Each year we celebrate Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 13, what makes a successful campaign?
Aser – A successful campaign comes from a good story that works for the players and the characters they’ve created. The simple things are always simple: the simple things, hard. 😛
John D. – The right game system, a good hook, a solid start with a strong plan for adventures down the road yet ability to follow the path the players take, and a committed yet flexible group. For us shorter campaigns or story arcs work best, with the possibility of returning to some of our characters again.
Jonn P.  – Probably my work life bleeding in here, but running a successful campaign has quite a few similarities with managing a successful project. The initiation phase or session zero, can make or breaks the campaign. These days, I dedicate few minute to the discussion of the issue during session zero that I would have spent multiple sessions trying to resolve back when I made my first attempts at to GM.
Landan – Cooperation amongst players and GM.
Megan – Buy in from everyone. When players or the GM stop being invested it becomes hard for everyone to stay motivated and involved.
Mike G. – A cohesive group and GM who are willing to focus on challenges and fun rather than rules.
Patrick – When everyone is invested in the characters and the adventure. It may not always be sunshine and roses but there is genuine care about the campaign.
Phil – Willingness to endure – it is hard to meet week after week for a long campaign that lasts months. I guess it comes down to the GM who has to work around players being there or not, making dumb choices, building useless characters, etc. Tough job!

Each year we celebrate Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 10, what is the largest in-game surprise you have experienced?

Aser – Listen to our Wicker Man episode. I’d never seen the movie, which should be obvious from the results.
John D. – Hmm… Maybe the whole group surviving our first Only War session? Oh, successfully summoning Azathoth was definitely unexpected!
Jonn P. – The sudden appearance of a deck of many things :/
Landan – DECK OF MANY THINGS
Megan – I think it tends to be when I kill of characters in games. I have to agree with Phil, Nigel’s death was super shocking for me. Also several deaths in Pathfinder, like Merrick’s.
Mike G. – Wait, the Emperor was a [sorta] good guy (Living Arcanis)?!?
Patrick – I had a GM that liked plot twists more than M. Knight Shyamalan. My biggest surprise was when there was no twist, just a straight forward job.
Phil – Nigel exit stage right? Losing two characters in one session of Scary on the Choo Choo when we were doing so well AND had a tommygun? One of them to another PC during a fight with the actual bad guys?? A PC who was sane when he shot his comrade???

Each year we celebrate Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 9, beyond the game, what’s involved in an ideal session?

Aser – I think the biggest thing that contributes to the success of a session is a real sense of comradeship between the people around the table. The shared experience of an RPG session is something built by the built through the collective efforts of all involved to elevate this simple act of a handful of people talking into a true adventure.
John D. – Laughter, friends, some personal ‘what’s up lately’ banter, planning the next session and at least one Simpsons reference.
Jonn P. – My ideal session would start with finding the right people. Interesting and responsible people provide an environment that is focused on creativity and having fun.
Landan – General chatting over some serious and not so serious stuff.
Megan – I love food around the table, though we don’t eat when recording TRF. But talking and catching up with friends is always the best.
Mike G. – A good meal, a chance to decompress after a week of work, and of course alcohol (especially during Fiasco!)
Patrick – I like to cook when I host games at my home. I feel that rather than just snacking the whole time a good meal and a few drinks can really bring folks into a game.
Phil – Lots of banter, good people.

Each year we celebrate Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 4, what is the most impressive thing another’s character did?

Aser – There is an episode of the Firefly Podcast that for some reason took a very determinative track that I think led to a natural conclusion. I wish I could tell you more, but I thought Phil played Jake perfectly and made a good and hard choice for his character and the story.
John D.  – Aser’s Only War Heavy Gunner saved the squad and the troops we rescued by dropping a grenade on the Orks … And blowing himself to smithereens and all over the squad.  We secured the promethium refinery!
Jonn P. – Gina Tarantino, an NPC. One of my breaking points had been to find out what happened to my character’s daughter. His daughter had been a pilot for Federal Express before she had died crashed. My character had believed it was foul play. He didn’t want to accept that her death had been purely an accident, but all the evidence just reinforced that it had been.
On my characters most recent investigation he got to work with a Gina who was supposedly a psychic who had been having a nightmare about ancient vampires in the catacombs beneath the Basilica in Vatican City. During the mission, she had been kidnapped and was being forced into being an Oracle. When my character tried to rescue Gina, her eyes had turned black. As soon as I got near her, she snapped out of her revere to say my daughter’s death hadn’t been an accident. I don’t usually react much to things like that, but the way the GM delivered it shocked me and my jaw actually dropped open. After she finished basking in the glow of her accomplishment, the GM just said, “Roll breaking point?”
I told her, “No…I think I’ll just go ahead and mark off the integrity.”
Landan – Well it was a group effort but I think the end product being a Flying Enraged Tiefling Barbarian is all that needs said.
Megan – I ran Castle Bravo at GeeklyCon, and the whole party wanted to murder the person they (rightly) suspected of being the bad guy. Except the Priest, who did everything he could to stop them because it went against the character’s morals. The player obviously knew it wasn’t the best move for the party, but it was 100% true to what the character would do and I really liked that. My characters tend to just become amoral really quickly to try avoid inter-party conflict.
Mike G. –  Watching our party’s barbarian in Dungeon World rush the goblin shaman and clearing the bridge for the party.
Patrick – Back in 2003 I was involved in a game of 3.5, the party Bard ended a conflict between a large tribe of Lizardmen and a human village entirely through roleplay and a few perform rolls. He composed a ballad about peace from the top of his head on the spot and convinced the Lizardman Cheiftan that his shaman had been conspiring against him. I still try to live up to that moment to this day and have yet to come close.
Phil – Tough pick, in Firefly there are many memorable moments as it’s such a character-driven game. The apple-throwing (spoiler!) is magnifique! In TRF I particularly remember one Horror on the Orient character and his final dark walk into the embrace of subterranean waters… But Beyond the Threshold has so many great moments too, go Team Grenade!