Learn about D&D organized play options

[Alphastream]

The Winter Fantasy convention just opened judge registration. Judging at this convention is a ton of fun. You can get loot, a free badge, and even a free hotel room. It is an excellent way to pick up DM skills and learn from other players, judges, and organized play organizers. As it is a smaller convention, you get many opportunities to meet Wizards of the Coast staff and freelancers here. I consistently do that more at this convention than at any other (including Gen Con and PAX).

As a player, the event list is a full slate of D&D Adventurers League play, plus a 2-round event and trying the to-be-released RPG Shadow of the Demon Lord (by Rob Schwalb, D&D and RPG great).

 

[Raddu]

D&D Expeditions Adventures blurbs updated for DDEX1-11 to 1-14.

WARNING SPOILERS FOR DDEX1-10 INCLUDED IN THE BLURBS

http://dndadventurersleague.org/tyranny-of-dragons-premier-adventures

 

[Alphastream]

I have updated the main thread now that Wizards and the Adventurers League have announced the upcoming storyline season, Elemental Evil!

As with Tyranny of Dragons, Elemental Evil ties together a number of offerings all around a central story. The adventure, Princes of the Apocalypse, is the core hub. There are then miniatures (through WizKids, including Attack Wing, and through Gale Force 9), an adventure-specific DM's Screen (through Gale Force 9), a board game using the (now licensed) Adventure System, and a new module for the popular Neverwinter MMO.

Encounters will use the new adventure starting in mid-March. Expeditions will also use the storyline. Adventurers League details can be found here.

 

[keterys]

Do you know how AL is planning to handle level range and advancement? I might have a 6th level PC by mid-March; are they going to restart at 1-4 for 10 adventures like the Tiamat plotline?

Kinda hoping for more level 5-8 play than 1-4 play. I'm not a big fan of the Apprentice tier.

 

[aramis erak]

Do you know how AL is planning to handle level range and advancement? I might have a 6th level PC by mid-March; are they going to restart at 1-4 for 10 adventures like the Tiamat plotline?

Kinda hoping for more level 5-8 play than 1-4 play. I'm not a big fan of the Apprentice tier.

Don't know, but strongly suspect, it will be a return to tier 1 for most of the expeditions modules.
On the other hand, the Encounters program is explicitly levels 1-3, so I would expect the encounters module will be Levels 1-3 as before.

And I'd expect the Encounters module to be, as previously, three levels' worth (about 1800 XP, really) of the big module.

If not, then they're going to have to revise the definitions.

I would hope they have more Tier-II play expeditions modules.

 

[Alphastream]

Do you know how AL is planning to handle level range and advancement? I might have a 6th level PC by mid-March; are they going to restart at 1-4 for 10 adventures like the Tiamat plotline?

I agree with Aramis. The storyline adventures are likely for the near-term to begin at level 1 and for the in-store Encounters to work the same way. The reason is that in-store programs are designed to draw in new players more than they are meant to maintain invested players, because invested players have many more options and don't need as much hand-holding. (Even if sometimes we like that hand-holding!)

Keep in mind a few things, all advantages over previous Encounters seasons:
- You can run any part of Princes of the Apocalypse at home, stores, or conventions and have that count as AL play. You could choose to start higher if you want to!
- You can keep playing HotDQ and TRoT for as long as you want and have it be legal AL play.
- We don't know if Expeditions will return to low tier or not for Elemental Evil. Adventure descriptions will come soon, answering those questions! But, the current adventures coming out are in the 5-10 range and would work for you.

 

[MerricB]

I'm hoping we'll have a greater range of tier 2 adventures... And/or more adventures in general for Expeditions. That said, the announcement of their schedule shouldn't be too far away!

Cheers!

 

[keterys]

Yeah, I'm really okay with Encounters being low level perpetually. That's its thing. I'm just really hoping Expeditions doesn't feel beholden to do the same thing.

If I'm going to play HotDQ/TotDQ or Princes of Elemental Evil... I'm pretty much going to just play it, and not consider it really Adventurer's League. It's just a convenience that I can transport the character around if need be. Phandelver was a little better, in that it skated through the early levels and was pretty classic D&D feeling.

The strangest thing seen at our AL group was that those who played through DDEX1-1 through DDEX1-9 and didn't play MoP or something else... didn't level to 5. Seemed odd.

 

[Raddu]

Elemental Evil and the D&D Adventurers League

The Storyline:

Abolish an ancient evil threatening devastation in this adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game!

Called by the Elder Elemental Eye to serve, four corrupt prophets have risen from the depths of anonymity to claim mighty weapons with direct links to the power of the elemental princes. Each of these prophets has assembled a cadre of cultists and creatures to serve them in the construction of four elemental temples of lethal design. It is up to adventurers from heroic factions such as the Emerald Enclave and the Order of the Gauntlet to discover where the true power of each prophet lay, and dismantle it before it comes boiling up to obliterate the Realms.

Wizards of the Coast has announced its next storyline season, naming it Elemental Evil.

The Moonsea:
It is a city of political machinations, double-dealings, and secrets. It is a city of intrigue and plots and secret midnight transactions. It is a city of trade, and commerce, and discovery.

It is not a city of safe respite… it is a city of danger. Where will adventure take you?

The Adventures:
The D&D Adventurers League has also announced some details in advance of the Elemental Evil storyline season. Elemental Evil Adventures and Season Details

 

[keterys]

Awesome. Thanks, Raddu!