Are there any plans to start a living game using the same format as the old eberron games where people could show up to a table, whip up a level-appropriate character and jump right in? Id like to try out some different concepts, but the thought of enduring the same mods over and over in order to catch up to the newest mods seems kinda lame IMO.
You also build up attachments to a given character. It makes them more than stat sheets. Your level 8 wizard my the the one who has a long history of conflict with the fire knives. Your level 5 cleric has an odd habit of getting on the wrong side of the local fey everywhere he goes. Your rogue had his hair braided by a group of pixies and decided he liked it that way.
If you want to sit down and play a different character every week, that's what the delves are for. Organize a few and you can play any character you want at a wide range of levels. Living forgotten realms is living. That means continuity and history.
Besides, even if a given location is only playing with the same people and the same characters every week, they are going to bounce off the current level cap sooner rather than later and have to start all over again. And the 'grind' of the same adventures isn't particularly onerous. At the moment you can level three separate characters out of the 1-4 band without repeating anything and that doesn't even require playing up all the time. With the new modules out next quarter I suspect you should be able to get at least four characters, if not five, to level 4 without repeating anything if you do it right.
So, in short, if you want to play the character-of-the-week order some delves. If you want to be part of a larger campaign you are going to have to trat it like a campaign.
I certainly hope not. The campaign style of LFR encourages cohesive groups of players and real connection between characters. You get to know the other characters in your local community and you get to build up a shared history.
You also build up attachments to a given character. It makes them more than stat sheets. Your level 8 wizard my the the one who has a long history of conflict with the fire knives. Your level 5 cleric has an odd habit of getting on the wrong side of the local fey everywhere he goes. Your rogue had his hair braided by a group of pixies and decided he liked it that way.
If you want to sit down and play a different character every week, that's what the delves are for. Organize a few and you can play any character you want at a wide range of levels. Living forgotten realms is living. That means continuity and history.
You may see the same PCs showing up every week, but doing an eberron-style game where everyone shows up with something level appropriate on any given week does absolutely zero to prevent people from playing the same character over multiple sessions and/or building relationships with other characters. In fact, its the best of both worlds because people who want to keep the same character through out a run of mods can, and people who'd like to jump in at level 4 or want to try something new can do that as well. It supports both styles of play simultaneously and makes the game more accessable to people new to RPGA.
So, in short, if you want to play the character-of-the-week order some delves. If you want to be part of a larger campaign you are going to have to trat it like a campaign.
You mean a campaign like Xendrik Expeditions? ;)
The thing is that LFR isnt a "campaign" in the first place. My experience has been that people tend to rush through the interactions with NPCs because they (the NPCs) simply cease to exist at the end of any given mod and there really is no ongoing campaign-like plot here. Since there really isnt any continuity, and it is specifically designed this way so people can choose to play anywhere, why not fully support that mentality and let people join any given mod with a level appropriate character? People who want to keep the same character can and people who want to join a level 7 mod can do that too.
The RPGA will never have a LIVING campaign like Xen'Drik Expeditions - with level bumps and the like. Living campaigns are all about letting your character "live" its way through the campaign - earning what you earn, no more, no less.
What you're asking about is a "D&D Campaigns" style RPGA campaign.
There are no currently announced plans for such a campaign. I hold out hope that we might see something of that sort in 2010 - and I know others who enjoy Eberron AND the "D&D Campaign" style of play who hope for the same.
I suggest giving your feedback via Customer Service (http://www.wizards.com/customerservice) if you'd like to put your support such a concept.
Unless you have a bunch of PCs already or a ton of play opportunities, i dont' see how you have ground through the same mods over and over.
If you truly have and your group is sick of it, take the time to try out another game. New mods will be coming out and you can pick up where you left off.
What you're asking about is a "D&D Campaigns" style RPGA campaign.
There are no currently announced plans for such a campaign. I hold out hope that we might see something of that sort in 2010 - and I know others who enjoy Eberron AND the "D&D Campaign" style of play who hope for the same.
I suggest giving your feedback via Customer Service (http://www.wizards.com/customerservice) if you'd like to put your support such a concept.
Thanks for the link. I think the format of LFR is a bit of a hurdle for a great number of players, preventing them from even picking up RPGA games, and supporting an alternative to the so-called "liviing" format may draw more people in.
Unless you have a bunch of PCs already or a ton of play opportunities, i dont' see how you have ground through the same mods over and over.
If you truly have and your group is sick of it, take the time to try out another game. New mods will be coming out and you can pick up where you left off.
For me, the issue is having a specific pool of players/DMs in the area and dealing with what they want to run or play in. A majority of the players at the store i game at do LFR as opposed to home campaigns and lately the issue of the higher level mods being released soon has come up. The DMs have specifically mentioned re-running old mods on certain dates just so people can make new characters and so we would have a way for new players to enter LFR. I admit that i dont DM LFR, so im not really sure exactly how many mods there are available and how many can be run in any given region (or however it works, exactly). All i know is that there has been a lot of talk about the necessity of re-running mods at the store i am at.
Ive sort of given up hope of seeing an ongoing plotline for characters to be involved with over the course of weeks, months or years, but that is ok. I except that the open-ended format of living games makes this difficult if not impossible to achieve. Repeating low level games just to catch up a character with what level mods everyone else is playing seems like an issue that is easily fixable though, if not in LFR then perhaps in the next RPGA campaign, be it Eberron or otherwise. When the newer, higher-level mods come out in the near future, i dont want to be SOL because people are only running level 5+ mods on certain weeks and i want to play whatever new race just came out in Dragon.
If you offer to help judge and/or order adventures for the local events, you have 100% control over the schedule.
Conversely, if you show up to play, get your mods in, and take off, then you'll have zero control over what gets played when.
There is a whole wide spectrum in the middle where your influence is greater or lesser.
For me, the issue is having a specific pool of players/DMs in the area and dealing with what they want to run or play in. A majority of the players at the store i game at do LFR as opposed to home campaigns and lately the issue of the higher level mods being released soon has come up.
The highest level modules that have been released so far are for levels 7-10 and they have been out for a few months now. The earliest that we will see levels higher than that is four months down the road and as far as I know, those are not even confirmed.
The DMs have specifically mentioned re-running old mods on certain dates just so people can make new characters and so we would have a way for new players to enter LFR.
Correct me if I am wrong, but this sound like all your DMs are running adventures of the same level every week for the same groups of players. If so, their problems are of their own making. I know in my local community, we (and I am a DM) run at least three games a week and at least one of those is always a level 1-4. The result of this is that we see at least one or two new players every week and have built up a community of characters and players.
I admit that i dont DM LFR, so im not really sure exactly how many mods there are available. All i know is that there has been a lot of talk about the necessity of re-running mods at the store i am at.
By my count, there are 15 standard 1-4 modules, three double or triple size modules (ADAP1-1, ADAP 1-5 and SPEC 1-1) and Scepter Tower (ADAP 1-2) which will take you from level 1 to level 5 all by itself. These are open to be played by anyone, anywhere. Now, it's not impossible that as a group, your community has played everything. However, I find it... unlikely that every player has played all or even most of those. Also, starting next month there are new 1-4 adventures coming out. And even if you need to replay one or two of your favorites with a different character, take the chance to see it from a different angle and a different DM.
With a few situational exceptions, I've never found the 'replay problem' to ever actually be a problem except with people who are trying to make it one. This usually revolves around DMs or groups who were big fans of Living Greyhawk and, for whatever reasons, don't agree with the changes LFR made to make modules more open and accessible to players. Some of these groups try and run the LFR modules by the same types of schedules and limitations they would have run LG modules by and this just doesn't work. Now, I have no idea if this applies to your case but it is something I have seen and tends to be a factor in situations where DMs/organizers are overly sensitive about replaying adventures.
I've sort of given up hope of seeing an ongoing plotline for characters to be involved with over the course of weeks, months or years
Well, don't give up hope quite yet. There is a wonderful little plotline and high stakes adventure that runs through CORE1-3, 1-4 and 1-7. My players had a wonderful time following the connections and building to the conclusion. The CORM and MOON and DRAG adventures also do an excellent job of building on past modules. And, last but not least, if you have a day to devote to an epic run through SPEC1-1 and its sequel SPEC1-2 are double-length modules with big risks and a strong plot. Yes, many of the modules out there are basically monster-of-the-week but there is story and plot and involvement around if your DMs are paying attention.
When the newer, higher-level mods come out in the near future, i dont want to be SOL because people are only running level 5+ mods on certain weeks and i want to play whatever new race just came out in Dragon.
Like I said above, if your local DMs are only running the latest-and-greatest of modules then there is your problem. Talk with them. Find out if they plan or organize their adventures between each other or make use of a forum somewhere. Get involved and make suggestions on the types of adventures you want them to run. Get a friend interested and at the end of a game session ask the DM if they would be wiling to run a 1-4 next week so that you can bring a new player along. There are solutions to the problems that you are seeing that lay very close to home.
I know its too late to change thins now since we are 4 quarters in. But I would have preferred to seen them hold off on the campaign until January of this year. Let LG die off at the end of Last year and kick it off with the new campaign January of this year. They could have had the writers in the regions writing so that there were 3 or 4 low level modules available by January. And had we had metaregions you could have had 9 to 12 or more low level modules in a region and metaregion. You could get more into the quests etc.
Its just my opinion. I just dont feel the connection anymore.
Correct me if I am wrong, but this sound like all your DMs are running adventures of the same level every week for the same groups of players. If so, their problems are of their own making. I know in my local community, we (and I am a DM) run at least three games a week and at least one of those is always a level 1-4. The result of this is that we see at least one or two new players every week and have built up a community of characters and players.
I think pretty much everything ive seen run so far here is for level 1-4. We have a group of over a dozen that shows up regularly every week to play LFR, so we do have a community of players. People have been talking about starting to run higher level mods soon and while id like to play the same mods that all my friends are, my character has become pretty boring (im finding the battelrager that never ends an encounter with less hp that he starts with getting old) and i dont relish the thought of having to start from scratch just to grind my way up to the same level as everyone else as quick as i can just to play with my friends. There is also the fact that if a 1-4 mod isnt being run on any particular game day, its literally impossible for me to bring anyone new in (and yes, i could DM a 1-4 every week but id actually like to play).
With a few situational exceptions, I've never found the 'replay problem' to ever actually be a problem except with people who are trying to make it one. This usually revolves around DMs or groups who were big fans of Living Greyhawk and, for whatever reasons, don't agree with the changes LFR made to make modules more open and accessible to players. Some of these groups try and run the LFR modules by the same types of schedules and limitations they would have run LG modules by and this just doesn't work. Now, I have no idea if this applies to your case but it is something I have seen and tends to be a factor in situations where DMs/organizers are overly sensitive about replaying adventures.
I havent heard anyone griping about changes from LG, so i doubt this is the issue in my case. In fact, most people at the store seem content to play whatever is being offered at any given time.
Well, don't give up hope quite yet. There is a wonderful little plotline and high stakes adventure that runs through CORE1-3, 1-4 and 1-7. My players had a wonderful time following the connections and building to the conclusion. The CORM and MOON and DRAG adventures also do an excellent job of building on past modules. And, last but not least, if you have a day to devote to an epic run through SPEC1-1 and its sequel SPEC1-2 are double-length modules with big risks and a strong plot. Yes, many of the modules out there are basically monster-of-the-week but there is story and plot and involvement around if your DMs are paying attention.
Continuing plotline would be nice. Ive probably played in around 10 LFR games since its has come out and have yet to experience any actual ties between the mods, at least any that i was able to pick up on. Living games are not my preference since my experience has been that the format leads to players and DMs downplaying roleplay (why care about NPCs when they will cease to exist for your character after this mod and nothing about your character's background is written into any adventure you play?) but i play LFR because its the only way to get enough people together every week to have a game. Having a "real" ongoing campaign with lots of recurring NPCs and plotlines would be great.
Like I said above, if your local DMs are only running the latest-and-greatest of modules then there is your problem. Talk with them. Find out if they plan or organize their adventures between each other or make use of a forum somewhere. Get involved and make suggestions on the types of adventures you want them to run. Get a friend interested and at the end of a game session ask the DM if they would be wiling to run a 1-4 next week so that you can bring a new player along. There are solutions to the problems that you are seeing that lay very close to home.
If i can convince the people that i actually enjoy playing with to start over at level 1 when i feel like starting a new character, then ill be golden. ;)
I think at this point im just going to have to try to start a traditional campaign and get it certified with the RPGA in order to draw some folks away from LFR. I mean, they all seem to play at the same store every week so why not just run something with a continguous plot? Hopefully if i can get some of the RPGA'ers into running ongoing campaigns, ill get to play what i want with who i want while being able to introduce new players, even if the game is higher level. Im really hoping that the next RPGA game using the old Xendrik set-up to make things easier though.
Continuing plotline would be nice. Ive probably played in around 10 LFR games since its has come out and have yet to experience any actual ties between the mods, at least any that i was able to pick up on. Living games are not my preference since my experience has been that the format leads to players and DMs downplaying roleplay (why care about NPCs when they will cease to exist for your character after this mod and nothing about your character's background is written into any adventure you play?) but i play LFR because its the only way to get enough people together every week to have a game. Having a "real" ongoing campaign with lots of recurring NPCs and plotlines would be great.
no offence to anyone here
but home games will always be more intimate than rpga games
home games are like the dinner that your mother/wife prepares for you. You know the person who cooks and the person who cooks knows your taste
rpga games are going out to a fast food restaurant for dinner. The food is more generic as you have to please more people. But it is convenient
another analogy will be like making love to your wife versus a courtesan
Continuing plotline would be nice. Ive probably played in around 10 LFR games since its has come out and have yet to experience any actual ties between the mods, at least any that i was able to pick up on.
All of the plotlines run between level bands. So a story from the 1-4 adventure gets picked up in the 4-7 adventure and then has the big payoff in the 7-10.
All of the plotlines run between level bands. So a story from the 1-4 adventure gets picked up in the 4-7 adventure and then has the big payoff in the 7-10.
Is its supposed to be one specific 1-4 mod tying into a specific 4-7 mod and so on? Or is a more general thing where some of the NPCs from the earlier mods tie into various higher level mods?
Is its supposed to be one specific 1-4 mod tying into a specific 4-7 mod and so on?
I believe that's the idea, yes.
All of the plotlines run between level bands. So a story from the 1-4 adventure gets picked up in the 4-7 adventure and then has the big payoff in the 7-10.
Except that Dale 1-2 connects to 1-4, and both are 4-7.