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Though Zack was talking eagerly about playing 3.5e versions of our old 2e characters in the Skellwoods…

I took care of the first challenge (ever expanding number of players) by starting up a “generic” D&D campaign in January. I developed it in a way to handle new people coming in mid-game and I started to mentor several would-be GMs to take over. After eight months we now have two on-going groups.

The second challenge (finding better rules) was accomplished when True20 came out this Spring. Its similarity to D20 means a short learning curve for the players and we can continue to use all the D&D books we own as inspiration.

While I have lost several of the key players from the first OA session, the good news is after finishing a recent True20 one-shot, most of the players jumped at the chance for the restarted OA.

We’re re-launching it a week from this Friday.

Yee-haw!

I’ll use the Star Wars Trilogy as an example. In Star Wars the story is put on hold at a point where the Rebels have won a major victory. The Empire hasn’t been defeated, but we know that there has been a shift in the ‘good versus evil’ theme at the core of the film.

Then in The Empire Strikes Back the Empire, umm, strikes back. The plot is moved forward for the trilogy, our characters have been changed, and again there is a shift in power with the Empire showing those Rebel scum who’s boss. It isn’t a cliff hanger ending, because the story has reached a point where even though the protagonists haven’t faced the ultimate challenge they have been changed and we recognize that as an audience. Even Han Solo being frozen in carbonite isn’t a cliff hanger ending because we are told that he is still alive and more or less unharmed.

Then in the finale of Return of the Jedi the power shifts once and for all in favor of the Rebels (as far as the films are concerned). The campaign is over, the Jedi have won, the Empperor is kaput, and we all get an Ewok of our very own . . .

Now the reason this trilogy of films is so great is because each piece can stand on its own. You can see just the second part of the trilogy and get a complete story. All the characters are re-introduced in the beginning of Empire, and it ends with a sense of closure even though there is still a bigger battle on the horizon.

Now take a film like The Matrix Reloaded. Neo is suddenly struck down unexpectedly, a killer is brought on board unbeknownst to anyone, and the last human city is about to be attacked in the very near and immediate future. A typical cliff hanger ending. Great if you know you are going to see the next film, terrible if you may not.

Putting a campaign on indefinite hold should be done at a point where all of the issues aren’t resolved, but where your PCs recognize that there has been a turning point in the campaign. Maybe for the worse, maybe for the better, but if the PCs were to end the game right then and there they could still say something like “And it ended with the sealing of the gateway used by the invading demon hordes. The Grand Evil Poobah of Xanadu was still on the loose, but a serious blow had been struck for the mighty Fez Wearers of Justice!”. You just don’t get that kind of encapsualtion with a cliff hanger ending, and since this campaign is being put on indefinite hold you have to plan for the campaign never being picked up again.