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<blockquote data-quote="Grendel_Khan" data-source="post: 8669762" data-attributes="member: 7028554"><p>I think a big factor in campaign length is what kind of game you're playing, and specifically how trad or not-trad it is. When it takes 3 hours to get through a single combat, and when you're not hard-framing and similar story-game-style techniques to cut to the action and abstract (or avoid) stuff like shopping runs, a campaign can run two years and still feel like you've only just gotten started. I'm a player in a campaign like that now, and it's a little shocking that we started during the initial lockdowns, and really only barely have a narrative under our belts. Meanwhile a game of Scum and Villainy might fit a ton of narrative into a few months of weekly sessions, because you roll less, cut into the middle of each mission, etc. In fact, in Scum and Villainy the game specifically tells you it's not meant for more than 20 sessions, and the XP progression reflects that. You'll hit a ceiling, by design. That's when the finale should really be happening.</p><p></p><p>Neither approach is inherently better than the other. Sometimes you might want a focused, intense, fast-paced narrative, and sometimes you want a more laidback, beer-and-pretzels hang. But I think it's worth nothing that the OP assumes a fully trad approach, where the assumption is that the game is built to be a forever game, if you want it to be. That's not the case with a lot of games, particularly newer ones.</p><p></p><p>ETA: I should note that my instinct as a GM is still to judge every game I read by its worthiness as a long-term campaign, and I've only recently started to appreciate the idea of games that aren't meant to run for years. I get why longer is the default for a lot of us, me included. I just think there's something to be said for the RPG equivalent of a movie or miniseries--big impact over a short time--rather than always looking for full-on multiple-season zero-to-hero affairs. I'm bad at running one-shots myself, but a couple of my fondest gaming memories are from one-shots, particularly where my character died an interesting death.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Grendel_Khan, post: 8669762, member: 7028554"] I think a big factor in campaign length is what kind of game you're playing, and specifically how trad or not-trad it is. When it takes 3 hours to get through a single combat, and when you're not hard-framing and similar story-game-style techniques to cut to the action and abstract (or avoid) stuff like shopping runs, a campaign can run two years and still feel like you've only just gotten started. I'm a player in a campaign like that now, and it's a little shocking that we started during the initial lockdowns, and really only barely have a narrative under our belts. Meanwhile a game of Scum and Villainy might fit a ton of narrative into a few months of weekly sessions, because you roll less, cut into the middle of each mission, etc. In fact, in Scum and Villainy the game specifically tells you it's not meant for more than 20 sessions, and the XP progression reflects that. You'll hit a ceiling, by design. That's when the finale should really be happening. Neither approach is inherently better than the other. Sometimes you might want a focused, intense, fast-paced narrative, and sometimes you want a more laidback, beer-and-pretzels hang. But I think it's worth nothing that the OP assumes a fully trad approach, where the assumption is that the game is built to be a forever game, if you want it to be. That's not the case with a lot of games, particularly newer ones. ETA: I should note that my instinct as a GM is still to judge every game I read by its worthiness as a long-term campaign, and I've only recently started to appreciate the idea of games that aren't meant to run for years. I get why longer is the default for a lot of us, me included. I just think there's something to be said for the RPG equivalent of a movie or miniseries--big impact over a short time--rather than always looking for full-on multiple-season zero-to-hero affairs. I'm bad at running one-shots myself, but a couple of my fondest gaming memories are from one-shots, particularly where my character died an interesting death. [/QUOTE]
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