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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cruentus" data-source="post: 8940928" data-attributes="member: 7034645">I picked up DM'ing for the (thinks about it) second time in 40 some years playing - another player was the forever DM.  It was also after a long time not playing, right before Covid hit, so the game went right onto VTT play.  I picked up DM'ing after one DM finished off his 5e Tiamat campaign (two years), then I started a 5e FR campaign.  Its been rocky since...Collapsed:  5e FR Campaign set in the Moonshaes 500 years before current timeline.  It was a sandbox style campaign, we started with Treasure Hunt, highly modified, and then the party went where the winds took them - almost literally.  We started at 1st level, with the session zero and set up describing a more low magic, dark ages 'ish type of setting and world, lots of opportunity to be on the ground floor of changing politics, Waterdeep had yet to be established, most of the Moonshaes was unexplored or had been "lost", the invasions from the north, etc.  Party rolls up with all magic-using characters, or fighter archetypes that are magic intensive, or multi-classes into spellcasters = first rumblings of collapse.  Party overcomes every obstacle, environment, and monster and I start increasing CR but finding that very fine line between challenge and TPK is almost impossible.  I give up on the idea of low magic and consign myself that this will be 5e dnd = foundations crack.  Party (actually one player) doggedly pursues one minor thread (which is actually perfectly fine in a sandbox) that continues to get the party into deeper and deeper trouble, in over its head, etc. (while the threats are completely and repeatedly telegraphed), and continues to return again and again to get pummeled = campaign collapses around 6th level as I can't continue to fight the 5e system while trying to maintain an interesting story.  Granted, the campaign did last one calendar year, so I wouldn't call it a failure.  I certainly learned a lot about DMing....After my 5e game, one of our players stepped up to DM Basic for the first time in 40 years, and a couple of players in the group decided to deep six his game at about 4th level.  I thought the game was actually going pretty well.  The DM didn't want to continue after those players quit.Failed to Launch:I've then tried to get some interest in Old School Essentials Advanced in Greyhawk - one campaign I tried setting up in Furyondy against Iuz after the Treaty of Greyhawk - I got one player who started adventuring in the area and we're about 70% through the first adventure (started 4th level).   Has since stopped.  (Sandbox, pbem)Alien RPG - got as far as character creation.  No momentum, only one player.Tentatively Still going/tryingA campaign in Sterich in Greyhawk - a different player started that campaign, is playing 4 PC's and has some NPC's in the party, and is exploring the Sterich area also post the Treaty of Greyhawk.  He is currently scouting the areas west of the capital as villages and towns are being re-inhabited, and he is interested in finding out where the attacking monsters had gone.  (Sandbox, pbem, occasional VTT for combats)I have two players for OSE Advanced in Ravenloft.  The second player is doing character creation.  They're 1st/2nd level currently, and I will be modifying Curse of Strahd to OSE.  (VTT)So, during the pandemic, there was a pretty solid regularity to games, but now its all but died off, and I can't seem to either get a game going (OSE sandboxy low magic style game, I don't have it in me to run 5e, I just don't like it) or find any games that are online that are doing similar (I've found a couple but timing doesn't match up, or time zones don't work).  So I'll keep reading, making notes, trying to keep my Pbem games mentioned above going.  But I'd love to get into a game with a group doing more OSE stuff.</blockquote>

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