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On-going Campaigns, Part 1 Profile by Jay Watamaniuk
What is your experience with NWN?Venture: My experience is a great example of how anyone can get started in a multiplayer campaign. I started playing solo through the official campaign when the game was released before transitioning into sporadic play on persistent worlds (which I still enjoy from time to time). After owning the game for ten months, I finally discovered Neverwinter Connections, a player-matching site, and tentatively stuck my toe in the water by joining "one-shot" games that fit my schedule. A player in one of those games, Bigbluepaw, urged me to dungeon master a module with him. Bigbluepaw and I ran some players through a series of modules downloaded from Neverwinter Vault. Playing out that series gave me the confidence to start my own campaign, which I had been tinkering with in the toolset since the release of Neverwinter Nights. That campaign has been running since March of 2004, although we are currently in a summer break. Can you explain how a NWN campaign typically works?
How is a campaign different from a PW?Venture: The most obvious difference between a campaign and a persistent world is one of scope. Whereas a campaign usually meets at a preset time and runs for a finite duration each session, persistent worlds are usually online 24/7 with no preset game time (although there are some campaigns that take place in some fantastic persistent worlds, on a regular schedule). In campaigns, you and your party-mates are the only players whose characters influence the game world. In a persistent world, there are often dozens or even hundreds of other players with whom to interact, and who impact the game world. What are the advantages and disadvantages to playing NWN in this way?Venture: Whether a factor is considered to be an advantage or disadvantage really comes down to personal preference. A common statement among players who enjoy campaign play is that they like that their characters can make a difference in the campaign world. This is certainly possible in persistent worlds, but it is much harder to do since you are "competing" with many other players for the attention of a dungeon master. In dungeon-mastered campaigns, the dungeon master usually only has one group of players to handle. Thus, a dungeon master can more readily alter events to reflect the players' actions. This can be done both in game, and between sessions in the toolset. In this regard, a Neverwinter Nights campaign is very similar to playing a weekly pen and paper campaign. Similarly, the less-than-hardcore player might find it easier for his or her character to be a significant factor in a campaign world, than is the case in a persistent world. In many persistent worlds, the player characters who become the most well known and the most powerful are usually the ones who are online the most. In campaigns, all players are generally on equal footing. The obvious disadvantages to campaigns is that they run only at set times, and the community is smaller than most persistent worlds'. If I am a new player or have never tried to play in a weekly/monthly campaign, how would I get started and where would I start?
Most new players have some apprehension about starting a campaign of their own. The best way to get started is to find some players and to simply start playing, even if it is not in a campaign. You do not need a dungeon master to do this. An ongoing thread at Neverwinter Connections lists modules that work well without a dungeon master. Even by playing a single, non-campaign module, you will get to know other players, discover what play style suits your tastes, and become comfortable with multiplayer Neverwinter Nights. The contacts you make and the confidence you gain can lead to bigger things in the future. Many campaigns had their genesis in single player sessions, either with many of the same players going on to participate in a campaign together, or by exposing a player to someone else who is recruiting for a campaign. Places to look for other players include the Player Connection Forum at Neverwinter Connections and the "NWN Want Ads" thread in the Bioware forums. If you don't see a game to your liking, start one yourself and announce it in one or both of those places. Neverwinter Connections can also be used to set up a game. By doing so, you will announce to the community the date and time of your game, as well as the type of game. The New Player's Guide to Neverwinter Connections will walk you through how to set up a game at Neverwinter Connections, and actually walks you through the steps of how to get your game up and running at game time. The bottom line is - don't be shy. The worst that can happen is that no players will respond and you won't be able to set up a game. More likely, you will find other players, and maybe even a dungeon master. You may also discover that you, or perhaps one of the other players, will decide to be a dungeon master instead. What sort of players would be interested in this style of play?Venture: The beauty of Neverwinter Nights is that it can accommodate many play styles. Thus, any type of player could be interested in a campaign, assuming you can find a like-minded group of players and DMs. Read closely any information provided by the campaign organizer to make sure that you know what type of campaign you're getting involved with. If you are setting up the campaign, make sure you are descriptive when recruiting players so that you find like-minded players. There are hack and slash campaigns, hard-core role-playing campaigns, and campaigns that run the gamut in between. There are medieval style campaigns, futuristic science fiction type campaigns, and campaigns based on different pieces of fiction. The bottom line is, look before you leap. ~
Related Links
Next week: Venture breaks down the different types of campaigns and offers some advice for fledgling DMs. Want to comment on this article or read what others have to say about it? Join the official discussion!
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Since NWN's release, the Neverwinter community has pushed the boundaries of the Toolset and DM Client to create a unique play style. This week and next we look at a more traditional use for Neverwinter Nights: the pen and paper type of on-going campaign where players gather regularly to play with the same group of friends and characters. In part one of this two part series, on-going campaign expert and community member Venture answers our questions about this intriguing gameplay style.
Venture: A campaign at its most basic level usually consists of a group of players, and often a dungeon master, who gather on a regular basis at a predetermined time to play Neverwinter Nights. For example, a dungeon master might host his or her campaign every Thursday night, for three hours, for the same group of six players. A campaign can be run without a dungeon master, however. If there is no dungeon master, the players select a module or modules to play through together. A campaign typically has some sort of theme that ties it together, such as a story, a series of modules, or a particular campaign world.
Venture: You can either try to join an existing campaign, or start your own, which is not as daunting as it sounds. The best place to find a new campaign is at Neverwinter Connections. The 
