Descent Into Failure.

 I guess if you play enough campaigns you are going to meet with failure eventually. I gravitate toward games offering campaigns because first off, I have just outlaid the cash and want to get my money's worth. Bought games played only once leave me, well sad, self-deprecating, unfulfilled and frustrated. fortunately, today with all the gamers putting in their two cents worth on the net it so much easier to make a right choice. Secondly like most thematic gamers you put in a lot of time painting the figures, preparing the backstory to share and then setting aside and organising the time to play the scenarios. Now here is the kicker. Just because you feel this way doesn't mean the players share your overall enthusiasm. I have in the past not considered the players wants enough. It's on me.

Case in point was my Descent 2nd edition campaign from 2018. I did all the pregame work, gave the players all the background story to read prior to play. What could go wrong? Now to understand why this game failed to get past act 1 of 9 scenarios you have to realise that there is no such thing as a short game of Descent. Now some of the scenarios are straight forward kill em all's or fetch quests and last only an hour or two. Others can take up to three plus hours if you haven't already abandoned them as undoable quests. All the players had not read the story material they just turned up to play the scenario as one offs. I was hoping to get act 1 finished in two long days of gaming (with breaks I am not that much of a monster), but the play bogged down due to player fatigue and frustration with dead-end play. They could not appreciate the overall story arc and how their actions fit within it, win or lose. The players dispersed to the various corners of NSW that they had set out from never to return (to this game). So disappointed and apologetic I packed the game up and tried to forget about it. However, I couldn't because I had invested so much and had actually enjoyed it.

There was no way I could induce that group back again and so after finding a set of rules to solo the actions I set out to play Act 2's 9 scenarios to finish to a satisfactory (not a brilliant) conclusion. I enjoyed the campaign for what it was but was disappointed that it did not end as a group experience. It certainly felt like I had missed something special.

Lessons Learnt: If you really want to play that game, ensure others do as well and to the level you want as not all games are best as solo experiences.

In A Blur They Were Upon Us.

The Fickle Finger Of Fate We Had Heard So Much About Takes A Hand.

Act 11 completed Solo, Ohh The Shame Of Failure.