Ideas for a campaign anniversary!

[Faily]

So on New Years Eve 2011, my partner declared we'd be making the switch from 3.5 to Pathfinder to see if it would be more fun to play, and I and a gaming friend of ours rolled up characters. Little did we know that these characters that we started playing at the start of 2012 would be part of a 10 year long campaign with two other friends we play with. Our characters have travelled far and wide in the world of Mystara, become heroes, and rulers of their own domains. The past couple of years now, they have been working their way towards Immortality - basically godhood in the world of Mystara - and we've been doing it by the old BECMI rules (so it takes a lot of time and effort!). We hope that 2022 can be the year that we manage to ascend to Immortality.


Now, 10 years later (with small breaks here and there), we want to celebrate a bit to have had such a long-running campaign that has given us so many stories, memories, and great moments. The GM in particular wants to give some fun in-game rewards, but currently we're drawing a blank on what exactly it could be.

So I ask the collective hivemind of the internet: what would you do to celebrate a campaign's anniversary? What sort of rewards would you give the players/player characters?

[KorvinStarmast]

So on New Years Eve 2011, my partner declared we'd be making the switch from 3.5 to Pathfinder to see if it would be more fun to play, and I and a gaming friend of ours rolled up characters. Little did we know that these characters that we started playing at the start of 2012 would be part of a 10 year long campaign with two other friends we play with.

Our characters have travelled far and wide in the world of Mystara, become heroes, and rulers of their own domains. The past couple of years now, they have been working their way towards Immortality - basically godhood in the world of Mystara - and we've been doing it by the old BECMI rules (so it takes a lot of time and effort!). We hope that 2022 can be the year that we manage to ascend to Immortality.

Now, 10 years later (with small breaks here and there), we want to celebrate a bit to have had such a long-running campaign that has given us so many stories, memories, and great moments. The GM in particular wants to give some fun in-game rewards, but currently we're drawing a blank on what exactly it could be.

So I ask the collective hivemind of the internet: what would you do to celebrate a campaign's anniversary? What sort of rewards would you give the players/player characters? Which are you playing, Pathfinder or BECMI? Or maybe a bit of both?
What level is everyone?
(By the way, grats on a long running campaign)

[Faily]

Which are you playing, Pathfinder or BECMI? Or maybe a bit of both?
What level is everyone?
(By the way, grats on a long running campaign)

We're playing Pathfinder 1, but we use the BECMI rules for the path to Immortality.

The main characters are level 20, and at the moment we're currently running a little side-adventure (Serpent's Skull AP) for the apprentices of one of them.

And thanks. It's by far the longest running campaign I've played in. :smallsmile:

[Kol Korran]

First of all- Congratulations! I have run some long term campaigns, but not nearly as long!

Some ideas:
1- A great fantastic celebration is held in the characters honor! Perhaps orchestrated by actual divine beings? (Having learned that the PCs are seeking immortality, they wish to examine them first-hand...)

A great majestic feast, possibly some entertaining games, perhaps a show, music, and telling of tales and great deeds! Various significant beings from the PCs past may be invited/ brought to the celebration. A few more specific ideas here:
# "A toast! For the heroes who did X...": At certain points in the festivities, various people toast the party, share a tale of how they've met, how they influenced their lives, and how things are now. The basic idea is a short emotional call-back to past adventures, and seeing their affect on the world.

# "A challenge, to honor the X/Y/Z deed..." The divine beings/ other people make a small contest/ battle of some sort, commemorating some tense, fun and meaningful deed in the past. The PCs may join, or play some NPCs, or just have it play in the background.

# "Voices from behind the veil": The divine beings enable communication with people otherwise not able to communicate no more- People who passed away and more... I am not sure what sort of divination the characters possess (Probably significant) but the divine powers may even enable things beyond that. Or... Just call upon people the party forgot/ didn't have the time/ let rest in peace.

I once did something similar in my campaign: The Dance Macabre- A fast dance, in a mist shrouded dance hall, where the dance requires everyone to change partners every few minutes or so... At every exchange, the PCs met and danced with former people who died- allies, friends, loved ones, but also foes, villains, and more... They had short yet meaningful & touching exchanges!

# A riddle game! Something a bit more light hearted and entertaining- Some riddles/ puzzles concerning less known bits of the PCs past. I suggest giving enough hints that the players know generally what the answer is tied to, but the actual answers require good memory of your long campaigning! (Hope you kept a log/ great notes!)

# "Gather all! It is time to sing to you the great ballad of...": Some great (possibly fantastical/ magical being?) Composes a ballad about the players deeds. This need not actually be a full scale ballad, but something of a good length to cover some main points of their heroic tale.

I did this once for my players, at a much lower level (About 9, after they conquered a demon fort, and started their own city their, against all the odds). They loved it!

If you really want to go the extra mile, you can have it composed and recorded by a professional (Or semi professional, depending on how much you can and want to invest in it). Would sure make for a great souvenir!

# "A great work of art, for generations to follow...": Another possible actual physical souvenir- You can commission a painting of the PCs, perhaps with some other key elements of their story. I once tried that, and was about to close the deal, but the group unfortunately broke up... You can check on Deviant Art, on these forums, and I imagine more sources.

# Divine questioning/ Conversations:
If you want to add some tension & stakes to this, have the major divine beings converse, question, challenge, philosophise, and more... Of the PCs. This can be done along all of the above. "Why have you chosen to do so?"/ "Had you known X, would you have acted differently?"/ "What was most significant to you in X?" and so forth...

2- A bit similar, but less festive, and more... Probing/ tense:
The Fates/ A similar force on Mystara (I do not know the setting well) summons/ draws the PCs into a sort of a "Judgement/ Questioning/ Test of Fate..." Their powers matter little here, their character, personality, motivation and values do. The Fates conjure past scenes, people, events, consequences, choices and more of the PCs past. Questioning them about them. Most questions are vague, open ended, but may lead to following questions. The players may be required to answer things they may not have thought of.

I once had a much shorter scene, near the end of a great campaign (Party was about level 12 then). A mystic being challenged them, and after a short intro, they were asked "what is the arithmetic of your soul?" They were then surrounded by various figures, and each of them needed to choose 4. In front of them were who they were now, behind them who they were, to their right their allies, to their left various major foes, and at various points around other significant beings (such as a guide, a lover, and more). One of the more satisfying experiences, and the answers ended up surprising us all!

They got some boons/ effects depending on their choices, and The Fates may also offer some special boons. Some ideas:
- A TRUE answer, for one question/ 3 Questions. (Make them count!)
- A spark of divine power. I am unsure how that translates mechanically, but it may be a one/ few times use of divine power.
- An artifact of legend
- The service of a powerful being. (Also perhaps limited by uses). Not just a "regular MM monster", but a specific unique being (Class levels/ special abilities?)
- The Favor of The Fates?
- Hidden important knowledge on their quest to immortality?
- Some other great boon. (If you are using PF, perhaps something from the Mythic rules? A mythic feat/ spell/ other ability?
- A vision of some important event? (perhaps of a long gone past? Perhaps of a possible future?)

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Anyway, good luck to you all, and have a great celebration!

Would love to hear (well, read actually) how ot all went!

[Faily]

Lots of neat suggestions! Thank you, Kol Korran! :smallsmile:

Commissioning art of the characters is pretty high up the list now, and I have some artists I follow (and some I have commissioned from in the past) that I know do good work.