What is a D&D "campaign"?
- Thread starter Quasqueton
- Start date
Mark Hope
Hero
I agree with Henry - a campaign is about continuity. I can include different sets of players, span a number of worlds and have a number of story arcs that begin, progress and conclude. It can even span multiple game systems. A campaign of mine ran from D&D to AD&D1, AD&D2, and is about to move into D&D3. The campaign also featured a burst of Torg along the way and included crossovers with a WoD chronicle. There is an overarching continuity, however, that makes this a campaign. Usually this continuity comes from the DM.
Quasqueton
First Post
The "How often do you reset" poll/post got me thinking about this. It seems that many people are using different definitions of "campaign" in their answers to that poll.
One person may say they've had one campaign for 10 years, and another may say they've had 14 campaigns in the past 10 years. But they may actually have had the exact same experience -- they're just using different "campaign" definitions.
Quasqueton
One person may say they've had one campaign for 10 years, and another may say they've had 14 campaigns in the past 10 years. But they may actually have had the exact same experience -- they're just using different "campaign" definitions.
Quasqueton
Prism
Explorer
I voted 3. We generally play the same group of PC's through the campaign with maybe the odd replacement due to permanent death, although we try and use raises as early in the campaign as possible - assuming access to high level clerics
Although a TPK would certainly end the campaign ( I could never imagine the entire group rolling up new characters even for the best of plots), I would say an encounter that killed a few of the core original characters may also end the campaign. By about 10th level i find that the players are defining their own adventures for their PC's and after the loss of a few of these characters its fairer to generally retire the surviving characters and start something fresh. Otherwise the newly rolled up characters would become side kicks to the existing storylines in play
Although a TPK would certainly end the campaign ( I could never imagine the entire group rolling up new characters even for the best of plots), I would say an encounter that killed a few of the core original characters may also end the campaign. By about 10th level i find that the players are defining their own adventures for their PC's and after the loss of a few of these characters its fairer to generally retire the surviving characters and start something fresh. Otherwise the newly rolled up characters would become side kicks to the existing storylines in play
Shemeska
Adventurer
Somewhere between "A single party (may have multiple stories)" and "A single story (may have multiple parties)" largely because I tend to have several stories/plot arcs in a single campaign, but only one party with small amounts of attrition, but one single unifying metaplot.
Some plot threads carry over between campaigns, yes, but it's with a new group of PCs and a new primary plotline (with others drifting in and out as the PCs interact with and partially define said plotline).
Some plot threads carry over between campaigns, yes, but it's with a new group of PCs and a new primary plotline (with others drifting in and out as the PCs interact with and partially define said plotline).
Aaron L
Hero
Somewhere between "one party" and "one story"
I see a campaign as being the story that unfolds begining with one party, but being fluid enough to include changes in the party, and possibly with an entire party change as long as the story continues. Possibly even encluding succesor parties.
My group played in the same homebrew world for over a decade, and had multiple campaigns in that world (running concurrently). Each party had its own campaign, and at times the party composition changed, sometimes to the point where none of the original party members ended the campaign.
I see a campaign as being the story that unfolds begining with one party, but being fluid enough to include changes in the party, and possibly with an entire party change as long as the story continues. Possibly even encluding succesor parties.
My group played in the same homebrew world for over a decade, and had multiple campaigns in that world (running concurrently). Each party had its own campaign, and at times the party composition changed, sometimes to the point where none of the original party members ended the campaign.
Gilladian
Adventurer
I go with the "one party" definition. Over the last 12 years I've run 4 campaigns (and will start a 5th soon) in one campaign world. Each time the campaign lasted until either the goals of the group were essentially all met, or I got too burned out to continue. Or the rules system changed (we started a new party for 3.0).
All were in the same Campaign World, but in different places or different time periods,or both. They shared timeline, and overall history of the world, religions, etc... but there was no crossover of characters (though some characters from the 1st two campaigns are rulers of a kingdom PCs in later campaigns visited/lived in).
Most of these campaigns had a core of players that were the same, with some changes (about 1/2 the people are the same from beginning to end). But each was still a separate campaign, because the characters, their goals, the story arcs and the adventures were all unique.
All were in the same Campaign World, but in different places or different time periods,or both. They shared timeline, and overall history of the world, religions, etc... but there was no crossover of characters (though some characters from the 1st two campaigns are rulers of a kingdom PCs in later campaigns visited/lived in).
Most of these campaigns had a core of players that were the same, with some changes (about 1/2 the people are the same from beginning to end). But each was still a separate campaign, because the characters, their goals, the story arcs and the adventures were all unique.
Nonlethal Force
First Post
I view a campaign as the "tales of a certain set of adventurers." Granted one or two may come or go without calling it a new campaign. But if the characters change too drastically with different goals and motivations in my book that is a new campaign.
