"Successful campaign games?" Topic

As a former roleplayer, I like the idea of running persistent campaigns in a minis environment. What elements are required for a successful campaign game?

I've got World War 2 stuff and French-Indian War stuff incoming, and I'd like to cook up a campaign for either "genre" for longevity's sake, and for pure enjoyment.

Persistent characters are one aspect of a campaign, but what other features have folks included or are including in their campaigns now?

What rulesets are best used for long-playing games with different characters? I'm familiar with THWs All Things Zombie but have yet to play that one. From what I remember from studying the rules, it included a lot of features for a persistent game, including food, gasoline and random/recurring encounters with NPCs, changing stats and other things.

Have folks borrowed from ATZ or role playing games to include some flavor into their own worlds and campaigns? Have you taken a pure war game and come up with different tweaks to better support campaigning?

One idea I had was based on the Long Rifle rules by THW (haven't bought them yet) that are said to be "immersion gaming" rules. It evokes all sorts of ideas for campaigning the era, like playing out hunting trips (stalking deer and elk) with the combat rules, escorting civilians amons.g Native American lands, personal disputes, highwaymen, building shacks and eventually forts and possibly waging a war using Muskets & Mohawk rules. Finally, unleashing an undead curse on the land to expand the game into ATZ territory, or playing an alternate reality in zombie -land :)

I've had similar ideas concerning pirating, combining naval combat and land skirmishes into a storyline to be followed, and such things. No ideas for WW2 yet.

I'm sure many people have had successful campaigns and I'm curious to hear about your experiences and if possible, specifics about your game and ideas you implemented.

Since you have FIW figures and you are already familiar with THW rules, you should take a look at their rules for that time period. It has a great system for an ongoing campaign that allows you to develop the storyline of your characters with very little difficulty.

Just so you know, I see where you say you've seen these. I'm just confirming that they seem to me to be exactly the type of thing you're looking for.

Recurring characters. Who would you rather face:
1. Col. Leftkowitz, who you shot in his right arm during your last encounter. Who now has a personal vendetta against you. Who is well connected with higher authority, so he gets more reinforcements.
or 2. Col. Blah, commander of the unit you just happen to be facing today.

I suggest a cooperative play campaign against the gamesmaster just as in a RPG campaign.

It prevents the whole one side has lost badly and no longer wants to play.

I suggest a cooperative play campaign against the gamesmaster just as in a RPG campaign.

You can do that with THW without a game master and get great results. Here's a multi-game campaign played solo/same side and without a gamesmaster.

link

I have to get Long Rifle it seems :)

For WW2 etc my most successful campaigns have generally been linked scenario games of relatively short duration (no more than half a dozen battles) and some degree of carry over from previous engagements. Similar to the Skirmish Campaigns approach.

You actually stand a chance of finishing something short.

I have a much longer duration (years) one following a rifle company through NWE, which is aimed at players vs umpire RPG type stuff. They haven't even made it out of Normandy yet:) But again,more linked scenario stuff.

I'd say start small and go from there.

If you are already familiar with the THW stuff,their games are basically custom-made for this sort of thing.

As a campaign enthusiast and a Gamemaster myself, I will actually say that the secret to a successful wargame campaign is the direct opposite of what you want, as Martin stated above.

Most of my campaigns run 4 to 6 games. Anything longer and the enthusiasm peters out.

That said, I did run a long campaign using GASLIGHT rules, where the characters gained new skills and stats but there was less continuity in terms of their troops; in essence it was a narrative campaign, a series of skirmishes with a continuous storyline.

A narrative campaign, allowing for improvement of player's forces, flexible enough to allow players join/drop out any time, and all run by a GM; all these things form the recipe for succcess.

As an example, here's my Scifi Special Forces campaign:
link

Aside from creating my own stuff, THW seems to be the way to go for what I want from a game.

No one mentioned the use of maps specifically, but I think it would bring a sense of continuity to the table a lot better ("Here's our home base, this is enemy occupied zones." etc.).

Maybe I'll invest in some 15 mm FIW figures and print out a map and track all the military actions (from a book) to it, and start the game before the hostilities begin in Northern America. Then character creation, some hunting and facing off some enemy patrols, wildlife or Native American attacks for starters.

I want to invoke a sense of adventure, and I think the French-Indian War is a perfect setting for this. Untamed lands and "savages" too look out for, slowly progressing civilization and European armies trying to figure out how to wage war in thick wilderness. The ingredients of a great game are there.

THW has rules for many non-combat encounters that can be used for campaigns, ie between battles. They can be easily adapted for WW II, FIW or for any period. Several of the rules books have the "Chillin/Carousing" Encounter where the main characters can "go into town," meet NPCs, get job offers, get robbed, meet women, play cards, gamble, get drunk, find female companionship, barter, make life long friends, get into bar fights, even rules for attending a horse race, etc – all without a game master.