Have you ever finished a campaign?

[Bendris Noulg]

Two campaigns finished (with my definition being that all story-lines were wrapped up and everybody lived happily ever after). One with me as a player (8 years) and another with me as the GM (5 years).

My current campaign is coming up on its 7th Anniversary/Birthday/Whatever, and is about half-done, although, admittedly, converting it to d20 caused a few delays, so I'd put the progress at closer to 5 years rather than 7, and an upcoming apocolypse (see link in sig) is about to change everything, so I'll be redesigning the setting during the next 6 months.

And don't even get me started about the prequal...

 

[PoppaGunch]

I have run games for about 15 years now, and never once have I had a D&D game end. I have retired some of the main characters, but then we usually did something with their kids, or something like that.
I did end a two year Star Wars campaign (back in the days of d6 SW). That one was one of those galaxy shakers and the players definitely won.
But I can't bring myself to leave a campaign in D&D. I always have something new to bring up.

 

[Psion]

How do I tell if a campaign is "finished"?

I think most campaigns just go on indefinite hiatus.

 

[Agamon]

I've finished two campaigns. However, in both instances, the ending got a bit rushed and it really would have been better if I had just let it peter out rather than force an ending onto it prematurely. So now, if I feel players (or myself) losing interest in the current campaign, I'll just suggest starting a different game and maybe come back to the old one eventually. Though, I haven't actually had to try that yet.

 

[Agamon]

How do I tell if a campaign is "finished"?

I think most campaigns just go on indefinite hiatus.

Yeah, depends on the type of game. Campaigns with definite story arcs have endings. Campaigns that focus more on the characters really don't have reason to end, short of a TPK, and even then, not necessarily, as long as the world is still there.

For example, my MnM game will have a definte end. My Living Greyhawk game will go as long as LG does, or at least as long as my interest in it.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Basically I judge it based on PC's and story arc.

Party goes off to slay evil wizard. Either they fail, and no one else tries again (campaign ends), the succeed and live happily ever after (campaign ends), or they fail and others come up in their place (TPK, but campaign keeps going).

Now, slaying the evil wizard could involve a lot of side-quests. Using Tolkien as a base, his 'campaign' took three books to accomplish. But he's also had campaigns that have taken shorter (like the Hobitt was basically a one-book campiagn).

It's basically 'when you give deneument.' When the PC's ride off into the sunset, or fail utterly as the last hope. When the focus shifts, and you've reached closure. When the next time you start up has little to do with where you ended last time (but perhaps still cameos; Bilbo pops up in the Lord of the Rings campaign, after all).

 

[the Jester]

Finished a Campaign defined as the main plotline or story arc has come to a close, even if the main story arc goes against the PCs (such as Tharizdun devouring the world).

A TPK might constitute a "finished" campaign if it ties in directly with the story arc, not in another way like a TPK from a minor trap or something like that.

Hm... In that case:

the original 1e group that founded the country of Secat
the Knights of Sanctuary vs. Steel
the greatest heroes of the world vs. (my version of) Vecna
Tharizdun eats the world
Isle of the Horrors saga
The Hatching Cave


Those are the ones where we stopped playing the group afterward, at least for a while. (Some of them contributed characters to other groups later, though.)

 

[Emperor Valerian]

Maybe I should count myself lucky. The first campaign I played in, we finished about two weeks ago (end of the story arc, characters retire to castle). The first campaign I DMed also ended... about three weeks ago (Once again, characters retire to castle). Both reached natural ending points, and it was decided that the PCs should make the transition to becoming very powerful NPCs (in the game I played in, average 14th level PCs at the end.. started at 3rd. In the game I DMed, started at 3rd and ended at 22nd level).

Maybe I'm just lucky?

 

[Thanee]

Our campaigns cannot be finished usually.

Tho, there were a few, which also got finished. I can recall a few right away (Shadowrun - three of those actually, all successive (that was a bit different to regular rolepaying, tho, since it was a huge campaign (three actually) with multiple GMs and a large player base (30+ at times), running for several years with ever-changing party-setups and a continuous story) - and Midgard - twice, once because the characters had achieved everything and retired and once because the story was finished). In D&D I cannot really remember having finished any campaign or playing many campaigns that even had some sort of 'finish'.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Doctor Futurity]

My campaigns never end, hell, they transcend my players and groups! Story arcs are a different story; I've completed maybe three dozen story arcs (10-20 sessions campaigns) all centered in one of my settings. So, assuming you mean "campaign arc" of a story, with a start, complication, resolution, end, then yeah, I've completed plenty. Each story arc leads in to the next, and builds on the foundation of those before. New groups often meet the former PCs and deal with the legacy of prior campaigns; a few players I have have been around for such a long time that they finally get to see a bit of the big picture (but only I get the ultimate satisfaction of the god's eye view, alas).