Is My Campaign Going Too Fast?

[Retreater]

I started running my weekly Daggerheart campaign at the beginning of November. We've missed only a few sessions and play for about 3 hours.
The characters are level 6 - in a 10-level game (which would be about equivalent to level 12 in D&D). So they reached level 6 in let's say around 10 sessions.

One of my players complained that we're going too fast for the campaign to feel epic and memorable. The other players have mentioned that they like the speed.

A few of my issues:
1) Our previous campaign (run by another GM) was very low power and slow paced, and they wanted something different.
2) I started Daggerheart not knowing if they would like it. Thus the campaign was created with low stakes and a small world - I haven't left myself much room for expansion.
3) We don't get to "high level" in other systems, so I really want to give them that opportunity now.
4) My campaigns tend to end in TPK or lose steam within 20 sessions. At this rate, we'll likely get to max level - the first time I've had a campaign do that in 30+ years in the hobby.
5) Daggerheart isn't designed as "widely" with decades of development like you'd find with D&D or Pathfinder. It doesn't have the number of spells, monsters, magic items, etc., to flesh out a campaign that other systems do. I don't want to run the same encounter with the same monsters 5 times - but that's basically what you have to work with if you want to run a typical D&D-style campaign.

I know the right answer is to ask the players and consider their feedback and my own thoughts. I'm curious if others here would find a 15-20 session campaign too fast. Any suggestions about how I could slow it down a little bit (if that ends up being what they want)?

 

[Reynard]

Often from a player's perspective, leveling too quickly means they do not get to really explore their character abilities, so that may be an issue for the one player.

My advice would be to continue on as you are until the campaign hits a natural end point. Then ask the players if they would like to play DH again with an intentionally slower progression with more time to dig into the setting and their characters.

 

[TiQuinn]

I would say that you are going with your gut instinct right now, and for a first run through a new system, just go with that. You can always change things the next time around, and get feedback from your players, but if your first test drive of a new system is a successful 20 session campaign...that sounds awesome to me.

 

[TwoSix]

I know the right answer is to ask the players and consider their feedback and my own thoughts. I'm curious if others here would find a 15-20 session campaign too fast. Any suggestions about how I could slow it down a little bit (if that ends up being what they want)?

I'm a fan of campaigns running somewhere in the high teens to early 20s for number of sessions. Campaigns that run into the many dozens of sessions start to feel more like procedural TV shows than an epic adventure with continually rising action. That's what many people enjoy, of course, but not generally what I'm looking for.

Unless the one player is like "I'm going to bail because you're leveling us too fast", I would keep on keeping on. You could also compromise; right now your leveling speed is 1 level/2 sessions. Move it to 1 level per 3 sessions, and then would bring you to level 10 right after session 22.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I would be inclined to keep going the way you are going with this one and then iterate on the world and go slower for the next one.
Level dependant pacing may be worth considering. There may be levels where the game runs smoother than others and it may be worth lingering on those levels for a while and speeding up on other levels.

 

[Retreater]

Well, if you look at the number of resources provided by level, consider the adversaries. These represent all the monsters, skill challenges, and social encounters provided in the game.

Level 1: 66 adversaries
Levels 2-4: 39 adversaries
Levels 5-7: 22 adversaries
Levels 8-10: 17 adversaries

Unlike in other games, you're not really intended to select adversaries from out of the level range. Consider that you have 2-3 different enemy types in an encounter and not all enemies will appeal to your group or the campaign theme, and you can see how you might burn through Levels 2-10 quickly.

 

[zakael19]

Daggerheart expects “at least” 3 and generally 4-5 sessions per level (edit: assuming standard 3-5 hour sessions), in service to your narrative and arcs. See top of p109 & p189-191. I’m averaging about 5 sessions per level between my two games.

Because of how trivial it is to upscale adversaries or make your own on the fly, I’m not terribly concerned about the triangle.

 

[zakael19]

Remember that DH’s characters align to roughly 3-13 in 5e terms. Many 5e campaign books hit that level range and come in between 30-40 sessions if you’re not blitzing through the book.

 

[Retreater]

Many 5e campaign books hit that level range and come in between 30-40 sessions if you’re not blitzing through the book.

Maybe my 5e campaigns are also blitzes? I've run campaigns like Rime of the Frostmaiden and Curse of Strahd to completion. They took around 6 months of weekly play - close to 20 sessions.

 

[zakael19]

Maybe my 5e campaigns are also blitzes? I've run campaigns like Rime of the Frostmaiden and Curse of Strahd to completion. They took around 6 months of weekly play - close to 20 sessions.

Yes, you’re on the low end of the curve. When I was looking around at the COTN play times it seemed to range from the low 20s for people like your group or some other folks here that seem to just relentlessly charge forward up to the 60+ session range for folks who clearly spend a lot of space on dialogue scenes.