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Voldecanter
2009-01-03, 11:02 AM
What was the best Campaign you have ever played and why ? What made the "Epic" Feel come out ?

Artanis
2009-01-03, 11:31 AM
A History of Violence (that justifies my Artifact background).

It was an Exalted campaign, so there was already plenty of Epic, but even beyond that, the ST had a real talent for creating NPCs. It lasted for quite some time, and that time was full of NPCs that make stuff from "most memorable enemies" lists look like generic Wal-Mart crap. Even the mooks were memorable.

Prometheus
2009-01-03, 11:54 AM
The one that I planned the least for. I just kept on pulling conflicts from the past history and it worked out great actually. The part leveled from 1 to 17, and than I had a level 24 epilogue. Another thing going for me was the number of players, in this case 5-7, which meant the characters left strong impressions on the plot, rather than anything I could dream up myself. I also managed to have amusing plot twists and an overarching theme without trying too hard at it. Compare this to a later game in which I tried to force a plot down their throats, my players really appreciated the prior sandbox feel.

Berserk Monk
2009-01-03, 04:45 PM
It was one that was like five years ago. I had an elven wizard. Back then I was just getting into D&D so I was trying out every class to see which I liked best. I've learned since then I make good warriors and I stick with them, but that campaign was my best just because it was the longest: I went from level 1 to 5; yeah, I haven't been in too many serious campaigns.

Grail
2009-01-04, 12:02 AM
I've played in very few actual campaigns. I am the DM/GM/Storyteller/Whatever, and I understand that this is my lot in life.

Saying that, I've run some pretty good campaigns. The best that I've run would have been a SLA Industries game. The campaign probably went for around 2.5 years in real time. It started off with the SLA System, and then we converted to GURPS.

The campaign was actually 5 campaigns.
1/ SLA Operatives
2/ Street Kids
3/ Thresher Pilots
4/ Sleeper SHIVERs
5/ Back to Original SLA Operatives

The game began with the Operatives performing normal BPN's (missions), and gradually building up their SCL (Security Clearance Level). Eventually they were sent on a mission to an abandoned Atmospheric Processing Plant. This is where things started to turn bad for the characters. The Operatives came across a rival organisation trying to perform some kind of flux-experiment, they were trying to syphon spirit entities known as Furies from The White. Eventually, the group came across more and more of these factions, they fought for some, against some, and didn't know whos side they were on.

In the middle of it the campaign, were the 3 mini-campaings. The Street Kids campaign had the players take on the role of, well, street kids in a lower Downtown area. The campaign began in the midst of a raging battle between SLA forces and insurgents. The kids tried to survive as well as escape the battlefield that was a number of city-blocks. On the way, they came across a deserted APC. Choosing to quickly loot it, they were interrupted by some Operatives and fled. The Operatives opened fire, cutting down one of the kids and then there was a flash of light and the kids ended up 5 years into the future. The cut-down kid was still alive at this point. They discovered that the World of Progress had changed. Mr Slayer was dead, the planetary order was in turmoil. They joined the MLF (Mort Liberation Front) and fought against the Ebons and Necanthropes who had taken over. The final session saw them attacking a rehabilitaion facility. The group came across NPCs who were very similar to old Operative characters. Eventually, the group were dragged back into the real time zone and the shot kid died to his wounds and the rest were captured.

The Thresher Pilot campaign took place 5 years before the original campaign, and saw the characters off-world on an Aggriculture World. They found that their cell was infiltrated by another faction that was working against the general purpose of Thresher Inc. Resorting to terrorist acts and not the normal military strikes, the characters ended up setting a major player in the main campaign free, a Dark Knight operative who they later found to be playing all sides.

The Sleeper SHIVER campaign saw the playes back in the real timeframe, on the border of Canibal Sector 1 towards the end of their tour of duty. They started doing normal SHIVER roles until they came across a gang war where a rogue Brain Waster Operative (RIFT, an old PC of mine who had become an NPC in the first campaign), was invovled. He gave one of the SHIVERs some information to pass onto a couple Operatives (the main PCs), before he was killed by a rogue Necanthrope. The SHIVER with the information fled the scene and got the information to the PCs (played by me as NPCs) before he too was killed, but he managed to destroy the information first.

Finally, the players picked up their original PCs. They joined the Militia at one stage after being demoted from being Operatives though they continually fought against the factions vying for control of the furies (they thought there were about 3 factions - there were 8). Eventually, the characters realised their error and tried to make ammends, but it was too late. Black Chapter had been sent to hunt them down and exterminate them. Three characters survived to the final session where they were brought before Mr Slayer himself. He thanked them for their efforts as Operatives and told them that there service though was no longer required. They were all executed for sedition.

The players still talk fondly of this game. They still don't know entirely what was happening, but know that they made a number of errors of judgement.

There was some really freaky things that happened in this game. The most freaky was when the player whos kid was shot ended up being the player of the Operative that shot him, completley not realising what he had done.

Lots of great annecdotes came from it.
"Bob Smoots bad day", where everything that could go wrong did go wrong and ended with Bob Smoot being shot by a civilian with a CAF pistol and bleeding to death.

"The Mobile Telephone incident", turning a cellphone on, dialling a number and then intending to throw it past a power suit (SARGE) so that the suits sensors tracked the electrcial device, one of the players was intending to use the diversion to attach a shaped charge to the suit. However the phone hit the suit in the middle of the back of the head and alerted the suit to her presence.

"Static Atmospheric Anomoly", the first time the characters were in the Atomospheric Processing Plant (the went there like 5 times), a prisoner they caught was attacked by a number of Furies and dessicated. The characters were monitoring motion detectors and seeing things on their equipment but not with their naked eyes. When the blips stopped acting random and charged the prisoner, dessicating him, the group freaked and fled. 'Maybe it was a Static Atmospheric Anomoly?'...... 'That was NOT weather!!!'

"You've got to take a look at this", in the Processing plant, the Frother (combat junkie on combat drugs) finds a living pillar writhing with souls. Jacked up on drugs he thinks it is cool. One of the other characters inquires as to what is in the room that the Frother has investigated, to which he replies with 'You've got to take a look at this!'. The Wraith Raider character (skittish cat-like creatures) is never the same afterwards.

Klaz Eidron
2009-01-04, 05:14 PM
Mine was a sandbox-style game too... in GURPS (Poor GM, but all of us had fun, I think) it was set in a space western setting that ripped off resembled "Cowboy Bebop." It was almost a constant rotatory between Crowning Moments of Awesome and Crowning Moments of Funny.

Psychosis
2009-01-04, 10:00 PM
I feel a little narcissistic listing a campaign I ran, but I'm certain this was fun all-around. The players assured me it was fun to play, and they made it fun to run.

The whole campaign essentially revolved around an order of assassins, who served as the antagonizing force. I got to make some unique villains out of this (being a prestige class, I got to make an assassin for every class besides paladin) and for a while it revolved around killing the order off one-by-one whilst attempting to thwart their plans.

The PCs were the best part of running the game though. All were memorable, and they got pretty creative at times. One I would like to point out was the party fighter, who I shall refer to as Fafnir. Fafnir's player seems to subscribe to the Kamina School of Badass, as just about everything he did could constitute as a Crowning Moment of Awesome. A few examples:

-Leaping from a castle to hack an airborne enemy in two. The roll itself was a crit, and I earlier ruled that falling damage would be added to the attack. He killed the enemy and actually survived the fall despite having just come from a lengthy fight with one of the assassins.

-Sundered the spiked chain used by an enemy. Sounds pretty plain on its own, but up until then he was getting his ass kicked by that chain (tripping and combat reflexes.) That he basically wasted the guy two rounds after destroying that chain only made it all the more awesome.

-Jumping on an airborne Wyvern, killing the rider, killing the Wyvern itself and guiding the plummeting body (through an extremely lucky strength check) so that it fell atop another enemy.

-Grabbing an enemy wizard's Rod of Negation and hurling it into her Sphere of Annihilation. That one actually managed to kill him.

The climax is the best remembered moment though. The party was pitted against a well-known religious figure of high standing (lvl 19 cleric), who was responsible for backing the assassins in the first place. I made this guy to be tough, but everyone absolutely struggled against him. Characters were either caught in some sort of Symbol spell, or getting pummeled by energy-draining undead, or else simply collapsing under his high-level touch spells.

All in all it was pretty sweet.

Thorcrest
2009-03-12, 03:56 PM
My Best Campaign was your campaign Ellardin, I would probably make it seem less than it is, so if you are wondering feel free to ask him.

Falling Out
2009-03-12, 05:28 PM
Setting: Eberron -> Sarlona
Lvl: 12 already at 13 and rising
Players: 6
Alignments: Variations of Lawful Evil
Quirks: No Spell-casters...only psionics


The game is set at the beginning of the Quori Invasion to dominate the continent. The players are the first Inspired. We are not using the race, not yet selectively bred, who can only channel the Q power occasionally (rarely).

I have broken everything into Chapters that correspond with a Province. The PC's need to infiltrate/conquest across finding ways to either gain allies or destroy resident powers/orgs.

Right now they are just finishing up Dor Maleer, having rebuild the City after the civil wars with their powers and married their telepath into the ruling council. They destroyed a Kalashar cult, broke the thieves guild, turned the surviving town guard, and quenched the local Silver Flame church (DM played with time-line).

Now they are heading to Kintam Mapin to stop a spreading threat to their new domain from the North. Then they will head east to Kintam Khel to stop a massive orcish siege to become the heroes of Nulakesh. Then further east to the coast to reclaim the forests from a shifter tribe.

Best Part:
The players are evil, subversive, and underhanded - but they MUST always act and seem like hailing heroes saving the masses through instating the glorious government of Riedra. They are simultaneously the first agents of the Dreaming Dark.

BlueWizard
2009-03-12, 05:31 PM
Though I mostly run as a DM, my favorite was a long time ago. I played a female priestess of Bahamut. What made it so great was the combination of great players, an experienced DM, and good PCs.

woodenbandman
2009-03-12, 09:00 PM
I don't really have a favorite campaign. I'm in a ravenloft AD&D campaign which is GREAT. The DM is really good at building conflict, and the other players are cool, particularly the priest of stone, who I swear one of these days I will emulate.

I'm also running a pirate game, and I don't know where that's going to go (or if at all), but I'm hoping that it'll be good.

Mendicant Bias
2009-03-12, 10:16 PM
Can't say I have a favorite campaign... the best one I can think of is the one where my heroes played for about seven sessions before they found out that their little town and the surrounding wilderness was actually inside of a massive worm. If memory serves, they escaped by diving into its acidic stomach to retrieve a potent, hefty tome with a single spell scrawled across hundreds of pages, which they delivered to the resident arch-mage and which he then used to tear the worm asunder. It had good players, and I had some of my best fights in that game, not to mention the roleplaying was superb.

Ovaltine Patrol
2009-03-12, 10:57 PM
The best campaign I've ever played, or at least my favorite one, took place from 1998-2000 and was a 2nd edition D&D game that got converted to 3.0 when it came out. We played the rules pretty loose, and some players floated in and out so that the core group was really three people with sometimes as many as eight. The core group was Gustavus van Bach, a Fighter; Mercy, a Ranger; and Alex of Primus, a Wizard (all humans). We were in boarding school, so we could frequently play two or three times a week, during the worst part of winter it was frequently four or more, so things got to be very high level.

The main story was kind of tricky because the heroes were employed by the primary villain, Davenorn, for a long time, and actually liked the guy. He had them explore all kinds of exotic locales, hunt down artifacts and various monsters, etc. As part of his unstated efforts to achieve ultimate power and dominion over the world.

There were all kinds of cool and silly things going on during the campaign, to cite a few: Gustavus got a caddy to carry his assortment of weapons around and suggest what weapon he use to slay beasts with, the party started traveling with a retinue of valets and attendants to make their expeditions more comfortable, Alex made a horizontal flying tower that was really a battering ram, Mercy gathered a band of like-minded amazons to humiliate a misogynistic king, they all competed to become the monarch of the Wemics, and got their bodies stolen by intelligent undead who craved to live again.

In the end though, they discovered Davenorn's true agenda and declined his offer to join them, on the basis that his Utopian ideals would make the world less fun and mysterious. Davenorn in turn, declined to give up his dreams, and so they ended up having a climactic final battle involving all the full, eight member party against Davenorn, his apprentices, constructs, elementals, mercenaries, and traps inside a giant automaton he had intended to cow the masses into submission with. The final duel was inspired by an episode of the Batman Animated Series: Davenorn confronted the survivors in a room full of churning machinery whose function and movements he knew to a fraction of a second. Effectively, he was able to move nearly effortlessly while the PCs had to avoid getting mauled, blasted with steam, magic sparks and toxic fumes.

Half the party survived the ordeal (though they were quickly resurrected), and in the end they elected to spare Davenorn who hadn't really yet hurt any goodly folk (besides the good members of the party), but they exiled him to Sigil on pain of death if he returned. At that point, I let them tell their own epilogues, which ran the gamut of "achieving supreme magical power," to "spiking the wine in the Sultan's harem with philters of love and running off with an army of babes," and even the humble "start an adventurer's guild with accompanying tavern."