Campaign Tips for Infrequent Sessions? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Campaign Tips for Infrequent Sessions? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Kilsek of Sheverash
08-26-05, 01:07 PM So my brother, who is time-challenged between two jobs and a new home and marriage still wants to set up and DM a new campaign, at the rate of a practical 1x/month session frequency.

And I really want this to succeed too, but we need some help!

So I'm looking for tips and advice for our sessions, campaign, PCs, and NPCs for our infrequent sessions to run as smoothly and as fun as possible.

We're not meeting very often at all, so I'm most concerned about:

1) Rules rust
2) Story rust
3) Accomplishments

If we can only play for 4 hrs 1/x month, then we're going to be rusty on the rules and story as it relates to our characters. Even a little seems inevitable. How do we fight that?

And the other thing is accomplishments, or goals. If we're meeting infrequently, that's less time to "win" or achieve certain story goals or even combat victories. So I'm concerned there might be a feeling of not getting enough accomplished, and that of course can lead to apathy or some boredom =/

So, any metagame and in-game tips or advice to keep our monthly-only sessions as fun and smooth as possible?

I strongly suggested we create and use a free Yahoo! Groups board to track our game's 1) play dates arrangement through posting and calendar use, 2) character sheet storage and updating, 3) rules questions, and 4) campaign/story files and updating.

It's a step in the right direction, but I'm still concerned. Any other ideas? :)
Illion the Red
08-26-05, 01:27 PM Well, you just described my world pretty well. My current campaign has only been meeting about once a month, so here's a few things I do to keep things going...

Prepare email out-of-game summaries of what happened in the previous sessions. This gives you (the DM) the opportunity to keep plots fresh in your head and gives your players a review of what they have going on.

Take notes during gameplay of anything that happens that is significant. This will help you to remember who is pursuing what plotline.

There is one element of the infrequent game that helps me do something that I have trouble doing in a more frequent game...intricate plots and subplots. The extra time between sessions gives ample time to think of plots to revolve around the "I would have never guessed the PCs would do that" moments. It also gives you the time to make props. If the PCs are going to find a wizard's journal...type it up on the PC in a funky font, print it, and do whatever you think is appropriate to "weather" it.

As a DM, review your notes 4-5 days before the next session and send the players a reminder of what's going on. This way, the players can arrive, ready to get down to business.

Another note: Keep the extraneous banter to a minimum. There is a limited timeframe for in-game activity. Use your game time wisely.

Don't plan expansive dungeon-crawls. It is WAY too easy to lose track of what's going on if you take six months to get through a dungeon. "What the heck did we go in there for anyway?"

If I can think of anything else, I'll post more later.
Bruunwald
08-26-05, 02:06 PM Alas, our game was at the mercy of many who had busy lives, and unfortunately, at the mercy of some who just wanted to hold it up all the time because they were a**holes.

The good news is, I've dealt for some time with the 1x/month game.

Here's what we did:

Summaries: I wrote up a summary of all the important and noteworthy events of the previous session and handed them out at the beginning of each session for the players to read while I was preparing.

eMail Recapping: I would send an email out the Monday following a game, thanking everyone for attending. This would usually include a sometimes-humorous recap of the session's exploits. Noteworthy actions on the part of PCs were mentioned in the form of "awards" handed out, like Best Kill with a Single Blow or The Gold Merlyn for Most Ridiculous Placement of a Fireball, etc. That usually got them to talking about what had gone on, in a light way. Good for memory.

Short Missions: We have a long, over-arching campaign, but I would try to keep the missions quick. A long time from town means lots of stuff to remember between sessions, whereas ending in town makes for an easier and less confusing start the next time. It also helps to turn the tide, with more mystery and intrigue in-town, as well as opportunities to defend (a town or a keep, for instance) against invasion, because it's an easier goal to focus on when you have to split the action between sessions.

The Buddy System: Note who is paying the most attention. Praise him in private and get him involved with reminding the others of things, etc. Again, this is all about memory, because the big problem I find with long times between sessions is players remembering the mood, intentions, etc. of their characters when they ended last time.

Detailed Maps and Pictures, Miniatures, etc.: Visual aids always help, if you can manage them. You might find yourself with a drooling, glassy-eyed player staring vacantly at you until you say, "You know, the battle with the cool fortress map and the curved stairs?" And then he'll bolt up and yell, "Oh yeah! I liked when that orc jumped off onto Frankle. That was hilarious."

Managing Time: To help get as much play in as possible, remember to have all important questions asked at an appropriate time, such as before or after a session. Before is best, I find. Give the players a round table at the beginning to get things straight, clarify rules, go over the hazy parts or remind them of things. Then, make sure everybody knows that it's like a movie: once it starts, the cell phones are off and there's no senseless chattering. Hopefully, because of the situation, they will all be willing, since they'll see time is precious.

Humor: It helps memory. A lot.

Patience: It's essential.

Hope that helped a bit.
Bruunwald
08-26-05, 02:11 PM Well, you just described my world pretty well. My current campaign has only been meeting about once a month, so here's a few things I do to keep things going...

Prepare email out-of-game summaries of what happened in the previous sessions. This gives you (the DM) the opportunity to keep plots fresh in your head and gives your players a review of what they have going on.

Take notes during gameplay of anything that happens that is significant. This will help you to remember who is pursuing what plotline.

There is one element of the infrequent game that helps me do something that I have trouble doing in a more frequent game...intricate plots and subplots. The extra time between sessions gives ample time to think of plots to revolve around the "I would have never guessed the PCs would do that" moments. It also gives you the time to make props. If the PCs are going to find a wizard's journal...type it up on the PC in a funky font, print it, and do whatever you think is appropriate to "weather" it.

As a DM, review your notes 4-5 days before the next session and send the players a reminder of what's going on. This way, the players can arrive, ready to get down to business.

Another note: Keep the extraneous banter to a minimum. There is a limited timeframe for in-game activity. Use your game time wisely.

Don't plan expansive dungeon-crawls. It is WAY too easy to lose track of what's going on if you take six months to get through a dungeon. "What the heck did we go in there for anyway?"

If I can think of anything else, I'll post more later.

Holy Toledo, our replies are almost identical!

LOL

Well, I guess the OP's getting solid advice, since the only two replies so far are in complete agreement.
Illion the Red
08-26-05, 02:53 PM Holy Toledo, our replies are almost identical!

LOL

Well, I guess the OP's getting solid advice, since the only two replies so far are in complete agreement.

Either we are both giving the same, solid advice...or are both equally batty! :P
Kilsek of Sheverash
08-29-05, 12:11 PM Great stuff, thanks guys.

One thing at the very least I'm going to do in the more frequent game that I run is post more between sessions on our Yahoo! Groups boards (similar to your email suggestions). I'll also recommend my brother do the same for our 1x/month campaign.

Well, he likes the Groups site I suggested, which is great, and session 1 is already slated for next week. Now the hard part begins... continuity :)
Illion the Red
08-29-05, 12:29 PM Best of luck! I think with the continuing updates on the group boards, you can keep yourself (or your brother's case, himself) up-to-date on where things have gone and where they stand at the latest.

Hope it goes well!
Tiruvel
08-29-05, 12:56 PM I have the same problem, or maybe a bit worse..? :)
I study abroad so I'm only available for DM'ing in the summer-, christmas- and easter-holidays. Sucks big time!
The biggest problems are, as you mentioned, that the players forget rules and what happened last time, not to mention stuff about the campaign world.... I have tried to make this better by creating a homepage with player-journals, background info and many other things, but I would lie if I said that my players were frequent visitors... :P Then again, they're quite lazy individuals..
Great advice guys, especially the award-list that Bruunwald suggested. I will have to use it.
Abulafia
08-29-05, 01:29 PM Try to make each session as self-contained as possible. Picture the way most sitcoms work: each episode something happens, the characters have their adventures, and in the end they return to the status quo. The closer you cleave to this model, the easier it will be to pick up where you left off each time.
Kilsek of Sheverash
08-29-05, 01:43 PM Try to make each session as self-contained as possible. Picture the way most sitcoms work: each episode something happens, the characters have their adventures, and in the end they return to the status quo. The closer you cleave to this model, the easier it will be to pick up where you left off each time.

This is an excellent suggestion too, and reminds me of one other suggestion I had given my brother about this new monthly campaign.

I had said he could also go the route of one-shot adventures or published modules every month, or covering 2-3 months. You could even have different characters for each adventure or "episode," almost like some random fantasy TV series, similar to how The Outer Limits or shows like that worked.

Again, it was one option to consider for time-challenged, monthly DMing -- me, I would lean towards it a bit more also as a new way to DM after having DMed so long, but whatever works, it's all good.
SneakyPetey
08-29-05, 09:03 PM We've been running a campaign like this for the better part of 12 years. For the most part, we're married (some with kids) and have crazy schedules. In addition I live in Illinois, another player lives in Wisconsin, and the rest of the group lives in Iowa.

I think the single most important thing that's kept us going is our (semi) monthly newsletter. I am the publisher (the self-appointed Chief Scribe) of the newsletter, and anyone wishing to submit an article sends me an email, I copy, I paste, yada yada.

The main purpose of the newsletter is to chronicle what happened at the last session. As a DM, this allows me to add little details that may have been overlooked in the "heat of the moment." We also use the newsletter as a forum to discuss rules: possible changes, updates, interpretations, etc. The newsletter is also a good forum to air out gripes about how a DM or a player handled a situation. In this arena, we saved countless gaming hours that would've otherwise been wasted arguing. One of our group members writes a monthly creative-writing feature, highlighting the best and worst features of past campaigns... It's brilliant! :bow: I've done some creative writing in the newsletter as well, but I think it's fairly obvious that non-fiction is my forte'! :doh:

Anyhoo, I've almost got the newsletter-thing down to a science. I've been bad about it lately (I need to stop posting and start compiling the next edition), but it doesn't add too much to my workload as a DM since we only meet once a month.

Another device I've used to keep the campaign fresh in my players minds is the dreaded "Campaign Quiz." At the beginning of every session, I hand out a ten-question, multiple choice quiz about the previous session and the campaign in general.

At first the reaction was "Geez, this is just like school!" But each quiz is worth 500 XP and the players are allowed to collaborate with each other, so it's now viewed as a good opportunity to earn "free" XPs. This really keeps my players on their toes, and I know many of them look over the campaign material in preparation for next month's session.

This is not to say that we don't experience "rust" when it comes to rules and the mechanics of the game, but mostly we enjoy getting together as a group, so we tolerate it fairly well.

I should mention that each monthly session is at least eight hours long so, by the end of the session, we're running on all cylinders. It's just like riding a bike really... ;)

I hope this helps! :)
AntiDjinn
08-29-05, 09:13 PM Keeping good notes is a must when there are going to be long gaps in the game. Ideally, finish a mission in a single play session (right, like that really happens) so that play downtime corresponds to character downtime -- they are hanging out in town rather than on-hold in the middle of a dungeon.

If you are using mineatures then take out your digital camera at the end of each seession and take a snapshot of the battlemat. This will help you pick up exactly where you left off next session without having to recap such things as character positions, who is up, who is down, what parts of the dungeon have already been explored, etc. This technique is particularly useful if your gaming table is also your dinner table or if it is otherwise impossible to leave your gaming paraphernalia in place for weeks.
Amene
08-29-05, 09:38 PM try to add some "mid-game" (nor in nor out game stuff).

Maybe the father of one of the PCs writtes letters to him about stuff happening in his hometown (email him every other week).

If there is a wizard he could send letters to his mentor (exchanging ideas in-character, tell him how he could do a variation of a spell, nothing game breaking, but you could threath it as a scroll, the wizards says: "I'm walking on the dark here my dear mentor! whe are going to raid a dragons lair but the rummors are uncertain, I don't know if it is a black or green dragon! what should i do! then the mentor answers: "My dear aprentice, I've been in that are and there are no black dragons, use this spell to protect you! [threat it as some kind of protection scroll to use against that dragon]")

If you do this you can also do some game stuff done during off session time, the pc want's to buy rope? don't waste time in the session rp the shopkeeper, rp it through email!

I've used the wizard scroll-letter one, and it works wonders, it makes the mentor a real person to ask for help (just give some decent yet not gamebreaking stuff, maybe some kind of protection that gives the pc +1 to his AC or something, and make it expendeable!)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kilsek of Sheverash 08-26-05, 01:07 PM	So my brother, who is time-challenged between two jobs and a new home and marriage still wants to set up and DM a new campaign, at the rate of a practical 1x/month session frequency. And I really want this to succeed too, but we need some help! So I'm looking for tips and advice for our sessions, campaign, PCs, and NPCs for our infrequent sessions to run as smoothly and as fun as possible. We're not meeting very often at all, so I'm most concerned about: 1) Rules rust 2) Story rust 3) Accomplishments If we can only play for 4 hrs 1/x month, then we're going to be rusty on the rules and story as it relates to our characters. Even a little seems inevitable. How do we fight that? And the other thing is accomplishments, or goals. If we're meeting infrequently, that's less time to "win" or achieve certain story goals or even combat victories. So I'm concerned there might be a feeling of not getting enough accomplished, and that of course can lead to apathy or some boredom =/ So, any metagame and in-game tips or advice to keep our monthly-only sessions as fun and smooth as possible? I strongly suggested we create and use a free Yahoo! Groups board to track our game's 1) play dates arrangement through posting and calendar use, 2) character sheet storage and updating, 3) rules questions, and 4) campaign/story files and updating. It's a step in the right direction, but I'm still concerned. Any other ideas? :)
Illion the Red 08-26-05, 01:27 PM	Well, you just described my world pretty well. My current campaign has only been meeting about once a month, so here's a few things I do to keep things going... Prepare email out-of-game summaries of what happened in the previous sessions. This gives you (the DM) the opportunity to keep plots fresh in your head and gives your players a review of what they have going on. Take notes during gameplay of anything that happens that is significant. This will help you to remember who is pursuing what plotline. There is one element of the infrequent game that helps me do something that I have trouble doing in a more frequent game...intricate plots and subplots. The extra time between sessions gives ample time to think of plots to revolve around the "I would have never guessed the PCs would do that" moments. It also gives you the time to make props. If the PCs are going to find a wizard's journal...type it up on the PC in a funky font, print it, and do whatever you think is appropriate to "weather" it. As a DM, review your notes 4-5 days before the next session and send the players a reminder of what's going on. This way, the players can arrive, ready to get down to business. Another note: Keep the extraneous banter to a minimum. There is a limited timeframe for in-game activity. Use your game time wisely. Don't plan expansive dungeon-crawls. It is WAY too easy to lose track of what's going on if you take six months to get through a dungeon. "What the heck did we go in there for anyway?" If I can think of anything else, I'll post more later.
Bruunwald 08-26-05, 02:06 PM	Alas, our game was at the mercy of many who had busy lives, and unfortunately, at the mercy of some who just wanted to hold it up all the time because they were a**holes. The good news is, I've dealt for some time with the 1x/month game. Here's what we did: Summaries: I wrote up a summary of all the important and noteworthy events of the previous session and handed them out at the beginning of each session for the players to read while I was preparing. eMail Recapping: I would send an email out the Monday following a game, thanking everyone for attending. This would usually include a sometimes-humorous recap of the session's exploits. Noteworthy actions on the part of PCs were mentioned in the form of "awards" handed out, like Best Kill with a Single Blow or The Gold Merlyn for Most Ridiculous Placement of a Fireball, etc. That usually got them to talking about what had gone on, in a light way. Good for memory. Short Missions: We have a long, over-arching campaign, but I would try to keep the missions quick. A long time from town means lots of stuff to remember between sessions, whereas ending in town makes for an easier and less confusing start the next time. It also helps to turn the tide, with more mystery and intrigue in-town, as well as opportunities to defend (a town or a keep, for instance) against invasion, because it's an easier goal to focus on when you have to split the action between sessions. The Buddy System: Note who is paying the most attention. Praise him in private and get him involved with reminding the others of things, etc. Again, this is all about memory, because the big problem I find with long times between sessions is players remembering the mood, intentions, etc. of their characters when they ended last time. Detailed Maps and Pictures, Miniatures, etc.: Visual aids always help, if you can manage them. You might find yourself with a drooling, glassy-eyed player staring vacantly at you until you say, "You know, the battle with the cool fortress map and the curved stairs?" And then he'll bolt up and yell, "Oh yeah! I liked when that orc jumped off onto Frankle. That was hilarious." Managing Time: To help get as much play in as possible, remember to have all important questions asked at an appropriate time, such as before or after a session. Before is best, I find. Give the players a round table at the beginning to get things straight, clarify rules, go over the hazy parts or remind them of things. Then, make sure everybody knows that it's like a movie: once it starts, the cell phones are off and there's no senseless chattering. Hopefully, because of the situation, they will all be willing, since they'll see time is precious. Humor: It helps memory. A lot. Patience: It's essential. Hope that helped a bit.
Bruunwald 08-26-05, 02:11 PM	Well, you just described my world pretty well. My current campaign has only been meeting about once a month, so here's a few things I do to keep things going... Prepare email out-of-game summaries of what happened in the previous sessions. This gives you (the DM) the opportunity to keep plots fresh in your head and gives your players a review of what they have going on. Take notes during gameplay of anything that happens that is significant. This will help you to remember who is pursuing what plotline. There is one element of the infrequent game that helps me do something that I have trouble doing in a more frequent game...intricate plots and subplots. The extra time between sessions gives ample time to think of plots to revolve around the "I would have never guessed the PCs would do that" moments. It also gives you the time to make props. If the PCs are going to find a wizard's journal...type it up on the PC in a funky font, print it, and do whatever you think is appropriate to "weather" it. As a DM, review your notes 4-5 days before the next session and send the players a reminder of what's going on. This way, the players can arrive, ready to get down to business. Another note: Keep the extraneous banter to a minimum. There is a limited timeframe for in-game activity. Use your game time wisely. Don't plan expansive dungeon-crawls. It is WAY too easy to lose track of what's going on if you take six months to get through a dungeon. "What the heck did we go in there for anyway?" If I can think of anything else, I'll post more later. Holy Toledo, our replies are almost identical! LOL Well, I guess the OP's getting solid advice, since the only two replies so far are in complete agreement.
Illion the Red 08-26-05, 02:53 PM	Holy Toledo, our replies are almost identical! LOL Well, I guess the OP's getting solid advice, since the only two replies so far are in complete agreement. Either we are both giving the same, solid advice...or are both equally batty! :P
Kilsek of Sheverash 08-29-05, 12:11 PM	Great stuff, thanks guys. One thing at the very least I'm going to do in the more frequent game that I run is post more between sessions on our Yahoo! Groups boards (similar to your email suggestions). I'll also recommend my brother do the same for our 1x/month campaign. Well, he likes the Groups site I suggested, which is great, and session 1 is already slated for next week. Now the hard part begins... continuity :)
Illion the Red 08-29-05, 12:29 PM	Best of luck! I think with the continuing updates on the group boards, you can keep yourself (or your brother's case, himself) up-to-date on where things have gone and where they stand at the latest. Hope it goes well!
Tiruvel 08-29-05, 12:56 PM	I have the same problem, or maybe a bit worse..? :) I study abroad so I'm only available for DM'ing in the summer-, christmas- and easter-holidays. Sucks big time! The biggest problems are, as you mentioned, that the players forget rules and what happened last time, not to mention stuff about the campaign world.... I have tried to make this better by creating a homepage with player-journals, background info and many other things, but I would lie if I said that my players were frequent visitors... :P Then again, they're quite lazy individuals.. Great advice guys, especially the award-list that Bruunwald suggested. I will have to use it.
Abulafia 08-29-05, 01:29 PM	Try to make each session as self-contained as possible. Picture the way most sitcoms work: each episode something happens, the characters have their adventures, and in the end they return to the status quo. The closer you cleave to this model, the easier it will be to pick up where you left off each time.
Kilsek of Sheverash 08-29-05, 01:43 PM	Try to make each session as self-contained as possible. Picture the way most sitcoms work: each episode something happens, the characters have their adventures, and in the end they return to the status quo. The closer you cleave to this model, the easier it will be to pick up where you left off each time. This is an excellent suggestion too, and reminds me of one other suggestion I had given my brother about this new monthly campaign. I had said he could also go the route of one-shot adventures or published modules every month, or covering 2-3 months. You could even have different characters for each adventure or "episode," almost like some random fantasy TV series, similar to how The Outer Limits or shows like that worked. Again, it was one option to consider for time-challenged, monthly DMing -- me, I would lean towards it a bit more also as a new way to DM after having DMed so long, but whatever works, it's all good.
SneakyPetey 08-29-05, 09:03 PM	We've been running a campaign like this for the better part of 12 years. For the most part, we're married (some with kids) and have crazy schedules. In addition I live in Illinois, another player lives in Wisconsin, and the rest of the group lives in Iowa. I think the single most important thing that's kept us going is our (semi) monthly newsletter. I am the publisher (the self-appointed Chief Scribe) of the newsletter, and anyone wishing to submit an article sends me an email, I copy, I paste, yada yada. The main purpose of the newsletter is to chronicle what happened at the last session. As a DM, this allows me to add little details that may have been overlooked in the "heat of the moment." We also use the newsletter as a forum to discuss rules: possible changes, updates, interpretations, etc. The newsletter is also a good forum to air out gripes about how a DM or a player handled a situation. In this arena, we saved countless gaming hours that would've otherwise been wasted arguing. One of our group members writes a monthly creative-writing feature, highlighting the best and worst features of past campaigns... It's brilliant! :bow: I've done some creative writing in the newsletter as well, but I think it's fairly obvious that non-fiction is my forte'! :doh: Anyhoo, I've almost got the newsletter-thing down to a science. I've been bad about it lately (I need to stop posting and start compiling the next edition), but it doesn't add too much to my workload as a DM since we only meet once a month. Another device I've used to keep the campaign fresh in my players minds is the dreaded "Campaign Quiz." At the beginning of every session, I hand out a ten-question, multiple choice quiz about the previous session and the campaign in general. At first the reaction was "Geez, this is just like school!" But each quiz is worth 500 XP and the players are allowed to collaborate with each other, so it's now viewed as a good opportunity to earn "free" XPs. This really keeps my players on their toes, and I know many of them look over the campaign material in preparation for next month's session. This is not to say that we don't experience "rust" when it comes to rules and the mechanics of the game, but mostly we enjoy getting together as a group, so we tolerate it fairly well. I should mention that each monthly session is at least eight hours long so, by the end of the session, we're running on all cylinders. It's just like riding a bike really... ;) I hope this helps! :)
AntiDjinn 08-29-05, 09:13 PM	Keeping good notes is a must when there are going to be long gaps in the game. Ideally, finish a mission in a single play session (right, like that really happens) so that play downtime corresponds to character downtime -- they are hanging out in town rather than on-hold in the middle of a dungeon. If you are using mineatures then take out your digital camera at the end of each seession and take a snapshot of the battlemat. This will help you pick up exactly where you left off next session without having to recap such things as character positions, who is up, who is down, what parts of the dungeon have already been explored, etc. This technique is particularly useful if your gaming table is also your dinner table or if it is otherwise impossible to leave your gaming paraphernalia in place for weeks.
Amene 08-29-05, 09:38 PM	try to add some "mid-game" (nor in nor out game stuff). Maybe the father of one of the PCs writtes letters to him about stuff happening in his hometown (email him every other week). If there is a wizard he could send letters to his mentor (exchanging ideas in-character, tell him how he could do a variation of a spell, nothing game breaking, but you could threath it as a scroll, the wizards says: "I'm walking on the dark here my dear mentor! whe are going to raid a dragons lair but the rummors are uncertain, I don't know if it is a black or green dragon! what should i do! then the mentor answers: "My dear aprentice, I've been in that are and there are no black dragons, use this spell to protect you! [threat it as some kind of protection scroll to use against that dragon]") If you do this you can also do some game stuff done during off session time, the pc want's to buy rope? don't waste time in the session rp the shopkeeper, rp it through email! I've used the wizard scroll-letter one, and it works wonders, it makes the mentor a real person to ask for help (just give some decent yet not gamebreaking stuff, maybe some kind of protection that gives the pc +1 to his AC or something, and make it expendeable!)