How to Win a D&D Tournament

[Thornir Alekeg]

I recall being in one game at a con many years ago where there were judges who observed and scored the players. The top scoring players were invited to join the next game and so on until there was a final table. I don't recall what the prizes were for the winners, if any, and after not being selected after the first game, I didn't stick around to observe (took off and found an ad hoc chance to playtest a game, which was a lot more fun and I got a copy to take home). Personally I didn't like tournament play. I found the idea of "performing" to aribtrarily score points with some judge ruined my fun.

That said, I have played in a game where the adventure was originally played as a tournament game and the DM ran it the same way, giving out a few small trinkets at the end for the "winning" player, which happened to be me for my creative solutions to several challenges.

 

[Emirikol]

D&D tourney play has really thinned out since the RPGA moved to "anti-tourney" play. I really miss those days though.

You won by being the most popular role-player at the table..so it wasn't enough to be a loudmouth..you actually had to pull your team together with your character.

I remember getting the characters though who were "a little quiet." They were a guaranteed loser for any tourney play.

jh

 

[Spinachcat]

it didn't matter if we finished the adventure or how well we performed because advancement to later rounds was on an individual basis based on votes for best player (which was pretty much synonymous with hammiest roleplayer).

Interesting. I have seen multi-round tourneys where there were points for individual players, but usually those were above and beyond the team points.

And yes, hammiest roleplayer often gets those individual points.

Played one at Gencon 2001(IIRC)- the D&D Open. Had a table of random players who didn't really know the 3.0 rules;

Very understandable. It was 2001 so 3.0 was still very fresh so most gamers were either adjusting or still D20 clueless. Most AD&D players who didn't automatically buy 3.0 assumed the jump between 2e and 3e would be like the jump between 1e and 2e. Also, it sounds like your DM was not prepared. This is a shame because that really dampens the tourney experience.

You won by being the most popular role-player at the table..so it wasn't enough to be a loudmouth..you actually had to pull your team together with your character.

RPGA actually used a detailed scoring system. They scored on actions, success, roleplaying and teamwork. Unlike many tourneys, RPGA had some points voted on by the players so they would give individual points to the best roleplayer at the table.

 

[Fathead]

Are we talking about team tournaments or individual tournaments (I had assumed the former)?

 

[kelson]

I didn't even know that this was a possibility! I have never been to a con, but I have wanted to for a long time. are there any that you can come into with a group of players already made up? I would love to take my current group in to something like that and end up with us all together. That would be great!

 

[the Jester]

I voted "Played and Won", but I was actually dming- and I won Best DM.

It was an awesome fun game to write and run; the main villain was a souped-up enveloper (from the 1e FF) that had eaten the king, a rust monster, a doppelganger, a high-level wizard and more. The guy who took him down in the final round did so by polymorphing into a whale and falling on him from above!

 

[Spinachcat]

Are we talking about team tournaments or individual tournaments (I had assumed the former)?

Most RPG tourneys are team focussed. PvP combat arenas are usually individually focussed. Before Living City, RPGA hosted tourneys where both team points and individual points were given out so the goal was to be the best player in the best group.

I didn't even know that this was a possibility! I have never been to a con, but I have wanted to for a long time. are there any that you can come into with a group of players already made up? I would love to take my current group in to something like that and end up with us all together. That would be great!

Kelson, make a point to get your crew to a convention! They are absolutely fun and if you are a D&D fan, you should check out RPGA. You can find links to them from the Wizards website.

Not every convention hosts tournaments and generally sign ups allow you to sign up your whole gaming group BUT most tourneys are 6 players so if your group is less than 6, you will have some strangers there too.

The guy who took him down in the final round did so by polymorphing into a whale and falling on him from above!

I am stunned by the awesomeness of that image!

At the Palladium Open House in May, I lead the team to victory as a goblin who turned into a rat who then crawled into the crack in the head of the Big Bad Guy (his head was a flaming pumpkin)....and once inside his head, I turned back into a full size goblin!!!

 

[Thrommel]

are there any that you can come into with a group of players already made up? I would love to take my current group in to something like that and end up with us all together. That would be great!

You can do that with the NASCRAG tournament at Gen Con. We find that everyone (DM included) tends to have more fun if the whole team knows each other - although we've kitbashed together winning teams as well.

As someone who has played, won, written, and DM'ed various tournaments at Gen Con for the past 20+ years I have to say that the OP gives some solid advice. Especially the stuff about acting as a team and role-playing your heart out. Not only do you have a better chance of advancing in the tournament -- you have a better chance of having fun.

And, even though it's a tournament, that's really what it's all about.

-Thrommel, who broke a tournament one year by polymorphing into a Roc and flying the party over all the encounters. Whoops... check that spell list.