needing help with a change of pace

[big teej]

greetings playgrounders.

I have a summer group starting sometime in the next.... 48 hours or so.

and it just occured to me that the pacing of this campaign is going to be radically different from anything I've ever done before

I am used to, as a DM, being able to craft my story over the course of several months, if not years (I've got an on campus group with a campaign that I think will last till our junior year, if not senior, provided they don't all die.)


my summer group should be wrapping things up in (AT MOST) ten sessions, I'm planning for 8

so thats 8 sessions (2 months) for me to tell a story. specifically the story the players are after.

now, I'm on my way out the door so I can't post up what I have to work with so far (and it's probably a seperate thread anyways)

so I come with one question

TL:DR I am used to having months, if not years to run a campaign, I now have to run a campaign that MUST END inside 2 months. I have no experience with this at all. what experience and advice do you have on running a short campaign?

[PirateLizard]

8 sessions x ???
2 hrs, 4 hrs? Kinda pertinent in what you can pull off.

[Kalaska'Agathas]

Keep your scope limited - there is really only time for one arc in the space of two months. Give them something in the first session that defines the conflict - they're on the final push of a war, the bad guys' plans are coming to fruition, etc. They have to get it done, whatever it is, and quick.

That would be my recommendation.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

I've been running semester-long games for the past 3 years for my own college group, so having run several 2-4 month games, here's some advice I have:

1) As Kalaska said, have a tightly-focused plot. Sandbox campaigns don't work well in such a small time frame, nor do campaigns with gradually-unfolding plots like mystery- or puzzle-focused campaigns. Either start with a very clear premise (an example from one of my campaigns: "You're knights of Faerie, over there's the Evil iron-using steampunk Empire, your mission is to take it out, go!") or reveal the basic plot in session one (another example: "So, that elven empire you're the resistance for? Yeah, they're trying to summon Asmodeus to the Prime and let him take over. Good luck.") to let them quickly figure out what they want to do and get started on it.

2) Improvise as much as you're comfortable with. Being able to go with the flow, change plans to react to the PCs, and otherwise avoid staying stuck to one plot will allow you to get more done in one session, and that's key when you have a limited time frame.

3) Try to keep unnecessary combats to a minimum. This doesn't mean you shouldn't have combats when it's logical, but avoid wandering monsters/random encounters/etc. Again, every session is precious.

4) Start in media res if possible--the characters already know each other, the bad guys know the PCs (or at least know of them), and so on. While slowly getting to know the other PCs can be fun, and so can establishing villain relationships, you get the most quality RPing in the shortest time if you assume everyone knows what's going on and RP from there.

That should get you started. I can give you some more tips if you need them.

[McSmack]

You're basically wanting to optimize your time so that the majority of it is spent at the table, actually gaming. Anything that takes some of the workload off your shoulders and gives you more time to get jiggy with the creative juices is a boon.

I recommend using out-of-game time to handle individual player interactions. You can do this via email/texting or just in an individual session seperate from the normal game time.

Another thing that I've found that helps is to give the players an adventure guide. Giving them basic setting information that they can use to build their characters and giving them the basic scope of the campaign (travel to the jungle continent and carve out a beachead for a new colony) or (the evil empire of Badguyistan is about to fall; you must help take their capitol). A lot of this is the kind of stuff that most groups handle in their first session. Have the PC's create backstories that involve other PC's to some degree (make sure they agree on the backstory interactions). So that all the PC's know each other and have possibly adventured together before.

Give them a level range that the campaign will cover so they can build accordingly. (eg "we'll be starting at level 3 and going to around level 8).

One thing that might help you is to streamline certain DM processes. Disregard XP, -instead have the PC's level up every other session or whatnot. This reduces bookeeping and the PC's are happy with the accelerated pace. You can also reduce item creation times and/or XP costs, for those PC's that are interested.
Streamline loot by giving the PC's the sell price of loot they find. (You slay the goblin bandits and get worn leather armor, short spears and bucklers. All told they're worth about 150g (you can have them make appraise checks then to help determine sell price)). This makes the bookeeping easy on the PC's and they can divy up loot/shop outside of game time.

[true_shinken]

Try a sandbox game or a written module.

[Karoht]

Aim for one plot point and stick to it as best you can.
Challenge-Not railroading.

Cut extraneous time, but without just handwaiving.
Suggestion-Travel time. Give them an airship, have them march through secure lands, have random encounters be very rare things. Plenty of possible in game ways to explain the lack of random encounters. That said, any encounters they have should probably be structured as much as possible, down to loot details even.

[big teej]

8 sessions x ???
2 hrs, 4 hrs? Kinda pertinent in what you can pull off.

oopsies, my bad.

I'm expecting sessions to last from a minimum of 4 hours to..... potentially up to 8 or 10



Keep your scope limited - there is really only time for one arc in the space of two months. Give them something in the first session that defines the conflict - they're on the final push of a war, the bad guys' plans are coming to fruition, etc. They have to get it done, whatever it is, and quick.

That would be my recommendation.

heh, too late

I've been advertising this as 'character driven' (read: sandbox) for months now.

[Godskook]

Run it as a "guild missions" campaign, and only have individual missions last 1-2 sessions, trying to make individual sessions as much like an 'episode' as possible. 2-part episodes are ok, but with this short-and-sweet approach, you should be able to get in 3-6 episodes before your summer is out. For a more sandboxy feel to the above, give them their choice of missions each time they've 'cleared their desk', and be sure to include some that are relevant to each PC.

Got an elf ranger? Drow raiders are harrassing a local town.

A Dwarven Crusader? Kobolds are trying to hatch a red dragon egg.

etc, etc, depending on what your PCs give you.

[Karoht]

That is actually a really great suggestion.
Keep the 'threats' centered on the main characters as much as possible, tailored by their race/class.

The hard part is creating a final hook for the finale.

What race/classes are you playing with?

[big teej]

confirmed race/class combos...

1 Tiefling Bard going into Dragon disciple
1 Dwarf Knight

wildcards (attendence variable)
1 Human Monk
1 Skaven mage
1 Warforged Fighter

unknowns (attendence variable and no designated character)
x3

I actually posted up a rather detaild thing about the characters in my "utilizing backgrounds" thread

which nobody has responded too yet :smallyuk:

[Karoht]

confirmed race/class combos...

1 Tiefling Bard going into Dragon disciple
1 Dwarf Knight

wildcards (attendence variable)
1 Human Monk
1 Skaven mage
1 Warforged Fighter

unknowns (attendence variable and no designated character)
x3

I actually posted up a rather detaild thing about the characters in my "utilizing backgrounds" thread

which nobody has responded too yet :smallyuk:

Player parties I've been with have a tendancy to buddy up in pairs. I'd pick a pair, pick a threat to suit the pair (story wise of course), and let DnD nature take it's course.

[big teej]

Player parties I've been with have a tendancy to buddy up in pairs. I'd pick a pair, pick a threat to suit the pair (story wise of course), and let DnD nature take it's course.

the only problem is that I'm expecting 3 people. odd man out is bad.

[Karoht]

the only problem is that I'm expecting 3 people. odd man out is bad.
With the 'known unknowns' I counted 8. I guess I was being rather optimistic.

Huh, well that does present a problem I guess.
You did sell it as a 'sandbox' kind of game, so I guess worrying about plot development is sort of moot at this point. Any plot you are likely to get will have to be player driven.

[big teej]

With the 'known unknowns' I counted 8. I guess I was being rather optimistic.

Huh, well that does present a problem I guess.
You did sell it as a 'sandbox' kind of game, so I guess worrying about plot development is sort of moot at this point. Any plot you are likely to get will have to be player driven.

sorry for being unclear

I'm expecting consistently, from week to week 3 players. with up to 5 more players coming when they can, for a total of 8.

as for the game itself.

I am indeed aiming for 'sandbox' but until I get a feel for the game/group I need a hold-over for the first session. and I like to be able to weave in a character's backstory into the overarching plot.

because the more I look at it, the less likely that I can really run the background hooks to a solid conclusion. (both of them have high-end goals, suitable for basing a semester long campaign around, less so for a 2 month)

but I digress.

here's what I've got to work with.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=202305