What Gives a Game Staying Power?
Settings and systems that are still finding an audience with younger players some thirty or better years after their initial releases can be said to have staying power. I think if the game developer put their hearts and souls into the project then their game is likely to have it. For a game to have a long life, it should get support from the developers. That may be in the form of supplements, maps, or answering questions about errata. I am old enough to remember that even before the days of the internet that player feedback and developer interaction was a must for the games that stuck around.
We can look at editions in a positive light as continuing to refine and support a setting that people love by tweaking a game mechanic or feature that may feel dated in today's world.
What gives a game..as in my campaign...staying power? Finding players that are available to play consistently, and hopefully being able to give them something to do. At a live table as long as the friends are friends, there's more to game night than just the game, so if you're kind of slogging through a session, at least you get to see everyone and have fun. At the virtual table...a bad outing or two might be all it takes to breakup the group. There needs to be plenty of things to do, and each session needs to seem different enough to keep the game interesting. Your players also need to feel like they are growing: leveling up, learning a new ability or spell, finding a weapon, making an impact on the world and hopefully progressing through the story will be enough to keep them coming back for more.
Settings and systems that are still finding an audience with younger players some thirty or better years after their initial releases can be said to have staying power. I think if the game developer put their hearts and souls into the project then their game is likely to have it. For a game to have a long life, it should get support from the developers. That may be in the form of supplements, maps, or answering questions about errata. I am old enough to remember that even before the days of the internet that player feedback and developer interaction was a must for the games that stuck around.
We can look at editions in a positive light as continuing to refine and support a setting that people love by tweaking a game mechanic or feature that may feel dated in today's world.
What gives a game..as in my campaign...staying power? Finding players that are available to play consistently, and hopefully being able to give them something to do. At a live table as long as the friends are friends, there's more to game night than just the game, so if you're kind of slogging through a session, at least you get to see everyone and have fun. At the virtual table...a bad outing or two might be all it takes to breakup the group. There needs to be plenty of things to do, and each session needs to seem different enough to keep the game interesting. Your players also need to feel like they are growing: leveling up, learning a new ability or spell, finding a weapon, making an impact on the world and hopefully progressing through the story will be enough to keep them coming back for more.
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