tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646163054327608765.post3424846441087973536..comments2023-10-30T09:58:01.179-04:00Comments on Tankards & Broadswords: Episodic vs. Rolling CampaignsJack Badelairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10932441028544500024noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646163054327608765.post-30914898931735197382009-04-29T00:04:00.000-04:002009-04-29T00:04:00.000-04:00My two most recent campaigns, a now ended C&C ...My two most recent campaigns, a now ended C&C one and my still ongoing B/X Northern Marches, were both rolling campaigns.<br /><br />As a change of pace anything else I run for the foreseeable future will be episodic. I am loving my Northern marches game but sometimes it is nice to have a change of pace. I like the idea of having short segments of finite duration. Sometimes the living, breathing thing that Northern Marches is becoming can make me feel a bit like Atlas.P_Armstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12374589162025099763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646163054327608765.post-72550815017934144042009-04-25T02:51:00.000-04:002009-04-25T02:51:00.000-04:00I use an episodic structure to most of games nowad...I use an episodic structure to most of games nowadays because I like the faster pace (in terms of story development) and the fact that it's easier to handle player absences. I write about the format and my experiences with it quite frequently on my own blog: http://rpg.brouhaha.us/?s=episodicMJ Harnishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01806640038800982702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646163054327608765.post-35378355237471997182009-04-24T18:07:00.000-04:002009-04-24T18:07:00.000-04:00Darkwing said...
Rolemaster had an optional r...Darkwing said...<br /><br /><B> Rolemaster had an optional rule for that--but it was to be used when a PC was for some reason out of the loop of the game for a long period. A roll was used to determine whether or not said PC gained a level in the intervening timespan.<br /></B>It was Rolemaster Companion IV. Has a section for generating events in 'down-time', or how (and what and how much!) a character develops skills and such. It has a related Random Events Chart that can leave rollers killed, jailed, bored, gaining or loosing wealth and treasures, becoming deified(!)<br /><br />I've always been really partial to the idea. It is a dream of mine to actually have a player tell me - "I'm going to <br />spend two weeks reading."<br /><br />Still waiting...Ragnorakkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03812860633134547618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646163054327608765.post-27494542449682869272009-04-24T14:02:00.000-04:002009-04-24T14:02:00.000-04:00Yeah, Pendragon is explicitly built on the assumpt...Yeah, <I>Pendragon</I> is explicitly built on the assumption that the PCs will have one "adventure" per year, the rest of the year being taken up with mundanities that can be resolved with a series of die rolls. There is also the chance to train and improve, or if the characters are old, slip into decrepitude. I <A HREF="http://shirosrpg.blogspot.com/2009/04/brp-training-rules.html" REL="nofollow">adapted the Pendragon training rules to the BRP percentage scale</A> to use in my own fantasy campaign, which has had large gaps of time between adventures--the last such gap was four years! I definitely prefer this approach, although it's only recently I've been using it. I like to see PCs actually age and develop long-term story arcs.David Larkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04133630988557116729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646163054327608765.post-30808861457008609982009-04-24T09:56:00.000-04:002009-04-24T09:56:00.000-04:00Rolemaster had an optional rule for that--but it w...Rolemaster had an optional rule for that--but it was to be used when a PC was for some reason out of the loop of the game for a long period. A roll was used to determine whether or not said PC gained a level in the intervening timespan.<br /><br />I would tend to lean against getting free ranks in skills, etc. Half the reward for playing in a session is the advancement of your character, either in terms of getting items or getting skills. <br /><br />I would feel somewhat annoyed if I attended every session of a campaign, only to have someone show up to one game out of ten, only to have them get the same advancement that I did. (granted, such rewards would be given in addition to the normal experience gained from playing). In any case, it would feel like people would be getting free stuff for no effort.<br /><br />On the other hand, if such things were tied into the plot, for example, you learn a new skill from a kindly person, only to have that person get killed early in the session, which drives the session's plot, then that's fine. Same goes for getting an item which turns out to be a MacGuffin for that episode.Darkwinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15335933745375951322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646163054327608765.post-1860190413843148942009-04-24T09:31:00.000-04:002009-04-24T09:31:00.000-04:00Pendragon has this built right into the system, an...<I>Pendragon</I> has this built right into the system, and it's one of the reasons why I love the game. I don't think it's right for every game, but I could see it being adapted well to <I>Traveller</I>, for example.<br /><br />My current <I>Call of Cthulhu</I> game is evolving/devolving into something like this, largely through necessity. The players want to keep their characters, and so are willing to wait for months of game time to pass between scenarios so that the poor wretches can spend some time at the local asylum to recover from the last investigation. It fits quite well into my group's erratic schedule, which is a bonus.thekelvingreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928260185408072124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646163054327608765.post-42524383362061440672009-04-24T09:26:00.000-04:002009-04-24T09:26:00.000-04:00Midkemia's Cities book has a fantastic set of tabl...Midkemia's <I>Cities</I> book has a fantastic set of tables for generating between-session events. Characters can serve in the military, spark romances, get wounded, go on off-camera adventures, and so on.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00155926145150934199noreply@blogger.com