Is your D&D campaign a game or a story?

[xnosipjpqmhd]

My group has always been focused more on story than game.

I thought about running my current low-maintenance campaign as straight game, very little story, using published modules strung together in a loose campaign path. But the players really aren't all that interested in rules and gamesmanship; they are looking for a good story. So the low maintenance game has become a medium-maintenance game as I weave actual plots (*gasp*) into the modules. ;-)

ironregime

 

[The Shaman]

Since I have sigs turned off I'll just have to imagine it....Hmmmmmm is it

"SLAsH N' BurNINATE IT! DIE STORI DIE !!!11!1"?

Verbatim.



(The Shaman's sig quote: "The aim of the RPG is not to eventually create a story. Any story that evolves during or after play is a bonus that is developed by the participants who enjoyed playing a game." - E. Gary Gygax. Quoted from right here on ENWorld, as a matter of fact.)

 

[hexgrid]

It's mostly equal parts game and story for me, but the story is only there to serve the game.

If push comes to shove, game wins.

 

[Crothian]

It's a game and a story, the two terms are not polar opposites.

 

[Akrasia]

My campaigns have been game-driven stories.

As a GM I set the stage. The players act. A collaborative 'story' ensues!

However, if by 'stories' you mean 'railroading', I avoid that like the plague.

 

[Kanegrundar]

It's primarily a game for my group and I. Sure, there are story elements, but we're still playing a game so a game it is.

 

[busker]

Mine is mostly game, with the story as backdrop. The plot sets up everything, and sometimes we have a session that focuses on the story as plot elements get resolved or introduced. Most sessions are essentially a tactical game, though.

My players seem to like this approach, so I keep doing it.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Mostly story with game elements (I voted 3).

I'll adjust difficulty of some encounters on the fly, i.e. decide to bring in or not bring in back up, play the bad guys smarter/dumber, use or ignore some magic or items in interest of story.
A death of a character doesn't create gaps, but it leaves all sorts of subplots hanging that then don't get resolved.
A new character joining has to have a background that ties in with the previous history of the group, and have places to hang new subplots and scenes on.

As opposed to hexgrid :If push comes to shove, story wins.

The game aspect (encounters, dice, the thrill of combat) can always be done and show up again in the next encounter. A really bad encounter that has a TPK destoys months (or in our case often years) of character development and story built by the players. No game aspect is worth losing that investment in time and effort. The game is there to facilitate story - to help decide the unknown... but note I say help decide, not complete rule the day.

My sig says it all.

 

[KB9JMQ]

8 - Mostly Game. I started playing in 82 and didn't know there was a story element side to the game until I read Eric's original boards.

I have two players now who are more story oriented and when they DM I try to play their game that way but it really puts me out of my comfort zone.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Plot and story are important as I run city-based and character driven games. However, if ever as a DM I have to make a decison based on preserving the story or adhering to the rules of the game, I choose the game. A roll to kill a key NPC is lucky or a PC is killed in combat even though it is anti-climatic? The PCs get a good Sense Motive that circumvents a part of the adventure? I go with the dice.