Weekend in the Realms

[Ladybam]

Well I got my "box" yesterday. Normally I'm extremely happy to open my Game day package. It’s like Christmas. This time... I was so disappointed.



My first item was its only 4 hour adventure... so is it a weekend or a day in the Realms? I told all my regulars are prepared for 12 hours of DnD fun and yet... it’s so short.
Last year it was a 12 hour adventure. Now that was a Weekend in the Realm. I had such an awesome time. It was worth the weekend.

My second complaint, as a DM I look forward to doing game days for a few reason.



OK, OK, we all know it’s for the free mini. I won't try and lie and give some lame reason. I look at them as two rewards, one for taking your time out to do these adventures and to the player for coming out and playing.

What do I offer them this time, a nice free disk...? IT SUCKS. I almost want to pack up this package and send it back.



It takes me a lot of time to get people to come out to play on a weekend. I don't live in a big city; I live in a small town. I get enough people by spending my time and energy to advertise and to offer the free mini, and I get a great turn out. A normal LFR adventure takes me 1 hour to prep but a game day, I’m spending 6 hours or more to advertise and to email people to come out and play.



If WOTC keep offering disk, (which look cheap, I might add) I might just stop organizing game days.



I'm just very disapointed, and upset.

 

[Neuroglyph]

That does sound disapointing and given your rural location, I can imagine how rough the logistics can be.

The only thing I might recommend to enhance your experience, since it's rough to get folks together like that, is to make it more of an event than just a game.

Taking a page from my SCA experience, almost any boring event can be alot more fun with a side-board (ie potluck!). Have folks bring some food and try to make it more fun.

Don't give up on one bad experience - gaming can be a great social event - although I definitely would recommend venting a bit on the WotC Boards. I'm sure you're not the only one to feel slighted by this last offering.

 

[smerwin29]

We got many, many complaints from game stores that last year's Weekend in the Realms event was too long. They complained that people came for a 4-hour play experience (like other Worldwide D&D Gamedays), and then they were disappointed that they could not play the entire thing because they did not have enough time to play the entire adventure. We figured that people could always bring in other adventures to play (even getting free Living Forgotten Realms adventures if they so wished) and make the event as long as they wanted--but you cannot take away the adventure that is too long.

As for the minis, I was disappointed too, but budgets are budgets and money is tight. I hope people will take the disks for what they are, as they can be useful to some DMs, rather than just saying they suck because they are not minis.

If anyone is in the Toronto area and wants to play D&D all weekend for Weekend in the Realms but can't find a play location, I invite you to come across the border to Buffalo NY. We are running a mini-convention called "Weekend in Narfell" at the University of Buffalo (North Campus). We are running Forgotten Realms adventures, including the Weekend in the Realms adventure, all weekend: 1 slot Friday night, 3 slots on Saturday, and 2 slots on Sunday. We are asking for a donation of $1 for each slot of games played, so you can play all weekend for $6. We will have a ton of prizes and giveaways and good gaming. More information about the mini-convention can be found here:

Weekend in Narfell 2009 : Event Overview

Anyone with questions can also send me a PM. As the author of the adventure and a Global Administrator of the Living Forgotten Realms campaign, I hope people can enjoy the adventure despite the length and the lack of minis.

Thanks!

 

[Emryys]

We got many, many complaints from game stores that last year's Weekend in the Realms event was too long. They complained that people came for a 4-hour play experience (like other Worldwide D&D Gamedays), and then they were disappointed that they could not play the entire thing because they did not have enough time to play the entire adventure.

Perhaps a compromise of a 2-part 8hr adventure would make it more like a "weekend" realms game. Have a "very loose" tie-in so that both parts are not required to play and even reported separately.

For rewards: LFR cards may have been a more cost effective prize for the players... DM's like maps and mini's but a sheet of monster tokens works fine too