Closed groups and LFR [Archive] - Wizards Community

Closed groups and LFR [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
King-bargh
10-03-07, 04:05 AM Ok..

I must admit I never fully understood what RPGA or Living "whatever" is about. Anyway, me and my friends are playing an "private" Realms-campaign for some time now, so offcourse I was intrested about this big, interactive FR-campaign (if that what it is).

Its just that I havnt realy understood the concept: Is this like TORG where playergroups could send in reports on sucess or failure and affect the shape of the world? ( Can we get Drizzt killed if enough ppl do so?)
Or is it just a way for singel players to find games to play?

Me and my friends are a bit to close and to old to invite new members or split up just for the sake of it. So is there any reason for us to participate in LFR?
Keith53
10-03-07, 07:12 AM Ok..

I must admit I never fully understood what RPGA or Living "whatever" is about. <snip> So is there any reason for us to participate in LFR?

Obviously play in LFR (or any campaign) is your choice.

From my perspective, the RPGA is about offering a quality gaming experience to a network of gamers. For many, the RPGA campaigns have replaced a home campaign, perhaps because people are more mobile. For many, it is a break, an alternative, perhaps to try a new game system or setting, perhaps just to meet new people and have some fun. For some, it is a chance to get introduced to gamers who might live in the same geographic area; some come, then form home groups and don't continue to come to conventions or game days. Hopefully, the RPGA offers a venue for someone new to gaming to try out RPGs.

Living Campaigns are a RPGA construct where the campaign is a shared-world campaign where many adventures are played by many people with a variety of GMs. The campaign is called living, because the PCs continue (barring permanent death or the player drops out), grow and become more powerful, just like in a home campaign. Their growth is derived from their success. It was also called living because the shared-world would evolve based upon both the gamer input (writing articles and adventures) and the results of adventures played.

Regarding the actual results of the played adventures affecting the storyline, that depends upon which campaign and the attitude of the campaign staff. Some campaigns ignore actual results and let the author of the adventure decide what the official results were. Some campaigns decide with the unscientific method of select staff's and the author's experience running the module and their consensus. Others collect data, usually with some kind of results form, usually for a finite period of time (possibly just the premiere).
Living Death, for instance, was very focused on having the results from a majority of tables at the first run drive the official story line, in spite of some authors perferences.

I recommend you give a try. If you like the experience, then continue. If it does not work for you, then don't.

Keith
gomeztoo
10-03-07, 07:54 AM Mostly depends on how a scenario is written. Sometime scenarios are written so only one specific outcome is possible.
I generally tend to add choices that do not necessarily depend on success/failure. Things like 'was villain X killed ort captured', but also 'who did the PCs work for' or 'who got the thingamajigs' or 'did the PCs tell Y about the top secret mission'. Sometimes with most surprising results, I can tell ya.
MatteBlack
10-03-07, 10:03 AM If your current group meets regularly and enjoys alot of DM written adventures, an RPGA might be more rules and restrictions than you'd like. You are basically trading rules flexibility for expanded play opportunities and greater likelyhood of playing your character over a longer time.

My group plays fairly frequently with a local pool of two or three tables worth of players. The format provides some good adventures and allows our group to more freely schedule games amongst our local group where a regualrly scheduled game and long stints as DM are more and more difficult to work into the schedule of an adult.

The living format gives our otherwise sporadic play enough momementum to carry on through missing a party member our a need to switch DMs. It also has the added advantage of letting us have characters that can be played at other tables in other areas.
The Ubbergeek
10-03-07, 11:03 AM Does Living campaigns need good knowledges of the system, or it can help newbies to start playing? I am thinking about it in the coming edition - and since we will have to relearn the system...
mmockus
10-03-07, 12:26 PM Does Living campaigns need good knowledges of the system, or it can help newbies to start playing? I am thinking about it in the coming edition - and since we will have to relearn the system...

It is required that your judge is capable of passing the herald test, so a basic understanding of the rules and the ability to look them up when it is not sure. Players are also expected to be familiar with the campaign specific rules; in Living Greyhawk for example, the Living Greyhawk Campaign Sourcebook, which describes character options for the most part.

The biggest thing to avoid is "home rules" as in this type of campaign, players will get frustrated with, as the expectation is a similar experience across the judge pool with regards to the rules.

I would say that getting into either of the RPGA campaigns is fairly easy, and something not overly burdensome for new players.
aljergensen
10-03-07, 12:43 PM The main reasons I play with the RPGA is to meet new people and because we essentially get "free" campaign mods. In the past, I DMed quite a bit so it also gives me a chance to play on a regular basis as well.

The disadvantage of RPGA is that your character choices will probably be more restricted and your individual character doesn't have as much of an impact on the campaign. Even if a mod records the outcome of an adventure, it's aggregated together with all other tables that played the adventure.

So if you enjoy running and/or playing adventures that other people have written and you might be interested in gaming with other people occasionally, try the RPGA.

As far as the newbie question ... I think RPGA is a great way to learn the system. In my experience people have always been helpful and willing to explain campaign rules and help people understand the rules.

Allen.
kenobi65
10-08-07, 01:26 AM Just to address a few of the OP's specific questions:

Its just that I havnt realy understood the concept: Is this like TORG where playergroups could send in reports on sucess or failure and affect the shape of the world? ( Can we get Drizzt killed if enough ppl do so?)

As others have already noted: it *is* possible for players to have an impact on how the storyline develops, depending on how the campaign staff uses that input.

But, regarding your specific question: only if "killing Drizzt" is a possibility in an LFR module. LFR, like the other Living campaigns before it, will be a series of official RPGA modules. If your home group, playing an adventure that you wrote yourself, set in the Forgotten Realms, does a certain thing (i.e., killing Drizzt), that will never have an impact on what happens in LFR.

Me and my friends are a bit to close and to old to invite new members or split up just for the sake of it. So is there any reason for us to participate in LFR?

You and your group could participate in LFR without ever playing with other players other than yourselves. You'd all need to join the RPGA, your DM would need to pass the Herald-level GM test, and you'd need to follow the RPGA's "floor rules" (the biggest issue being that you need to have a minimum of 4 players, and a maximum of 6 players, plus the DM, at each session). But, playing an RPGA game doesn't mean you need to open your game up to the public.

The biggest advantage for you, as several have noted, is that you'd get access to the LFR modules. (Being able to play your LFR PCs at RPGA conventions and game days is another advantage, but it sounds like that may not be something you'd be interested in.) The biggest disadvantage is that you'd have to follow RPGA rules, and run the modules "as-written", which you may find limiting, compared to the freedom you have as a true home campaign.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
King-bargh 10-03-07, 04:05 AM	Ok.. I must admit I never fully understood what RPGA or Living "whatever" is about. Anyway, me and my friends are playing an "private" Realms-campaign for some time now, so offcourse I was intrested about this big, interactive FR-campaign (if that what it is). Its just that I havnt realy understood the concept: Is this like TORG where playergroups could send in reports on sucess or failure and affect the shape of the world? ( Can we get Drizzt killed if enough ppl do so?) Or is it just a way for singel players to find games to play? Me and my friends are a bit to close and to old to invite new members or split up just for the sake of it. So is there any reason for us to participate in LFR?
Keith53 10-03-07, 07:12 AM	Ok.. I must admit I never fully understood what RPGA or Living "whatever" is about. <snip> So is there any reason for us to participate in LFR? Obviously play in LFR (or any campaign) is your choice. From my perspective, the RPGA is about offering a quality gaming experience to a network of gamers. For many, the RPGA campaigns have replaced a home campaign, perhaps because people are more mobile. For many, it is a break, an alternative, perhaps to try a new game system or setting, perhaps just to meet new people and have some fun. For some, it is a chance to get introduced to gamers who might live in the same geographic area; some come, then form home groups and don't continue to come to conventions or game days. Hopefully, the RPGA offers a venue for someone new to gaming to try out RPGs. Living Campaigns are a RPGA construct where the campaign is a shared-world campaign where many adventures are played by many people with a variety of GMs. The campaign is called living, because the PCs continue (barring permanent death or the player drops out), grow and become more powerful, just like in a home campaign. Their growth is derived from their success. It was also called living because the shared-world would evolve based upon both the gamer input (writing articles and adventures) and the results of adventures played. Regarding the actual results of the played adventures affecting the storyline, that depends upon which campaign and the attitude of the campaign staff. Some campaigns ignore actual results and let the author of the adventure decide what the official results were. Some campaigns decide with the unscientific method of select staff's and the author's experience running the module and their consensus. Others collect data, usually with some kind of results form, usually for a finite period of time (possibly just the premiere). Living Death, for instance, was very focused on having the results from a majority of tables at the first run drive the official story line, in spite of some authors perferences. I recommend you give a try. If you like the experience, then continue. If it does not work for you, then don't. Keith
gomeztoo 10-03-07, 07:54 AM	Mostly depends on how a scenario is written. Sometime scenarios are written so only one specific outcome is possible. I generally tend to add choices that do not necessarily depend on success/failure. Things like 'was villain X killed ort captured', but also 'who did the PCs work for' or 'who got the thingamajigs' or 'did the PCs tell Y about the top secret mission'. Sometimes with most surprising results, I can tell ya.
MatteBlack 10-03-07, 10:03 AM	If your current group meets regularly and enjoys alot of DM written adventures, an RPGA might be more rules and restrictions than you'd like. You are basically trading rules flexibility for expanded play opportunities and greater likelyhood of playing your character over a longer time. My group plays fairly frequently with a local pool of two or three tables worth of players. The format provides some good adventures and allows our group to more freely schedule games amongst our local group where a regualrly scheduled game and long stints as DM are more and more difficult to work into the schedule of an adult. The living format gives our otherwise sporadic play enough momementum to carry on through missing a party member our a need to switch DMs. It also has the added advantage of letting us have characters that can be played at other tables in other areas.
The Ubbergeek 10-03-07, 11:03 AM	Does Living campaigns need good knowledges of the system, or it can help newbies to start playing? I am thinking about it in the coming edition - and since we will have to relearn the system...
mmockus 10-03-07, 12:26 PM	Does Living campaigns need good knowledges of the system, or it can help newbies to start playing? I am thinking about it in the coming edition - and since we will have to relearn the system... It is required that your judge is capable of passing the herald test, so a basic understanding of the rules and the ability to look them up when it is not sure. Players are also expected to be familiar with the campaign specific rules; in Living Greyhawk for example, the Living Greyhawk Campaign Sourcebook, which describes character options for the most part. The biggest thing to avoid is "home rules" as in this type of campaign, players will get frustrated with, as the expectation is a similar experience across the judge pool with regards to the rules. I would say that getting into either of the RPGA campaigns is fairly easy, and something not overly burdensome for new players.
aljergensen 10-03-07, 12:43 PM	The main reasons I play with the RPGA is to meet new people and because we essentially get "free" campaign mods. In the past, I DMed quite a bit so it also gives me a chance to play on a regular basis as well. The disadvantage of RPGA is that your character choices will probably be more restricted and your individual character doesn't have as much of an impact on the campaign. Even if a mod records the outcome of an adventure, it's aggregated together with all other tables that played the adventure. So if you enjoy running and/or playing adventures that other people have written and you might be interested in gaming with other people occasionally, try the RPGA. As far as the newbie question ... I think RPGA is a great way to learn the system. In my experience people have always been helpful and willing to explain campaign rules and help people understand the rules. Allen.
kenobi65 10-08-07, 01:26 AM	Just to address a few of the OP's specific questions: Its just that I havnt realy understood the concept: Is this like TORG where playergroups could send in reports on sucess or failure and affect the shape of the world? ( Can we get Drizzt killed if enough ppl do so?) As others have already noted: it is possible for players to have an impact on how the storyline develops, depending on how the campaign staff uses that input. But, regarding your specific question: only if "killing Drizzt" is a possibility in an LFR module. LFR, like the other Living campaigns before it, will be a series of official RPGA modules. If your home group, playing an adventure that you wrote yourself, set in the Forgotten Realms, does a certain thing (i.e., killing Drizzt), that will never have an impact on what happens in LFR. Me and my friends are a bit to close and to old to invite new members or split up just for the sake of it. So is there any reason for us to participate in LFR? You and your group could participate in LFR without ever playing with other players other than yourselves. You'd all need to join the RPGA, your DM would need to pass the Herald-level GM test, and you'd need to follow the RPGA's "floor rules" (the biggest issue being that you need to have a minimum of 4 players, and a maximum of 6 players, plus the DM, at each session). But, playing an RPGA game doesn't mean you need to open your game up to the public. The biggest advantage for you, as several have noted, is that you'd get access to the LFR modules. (Being able to play your LFR PCs at RPGA conventions and game days is another advantage, but it sounds like that may not be something you'd be interested in.) The biggest disadvantage is that you'd have to follow RPGA rules, and run the modules "as-written", which you may find limiting, compared to the freedom you have as a true home campaign.