Re: Duration of Campaigns

From: Kevin McDonald <kpmcdona_at_...>
Date: Thu, 05 May 2005 11:51:13 -0400


Our Lions of Rhugandy game has been going since 2000, off and on. I usually run three or four adventures and then take an extended break. This works out to be five or six months of play, then a year off, repeat as desired. A typical adventure lasts about six game sessions of approximately 2.5 hours each.

Each time the game starts back up it has one or two old player characters, but mostly new ones. New player characters come in at the same power level as the returning ones. The original player characters began play at the normal HeroWars starting level, and their best abilities are now in the 18w2 range. I give out one HP per session, and an additional 1 HP per session in a lump sum at the end of the adventure. I also use the saga system, and allow the players to improve a keyword by one point at the end of each gloranthan year. To reign in potential ability inflation I imposed an advancement cap that says a player can't improve his/her character's best ability past a narrator (me) imposed ceiling that increases by one point per gloranthan year. Thus, for example, the players can spend their points however they wish, but by the end of 1626 ST nobody will have an ability higher than 19w2. I would normally have raised the ceiling by 2 points per gloranthan year, but I was overly generous during the first year of the game and am now forced to slow things down a bit.

The game began with the fall of Whitewall in 1621 ST and has reached 1625 ST so far. I have a rough plot for the game through the early 1630s. Although the passing of time was slow at first, I currently plan for one adventure per game year. Some years demand greater attention, which still slows things down a bit. At first my players rebelled against the rapid advance of time, but they have since come to enjoy it. The loss of detailed control over their character's actions has been exchanged for the ability to participate in large scale events as they gradually unfold. They are particularly eager to rebel against the Lunar control of Carmania, unaware that things are going to take a very unexpected turn when Charg opens. The players know that Moonson is fated to die, but not when. Thus every time something major happens the players lean forward eagerly in their chairs and ask "What happened to Moonson? Is he dead?" Every time so far the answer has been "Sorry, no." They were also disappointed to learn that the Reaching Moon Disaster didn't cause the Red Moon to fall from the sky. <laugh> It amuses me to no end.

~Kevin McD

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