Where can I find out more about the New Living Eberron campaign?
- Thread starter Emirikol
- Start date
smerwin29
Reluctant Time Traveler
On the surface, the "Living" campaigns and the D&D Campaigns are very similar. In both, you create a character by a certain set of special guidelines. Then you can play that character at any number of sanctioned events around the world. Your character grows in power (XPs and GPs) just like in a home campaign, and that character growth is tracked.
Now to the differences:
--Living campaigns are tracked via certs, adventure records, logs, or other pieces of paper that you carry with your character to prove it has played in games and has the equipment and gold you say it has. D&D Campaign games are tracked online.
--Living campaigns are more like home campaigns in that your character develops as he goes and once you make certain choices, you can't go back. D&D Campaigns offer a lot of flexibility, in that you can go back and tweak your character at various points, completely changing feats, equipment, etc. from adventure to adventure.
--You can collect special Player Reward Cards that open up options for your D&D Campaigns character. This makes the D&D Campaigns game a little more like a collectible game as well as a role-playing game.
--Many people say the feel of the Living campaign is more like a home campaign, in that there is more a continuity in character progression. The D&D Campaigns, since there is re-tooling and other odd rules based on the episodic nature of the modules, makes the campaign more like many individual adventures. Of course, this could be said about the Living campaigns too, but it is a little moreso in the D&D Campaigns.
There are many other differences, but these some of the main ones.
The secret to enjoying the RPGA events is to try to enjoy them for what they are. They are not like a home campaign, and if you get into them and enjoy them for what they are, you can have fun.
Shawn
Now to the differences:
--Living campaigns are tracked via certs, adventure records, logs, or other pieces of paper that you carry with your character to prove it has played in games and has the equipment and gold you say it has. D&D Campaign games are tracked online.
--Living campaigns are more like home campaigns in that your character develops as he goes and once you make certain choices, you can't go back. D&D Campaigns offer a lot of flexibility, in that you can go back and tweak your character at various points, completely changing feats, equipment, etc. from adventure to adventure.
--You can collect special Player Reward Cards that open up options for your D&D Campaigns character. This makes the D&D Campaigns game a little more like a collectible game as well as a role-playing game.
--Many people say the feel of the Living campaign is more like a home campaign, in that there is more a continuity in character progression. The D&D Campaigns, since there is re-tooling and other odd rules based on the episodic nature of the modules, makes the campaign more like many individual adventures. Of course, this could be said about the Living campaigns too, but it is a little moreso in the D&D Campaigns.
There are many other differences, but these some of the main ones.
The secret to enjoying the RPGA events is to try to enjoy them for what they are. They are not like a home campaign, and if you get into them and enjoy them for what they are, you can have fun.
Shawn
Byrons_Ghost
First Post
Ok, so maybe this isn't quite the place for this, but I've been wondering something for a while now. I'm not in the RPGA, and I'm not all that interested in organized or convention play, which is why I haven't joined. However, I would like to get the Mark of Heroes materials for running my group through.
How would I go about this, and what hoops will I have to go through with the RPGA? Because I know my players, and if it involves them going to a webpage to sign up or something, it's never going to happen.![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
And I don't want to have to send tons of material back to the company after ever session, and my games certainly aren't going to be "official" because I'm going to be using what I want for races, classes, and levels, and not what is sanctioned.
So can someone tell me how, or if, this might work? Mostly, I just want to get my grubby little hands on the campaign materials to run at home.
I've actually been pondering this since Arcanis came out, since for a while Living Arcanis was the only real support for the campaign setting (granted, I know that the Living games work differently than the campaigns).
How would I go about this, and what hoops will I have to go through with the RPGA? Because I know my players, and if it involves them going to a webpage to sign up or something, it's never going to happen.
And I don't want to have to send tons of material back to the company after ever session, and my games certainly aren't going to be "official" because I'm going to be using what I want for races, classes, and levels, and not what is sanctioned.So can someone tell me how, or if, this might work? Mostly, I just want to get my grubby little hands on the campaign materials to run at home.
I've actually been pondering this since Arcanis came out, since for a while Living Arcanis was the only real support for the campaign setting (granted, I know that the Living games work differently than the campaigns).
Lucias
First Post
Emirikol said:Lucius:
I hope I didn't get you too worked up. As a Greyhawker, I have learned how to poke fun at other campaigns, including Greyhawk
Now I stand in the shoes of someone who wants to be at the beginning of the new Eberron campaign. Hope you'll join us.
Jay Hafner
Colorado, USA
..
Oh, I learned long ago not to get worked up by things on the internet. Just pointing out some percieved fallacies, no more.
And I'm all pumped up for Mark of Heroes...I already joined two of your yahoo groups.
Here's hoping for an awesome launch!
Byrons_Ghost said:How would I go about this, and what hoops will I have to go through with the RPGA? Because I know my players, and if it involves them going to a webpage to sign up or something, it's never going to happen.
Here are the stages that you have to follow:
1) Go to the Wizards RPGA site and take the Herald DM test. This does two things: it makes you a member of the RPGA, and allows you to order RPGA modules.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=rpga/gmprogram/herald
2) Go to your Member's Page on the RPGA site. Click on "Request Scenarios for Gathering"
3) Create a "Home Game" (the date must be at least two weeks from when you create it, and I greatly advise 4-6 weeks for your very first session), and order the scenarios you want to run. (The Mark of Heroes hasn't started yet, though).
4) You'll receive an e-mail confirming your home game. It will have the RPGAHQ address in it to request membership cards from. Send an e-mail there with the code for your game day, asking the RPGA to send you some membership cards. You'll also get a link that allows you to download the adventure you ordered from the RPGA site.
5) In a few weeks (it took about 3-4 weeks for them to get to me here in Australia - pretty good!) you'll receive your RPGA cards. I think it's much quicker in the US.
6) Run the game with your friends. Make sure they all fill in the membership applications. They keep the cards; you take the applications
7) Post the applications back to the RPGA. (I think this is free within the states).
8) Report your game on-line - you need the RPGA numbers of yourself and your players (which you should have from the membership applications/cards). If it is the Mark of Heroes game, you also need to answer some simple multiple choice questions about what happened in the game. (e.g. Did your PCs (a) kill the beholder, (b) flee the beholder, (c) bargain with it or (d) get eaten). This has to be done within 8 days of you running the adventure.
And that's it!
Your players just need to remember to rock up with their RPGA numbers. (I keep a copy of my players' numbers so they don't even have to do that).
If your players want to use the characters from the campaign in conventions and the like, they'll need to actually get online and record what their character's race, class and name is... and go through a couple of other (simple) hoops. However, if you only want to run Home Games, then such isn't really required.
Cheers!
Emirikol
Adventurer
MerricB said:
Hey Merric:
What's your feedback on the LG scenarios?
I _used_ to edit TONS of them when I was on the URC Triad and now tend to give a lot of critical feedback on the LGWriters group. I've learned not to wreck my players' good times by actually bringing it up during the game, ("oh my god! they misspelled 'D&D' who edits these things now!") but I definately make notes in the margins and give feedback summaries later at the writers' groups. Here are my latest gripes:
1. Non-fantasy names. Bahb = Bob. Jhill = Jill. Jahk = Jack. This is crap and the players know it because prounouciation is what REALLY matters.
2. Lack of a couple of peasants the PC's can talk to (give a couple names..good fantasy names anyways). Some writers get lazy and just say, "With a successful gather info check DC 2, they learn..."
3. Lack of coherence with the world of Greyhawk. Jeez, mention something Greyhawkish OTHER than the GODS' NAMES once in a while!
4. Lack of ongoing storyline. Even in regional scenarios, the long-term storylines are hard to follow. I've noticed that players like to see recurring NPC's (not always the arse-kissing goody-two-shoes-hiring-kind either) in multy-part scenarios. FORMER RPGA head RObert Weise goes off on LEGACY OF THE GREEN REGENT on the EBERRON: markofheroes yahoogroup saying that even in that campaign (which isn't "living") the storyline is darn near impossible to follow and it becomes a series of meaningless combats. I think this is a problem with the presentation. I think players need more handouts, "The story so far..."
5. Too much fluff for the DM. There are PAGES of unnecessary text that is put into scenarios. Stuff like, "When the players finish when encounter #2, the DM should proceed to encounter #3." DUH! Sometimes, there are PAGES of DM's background that will never be revealed to the players. AFAIAC, there should be NO background that isn't revealed to the players. If the NPC has a motivation, let the players find out why.."OH, he's just that way" isn't good enough or it could just as well be scripted.
6. TOO EASY. There are a lot of encounters where whiny-butt players say stuff like, "WE ALMOST DIED!" Woo hoo. So, you didn't die and you're whining? OK, next time I'll throw in some environmental factors...
So, what exactly haven't you been liking about the scenarios?
jh
..
Byrons_Ghost
First Post
Well, I might give this a shot then. I'll go and take the test, at least. Thanks for the info, Merric!
Emirikol said:
PC Motivations is the big one. There are some that don't make sense ("Circle of Sin", I'm looking at you. Did the writer know how much the Pholtans are universally despised? I think not. "So, if we fail, the Pholtans will die?" "Yep" "It's a win-win situation!").
For 4-5 1st level characters, the modules have been extremely difficult, btw.
"The Traitor's Road" has a lack of meaningful interaction with NPCs. Not good. The last encounter (a NPC gabfest) isn't good. If I ran it again, I'd cut to the chase...
Cheers!
One reason I've become more interested in the "Campaigns" rather than the "Living" games is because I don't play on a weekly basis. Living Greyhawk is painfully slow to advance in if you only play once a fortnight or per month.
Then too, if you miss a couple of sessions, because of the level kicks, you're not completely disadvantaged.
Cheers!
Then too, if you miss a couple of sessions, because of the level kicks, you're not completely disadvantaged.
Cheers!
Similar Threads
