Ending A Campaign

[piraterpg]

Basically I need some advice.
I have doing this campaign for a while now (bout 1/2 a year) and the players including myself want to end it in order to play other campaigns. My only question is how should I end it? I mean playing it to the end would take a while, yet I dont just want to end it. I mean we have invested so much time in it I feel I at least owe it to the them to tell them the ending. Any advice on how I could do this in a way that satisfies all?

[Dan_Hemmens]

Rocks fall everybody dies?

What plot threads do you have left to tie up?

[Worira]

The Illithids turn off the sun.

[piraterpg]

Basically getting them to and through the main villains lair, for the classic final battle thing. A problem however is that two of the players are in the middle of reclaiming their kingdom, which could take a while. That is more or less it.

[VanBuren]

Elminster kills the BBEG and saves the day. Then he casts Wish(es) and resolves everyone's conflicts and plotlines.

Then rocks fall and everyone dies.

[Azerian Kelimon]

Time to pull off the ultimate suggestion: Check Tvtropes for example. One of them will sound UBRAPPEALINGZORZ!

[Ceres]

Elminster kills the BBEG and saves the day. Then he casts Wish(es) and resolves everyone's conflicts and plotlines.

Then rocks fall and everyone dies.

Man, from this day forth I'll end all my campaigns that way!

[DarknessLord]

Maybe don't end it, just put it on indefinite Hiatus. Make sure you have detailed records so you could resume it at some point later if people forget what they have and such.
If your group wants you all can finish it later, if not, then you are playing campaigns that you all like better then, win-win!

[Dan_Hemmens]

Basically getting them to and through the main villains lair, for the classic final battle thing. A problem however is that two of the players are in the middle of reclaiming their kingdom, which could take a while. That is more or less it.

Okay, next question: why do they need to go fight the main villain in his lair? Have him come to them, have him try to stop the two PCs reclaiming their kingdom (make up a reason if you have to). Then they either beat him and get the kingdom, or all die, either way game over.

[DEFCON Clown]

Brain aneurysms and strokes. Tragic.

[CharPixie]

(Why change now if they are in the middle of a subplot? Assuming that they are pursuing it?)

Anyway, what you can do is an upset. The villian causes the kingdom to become in peril, and defeating the villian is the way to reclaim the kingdom AND finish the plot. Consolidate and make everything urgent. Take any loose ends you have and explain them NOW as being part of the grand plot.

I.e. don't look as things as unfinished, more that things are fodder for the Last Great Moment.

[EagleWiz]

2 words: Pun Pun.

[Zincorium]

They interrupt the Divine Paragon Psuedonatural Damn Crab during his afternoon tea, and suffer the consequences.

[Tengu]

By the way, "perma hiatus", "a super-powerful NPC solves all the problems" and "you die/lose/get caught in stasis forever, by DM fiat" are among the least appealing campaign endings ever, and your players will really feel kicked to the teeth after you pull crap like them like that. I know those advices weren't serious, but since some DMs do end their campaigns that way, I say this anyway.

[Xuincherguixe]

End of the world.

Maybe it's some climactic battle where the forces of good are destined to lose (ala Raganorok)

Maybe the players wake up the thing that was dreaming existence, and everything just vanishes (Maybe that's too Nihilistic)

The horror defeated at the beginning of existence breaks free and everything returns to the Chaos from which it was formed.

The forces of the underworld spill out from a portal, and turn earth into their outpost as they destroy civilization.

Basically, have one of the world threatening calamities succeed for a change.

[piraterpg]

Thanks for the advice :P