Never-Ending Conflict

The best way to avoid the problems described above is to design the characters' struggle so it is never-ending. At the very least, the conflict is one that lasts for millennia--well beyond the lifetimes of the player characters.

However, to keep the players from feeling frustrated, certain they can never accomplish anything, their characters must be able to undertake sizable tasks and win significant victories. Player characters fighting for the cause of good may eventually drive back the growing influence of the chief villain, but they defeat only a symptom, not the disease itself.

There always can be a new threat. Perhaps the evil villain himself returns in a new and more hideous manifestation. The DM must be prepared with a series of fantastic yet realistic threats. These gradually increase in scope as the characters become more powerful.

Thus, it is possible to build a campaign where the forces of alignment play an active role in things. It is difficult, and there are many hazards, but imagination and planning can overcome the obstacles.

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