In-game age...

[Mark]

Except in exceptional cases, how often does age play a factor for PCs and NPCs in your game? How closely do you stick to the outline for ages (starting and expectancy) in the DMG? How much do characters tend to age over the course of a campaign in your game?

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

Recently, my DM "power up'ed" the campaign. We went from 8th level to 15th. The idea was that 20 years had passed. This was no big deal for most people, but I looked my DM in the eye and said "you realize I'm playing a half-orc don't you?"

I actually kind of like it. The character is a barbarian/cleric so it gives me more of a roleplaying hook: the aging warrior turns evermore to the divine in his twilight years. But I'm not sure I could survive another "power up"!

 

[Desdichado]

I can't think of a game that lasted long enough in-game time for aging to make any difference. It'd just be a needless complication for me, I suspect.

 

[Synicism]

It sort of depends on what you want to do and how your campaign is set up. In a 3rd ed. game we just wrapped up (pending 3.5 conversion), I was playing a young child who wielded sorcerous powers. Most of the "effects" were either based more on the statisical effects (low physical attributes) or social/RP effects (you can't bring that kid in here, this is a respectable establishment, not a common brothel!).

 

[apocalypstick]

It depends on how much "down-time" your characters engage in - most often this occurs when PCs want to craft magic items, do research, etc.

In some character-driven campaigns, particularly political ones, the passage of time becomes important when it comes to other factions pursuing and accomplishing their goals.

Often, after completing an adventure or story-arc, I will ask the players what their characters want to do next. Then, if they don't have any immediate goals that they want to pursue, I'll advance the timeline a couple of months until their next "adventuring opportunity" comes along. Something about PCs just running from adventure to adventure without ever sitting down for some R&R just rubs me the wrng way.

 

[Wippit Guud]

Last night... first the first time in 21 yeard of playing D&D, a character of mine naturally aged 1 year. A chill went down my spine as a changed the 19 to a 20.

 

[Maraxle]

Well, in my campaign world, there is one race that is particularly short-lived. For them it really makes a difference. As for the others, it isn't as big of a deal. We generally start off around the recommended ages, sometimes a bit older. I have one character that I occasionally get to play (I usually DM) that in each of his incarnations has matched my real age (currently 25).

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Over the past 14 real years, my campaign world (two campaigns) has advanced 8 years of game time. I try to keep the characters growing up, since it seems kind of silly for that 17 year old to go from 1st level to 12th and still be 17 years old...

I emphasize the difficulty of travelling in winter, and the PC's often will either travel south to warmer climes or hangout in a major city for the winter months.

 

[Datt]

It the campaign I am currently playing we have aged about 2 1/2 years. Nothing major yet. But we do keep very close track of the years. We have some people that started off a bit older and are getting close to middle age!

 

[Tabarnak Smokeblower]

The only time age has had any kind of significance to me was when I decided to play an old wizard (low-level wizard hermit that "divined" that it was time to get back to civilization), to get the benefit of higher intelligence ...

Other than that, a couple of years passed in one campaign, but playing an elf, i didn't really notice.

I've always wanted to better play the passage of time, but I always eventually forget about it, and all the characters are stuck at the same age ad vitam eternam...

TS