Just a general question to everyone who has ever been involved in the Living compaigns, what was/is your experience like. I have lived and played in two seperate regions and my experience has gone from okay to awful. In year one and two, the campaign was fresh and, for the most part, people gathered to play. Now, in year four, it seems politics and DM/Triad/Circle power trips, have eclipsed the actual game. I am sure not everyone's experience has been the same as mine, but I would be interested in hearing some of your thoughts.
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What do you think of Living Greyhawk
- Thread starter RPGgirl
- Start date
National Acrobat
First Post
Icky
Horrible. I don't do the Living Campaigns at Cons anymore. A pair of terrible experiences at Gamefest Richmond a few years ago pretty much soured me on Living Greyhawk. In a pair of unrelated modules, in both of them actions that I or fellow party members came up with to solve problems were disallowed because there were no contingencies 'written' into the modules for the GM's to use. In both cases we were told that the modules didn't take our solutions into account and we were told to come up with answers that suited the module. Poor GMing and terrible interpretation of the rules as far as I was concerned. Haven't played a Living Campaign at a Con since.
Horrible. I don't do the Living Campaigns at Cons anymore. A pair of terrible experiences at Gamefest Richmond a few years ago pretty much soured me on Living Greyhawk. In a pair of unrelated modules, in both of them actions that I or fellow party members came up with to solve problems were disallowed because there were no contingencies 'written' into the modules for the GM's to use. In both cases we were told that the modules didn't take our solutions into account and we were told to come up with answers that suited the module. Poor GMing and terrible interpretation of the rules as far as I was concerned. Haven't played a Living Campaign at a Con since.
G.A. Donis
First Post
I'd say my experiences range from good to really bad. Actually, I had a very good time at a Con held in Florida last December that had some excellent DM's. That same Con I also ran into someone who was upset with the RPGA so he seemed to be doing his best to ruin everybody's good time. Lately I've been thinking that playing Living Greyhawk has made me a "dumb" player. As a player I've been making some pretty stupid decisions, both in LG and homebrews, that I really think are a result of having adventures mapped out and spoon fed to me (the way too many of the Living modules are done) causing me to become a non-thinking, lazy player.
It also seems that a fair amount of the time the main motivation for a lot of people playing LG is to get "stuff" (even at the expense of a good time). I don't want my playing to be about stuff, I want it to be about having fun. I met my current homebrew group through LG and am happy about that, but I am seriously considering taking an extended leave from the Living Campaigns.
It also seems that a fair amount of the time the main motivation for a lot of people playing LG is to get "stuff" (even at the expense of a good time). I don't want my playing to be about stuff, I want it to be about having fun. I met my current homebrew group through LG and am happy about that, but I am seriously considering taking an extended leave from the Living Campaigns.
D'karr
Adventurer
It will depend on your DM
Just like in your game at home, it will greatly depend on your DM.
There are some good DMs and some poor DMs. If you happen to be at a table with a good DM, the game will be fun. If not, your experience will be poor.
Unfortunately, you will not know if you're with a good or poor DM until you're at the table playing or you have played with that DM before.
It is a mixed bag. It can be lots of fun but it can also suck.
Just like in your game at home, it will greatly depend on your DM.
There are some good DMs and some poor DMs. If you happen to be at a table with a good DM, the game will be fun. If not, your experience will be poor.
Unfortunately, you will not know if you're with a good or poor DM until you're at the table playing or you have played with that DM before.
It is a mixed bag. It can be lots of fun but it can also suck.
Omote
First Post
Not a fan myself. I was in the Living Greyhawk campaign for only a little while when it first got started. I played in a few events that were anything but spectacular. I guess my experiences were just, blah.
I didn't like the way my DM was using the Greyhawk setting. As an old 'hawker, I thought the Living aspect was taking Greyhawk in a bad direction. I stopped participating after about 6 months.
all in all It wasn't for me.
...........................Omote
FPQ
I didn't like the way my DM was using the Greyhawk setting. As an old 'hawker, I thought the Living aspect was taking Greyhawk in a bad direction. I stopped participating after about 6 months.
all in all It wasn't for me.
...........................Omote
FPQ
Joshua Randall
Legend
Lots of recordkeeping. Lots of players who try to game the system in various ways (which is what necessitates the detailed recordkeeping). Lots of uncreative DMs who will rigidly follow the adventure and not allow any deviation from it. (Although in fairness, the entire nature of the Living campaigns doesn't really allow for much deviation.) Lots of stupid restrictions on what feats, classes, spells, and items you can have as a PC - again necessitated by the munchkin players. Senseless and apparently random rules differences from one region to another. No clear source of information on rulings - you have to scour Yahoo! groups and message boards for tidbits of info. Awkward, unwieldy system for handling PCs of varying levels.
Even with all that, there is still a certain appeal to participating in this shared-world campaign. Rather like the feeling people get from massively multiplayer online games, I suppose. It creates a commonality of experience - different players can regale each other with war stories of how they each handled a particular adventure.
There's also the appeal of leveling up and getting stuff in a more structured environment. I suspect that most of us secretly wonder if our homebrew campaigns are handing out too much / too little XP / gold / stuff. Well, in the Living campaigns, all that is hardwired into the system. (Although you can still cheat, of course.)
If you can put up with the bookkeeping, the (completely pointless) politicking, and the annoying munchkins, the Living games can be fun. If that kind of stuff annoys you, then steer clear.
Even with all that, there is still a certain appeal to participating in this shared-world campaign. Rather like the feeling people get from massively multiplayer online games, I suppose. It creates a commonality of experience - different players can regale each other with war stories of how they each handled a particular adventure.
There's also the appeal of leveling up and getting stuff in a more structured environment. I suspect that most of us secretly wonder if our homebrew campaigns are handing out too much / too little XP / gold / stuff. Well, in the Living campaigns, all that is hardwired into the system. (Although you can still cheat, of course.)
If you can put up with the bookkeeping, the (completely pointless) politicking, and the annoying munchkins, the Living games can be fun. If that kind of stuff annoys you, then steer clear.
Chroma
Explorer
I played LG for a while, but the player politics and bickering really soured me on it. As well as all the nit-picky paperwork required took a lot of fun out of it. I've met some really great people through LG, but the *gaming* isn't worth it.
I have, however, had a good time with the RPGA's Legacy of the Green Regent D&D Campaign, and I highly recommend it!
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=gr/welcome
Even my friends who said they'd never join the RPGA have come around because of this campaign.
I have, however, had a good time with the RPGA's Legacy of the Green Regent D&D Campaign, and I highly recommend it!
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=gr/welcome
Even my friends who said they'd never join the RPGA have come around because of this campaign.
Sundog
First Post
My first convention was Gen Con 2000, when 3e was released and Living Greyhawk started. My wife and I spent most of our time playing RPGA games, both Living Greyhawk (LG) and Classics.*
I enjoyed the classics far more than the LG games.
I'm an old school Greyhawk fan myself, and my home campaign is set in Greyhawk, so I was hoping for a great deal of that "Greyhawk flavor." While I did get some of that I also found that the living campaigns tended to foster a playing style that I didn't enjoy. The main goal was to survive the session and get as much stuff as possible. I knew I wouldn't be playing that character again for quite some time since I didn't (and still don't) get to many cons. So gaining certs and XP wasn't all that exciting to me. I wanted to enjoy the game itself.
The classics were another story completely. There the goal was to take on a role and run riot through the adventure. Perhaps it was the quality of the DM's (very high) at the classics, but those games were just fantastic. And I got to play a multitude of character types - including Yrag (an old school fighter) at around 12th level and Mialee at about 14th - something I couldn't have done if I'd only played my character in a living campaign.
For all that, it comes down to personal preference and committment. I wasn't able to commit to a attending conventions or starting a local LG campaign to keep a character going. And I loved jumping into new characters every four hours.
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*for those of you not familiar, Classics are one shot adventures where the characters are provided for you.
I enjoyed the classics far more than the LG games.
I'm an old school Greyhawk fan myself, and my home campaign is set in Greyhawk, so I was hoping for a great deal of that "Greyhawk flavor." While I did get some of that I also found that the living campaigns tended to foster a playing style that I didn't enjoy. The main goal was to survive the session and get as much stuff as possible. I knew I wouldn't be playing that character again for quite some time since I didn't (and still don't) get to many cons. So gaining certs and XP wasn't all that exciting to me. I wanted to enjoy the game itself.
The classics were another story completely. There the goal was to take on a role and run riot through the adventure. Perhaps it was the quality of the DM's (very high) at the classics, but those games were just fantastic. And I got to play a multitude of character types - including Yrag (an old school fighter) at around 12th level and Mialee at about 14th - something I couldn't have done if I'd only played my character in a living campaign.
For all that, it comes down to personal preference and committment. I wasn't able to commit to a attending conventions or starting a local LG campaign to keep a character going. And I loved jumping into new characters every four hours.
----------------------
*for those of you not familiar, Classics are one shot adventures where the characters are provided for you.
Living Greyhawk can be fun or awful based upon the DM that you draw. I have enjoyed playing with my local group, but I have had a couple of bad experiences at Cons. There are definitely pros and cons to LG.
The Pros definitely involve the number of different players and DMs that you meet. If you miss a mod, you can usually just pick it up later. Also, a large group of players gives you a look at a lot of different styles of characters. You can tell what builds and rules need to be fixed. For example in my experience, shifters are incredibly powerful for their level.
The Cons involve the limitations from the Triads and Metaorg coordinators. Most of them are good natured and fun individuals. However, there are always a couple of bad apples in any group. The same goes with players. The majority of players that I have played with are fun and entertaining. There also have been encounters with those players who believed the world revolved around them.
The modules range from fun to why am I here quality. This will happen when you have such a huge group of people writing them. Some modules are designed as railroads while other modules call for hard choices to be made. I do not like the railroad modules.
My experiences and yours seem to be on opposite poles. My experiences from this year have been much better than in previous years. Our entire Triad has changed in the last year. I have been much happier with this Triad than any of the others I have played under. My experiences in neighboring regions this year have also been good.
-Psiblade
The Pros definitely involve the number of different players and DMs that you meet. If you miss a mod, you can usually just pick it up later. Also, a large group of players gives you a look at a lot of different styles of characters. You can tell what builds and rules need to be fixed. For example in my experience, shifters are incredibly powerful for their level.
The Cons involve the limitations from the Triads and Metaorg coordinators. Most of them are good natured and fun individuals. However, there are always a couple of bad apples in any group. The same goes with players. The majority of players that I have played with are fun and entertaining. There also have been encounters with those players who believed the world revolved around them.
The modules range from fun to why am I here quality. This will happen when you have such a huge group of people writing them. Some modules are designed as railroads while other modules call for hard choices to be made. I do not like the railroad modules.
My experiences and yours seem to be on opposite poles. My experiences from this year have been much better than in previous years. Our entire Triad has changed in the last year. I have been much happier with this Triad than any of the others I have played under. My experiences in neighboring regions this year have also been good.
-Psiblade
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