Campaigns in Dungeons & Dragons can essentially take however long players and DMs want them to. That usually means days, weeks, or months. In some cases, longer campaigns can take years to finish. However, there's at least one campaign that's been going on for nearly four decades - and it might just be the longest D&D campaign ever.
Finding a D&D group that actually lasts can be difficult sometimes, which is why it's especially impressive to find a campaign that's lasted so long. Scheduling conflicts and location changes are among the many reasons some groups and campaigns fall apart. Long campaigns can especially fall victim to this, since everyone in a group may not always be able to meet regularly for sessions. This is why even the longest D&D games usually wrap up after a few years, although some have managed to last a lot longer.
In 1982, Robert Wardhaugh began a D&D campaign as a teenager that is still going on. The story has been widely reported on several major news sites, including CNN, over the years. It's a fascinating bit of Dungeons & Dragons history that should be inspiring to both longtime players and newcomers. And while Wardhaugh's campaign has lasted for thirty-nine years, there are some reasons why his long-running adventure has made it through so many decades.
How Robert Wardhaugh's D&D Campaign Has Lasted 39 Years
Although, Wardhaugh's campaign started off in 1982, technological advances have made it easier to keep sessions going. This has proven especially true since the COVID-19 pandemic, when more players than ever are forming D&D groups online. It means players no longer have to travel to a DM's home in order to play, which takes out the problem of finding a location that works for everyone. This may be why Wardhaugh's campaign amped up to three and sometimes four sessions a week since the pandemic started.
Players have also come and gone over the years since Wardhaugh began his campaign. While Wardhaugh is the DM, and he's still telling the same story inside the same universe, some players have changed. So, while some groups fall apart due to losing interest and friends who don't play anymore, Wardhaugh's game has remedied this by trading in players over the years. And since D&D rules have also changed a lot over the decades since Wardhaugh first began, his campaign follows its own set of rules.
Keeping a Dungeons & Dragons campaign running for nearly forty years is no easy feat. It takes time, patience, and a lot of work. In 2021, Robert Wardhaugh's campaign will be running for thirty-nine years, which makes it quite possibly the longest D&D campaign of all time.
Source: CNN
