Campaign vs. Isolated Runs Options

[Crimson Jack]

Whether ye be a player or a GM, which is more enjoyable for you? By isolated runs, I'm referring to runs that have little-to-no bearing on the subsequent runs.

[TechnoDruid]

I like 'em both, personally, with no preference to either. I'm more of the type to have more than a few isolated, individual, one-shot-wonder style runs thrown in the mix of a full blown campaign, just to keep my PC's wondering. Then the joy of watching the realization on thier little faces after the campaign comes to a close and they start realizing what was a little piece of nothing and what was a little strand on the larger web of things... ;)

[tjn]

I like a happy medium, if a bit more slanted to the campaign side (where I voted). Have an overarcing plot, but every once in a while throw the runners a bone where their family isn't being targets, or their arch-enemy isn't in town...

Campaigns give that lovely interactive story thing going on, and it gives a sense of continuity, or weight to the story being told.

However, two qualities of individual runs I like.

One is a form of intellectual exercise; like a puzzle, I get a strong sense of satisfaction of pulling "the perfect run" especially if the site of the run has some fairly good defenses.

I feel that's mostly due to having enough time to do the proper legwork. I haven't had much experience with campaigns that have enough down time that spending 2 weeks on a job is okay.

With a campaign, it's mostly on a timeline in which the window of oppertunity is one or two days, three at the most.

Other part... is money. Campaigns and pc motivations don't pay well on average when they're out doing favors for friends, or saving family, or putting a bullet in the back of their arch rival. I feel like it sounds crass, but running is expensive, and the individual runs have a higher monetary reward vs effort expended to do the job.

[Capt. Dave]

I usually run a campaign, both I and the PCs seem to prefer it. Of course, they always have the option on doing an isolated run to get more cred/gear/information
for the campaign if they have time. I keep an ever-growing list of individual runs
handy in case one of the PCs calls up a contact and needs quick cred. Some of these isolated runs are for a PC's contact, which helps if they need vital information from the contact more than cash.

[Smiley]

I counted working almost exclusively for a megacorp as a campaign, which is a lot of fun. If you have the opportunity (and you think everything's kosher), i highly recommend it. Draco Foundation in particular.

[Dashifen]

I usually run a campaign and include with in it a few solitary runs for two reasons: 1) it's funt to watch the players try to work the solitary stuff into the main plot line because they don't always know which is which and 2) it makes the campaign last longer. I've had one campaign going now for two years and I have a pretty good idea of where it's going to keep going from as well.

[Dax]

I tend to have a different definition of a campaign. For me a campiagn is the entire time period a group of characters are used. I consider a campaign closed once that batch of characters has been retired and we start with a new group.

Now during any given campaign, we might have lots of unrelated runs, with a few large connected "mini series" thrown in for good measure. I usually try to find some kind of balance between the two.

[Spark]

[sidartha]

l like Campaigns more but years of playing has led me to belive that random runs give the campaign more flavor of the outer world.

[Nikoli]

Besides, if you toss in spare dots into the mix, the players don't connect anything useful until it's too late.
:vegm:

[Steel Machine]

I, as the GM, tend to think in terms of Campaigns, however my players tend to be more intrested in adventures that can be finished, and upon resolution is a complete game.

My solution is to orchestrate a variety of runs that at times relate in the larger order of things. This becomes my campaign Arc. I do however plan out totally unrelated runs-just like real life stuff comes up.

It keeps the game intresting.

[Daishi]

I tend to prefer campaigns of moderate length in which most of the runs are interconnected in some manner that eventually makes sense at the end.

But every once and a while, our group will grab a bunch of odd job characters and have a one-shot session just to get something out of our systems. Like after collectively watching Matrix:Reloaded. We all went back to a friend's place and pulled out our nastiest gunslingers for some fat runs. Never to be used again.

[Hot Wheels]

Both, our main GM is good enough to make what look like isolated runs pull togetehr into a cohesive thread. It might be the first few weeks of a new "adventure" we have random runs and the slowly we see how, maybe, runs #2 and 4 were connected, or maybe #1 and #6 etc. The rest are not connected but after a serries of get the money for a job type deal we realize we'rep icking up speed towards something more significant.

[Flames]

I usually like isolated runs where the actions of past runs have thier consequences. My runners failed to stop a terrorist who bombed one of the runner's residences. Now he has to bunk in with a friend. Some rival runners have a beef for losing a fight (and a job) to them so now they train constantly...God, I love this game. Can you please have it in heaven? :D