Campaign games connect sessions; legacy games may permanently change components or the game state. Before opening envelopes or writing on a board, decide who is committing to the experience and what happens when someone misses a night.
What to compare
Group commitment
Check whether characters belong to individual players, whether attendance can vary, and how the rules handle a returning player.
Permanent changes
Identify stickers, sealed material, written records, and any reset options. Confirm which content is consumed and which remains playable.
Between-session storage
Plan how to preserve characters, maps, tokens, and notes. A reliable save system matters when a large setup cannot stay on the table.
A detail worth checking
Do not assume a campaign is replayable in the same form, or that a secondhand copy contains unused materials. Ask about the exact condition of a previously opened box.
Make your next session easier
Agree on a regular group size, a place for campaign notes, and a stopping rule for long sessions before committing to a full campaign.
