Can a once a month game work?

[Storminator]

I run a M&M game once a month.

It's different than D&D because I enforce an "Issue #X" format, where each session is one issue (we have 32 pages people, let's get crackin!). With each session a stand alone episode, there's little need for recap, and I play with the people that show up on game night. If a player isn't there, his character just isn't there.

I also let the PCs completely rework their PC each issue. It's a lot more flexible and less demanding on everyone than any other game I've ever done.

PS

 

[Mercule]

Sure. I ran the Sunless Citadel and subsequent four modules on that schedule. It works okay. You do tend to lose some momentum for character-driven stories (or sub-plots, in our case), but it's otherwise fine.

As others have noted, though, watch the pacing and where you wrap a session. I'd advise a target finish time, but get everyone to commit to about an hour's flexibility.

 

[Askaval30]

Yes, it most definitely can work... how do I know? my group gets to game only once a year.

Don't get me wrong, it is far from an ideal situation... gaming once a month would be a dream come true! As it is it only works because this is a group that forged bonds decades ago, we are not only gamers but friends and it is awe inspiring to see a bunch of professionals in their 30s revert to their youthful personas when those two weeks a year come around again. Remember gaming when you were younger? same thing... we forgo sleep, healthy food and significant others to forge those ties anew.

That being said, keeping a campaign alive in these circumstances if difficult but not impossible, as others have mentioned before me you need players willing to maintain an 'oral history' of sorts... chronicles of past games, emails and instant messages referring to their characters or events in the last game, etc... and plain old devotion to the cause (what some of our wives would call insane fanaticism...)

Ah cruel fate! when young I had time and no money... while now the opposite is true.

 

[Mallus]

Does anyone play once a month? Does it work?

Yes.

How can I make it work and keep campaign continuity and some kind of overarching plot?

Smart adventure design and planning coupled with online play-by-post. You can use email or better, create a campaign messageboard.

 

[Umbran]

Once a month can work for some - but in general it is difficult to maintain the feeling of continuity when games are infrequent. Also, if your folks are into character development (in the dramatic sense, not the character-levels sense), they may find it unsatisfying.

For many groups and games, I'd choose to play twice a month for shorter sessions.

 

[Stoat]

For about four years, my group only played every six weeks to two months. It worked fine. We played all weekend -- probably 8-10 hours, and I set up the adventures so that the party leveled every 2 sessions.

A few tips:

1) Schedule early. I would usually send my group an email immediately after we played asking when folks could play again. Give your group plenty of time to plan for the game.

2) Be flexible. Be prepared to change the dates you're going to play. Sooner or later somebody will have a conflict, and you'll need to reschedule.

3) Plan your adventures around the time you have. Ideally, the action should start, progress and conclude in the course of a single session. You can run a campaign with a story arc, but every session should be a discrete part of the arc. Try to avoid stopping in the middle of things.

4) Manipulate experience points if necessary. Some folks get bored if it takes 6 months to gain a level. I get bored DM'ing the same level characters for too long. If your group feels the same way, pick up the pace.

5) Know what the adventure is before you show up to play. Do not spend the first two hours of the session dropping adventure hooks and watching the players look for the dungeon. Drop plot hooks at the end of the session, and let the players decide what they want to do during the time between sessions.

6) Use the Internet. Use mailing lists, blogs, wikis, messageboards, whatever. Use it to schedule your games. Use it to decide what the players' are going to do next session. Do the players have a choice between going north to the haunted castle and going south to the ancient pyramid? Put it in an email and find out what they want to do so you can be ready to play when the time comes. Do the players need to talk to the king? Consider an in-character message board. Definitely handle experience over the net. If you let PC's buy and sell magic, definitely handle that over the net.

7) If distance is an issue, consider a Virtual Table Top. I hated the idea of playing D&D on a computer until I tried it. Using a VTT does not feel like a video game or an MMORPG. I play a lot more often and drive a lot less now since I started using a VTT.

Good luck!

 

[Desdichado]

My suggestions:

1) Keep plotlines, intrigues and whatnot simple and more to the point. Memory gets hazy with that much time lapse between sessions, so you want to paint in fairly broad strokes, not hope that details can carry over.

2) Spend a few minutes before each sessions summarizing the action so far.

3) On your once a month session, make it as long as you can without getting too long.

4) Keep in touch via email, messageboards, IRC or something in between sessions. Take care of little details about the campaign there, in fact. That serves two purposes, A) it ensures that you can concentrate the "fun stuff" into your actual session instead of "wasting time" doing administrative tasks, and B) it keeps the game on you and your players minds between sessions so you're not starting cold all over again every month.

 

[Terwox]

My White Wolf game plays about once every month, sometimes every couple months. Usually a 8-12 hour affair. Works fine, it's a fun time.

 

[Agamon]

I've been playing about every two weeks for years, but a player wants to try running a game on alternate sessions, so my game becomes once a month. Shouldn't be too much trouble, I don't think. Gives me lots of prep time, which is nice.

 

[Greatwyrm]

Before I moved, my group had regular once-a-month games. I ran one and a friend ran the other. Both games ran about two years each.

Scheduling was tough and it was accepted that is was an all-day affair. We'd arrive around Noon and play until 11pm or so, with a break for supper.

Lots of planning on the DM's part. You have to be ready for about three normal sessions worth of stuff if you try to pull a big session like this. I was a little lucky in that we had a large party. Combat took a little longer so I didn't have to plan as many encounters.