed to make up words) of a long-running campaign, or do you like the variation of playing lots of different things in short bursts?
I prefer in-depth. Not even remotely interested in anything less.

Are you wearing jewelery right now? Do you normally?
Normally, no. I do have ear piercings, and I have a wedding ring, but long-term exposure to metals causes me to get sick, so I only wear such things for certain occassions (the wedding ring for job interviews, the ring and ear rings for parties and social occassions).

I also have a nose-piercing, but after the infamous snagged-while-lifting-a-barrel-over-a-fence incident, I don't wear it anymore. Fortunately, there isn't much of a scar (it's very small and looks like a pentagram, which is kinda kewl...).

 

[Old One]

Long...

Long-run here...at least from a real-world time standpoint.

First campaign (player/alternating DM) ran from 1982-85, with 2-3 sessions a week.

Second campaign (DM) ran from 1986-89, 1-2 sessions a month.

Third campaign (DM) ran from 1991-97, 2 sessions a month (91-95) and more infrequently after that.

Fourth campaign (DM) and the current one 2001 to present, 1 session per month.

I have played in a couple of shorter campaigns (5-15 sessions) during that time frame and DM'd a couple as well. All of the changes in the major campaigns above have come due to relocation to another state and/or country.

Systems have been D&D 1E, 2E and 3E...with a smattering of Marvel Super Heroes and GURPS for one-shots.

Currently wearing wedding ring...and nothing else !

~ Old One

 

[scott-fs]

Does your group run one long involved campaign, or lots of short ones?

In the past we started many short campaigns (mostly as a result of one or two players not being there, or a player forgetting/losing his character sheet). Actually, I can't quite call them campaigns as most went only one session. We were actually lucky if one of these games actually went to session 3.

My longest ever serious campaign went to Session 17, though I really considered the campaign over after the 12th. I continued it for the benefit of two characters, but I mercifully TPK'ed their a***s after their doll bodies were horribly on fire

For those keeping track, I never got around to having the rogue assasinate the druid's animal companion. I unfortunately got bored with the campaign



On the other hand, if the players don't like how the campaign ended, I can always say those last 5 sessions were just a dream (and they are back to before all the "crap" happened. Not that I'd ever continue that campaign.

Do you vary the systems, or only play one thing?

I want, and I'm trying to convince my group to try HarnMaster. Excellent system. To that end, I've been working on an alternate character development system for d20 which tosses experience and levels where they should be. In the fricken trashbin. My biggest problem has been decoupling the level dependant things, though I'll have to philosophically contemplate the nature of D&D to gain a fundamental enlightenment about design considerations. Ok, I think it's time to sleep. Worked too late last night...

HEY, why isn't there a snooooze smily. You know for the times when you feel like you're going to fall asleep, or to let people you've been up for way too long!

Which do you prefer? Do you like the in-depthness (hey, I'm an English major, I'm allowed to make up words) of a long-running campaign, or do you like the variation of playing lots of different things in short bursts?

I want to have a campaign which spans many months, if not years worth of playing time. A campaign that develops a set of characters that will have memorable stories created about them, in which you can fondly look back on them. Stories that can be transcribed directly from the sessions, which won't need a professional editor to make them make sense. Some of the things that occur in our sessions are simply not worthy of retelling.

I remember the tales of a group I played with that fondly remembered previous campaigns (before I joined). I want that, but will never get it.

I'm not too interested in jumping around to different games as you rarely get any attachment out of any of your characters, as what you do now will make no difference when you go to something else. I've had more than my fair share of one-shots for my lifetime.