Mini-Campaigns

So, I expect my D&D campaign to end by the end of 2004 or so, and from time to time I think of what I'm likely to do after that. (Not that I have any basis making a decision, mind you.)

One thought that comes to mind is that there are lots and lots of games I'd like to try. Another thought that comes is that there's a real appeal to running a good pre-built campaign, without so much work to do in the GM's seat.

The juxtaposition of this made me think of running or playing short campaigns or long adventures, spending a few months with one game before trying another one. Special consideration would be given to games for which I could buy a campaign or big adventure, particularly one that represents the game well. (For example, I consider The Sunless Citadel to be quite a good example of D&D--it's got a nice mixture of dungeon-crawling combat and opportunities for roleplay and social interaction.)

Here's an alphabetized list of some games I'd be interested in sampling in this sort of format, with possible adventures in parentheses where I can name them:

- Arcana Unearthed (The Sunless Citadel) - this is an alternative construction of D&D, broken up along different lines. It would be interesting to see how it compares to standard D&D--and a D&D module would be rules-compatible.
- Adventure! - gung-ho cinematic pulp roleplaying. I'm particularly interested in the dramatic editing rules.
- Buffy, the Vampire Slayer - I'm interested in whether the hero point rules really succeed in letting normals have fun alongside heroes. There's a sample adventure in the book, but I might want more.
- Call of Cthulhu (several campaigns available) - I'm not actually super-taken by CoC, but it's a style of roleplaying I haven't explored much, and there are campaigns available.
- Castle Falkenstein - Victorian adventure roleplaying with an unusual card-based mechanic. I have all the books, but I don't quite care for the details of the setting. But it seems like it should be a lot of fun if I can only figure out how to make it so.
- Exalted - cinematic high-powered fantasy goodness.
- Gamma World - I never played the previous versions, but I've been quite impressed with what I've heard of the new edition of the game. There is a sample adventure on the web site.
- Nobilis - I find the concept of such vivid, high-powered gaming fascinating, but I'm at something of a loss to know what I'd do with the game.
- Unknown Armies - Kind of like Call of Cthulhu, but with a lot more action and a very different cosmology. I'm really taken by the magic system.

That's far more than enough to keep me for a long time. But it would of course be terribly preliminary to make any decision at all at this point.

Piratical

gwenix kindly took a picture in my fancy outfit:

In this there is all wisdom.

From this thread on RPGnet, on page 9.

Includes with Baxic set is autographed self-portrait of me. You may ask, why you wear sunglasses in picture crabe, you think your cool? I don't "think" I'm "cool" I KNOW I'm BADASS. And those aren't sunglasses. Tehy are TWO eyepatches. That how badass I am.

D&D Oct-22-03

It's time for the usual merciless critique of my D&D game. Monica has kindly written a summary of the action of the game at http://www.livejournal.com/users/ralphmelton/151141.html.

( This got very long... )