The Ongoing Campaign

[GRWelsh]

I've been thinking about the long term campaign since the main party of characters are in the 4th-6th level range and we're about to begin the CY 576 campaign year after a period of 'wintering over' in which they rest up, train, pray, study, and in general have down time in their home town of Hochoch. After several months of being snow bound and inside the walls of the town, they will be ready to get out and adventure again, and may be following up adventure hooks near and far... The short term is a lot of mid level adventuring, which I've always seen as the sweet spot of AD&D play (4th-8th levels or so) when characters are tough and capable but not so powerful yet as to feel they can take on almost anything. By the end of this campaign year I expect them all to be at or close to 8th level. Then, it will be time to start thinking of high level adventures, and the various main characters achieving 'name level' and able to attract followers, men-at-arms, and able to establish their own individual castles, shrines, temples, hideouts, towers, etc. One of the challenges in shifting to that high level mode of play is in continuing to run games in which all of the players interact and can still play sessions together at the gaming table. For example, if Ray's dwarven thief, Balul, establishes a hideout and attracts his 4-24 thieves at 10th level as a master thief, and Eric's cleric, Father Dain, establishes a shrine at 8th level as a patriarch with a number of followers to help him build and defend it, doesn't that root these characters to certain points, and limit their adventuring capabilities with the others? I was wondering how the rest of you handle it when your players begin getting to the levels to do these things. One idea that I had was for name level characters to be granted lands that end up being close to each other, so that they can become lords or ladies of their own little fiefs, but also are neighbors and allies, and must continue to work together in that respect, such as to defend a common border in the mountains for Geoff. This would shift the campaign action into threats they may have deal with in common as march lords supporting each other in defense of the realm. Otherwise, it may feel like retirement from adventuring. Thoughts?

[Scott]

That’s another reason to have henchmen or hire specialists like castellans. They can run things while the party go on adventures.
The last party I ran couldn’t shake the party mindset and it wasn’t that they individually wanted strongholds, but they want to build a party castle. I did throw in some options to get them into individual strongholds if they want: the church of St Cuthbert wants the cleric to build a dedicated stronghold. Celene played a part in getting the party involved in the GD adventure and they have offered the party elf a barony if she wants to kill the dragon living in the castle, and the storm giantess held captive by the frost giants told the party about the cloud island she lived on before it was attacked and taken over by cloud giants, she would like to see them killed and told the party they could live there if they help her.

[GRWelsh]

It is difficult to shake the party mindset, and that's not entirely a bad thing. Non-party play is more fragmented and a lot more work for the DM. It can have it's own rewards, to be sure, such as in early sessions of Dave Arneson's BLACKMOOR or Dave Weseley's BRAUNSTEIN in which each player is out for themselves with their own objectives. But logistically speaking, this is a lot more difficult to run than a group game night with a single party every other week. It would mean shifting the action around to each PC at their stronghold with their henchmen and hirelings while other PCs sit and wait their turn, or separate game nights for different PCs. Party play likely evolved because it is the best way to keep the maximum number of players engaged at the same time -- it's simply the most efficient way to play D&D.

When I was in middle school and high school I had more one on one sessions with players and DMs, and this seemed a lot more feasible, then. I remember getting together in my basement or at study hall and drawing out maps of strongholds, and figuring out construction costs, taxes, finances for henchmen and hirelings, etc. I even had one player who had a wizard and designed his stronghold on a tropical atoll in a southern sea! I was a lot more willing to do solo DMing for the players who were more engaged and interested in this sort of thing, back then.

[geneweigel]

For the "next level" enthusisast, I will make the time for one-on-one but for the commonplace player, especially the irreverent ones, if you leave the party its better for them to know that its a void.

[Scott]

The Party is basically how D&D has been played since the 80s. Very few players that aren’t as into the history of the game as much as we are, are familiar with any other style. And my experience is that most gamers re happy with that. I add hooks more for my own interests, and the players generally ignore them.