Echohawk
Shirokinukatsukami fan
Update: Two more seasons of Encounters were released today on DNDClassics, Dark Legacy of Evard and Lost Crown of Neverwinter.
Learn about D&D organized play options
- Thread starter Alphastream
- Start date
Alphastream
Adventurer
Some of the Lair Assaults have some pieces that may make a digital version less attractive, or at least require printing out in color and cutting stuff out (mount cards, DM map, certainly poster maps). It will be interesting to see if they end up releasing them on DnD Classics.
I've updated the first post to contain links to the available Encounters titles. There are also two D&D Next offerings:
Vault of the Dracolich (gameday multi-table event, though you could play it as a longer experience with a single table of players)
Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle (campaign-style adventure, print version was exclusive to Gen Con 2013)
One thing about the Dragon reprints is that they add great artwork to the originals, especially those that had very little art (such as the Siege of Gardmore Abbey convention classic). It will be interesting to see whether that extra art makes it into the adventures. I expect it won't.
I've updated the first post to contain links to the available Encounters titles. There are also two D&D Next offerings:
Vault of the Dracolich (gameday multi-table event, though you could play it as a longer experience with a single table of players)
Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle (campaign-style adventure, print version was exclusive to Gen Con 2013)
One thing about the Dragon reprints is that they add great artwork to the originals, especially those that had very little art (such as the Siege of Gardmore Abbey convention classic). It will be interesting to see whether that extra art makes it into the adventures. I expect it won't.
Alphastream
Adventurer
Some very interesting information on changes to Encounters. It looks as if the adventures will now be digital only, but still require purchase. That's a really interesting change and I'm very curious as to the reasons behind it!
Lindeloef
First Post
Money? it's alot cheaper for WotC.
So the DM that runs Encounter either has to have some electronic devise to read the pdf or print it himself in addition to buying it? Sounds crappy to me.
To be fair, this is also true of the Pathfinder Society scenarios. (And Living Greyhawk and Living Forgotten Realms, despite being free, were pdf-only).
Alphastream
Adventurer
While other organized play programs (most of them, really) offer adventures only digitally, this is a bit different. The Encounters adventures are also the Sundering adventures, serving as a transition from the current 4E Realms to the D&D Next Realms. They act as a transition for gamers, but also communicate the strategy Wizards is taking. And, they are an excellent way to help gamers transition toward the style of play (more open, more creative, more DM and player interaction) while encouraging gamers to use the new edition.
Not having the rest of the Sundering adventures in print is a bit strange as it departs from that (seemingly very sound) strategy. These two adventures were among the few things on a store shelf that actually were related to the new edition.
They have also so far been really excellent adventures - among the top adventures released in the past decade by Wizards (I would argue they are the best after Gardmore Abbey).
But, there could be many valid reasons for the switch. One possibility is that if the rules were changing enough (they are going through post-playtest development) it could have been decided that a digital product would provide more flexibility. Or, maybe there are new plans for organized play and the print products will shift accordingly. It really isn't clear. Chris Tulach suggested on Twitter that this was about ensuring the most recent playtest could be supported without program interruptions. That doesn't tell my why they would decide to not support stores and try to generate sales. Maybe the first two adventures weren't selling well? That would be really shocking, and sad for the hobby if that's the case. If those adventures won't sell I'm really not sure what would. So, my guess is that it wasn't sales related, that it was carefully considered, and that something else will be released and it will all make sense.
Not having the rest of the Sundering adventures in print is a bit strange as it departs from that (seemingly very sound) strategy. These two adventures were among the few things on a store shelf that actually were related to the new edition.
They have also so far been really excellent adventures - among the top adventures released in the past decade by Wizards (I would argue they are the best after Gardmore Abbey).
But, there could be many valid reasons for the switch. One possibility is that if the rules were changing enough (they are going through post-playtest development) it could have been decided that a digital product would provide more flexibility. Or, maybe there are new plans for organized play and the print products will shift accordingly. It really isn't clear. Chris Tulach suggested on Twitter that this was about ensuring the most recent playtest could be supported without program interruptions. That doesn't tell my why they would decide to not support stores and try to generate sales. Maybe the first two adventures weren't selling well? That would be really shocking, and sad for the hobby if that's the case. If those adventures won't sell I'm really not sure what would. So, my guess is that it wasn't sales related, that it was carefully considered, and that something else will be released and it will all make sense.
Alphastream
Adventurer
I've updated the first thread with additional information for Scourge of the Sword Coast, the next season of Encounters (starting in February). The adventure will be digital only, and stores signing up to run for the adventure get a credit on DnDClassics. As noted before, the previous seasons of Encounters are being uploaded to DnDClassics. The solicitation stores received can be seen here and includes the date for the gameday.
Living Forgotten Realms has had some announcements.
1. The campaign launches new adventures at Winter Fantasy 2014 (after not being present at Gen Con). This includes the conclusion of the excellent Epic campaign. LFR has about 290 adventures released, covering every tier and level of 4E play.
2. These adventures are the final adventures for the campaign. LFR will conclude in 2014, though DMs and players can continue to download and play LFR adventures after Winter Fantasy (the exact end date isn't clear, so download the adventures you want!)
You can volunteer to judge at Winter Fantasy here, and register here. Judges can qualify for free rooms, free badges, and the ability to play a special prequel adventure that influences the final battle interactive. Events include adventures for LFR, Living Divine, Pathfinder Society, Living Arcanis, Witch Hunter, and open board game play.
Living Forgotten Realms has had some announcements.
1. The campaign launches new adventures at Winter Fantasy 2014 (after not being present at Gen Con). This includes the conclusion of the excellent Epic campaign. LFR has about 290 adventures released, covering every tier and level of 4E play.
2. These adventures are the final adventures for the campaign. LFR will conclude in 2014, though DMs and players can continue to download and play LFR adventures after Winter Fantasy (the exact end date isn't clear, so download the adventures you want!)
You can volunteer to judge at Winter Fantasy here, and register here. Judges can qualify for free rooms, free badges, and the ability to play a special prequel adventure that influences the final battle interactive. Events include adventures for LFR, Living Divine, Pathfinder Society, Living Arcanis, Witch Hunter, and open board game play.
Alphastream
Adventurer
The upcoming D&D Encounters season, Scourge of the Sword Coast is now on DnDClassics as a digital download. The adventure includes the last public set of playtest rules (but does not provide any updates Wizards has made internally since that time).
The adventure also includes statistics for D&D Next, but does not for any other edition. It seems that the pledge to provide stats for 4E and 3.5 is no longer being followed!
You can keep abreast of the DnDClassics releases by subscribing to the Wizards company through the DnDClassics site or by checking out the Wizards web site where they provide a weekly update (the link changes every week, and is available through the normal Daily page).
This week the Winter Fantasy convention (formerly D&DXP) kicks off. It features the final adventures for LFR (though play can continue after that) and in many ways is the end of the 4E organized play era. Will the convention hold any news for future organized play?
The adventure also includes statistics for D&D Next, but does not for any other edition. It seems that the pledge to provide stats for 4E and 3.5 is no longer being followed!
You can keep abreast of the DnDClassics releases by subscribing to the Wizards company through the DnDClassics site or by checking out the Wizards web site where they provide a weekly update (the link changes every week, and is available through the normal Daily page).
This week the Winter Fantasy convention (formerly D&DXP) kicks off. It features the final adventures for LFR (though play can continue after that) and in many ways is the end of the 4E organized play era. Will the convention hold any news for future organized play?
Alphastream
Adventurer
Some very good news for Organized Play, as the ENnies awards will now recognize it with two new categories! (This information was on the ENnies site, but it is momentarily down).
As you may have heard, the ENnie Awards, in an effort to continue to ensure that every segment of our hobby is considered, announced today the introduction of two dedicated categories for the best in Organized Play adventures. For those who volunteer their time and passion to producing adventures for their fellow gamers, we have created the Best Organized Play Adventure by a Volunteer category. And for those publishers who produce Organized Play adventures, we have created the Best Organized Play Adventure by a Publisher category. Why are we introducing these categories at this time? After deciding on these categories, we felt that there was enough time in this year’s submission period to introduce the categories now in order to be as responsive as possible to the needs of the roleplaying game community. If you are a volunteer or publisher who produces adventures for Organized Play, submit them as soon as possible!
Of course, we are still accepting submissions for all of our categories. If you have a product that was produced between May 1st, 2013 and April 30th, 2014, you have until May 8th to get it into the mail for us. Products post-marked or e-mailed after May 8th will be ruled ineligible for consideration. Due to the amount of products judges have to review between the end of the submissions period and the date the nominations are announced (roughly the beginning of July), we urge you to submit your products as early as possible. Keep in mind that two of our judges are in Europe (Poland and Turkey), so allow for that extra shipping time, if possible.
Our submissions process has not changed. You can find the online submission form here: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/rules-and-how-to-enter/. Also we have provided a PDF file with all of the judges addresses here: http://ennie-awards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/2014-Mailing-Labels.pdf. Please note: one of our judges has move in the last two months. If you downloaded the mailing labels last year, you may want to download them again to be certain you have the correct address. It is also important that you fill out the customs forms correctly when shipping to Europe and be sure to note clearly that the products you're sending are for evaluation purposes only and have NO retail value (if you must put a dollar amount, we recommend $1.00). If you do not do this, it could cause shipping delays, as well as undue tariffs to be charged to our judges.
Important Dates to Note
End of Submissions Period: April 30th, 2014 (your product must be publicly available by this date to be eligible for this year's awards)
Submission Post-Mark Deadline: May 8th, 2014
Nominations Announced: TBD
Voting Period: TBD
ENnie Awards Ceremony at Gen Con in Indianapolis: August 15th, 2014 (location and time TBD)
As you may have heard, the ENnie Awards, in an effort to continue to ensure that every segment of our hobby is considered, announced today the introduction of two dedicated categories for the best in Organized Play adventures. For those who volunteer their time and passion to producing adventures for their fellow gamers, we have created the Best Organized Play Adventure by a Volunteer category. And for those publishers who produce Organized Play adventures, we have created the Best Organized Play Adventure by a Publisher category. Why are we introducing these categories at this time? After deciding on these categories, we felt that there was enough time in this year’s submission period to introduce the categories now in order to be as responsive as possible to the needs of the roleplaying game community. If you are a volunteer or publisher who produces adventures for Organized Play, submit them as soon as possible!
Of course, we are still accepting submissions for all of our categories. If you have a product that was produced between May 1st, 2013 and April 30th, 2014, you have until May 8th to get it into the mail for us. Products post-marked or e-mailed after May 8th will be ruled ineligible for consideration. Due to the amount of products judges have to review between the end of the submissions period and the date the nominations are announced (roughly the beginning of July), we urge you to submit your products as early as possible. Keep in mind that two of our judges are in Europe (Poland and Turkey), so allow for that extra shipping time, if possible.
Our submissions process has not changed. You can find the online submission form here: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/rules-and-how-to-enter/. Also we have provided a PDF file with all of the judges addresses here: http://ennie-awards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/2014-Mailing-Labels.pdf. Please note: one of our judges has move in the last two months. If you downloaded the mailing labels last year, you may want to download them again to be certain you have the correct address. It is also important that you fill out the customs forms correctly when shipping to Europe and be sure to note clearly that the products you're sending are for evaluation purposes only and have NO retail value (if you must put a dollar amount, we recommend $1.00). If you do not do this, it could cause shipping delays, as well as undue tariffs to be charged to our judges.
Important Dates to Note
End of Submissions Period: April 30th, 2014 (your product must be publicly available by this date to be eligible for this year's awards)
Submission Post-Mark Deadline: May 8th, 2014
Nominations Announced: TBD
Voting Period: TBD
ENnie Awards Ceremony at Gen Con in Indianapolis: August 15th, 2014 (location and time TBD)
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