Campaign types/lengths

First of all this post was inspired by the guys at D20 source so go check um out.

So in that article he goes over campaign lengths and gives the different campaign lengths and the reasons to use them.

He points out the

1. one-shot
2. mini-series
3. level arc
4. and full blown

What I wanted to do is compare these styles to a TV show that you might know so you can get a point of reference.

Shows like Stargate SG-1 and star trek are basically one shots with occasional mini-series to “wrap up the season” Of course these are examples of one-shots with recurring characters, but you dont have to do that.

A mini-series is like, well a mini-series. Its not that long maybe 3-5 episodes long with a self contained story. Think of of mini-series you have enjoyed before.

A level arc is longer and it seems like a Buffy season to me. You know there is a new bad guy every season and by the end its all wrapped up. Thats not to say that things don’t carry over, because you could combine these with  something like a mini-series to return to those characters if you had fun.

The full blown 1-30 full level range would be something like LOST where everything since the beginning is building to the huge end. Every episode(session) is building to that end.

Hope you enjoyed that look at a comparison from TV to your D&D campaign.

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