How long did your Shackled City campaign last?
- Thread starter Glyfair
- Start date
resscane
Explorer
We started the week after Huricane wilma struck South Florida. We play 3 times a month for 5 to 6 hours. We just fought Valantru and his 2 iron golems in the beholder's home in CAuldron. I dont know what chapter that is but we are all 13th level. This last encounter was viscious. Truly an evil setup. The beholder w/ his anti magic ray and other rays, and the iron golems killing us. What a wild ride. It wasnt a TPK but could have easily been one.
Squire James
Explorer
Shackled City had several points of failure where, if a TPK happened at that point, the campaign can die because any new group would be entering with no real connection to the problem. Consider a failure at the end of "Test of the Smoking Eye". The first encounters of the next module are essentially assassination attempts triggered by the adventurer's past actions, and those attempts drive the plot of the rest of the adventure. A crop of new PC's had no connection to the previous PC's or previous events. I think you can see what went on from here.
On a more positive note, I had an unrelated near-epic campaign where I managed to slip in some pieces of the final adventures. So it wasn't a total loss.
The Age of Worms campaign died even faster. Let's see... a TPK accomplished by a sleep-inducing eyeball thingie in the first adventure (and several horrible initiative/attack/save rolls). A near-TPK by a Choker, of all things! Let's not even talk about the BBEG's of the first adventure... The PC's did not like Diamond Lake at all, and saw no reason to stay in town after the first adventure. This hit me unexpectedly, so I did not have a replacement adventure ready when they set out (they were 2nd or 3rd level, and the next adventure wanted a gang of 6th level). That ended THAT campaign!
On a more positive note, I had an unrelated near-epic campaign where I managed to slip in some pieces of the final adventures. So it wasn't a total loss.
The Age of Worms campaign died even faster. Let's see... a TPK accomplished by a sleep-inducing eyeball thingie in the first adventure (and several horrible initiative/attack/save rolls). A near-TPK by a Choker, of all things! Let's not even talk about the BBEG's of the first adventure... The PC's did not like Diamond Lake at all, and saw no reason to stay in town after the first adventure. This hit me unexpectedly, so I did not have a replacement adventure ready when they set out (they were 2nd or 3rd level, and the next adventure wanted a gang of 6th level). That ended THAT campaign!
Mine first convened in October 2004 and last played in June 2006, putting us at the low end of "More than 18 months".
Due to some long stretches where we couldn't play every week, or even close to it, along with a large group that is somewhat easily distracted by shiny things (though nowhere near as much so as some others I've run), we only made it to Lords of Oblivion, I think - whichever one is right after Test of the Smoking Eye. I was using the magazine versions at first because the hardcover didn't exist yet, so we also skipped Drakthar's Way and, as a result of the party being a bit underleveled for it, part of Flood Season (as soon as they had the minimum required number of the gemstones I replaced the wands with, they cut and run, probably wisely).
I am cautiously optimistic about continuing the game online using Klooge Werks or something like it (I now live in a different city than the other participants), but so far it hasn't happened and I know it won't until after Christmas at the soonest.
Due to some long stretches where we couldn't play every week, or even close to it, along with a large group that is somewhat easily distracted by shiny things (though nowhere near as much so as some others I've run), we only made it to Lords of Oblivion, I think - whichever one is right after Test of the Smoking Eye. I was using the magazine versions at first because the hardcover didn't exist yet, so we also skipped Drakthar's Way and, as a result of the party being a bit underleveled for it, part of Flood Season (as soon as they had the minimum required number of the gemstones I replaced the wands with, they cut and run, probably wisely).
I am cautiously optimistic about continuing the game online using Klooge Werks or something like it (I now live in a different city than the other participants), but so far it hasn't happened and I know it won't until after Christmas at the soonest.
Dog Moon
Adventurer
Asmo said:
I think that all depends on the person, IMO. There's one person in my book where I'd be like HECK NO! Another couple people, I'd probably run it though. Maybe he just doesn't play with those who he can trust well.
I forgot how long our game has been going, though a couple of months back, we switched to pbp when we couldn't meet in person anymore.
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