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A campaign is a continuing storyline in a game. In role-playing games, it is a set of adventures.[1]: 30  In video games, it may be a linked series of quests designed to tell a complete story.

In role-playing games

A campaign in a tabletop role-playing game is characterized by the following:

In video games

Campaigns with deep stories are typically found in single-player video games. Cooperative multiplayer video games may also have campaigns where players assist each other with a series of challenges or goals. Progressing through them together provides a coherent story.[4] Campaigns in video games often incorporate cutscenes to tell the story, breaking up the game into alternating interactive and non-interactive sequences.[5] In open world video games, campaigns usually consist of a series of linked quests that require players to travel to specific locations to continue the story. Players who dislike being forced to travel and complete specific quests may ignore the main story. In this sense, campaigns are the game's main story, as opposed to side quests. Heavily scripted video games that force players to progress linearly through the story may be called "on rails".[6]

Styles

Other names

Some published games have deliberately used different terms for the same concept. For instance, White Wolf uses the word Chronicle for its World of Darkness and Exalted games.[8] The Lego Group simply uses the word Story for its Lego video games.

References

  1. ^ Barton, Matt; Stacks, Shane (2019-04-18). Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2e. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-351-27339-8.
  2. ^ Jackson, Steve (2004). GURPS Basic Set 4th edition. Steve Jackson Games. p. 486. ISBN 1-55634-730-8.
  3. ^ Rouchart, Sandy; Aylett, Ruth (2003). Thomas Rist (ed.). Solving the Narrative Paradox in VEs — Lessons from RPGs. Springer. p. 245. ISBN 978-3540200031. ((cite book)): |work= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Pegas, Vitor; Lopes, Pedro Faria (2019). "A Framework for Branched Storytelling and Matchmaking in Multiplayer Games". In Brooks, Anthony L.; Brooks, Eva; Sylla, Cristina (eds.). Interactivity, Game Creation, Design, Learning, and Innovation. Springer Publishing. pp. 91–92. ISBN 978-3-030-06133-3.
  5. ^ Perron, Bernard (2023). "Conventions". In Wolf, Mark J. P.; Perron, Bernard (eds.). The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies (2nd ed.). Routledge. Narrative and Other Conventions at Play. ISBN 9781003214977.
  6. ^ Tavinor, Grant (2015). "Narrative and Interactivity". In Green, Garo P.; Kaufman, James C. (eds.). Video Games and Creativity. Elsevier. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-12-801462-2.
  7. ^ Stoddard, William (2007). GURPS Supers 4th edition. Steve Jackson Games. pp. 94–98.
  8. ^ Rein-Hagen, Mark (1992). Vampire: The Masquerade (Second ed.). White Wolf. pp. 62.