D&D 5E Decades spanning campaigns

[greel]

Hello,


I've been thinking about creating a campaign that takes place over many years. Mainly out of the feeling that reaching level 20 should take a long time in game, not just one or two years.
I'd like to see PCs growing older and maybe even die of old age.

• Have you guys tried to do something like this before?
• How do you pass the time in between adventures?
• What are the reasons for the party to stay/come together once the time skip is over?
• Are there a lot of "getting the old band back together" moments? Does that tend to get old fairly quickly?

Thanks!

 

[Morrus]

I really wanted to do that, but each "generation" of adventurers would use a different edition of D&D, starting with OD&D through to 5E. Probably just one adventure for each.

 

[ppaladin123]

I really wanted to do that, but each "generation" of adventurers would use a different edition of D&D, starting with OD&D through to 5E. Probably just one adventure for each.

We did this for a lifelong d&d player for his birthday a couple years back. Followed his character through AD&D 1e up through 5e. More like 1 hour per edition though,

 

[Tony Vargas]

Have you guys tried to do something like this before?

Yes. Well, tried to, in one campaign, but we never got to the second phase...

How do you pass the time in between adventures?

Fast-forward. In fact, the plan was for each phase of the campaign to span a generation, so players wouldn't just be playing their characters years or decades later, but would be playing their descendants...

What are the reasons for the party to stay/come together once the time skip is over?

FATE. The campaign started with the conceit that all the PCs were born under the same alignment of stars...

Are there a lot of "getting the old band back together" moments? Does that tend to get old fairly quickly?

That happens with groups, really, regardless of whether they're playing the same characters.

 

[Oofta]

Have you guys tried to do something like this before?

Yes. Several times. It's the default more often than not.

How do you pass the time in between adventures?

Some of this depends on the group. In most cases I just let people know it's going to be a fair amount of time in the campaign world before the next game session. We discuss as a group what people would do, etc.

We've had people get married have children, etc. As long as it reasonably fits within the story I let the players tell me what happens in their character's lives.

What are the reasons for the party to stay/come together once the time skip is over?

The **** hits the fan. In many cases they're still involved with each other's lives. Old threats rise again, or the kingdom they've settled in (or established) is under threat once more. In some cases it's because a particular member of the group is personally threatened or in jeopardy.

When the going gets rough, they know who they can call even if it's been a few years.

Are there a lot of "getting the old band back together" moments? Does that tend to get old fairly quickly?

Yes and no. Yes there is a bit of a reunion, but no it doesn't get old because there's no reason to belabor the point. The characters may have a night of drinking in the tavern before going off to investigate the orange orcs of the overlords, but there's no reason to get into detail if the group doesn't want to do so.

So yes, some catching up "Did you ever marry that gal?" and "I can't believe how old your kid is!" kind of stuff but it's usually only a couple of minutes of the game. Some of it depends on the group.

 

[neobolts]

[*]What are the reasons for the party to stay/come together once the time skip is over?

A DM once said "You all go your separate ways, but agree to meet up again if one of you sends out a signal."

It was heavy handed, but we were forewarned. It did at a sense of excitement to being recalled years later.