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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 9681927" data-attributes="member: 87792">I love them and most of my recent campaigns, both run and played have been short ones although I've kept groups together for years on end running chained campaigns. I also find D&D and especially D&D 5e very bad at them. I'd rather use something more narrative (e.g. Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark, Fate) or an indie system for one. Indeed Apocalypse World is purpose built for short campaigns up to about a dozen sessions. I think that Daggerheart is moving into my choice of "D&D-like for short campaigns", although my previous favourite Stonetop still has a place. Essentially D&D is incredibly slow and the mechanics, particularly of D&D 5e, feel like wading through mud for good short campaigns. Off the top of my head:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">5e combat is slow with very limited tension. It's almost dead time for plot or character development.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">5e rolls are pass/fail and all too often roll-to-see-if-you-have-to-roll-again which doesn't really advance anything.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Literally none of the other systems I've mentioned do this; they all have success-with-consequences options and negative consequences for failures.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">5e has very limited meta-currencies where you can emphasise the importance of a given roll by putting in extra effort. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hit points are an anti-tension mechanic. They are a pool of "you can be take this much damage with no lasting consequences" and 5e has a lot of them and a lot of ways to recover them. And the only long term consequence for most fights is death. Death is much more on the table for a short rather than long campaign of course. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Classes and levels are an anti-development mechanic; it is very likely for a 5e martial character or even divine caster that after level 3 they only make a single character growth choice every four levels. (That or they multiclass)<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">By contrast Daggerheart gives you a new (domain) ability from a choice of four at every level up, and you also get two "advance ticks" that can be to a range of things from your six traits (stats) to your hit points, mana pool, evasion (AC), or more.</li> </ul></li> </ul>So yes I love short campaigns. And I dislike D&D 5e for them.</blockquote>

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