| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| sabre |
Posted - 10 Dec 2002 : 09:38:28
i wonder how long was your longest campaign?where it lead?(reputation?which region?who did you confront?experience?) etc. |
| 21 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Mumadar Ibn Huzal |
Posted - 10 Feb 2003 : 18:12:53
We're slowly drifting off-topic here... but I'll pipe in just the same.
My experience is that especially on the lower levels the advancement seems rather quick. When a DM deals out both 'combat' and role-playing xp, the amount of roleplaying and the award don't change that much over time. It therefore has a slightly disproportionate effect on the lower levels, giving the impression of fast advancement. When the xp-needs for the mid- to higherlevels come in, the advancement goes to a more steady pace.
As for a comparisson with real-life things, when starting out on some project or other, the first steps seem often to go relatively fast, and when it gets down to the details the pace of development becomes slower. I see the character advancement in a similar light. So having found out how to cast magic missile the one day, has learned proportionately more to be able to cast more a couple of days later (given enough change to practice and study) to be able to cast additional missiles in a single spell. After that he get's into the 'fine-tuning' of his magic-casting and doesn't advance as fast anymore...
In reference to the PbeM, the characters still need 8 hours of rest and study for spells etc, and also for skill progression they will need training. Especially if it comes down to 'trained' skills. The untrained can be advanced if the character has shown use of the skill or made attempts to use the skill in the 'previous' time frame.
The pace in the PbeM might seem very slow in comparisson to a table-top game or such, but I believe there is much more character depth in the game then can be achieved in a table-top game. (I'm not trying to derate a table-top game or the satisfaction people have playing that style!) True, the type of game I'm DM-ing contains a lot of detailed actions, but my target is to have the story progress more like a novel rather then sometimes seemingly hap-hazard steps through time. |
| zemd |
Posted - 10 Feb 2003 : 16:57:12
And now we can raise a new question:
Elminter has a high level (32 if i remember well) but he should be 45 or 50, he is 1300 years old (or maybe more)! |
| Echon |
Posted - 10 Feb 2003 : 16:51:35
There is. Remember the Priest of Shar?
Besides, the point you just made must be even more valid in a PBeM campaign. Here the ingame rate of advancement is extremely fast.
-Echon |
| zemd |
Posted - 10 Feb 2003 : 16:48:02
A cleric?  |
| Echon |
Posted - 10 Feb 2003 : 16:46:32
I see your point. Come to think of it, no more than 11 days of ingame-time has passed, from Uktar 12th to Uktar 23rd.
Well, at least there is no wizard in the group. 
-Echon |
| zemd |
Posted - 10 Feb 2003 : 16:41:33
What could be wird (sp?) is for magic users. One day the wizard was casting a single magic missile, 3 days after, he casts 2
But IMO, since you and your players think that's ok... it's fine
I don't remember if my player gaines levels so quickly, maybe... |
| Echon |
Posted - 10 Feb 2003 : 16:35:01
During the first 4-5 sessions they, amongst other things, took part in a war which, thanks to them, have come to a sudden halt.
The first three sessions were three days in a row, playing from when you get up until late in the night. The others have been 4-5 hours in the evening.
-Echon |
| zemd |
Posted - 10 Feb 2003 : 16:29:41
I think four levels in seven session is a little bit fast... But it always depends on what they do during that sessions, and how long they last |
| Echon |
Posted - 10 Feb 2003 : 16:23:52
quote:
Originally posted by Mumadar Ibn Huzal
I believe you are right with that last comment sage of matters elven. A steady, unhurried progression in levels is an indicator of role-playing rather then roll-playing. Though the long term goal for any character is typically to advance in levels (and power), the chance to see the character 'slowly' evolve over time gives a better bond with the character.
As a reference, the oldest characters in Twilight Dawn have progressed to level 3 only recently. The funny thing is that in-game time that averages out to about a level per day... And three to four days in-game time in a year-and-a-half of real-time...
1½ year of real-time and only four days of in-game-time? That is an extremely slow pace. I considered joining a PBeM campaign but I even think that the pace in my PnP campaign is slow and we play once every week.
It also seems somewhat strange to me the players gain new levels overnight. How long it that pace going to hold?
Regarding the rate of advancement, we have played seven sessions in my campaign and the players have risen to 4th level. This rate is of course going to slow down considerably as they are going to need more XP but do you consider this too fast a rate of advancement. The players themselves say that they think the distribution betwen combat and roleplaying suits them fine. Not that I intend to change it, I am just curious.
-Echon |
| zemd |
Posted - 10 Feb 2003 : 16:14:17
Yasraena, i see that's your first post here. I suggest that you make yourself know in "Well met and welcome to the forums"
And be prepared to
-> Well met
-> Welcome in this walls of infinite knowledge |
| Yasraena |
Posted - 10 Feb 2003 : 10:16:57
The longest campaign I've ever played in is still going after close to 4 years. That may sound like a lot, but our group only gets together about twice a year because of our everyday lives.(we all live in different cities, have diffenent schedules, etc) But, when we do, it's for an entire weekend, and usually non-stop for the entire time. (with the obligatory sleep and food breaks, that is)
So far, we've taken on Cambions and Demons in Hellgatekeep and in the Abyss itself; returned the Sword of Ages to the Queen of Evermeet and helped save Silverymoon and Alustriel from an invading army of Drow and Cambion. The PC's in this campaign are getting to be so powerful (my Drow F/M is now 14/14), that I'm wondering how long our GM can keep the game going while keeping it interesting AND balanced. I just hope he can keep it up, because retirement is not in my vocabulary! |
| twilliams |
Posted - 11 Jan 2003 : 00:54:58
I am running a campaign that is now coming up on its 2 year anniversary. We play 5 hrs at a time 2 out of 3 Wednesdays. It's a blast DMing them and watching there characters grow. |
| Exilion |
Posted - 26 Dec 2002 : 16:10:34
I have been through a number of epic campaigns in my time... |
| Mumadar Ibn Huzal |
Posted - 12 Dec 2002 : 18:08:33
I believe you are right with that last comment sage of matters elven. A steady, unhurried progression in levels is an indicator of role-playing rather then roll-playing. Though the long term goal for any character is typically to advance in levels (and power), the chance to see the character 'slowly' evolve over time gives a better bond with the character.
As a reference, the oldest characters in Twilight Dawn have progressed to level 3 only recently. The funny thing is that in-game time that averages out to about a level per day... And three to four days in-game time in a year-and-a-half of real-time... |
| Arion Elenim |
Posted - 12 Dec 2002 : 17:55:59
My trademark character Arion Elenim and his friends have been traversing the Realms and other planes of existence for four years in real time...ah the stories I could tell, the sights I have seen, the women I have....erm...come to, uh, respect as equals.
It wasn't until recently that I found out rare and special such a long-running campaign was...we always thought that everyone had such a game going on....
The best part is that even though 4 years have passed, our highest character is only level 14 - I like to think that this means we have really taken our time and come into our own as gamers... |
| Ditalidas |
Posted - 12 Dec 2002 : 13:46:21
My longest campaign Is Twilight Dawn the Pbem. Though we are only in the third or fourth day (in game time) |
| The Great Drizzt |
Posted - 11 Dec 2002 : 06:40:26
Well, ever since about 1997, I've been playing a campaign every month with the same character-Krondorl DeVir, Drow-Ranger, Lvl. 18 now!
but we only play that campain every once in a while since we have been playing it for so long, we play alot of other shorter ones mostly
The Great Drizzt |
| Artalis |
Posted - 10 Dec 2002 : 19:41:58
I have essentially been running the same campaign for 4 years or so.... with a 9 or 10 year break in the middle. Though it depends on what you define a Campaign as...
Only one character is constant mine, other players and characters have come and gone in this time. Almost all of the time lately I have been DM so my characters role in things has diminished, but I hope to get to play him as a player again soon.
I create characters all the time for use as NPC's it helps me get wanting to create new characters out of my system, and provides some really detaied NPC's for the Campaign. |
| zemd |
Posted - 10 Dec 2002 : 19:21:09
My longest campaign is the one i'm playing now: 1 year and nearly a half.
|
| Mumadar Ibn Huzal |
Posted - 10 Dec 2002 : 11:00:12
My Twilight Dawn PbeM campaign runs for almost a year and a half now. Silver Marches has just started. I'm playing in another PbeM campaign by Kimberly Moser which has started two and a half years ago...
For some reason the table-top games I've played in never seemed to last more then a couple of months... I guess we were to busy experimenting constantly with new characters. |
| Echon |
Posted - 10 Dec 2002 : 09:44:04
Well, since I have only run one campaign during my time as a DM, my choice is somewhat limited.
My last campaign took place in and around an invented city in eastern Amn (later on in Athkatla as well). We played it over 4 or 5 weekends and in game time it took a couple of weeks. The players went from 5th (their starting level) to 9th - the pace was nearly a level per gaming session.
-Echon |
