Check out the Season 4 Sneak Previews!

[Coredump]

To be honest, If I run Death House Im going to recommend that my players playing that keep that character for the Curse of Strahd Hardcover and create a separate character for the AL Scenarios (do you know how hard it is to NOT type Expeditions?). Even though Encounters and Expeditions have gone, My Wed night game will still be my Wed night game, and I have already schedules Suits of the Mist on some Saturdays in March.

Yeah, I was thinking of Death House as 'extra', when it is probably as Kalani suggests, and a necessary part of the Mod if you are starting at 1st level.


If, however, CoS lets you start at level 1, and DH is just an 'extra' low level adventure.... I might sneak it into Expeditions. (I am okay using the word.... )

 

[Tyranthraxus]

My issue here is , Lets say Death House is the actual first bit of the Hardcover book (which logically it sounds like it is). I see it exactly like the pdf from past seasons, you move from it into the hardcover and bang on you go. So consistent story, then onward.

Lets fast forward to say to Season 5. There is the start of this Launch event stuff with say a 12 -16 hour adventure seperate from the main themed book 'Rise of Lantan' and the 14 or so AL Scenarios for that season.

You run the Launch event and lets say it covers levels 1-3 or 1-4. You then have the main hardcover that also covers Levels 1-12 . You then have the standard tiering for the AL scenarios. Does that mean that players playing in the Launch event will then be hitting up on the Hardcover at higher levels than they should be to start the hardcover? Quite possibly!

Ive had to deal with multiple characters at different levels to start chapter 1 of the hardcovers. Its not fun and its a bit of a pain. It can be managed though.

 

[Coredump]

Yeah, we will have to wait to be sure, but from here I see a couple of possibilties.

Run 5-1 (maybe 5-2) they run the DDLE module, and go from there. In this case, the DDLE mode is kind of like a 'triple length mod'.

2 of the 4 hardcovers seem to 'start' at level 3, and just have a chapter/appendix with an 'extra' adventure to get to level 3. So now you have a choice to use the 'extra' content, or the DDEL content to get that high.
It may even be feasible to run the DDEL and 'extra' content in series (in whichever order).....


But yeah, having 3 different sources of 'beginner' content may become problematic. (I suppose the DDEL content doesn't *have* to be beginner....but I think it is meant to bring in new players, so....)



It would be so much easier if the Admins just posted their emails and meeting notes online for all of us to read....

 

[ArlenFrostlockes]

I agree with you on this Coredump - Multiple sources of beginner content can get confusing for the DM's and players alike.

 

[ArlenFrostlockes]

But the second part, about DM's posting e-mails and meeting notes online, I do not see happening, for a host of reasons.
Biggest one would be regarding spoilers for future campaigns and such.

 

[kalani]

As has been stated by Mike Mearles and Chris Lindsey (during the recent AMA) - Launch events will normally include 12-16 hours of original content that is in addition to a spotlighted product. If that product is an adventure, this will be additional content not found in the adventure itself, but it might also include an adventure designed to spotlight a newly released supplement (such as another Adventurers Guide, a new Monster book, etc).

In respect to the Season 4 Launch Event: They did not have sufficient time to put this into production leading up to season 4. As such, the Season 4 Launch Event will be an excerpt from the Curse of Strahd hardcover adventure. In this respect, except for the name change - the S4 Launch event is effectively DDEN4 (by any other name).

The S5 launch event will be 100% original content that will be only playable in-store (and via no other methods) as an AL only, in-store exclusive

 

[klobbermeister]

I'd like, if possible, to be able to weave my players in and out between the hardcover and the AL mods. In the opinions of the Admins who might know better, is it possible to work out a progression to weave in and out between AL Season 4 Adventures and the hardcover on an ongoing basis, or is this just not feasible until the end of the AL adventure progression (at which point the PCs leave the AL mods altogether and transition to the mid/end meat of the hardcover)?

 

[ArlenFrostlockes]

coolbeans! Thanks Kalani

 

[kalani]

I'd like, if possible, to be able to weave my players in and out between the hardcover and the AL mods. In the opinions of the Admins who might know better, is it possible to work out a progression to weave in and out between AL Season 4 Adventures and the hardcover on an ongoing basis, or is this just not feasible until the end of the AL adventure progression (at which point the PCs leave the AL mods altogether and transition to the mid/end meat of the hardcover)?

While the admins have full knowledge of the upcoming seasons DDAL adventures (and are already starting work on season 5s adventures) - the campaign staff (admins included) know nothing about the hardcover adventures until they are released. We learn what the hardcover contains at the same time as everyone else. It is for this reason that rulings for the new adventure are not released prior to the adventure and are typically released in the first month after release (as the campaign staff pours through the product looking for things that could cause issues in AL without being addressed in an article or FAQ).

 

[klobbermeister]

While the admins have full knowledge of the upcoming seasons DDAL adventures (and are already starting work on season 5s adventures) - the campaign staff (admins included) know nothing about the hardcover adventures until they are released. We learn what the hardcover contains at the same time as everyone else. It is for this reason that rulings for the new adventure are not released prior to the adventure and are typically released in the first month after release (as the campaign staff pours through the product looking for things that could cause issues in AL without being addressed in an article or FAQ).

Gotcha. Well, I suppose we'll all find out at the same time! On to Barovia!!!!