The pseudonymous Yax asks on Dungeon Mastering: What kind of campaign style and mood do you enjoy the most? This page started out with the comment I left on that blog, but then I started adding some more info.
What kind of campaign style and mood do you enjoy the most?
I prefer *sandbox-style*, *location-based* games, where players can *pick and choose between the various plot hooks*. A typical wilderness with various villages and towns, lairs and dungeons provides for all of that.
I’m sure the above requirements can be met using a city adventure. But consider readability: If I can look at a map, pick a region, and read that part of the book, I’m fine. If I look at Ptolus, I get the feeling that I should be reading the entire book before getting started. Do I need to check organizations, churches, noble houses to actually understand this particular section? Again, a typical wilderness with very few organizations and plots covering the entire area nicely provides the *modularity* I’m looking for.
This *lack of interdependence* also enables me to exchange some of the elements, or let players dramatically alter particlar elements without requiring me to figure out a gazillion consequences for the rest of the book. This also precludes the kind of meticulously planned adventure paths.
At the same time, I want *more than just a series of excursions* – just picking plot hooks, modularity, and a lack of of interdependence are not enough. Some of the plots must be player driven. *Players must be encouraged to drive the plot forward*.
Players must have *enough in-game time to explore where they want to take their character*. If the forces of evil manage to keep up constant pressure, nobody will build a tower, a castle, form a guild, or raise a temple, research spells, or wage war.
This means that I want multiple challenges for the various power levels of the game. I don’t feel like preparing too many of them, and I don’t feel like preparing things in vain. This means that I’d like to run *multiple adventures at the same power level*. The D&D 3.5 rules resulted in players levelling up every 2-3 sessions. I like to double that. I prefer *slow advancement*. Gaining *a level every 4-6 sessions* is good enough for me. Assuming we play a particular campaign twice a month, it will take us about **20 months to reach name level** (gain eight levels to reach level nine, each level requiring five session, with two sessions per month).
I also don’t like the upper levels of the game; I’m happy to *retire characters around level ten*. They turn into non-player characters and can be pulled out of the closet for the rare high-level challenge.
The mood of the campaign is a tricky thing. My first impulse is to say that I like everything. I guess *I don’t like evil campaigns*. But other than that – anything goes. In fact, I think I like some variety in my gaming moods.
#RPG #thoughts