NWN Campaigns - Dungeons and Dragons Online Roleplaying Using Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2

I used to do retrospective posts after each year of the campaign, but I suppose that after the fifth or sixth time it just seemed less necessary to me. Nowadays the holiday screenshot cards in some respects replace that, providing a visual summary of the year's events with some tailoring to each PC's perspective.

I won't ruminate much on the actual events of the campaign - I still hope to tackle updating the Campaign Chronicles in the next month - but do feel that the ten-year anniversary of the Westgate Campaign deserves to be noted as a major milestone.

As I mentioned in-game, I didn't expect the campaign to last this long. Truthfully I didn't expect that computers today would still be able to run NWN, released in 2002, although I could have gotten around any obsolescence, at least for a while, by using an older computer as the host.

More importantly, what has kept me going for these 10 years as the DM/builder has, of course, been the players. I can still feel pride at seeing the lineup from the first game, which included some outstanding folks from the NWN community, or at least the corner of it that I knew well. Jaokith of course gets the nod as the only player who has gone the entire distance from February 8, 2004 - and with his original PC, who has never died in the campaign - viewtopic.php?f=59&t=825

I'm not sure if this campaign holds the record for longest single campaign running in the NWN community - although I don't know what else would - but it would not be alive today if it were not for the alternately noble, crafty, brave, foolish, calculating and quirky PCs (and their players) who populate it. Westgate is a different kind of place, deliberately created with a persistent world feel and for players who want their PCs to live in it, not just game in it. Perhaps that's part of why it has lasted so long.

Thanks to all the players who have made this possible, especially to the current lineup - viewtopic.php?f=59&t=739. In the end, Westgate will continue to be alive as long as people want to keep playing.

I think we all keep showing up for the same reason, and for me, that reason is in very large part, due to the DM and his damnably devious plots. That being said, the DM has never ramrodded his players and lets us dance merrily along the way to our demise. Players have come and gone over the years, and every year recently, I contemplate giving the game up. Then I rethink it and kick Rahnee in the butt, along with myself, and try to refocus my place in the game.

I have not said much about the medical problems I have over and above the back pain. I also have Fibromyalgia which is a neurological disease which causes intense pain and fatigue, among other things, and I have dealt with various aspects of the Fibro for more than 50 years. One of the biggest problems I have is the impact on my mental capabilities. It has gotten more and more difficult over the last year for me to pull things from memory. For example, in one of the last games, I could not remember the name of Rahnee's goddess. I don't think anywhere near as fast as I used to. Let me assure you, it sucks and is the primary reason why I don't DM any more. I cannot keep up with the incredible caliber of players I had in my three year old campaign. Life, however, does move along and my husband is very grateful to Charles' game because he says it helps me stay grounded and engaged.

The co-players here are equally as skilled as many I have ever met and I have fun once I get in game. So, for that, I thank you all. I have failed Charles in many respects in this game and the auxilliary NWN community. I am very sorry for that, Charles, and I deeply wish it had been different.

I really didn't intend to whine when I started this post, but I am serious about this: You all rock!!! Let the game continue.

You're welcome Charles. Like it has been said, "Time flies when you're having fun"

And thank you for all the effort you put into it. I really appreciate all the work you have done so Aerikoth can do things outside what the game engine allows.

And also, thanks to all the players past and present that have contributed to the campaign. I hope it goes for another ten years.

And if it does last another decade then Aerikoth will have to get that Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion spell.

All those years wasted playing fighter types... Wizards have it made. As always, I am very happy to be a part of this campaign.

Shana - thanks for the sentiments and for sharing your situation. I do want to emphasize that you've never failed me (or anyone) in this game, and what occurred with the DMFI (already heading into retirement by that point) was certainly not on your shoulders. It's also worth noting that the DM would not be able to get by without his reference books and notes, relying on memory is not reliable!

Jaokith - should Aerikoth get to that point, I expect that Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion spell will be able to be found in-game - somewhere - for a price...