Forgotten Realms Players Guide

required a bit more cunning and thought than “Greyhawk.” When Wizards of the Coast announced a “Living” campaign version of FR, I hoped it might fill the void left from the soon-to-end  “Living Arcanis” campaign. For those that are not familiar with Arcanis, it was very story oriented. In fact, there were entire adventures that had no combat…and they were fun! I had no illusions that the LFR modules’ storyline needed that level of role-playing, but I thought happy thoughts and started playing.

So, my heart filled with hope, I played several Living Forgotten Realms modules at various game stores, conventions and home games. I think I had a total of six or seven under my belt including the three “Weekend in the Realms” modules when I noticed the pattern.  Regardless of author, each module had some basic storyline, 2-4 encounters and some wrap-up text. When I say “basic storyline” I mean cliched and simplistic.  Kill bandits, rescue a princess or recover/deliver an item. I understand there are a finite number of plots for fantasy games, but at least try to add some spin to the old classics.  What story there was merely served to provide some “role-playing” fig leaves to the pre-programmed combat encounters.  My game play experience proceeded as follows:

• 15 minutes of story
• 3 hours, 30 minutes of combat or skill challenges
• 15 minutes of story

Nothing against the various DMs that ran the modules. There was simply not much there to work with.  I know that WOTC pitches LFR as “fun” and  easy to play, without a rigorous storyline that might be a barrier to entry, but they can do much better. Perhaps I suffered through a particularly bad batch of modules, but I doubt it.

Role-playing games are about story. Combat is a component of the story, it adds momentum and risk to the adventure, driving the plot.  Concentrating so heavily on the combat of “Dungeons and Dragons” is a disservice to the story and mind-numbing for the players.  Endless combat encounters with no story belong in the realm of the pure tactical wargames like “Warhammer,” not in a role-playing game.

I am disappointed that LFR has not met my expectations, more so because Arcanis and “Living Death” managed to put together good role-playing experiences in a 4-hour convention slot module with significantly fewer resources and backing. Poor storylines are not terminal  for the campaign, but it is an issue that should be addressed and soon. I will keep playing, hoping that the module quality improves as the campaign matures.

I will let you know how it goes.

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

What drives me insane is the predictable influx of  Drizzt wannabes that are sure to invade “LFR.”  All these angst-ridden, dual-sword wielding dark heroes with a heart are pathetic cliches, shadows of an iconic  “D&D” character. The players might have some backstory to justify the their Drow ranger. It might even sound plausible.

I do not care.

Role-playing is about originality and creativity. If you are such a fan-boy (or girl) that a Drizzt-copy is all you can come up with, turn in your geek card.

We must stand against this influx of Xeroxed-heroes.   I doubt players can kill players during the campaign, but there is another option.

Psychological warfare.

Heckle the player. Tease him (or her) about their “original” character. Make it known that his “homage ” is closer to a rip-off.

Point and laugh.

I am all for players creating whatever character they like. In fact, playing a Drow might be fun. I only ask that it be different, like a Drow rogue or fighter or a drunken proctologist.

You know, something original.

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

Most role-playing games are very local affairs. A DM and a few players play. They have their own “house rules” and gaming culture. Participating in a game in a new city means new house rules and a new gaming culture, even if the same world, such as Greyhawk or Arcanis is played. A “Living Campaign” (LC)  attempts to create a consistent game for all players, regardless of location. They tend to focus on public conventions or game days at game stores because of the marketing benefits to the publisher.

It is not uncommon for the publisher to create/manage an LC to sell more books. Either at game store events or conventions, nothing beats seeing large groups playing a game to sell more copies.

There are several campaigns, running the gamut from high-fantasy to cyberpunk, but they all share similiar charateristics. The most important being centralized “house rules.” A campaign website keeps track of which books are legal in the campaign, any errata for those books and usually a download repository of free  modules.

These modules often form a story-arc, just like a television show, complete with cliff-hanger endings. Most of them run in 4-8 hours, keeping them in line with the average time of a convention game slot. Arcanis is on year 6 of the campaign with the same story line!

Another key characteristic is XP tracking. Arcanis tracks XP like a regular home game. WOTC campaigns vary between a standard XP method and a modified version that runs online. They all function on the honor system, since it is trivially easy to cheat on your record keeping.

That, in a nutshell, is it. Bear in mind I am greatly simplifing the rules, and have not even mentioned the thriving and dedicated online communities for these games. The main Arcanis Battle Interactive ( a giant battle with multiple tables of gamers working together for a common goal) at the Origins convention regularly attracts upwards of 200 people. Some of whom fly in from Australia for the event!

Even if you never go to a convention, the free modules alone make checking out these organizations worthwhile.

I do not have the energy to do the research about getting started for each game, but here is a list of campaigns currently in operation or pending start. A Google search might turn up more. This is not a definitive list. Your local game store might have more information about them as well.

Living Arcanis ( Trask’s personal favorite)

Paizo’s Pathfinder ( still under development, has not started yet.)

“Wizards of the Coast” runs their campaigns ( Eberron, Living Greyhawk) through the RPGA website , complete with forums and a reward system for getting “reward cards” after playing X number of games.

Living Greyhawk ends in a few months. WOTC is moving on to a 4th Edition Living Forgotten Realms game.

Shadowrun Missions I have no first hand knowledge of this game, but it looks interesting.

There are several campaigns that are defunct and no longer active. The dead list includes:

Living Death

Living City (the first LC, as far as I know, started back in the mid 1980s)

Living Kingdoms of Kalamar

Legacy of the Green Regent

If you know of any other games, please post a comment with a link.

I hope you now have a better understanding of “Living Games” and their place in the gaming universe.

Drop me a comment if you have any questions.

Trask, the Last Tyromancer