D&D General What Style of Campaign Do You Prefer?

[R_J_K75]

I'll try and define them for purposes of the poll

I chose other for many of the same reasons that others have stated above which is how I run a campaign and the type I prefer to play in.

As an aside I see lots of polls on this site that don't give any context as to its purpose. I think that context helps when answering. I understand that this is asking our personally type of game preference but does not tell us why you want to know. Did you have a specific reason in mind or just curious?

 

[Doc_Klueless]

I very much prefer episodic campaigns. Like by a huuuuge margin. My brain has troubles holding onto lore and events from months ago. There is just too much going on in my life (and, I suspect, lots of peoples lives).

Plus, admittedly, I've got the attention span of 5 year old. I need my adventures/campaigns in chunks.

It's also how I tend to run my campaigns. They're much more in common with Episodic Television shows like Arrow or The Mentalist. Sure, the campaign/series is advancing BUT each adventure could stand alone if needed.

 

[Reynard]

I chose other for many of the same reasons that others have stated above which is how I run a campaign and the type I prefer to play in.

As an aside I see lots of polls on this site that don't give any context as to its purpose. I think that context helps when answering. I understand that this is asking our personally type of game preference but does not tell us why you want to know. Did you have a specific reason in mind or just curious?

Honestly just curious. Also, you know, bored in the middle of a pandemic.

 

[R_J_K75]

Honestly just curious. Also, you know, bored in the middle of a pandemic.

What I thought. Think everyones trying to find ways to bide their time.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

I'd like an option for character driven. I like campaigns that explore the character's goals and motivations, their interactions with each other and with the greater world overall.

 

[Reynard]

I'd like an option for character driven. I like campaigns that explore the character's goals and motivations, their interactions with each other and with the greater world overall.

An oversight on my part!

 

[jgsugden]

This is a bit like asking what part of a hamburger do you like: Bun, meat, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion?

The best games I've enjoyed are a combination of many of these approaches. Not every game is an exploration game, per se, but they all feature some exploration.

I guess y answer would be: Other - a dynamic game that has a variety of emphasis that switches over time.

 

[aco175]

I chose plot driven since this most duplicates most of the published adventures. Some of the games I run also depend on the player mix at the time. I had a while where 1-2 players could not show each week and we played an episodic campaign around Leilon where the group explored area in the abandoned town. I guess this is part exploration as well, but each week was just another site and any meta-plot was limited.

I have another campaign right now which is the Princes of the Apocalypse book. It is rather plot based and linear where there are few choices from the players. While it has elements of the other types mentioned, it has the overarching plot.

Most of my homebrew campaigns have smaller plots that may last a few levels before another plot opens depending on the players.

 

[Tonguez]

Episodic Exploratory Worldbuilding

As a player I like the chance to create my own unique part in the world, developing a group/race/faction and its impact on the wider world as we explore the unknown and become involved inits different adventures.

Its why I love my gnome Alchemist Orbril. In Orbrils second adventure he was able to capture a breeding pair of Giant Carnivorous Hamters, which he then trained and used to start Orbrils Farm and later Orbrils Travelling Circus. I was allowed to develop the Circus,, using it as a mobile base to explore the wider world and involve Orbril and the other PCs in various adventures including fighting bandits, transporting a disguised princess through enemy territory and using fireworks (Orbril was an alchemist) to fight off an invading airship navy. IC Orbril became an associate of the new Empress, explored another dimension, wrote books on alchemy, was recognised as the worlds leading expert on Rocks and by his habit of leaving breeding pairs of Giant Hamsters at different Gnome burrows was able to develop and change Gnome culture in the world.

As DM I have broad metaplot but like a sandbox approach and encourage lots of downtime and PC created NPCs and factions.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I like "episodic" for the flexibility. It lets me dish out a campaign in manageable, completeable chunks. Each "episode" can be a different style, and follow completely different storylines. And if desired, everything can still be braided together into a higher-level story.

For those (like me!) not blessed with a stable long-term group, this structure also makes it a little less dissatisfying if/when a group falls apart. Even though the party might not have saved the universe, at least they completed a fun little story line or two.