They seem to be a rare event that only pops up
here and there and rarely here. Usually you find yourself
reading about a great campaign that was played in someones
garage 20 years ago or is currently going on in some town a 2000 miles away.
So why are campaigns so rare when everyone and I mean everyone wants to be in one?
Plenty of gamers but so few Gamemasters?
First let me define 'Campaign' as I see it. A game where your force/character engages in decisions
that lead to events/battles. The results of these events/battles effect your force/character in positve or negative terms
that will be carried to the next event/battle and the next until the goal is achieved or lost.
In other words, I have a reason to fight and not lose all my troops!
Sometimes the Campaign can be a simple dungeon crawl that takes months to finish, a military advance that seeks to achieve limited results or
a world wide conquest game. (my favorite)
So back to the question? Why are they as rare as hen's teeth?
Because they take time and effort, and a martyr/gullible fool/risk taker to willing to run it. I mean no disrepect to those that have/are/or will run
a campaign in the future, in fact I hold you guys in the highest esteem! You're willing to take on the burden
of working on the mechanics, organizing and updating this massive undertaking.
I've tried and failed on many occasions.
Now not all Campaigns are a massive undertaking. You could just be running a tally campaign, Evil plays Good, most wins gains victory.
Or a 2-4 hour RPG, reading everything from the free PDF. I appreciate your time and effort but it is not a 'Campaign' to boast about years from now.
I want a game where my Regiment of the Gouged Eye grows from a band of stragglers to the most feared unit in the Fabled Lands!
Okay so back to the hero who stands up and offers to run the campaign.
What are the hurdles you must face in your great endeavor:
Hmmm, here are a few.
1:Zoom effect: just how much planning shall you require? Will we be tracking supplies or how many arrows my force has? Will the map, if there is a map, have
routes that must be traveled with caution, mountains of dragon menace, warp gates for extra travel etc?
2:Narrative vs detail, shall you spend time weaving a story that presents the players with decisions that lead to the next event, or will you concentrate on map/tabletop manuevers/ Or shall you do both! How much paperwork will you be doing?
3:Organizing the games, who, what, where, and how long shall we wait for who to hook up with who so that we can move on? Main reason campaigns fizzle out.
4:Forces: shall you supply all the troops/characters for the campaign or allow the players to bring in theirs, or both?
5;Appeasing the wishes of your participants, How far shall you wander off the path to accomodate various players who wish to add even more detail to your game.
example "but can I take a week to train all my warriors in various birdcalls so that we can better coordinate while battling in the Black Forest'
example "yes I know that you've banned WMD from our Groin's Wounds lists but it's nukes that give my Post Apoc Pengiuns an advantge over those Imperial Walrus."
example "are you sure none of my merry band speak Klingonese? I just need one so that he can infiltrate the enemy'
example "but I've redesigned my Groin's Wounds army list to reflect that my homeland embraces certain aspects of Ctuhulu worship so I should be immuned to fear"
6 Should/Could/Would, you'll hear this alot after the campaign begins, Most of it will be from gamers who never have or will ever put effort into running a campaign, but some of it may be a nugget of truth that could 'save' your campaign.
So Hurrah to all the would be Campaign GameMasters! We appreciate you even if too many of us make you wonder if you've made the right decision.
And be Passionate about your campaign, otherwise it will end pretty quickly.
A special hats off to Kurt Braunsroth, who is one of the few that can actually pull off a good campaign, consistently. And Steven, who though a pretty young gamer has managed a fun AK-47 Game, Estalian Narrative campaign and about to embark on a 40K campaign.
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