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Ozreth
Learned Scribe
227 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Oct 2025 : 21:29:35
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In otherwords, who has a single, long running campaign, but one in which you sometimes will go back in time and play out various past events with different characters? But the main timeline continues with the main characters?
Or any other variation of this. Interested to hear what people have done.
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Demzer
Senior Scribe
893 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2025 : 08:45:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
In otherwords, who has a single, long running campaign, but one in which you sometimes will go back in time and play out various past events with different characters? But the main timeline continues with the main characters?
Or any other variation of this. Interested to hear what people have done.
With the group I've been playing D&D with in the Forgotten Realms for the past 20 years (with some breaks due to life and trying different stuff) originally we would play small campaigns (a few sessions each) and I would jump around the map a lot. Later I started to collate all the campaigns and make a general timeline and the campaigns are spread between 1373 and 1377 DR.
During the breaks I provided occasionally one-shots with a roster of characters prepared by me exploring events and plot hooks I wanted to develop. Nowadays we are sticking to longer campaigns and all the events happen in the same timeline, there are some recurring NPCs and rumours regarding the deeds of the PCs in other campaigns (if chronologically suitable).
Needless to say, many of the one-shots ended differently from what I imagined and the Faerun my players inhabit is way different from the canonical Realms, both due to my interpretation of some stuff and due to the actions of my players. |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4487 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2025 : 12:28:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
In otherwords, who has a single, long running campaign, but one in which you sometimes will go back in time and play out various past events with different characters? But the main timeline continues with the main characters?
Or any other variation of this. Interested to hear what people have done.
I don't know if I'd say what we did is the same, per-se, but we did have multiple campaigns intertwine with certain events and the ramifications of certain groups were seen in others.
For time-jumping, our main FR campaign is called Us in the Realms that started way back in 2007 with 3.5 D&D. It was an isekai campaign (we play 'ourselves') that were portaled over into the Realms - similar to the 80's D&D cartoon. We fought hard to find ways back and even enlisted help from the Blackstaff, but to real no avail.
When 4E came around and jumped the timeline, our group decided to go along with it as we really enjoyed 4th edition rules. So the story goes that Khelben Blackstaff was able to fix a mirror to get us "home". Some wanted to say while many wanted to return to Earth. Unfortunately, the weave's destruction and the resulting blue fire disrupted our transportation mid-jump and we were stuck in limbo for about 104 years. Many of the friends we had passed away (player's that had left the group for various reasons) and some became NPCs while a few others were of a long-lived race like a dwarf for example.
Events from that campaign going forward, as well effects from a different campaign - like the 3.5 Cormyr/Shadowdale/Anauroch super-adventure - have been sprinkled into our later adventures where there's a crossover.
Doing this gives our group a sense of continuity and presence, like their efforts are seen and felt in the fabric of the setting. That their actions have ramifications that span not only regions but time too. When I have a footnote about an event from a different campaign being hinted in a current game of different characters in a different area, the group really gets excited. |
Diffan's NPG Generator: FR NPC Generator
E6 Options: Epic 6 Campaign |
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Delnyn
Master of Realmslore
USA
1076 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2025 : 14:05:36
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Our group avoids time-travel shenanigans. I played one time-travel FR adventure back in the late 90's as a one-shot deal.
The 2E Netheril boxed set deal with time-travel and made it extremely restrictive...and I agree with the rationale behind the restrictions. |
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Ozreth
Learned Scribe
227 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2025 : 14:24:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
Our group avoids time-travel shenanigans. I played one time-travel FR adventure back in the late 90's as a one-shot deal.
The 2E Netheril boxed set deal with time-travel and made it extremely restrictive...and I agree with the rationale behind the restrictions.
Oh I don't mean time travel. I mean, say, your group is playing in 1372 for awhile. Then those some players make different characters and you play out an event that happened earlier. Perhaps a war is regularly referenced in your campaign that happened in the 1350s. You can then have different characters who actually play out events in the war to fill in lore for the group in the current timeline. Then back to the current timeline. Things like that. |
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Gelcur
Senior Scribe
545 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2025 : 00:35:50
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Every campaign, quest, adventure, or one shot I have ever run is all in the same timeline/"universe", this includes the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Ravenloft, and various planar quests. I decided this retroactively and also include my personal run throughs of video games.
When 5e came out I decided to run Waterdeep Dragon Heist back ported to 3.5e, 1491-1492 DR. Up until then everything was mostly between 1364 DR to 1376 DR. So I now have groups running in the past and the future simultaneously. I also had some content from a NWN Persistent World that took place in the 1380s and 1390s that I don't want to invalidate but also have to reconcile with Spellplague.
My solution is going to be time travel. A new group of players just starting are going to jump around through time crossing paths with my other groups, they'll be flung far into a future where everything is leading to total apocalypse the solution go back in time and make sure the Spellplague isn't prevented, Halaster's plan worked in this timeline. This allows me to keep everything canon and gives the option to run Spellplague or non-Spellplague adventures during that 100 years. The idea being that everything still happens but slightly differently.
Plus I just sort of love the idea that the players cause the Spellplague. |
The party come to a town befallen by hysteria
Rogue: So what's in the general store?
DM: What are you looking for?
Rogue: Whatevers in the store.
DM: Like what?
Rogue: Everything.
DM: There is a lot of stuff.
Rogue: Is there a cart outside?
DM: (rolls) Yes.
Rogue: We'll take it all, we may need it for the greater good. |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3762 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2025 : 06:18:27
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| -I've had a DM (RIP) that ran multiple campaigns with multiple people, and the events in our campaign, it turned out, sometimes impacted what was going on in his other ones (and vice-versa), but that's about it in terms of convoluted timeline stuff. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know) |
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Ozreth
Learned Scribe
227 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2025 : 16:33:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Lord Karsus
-I've had a DM (RIP) that ran multiple campaigns with multiple people, and the events in our campaign, it turned out, sometimes impacted what was going on in his other ones (and vice-versa), but that's about it in terms of convoluted timeline stuff.
Did everyone enjoy it? Did the DM pull it off well? |
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Who jumps around their timeline the same campaign?
