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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shiroiken" data-source="post: 8122743" data-attributes="member: 6775477">The problem is tied to the setting and to player motivation. If the motivation for an epic campaign is directly tied to the PCs, such as a the last survivors of a battle seeking vengeance against the foreign king, then new PCs just don't have the same focus, even if they have the same objective. If everyone is dead, then that original connection is completely lost. In non-epic campaigns, it's pretty easy to make adjustments, but in an epic campaign the flavor is completely lost. I've had it happen a couple of times, and while I tried to continue the game, the players told me this is how they felt.Let's look at Lord of the Rings for an example. Consider only Frodo and Sam continuing after the Council of Elrond, with Merry and Pipping going back to the Shire. Imagine Gandalf never returning, but Radagast taking his place. Watch Gimili and Legolas die at the Battle of Helms Deep, but some Rohirim join Aragon afterwards. Golum kills Frodo, so then Sam takes up the ring. Aragorn leads the armies with Faramir and Eowin, while Sam fulfills the destruction of the ring. The important aspects of the story have taken place: the ring is destroyed and Aragorn becomes king, but since not a single character from the beginning remains, would that story have the same epic feel? In my experience (and those of my players), it really doesn't.</blockquote>