Wizards of the Coast's collaboration with Penny Arcade to create a Dungeons & Dragons supplement featuring Acquisitions Incorporated has been 10 years in the making (sort of) – the original Acquisitions Incorporated podcast debuted in 2009. It should definitely please fans of AI and draw in those new to AI.
In case you don't know, Acquisitions Incorporated, which has expanded to streaming, live games at conventions, and comic books, takes D&D's heroic fantasy and treats it like an office comedy. My first impressions article addressed how that affected D&D's character classes, the new monsters in the AI book (Deep Crows! Clockwork Dragons!), etc. Now let's dive into AI's corporate structure, so to speak.
The first part of the book is about how to play in an AI campaign. Appropriately, a lot of that is handled like a corporations' franchise guide. The players would be running an AI franchise much like the official Twitch and live play games that feature the B team or C team. You start off with a small franchise and work up to having a small territory, large territory or limited extraplanar area. As the franchise itself goes up in level, it gets more staff, features and has to handle more tasks.
Each franchise also gets a majordomo to run the administrative aspects. If a player loved that sort of thing they could be the majordomo, but it's assumed the majordomo will be an NPC. The GM is encouraged to have fun with this. Chapter 1 has a fast franchise generator – a series of random tables to quickly handle key points. The ideas for a memorable majordomo are terrific and can inspire new, quirky, memorable majordomos.
Appropriately, Acquisitions Incorporated has its own terminology so instead of skilled hirelings there are interns. Unskilled hirelings are “subemployees.”
Every starting franchise needs a headquarters. I like that in addition to the standard trope of an old tavern, AI offers ideas for bases like an abandoned lighthouse, a beat-up keel-boat and a worn carriage and horses. As the franchise becomes more successful, additional features can be added or they can upgrade to a better “office.”
As with any D&D campaign, players select a class and background, but in an AI game, they can also take on company roles as well. Options include Cartographer, Decisionist, Documancer, Hoardsperson, Loremonger, Obviator, Occultant, or Secretarian. Each position gets its own proficiencies separate from the character's class. These involve adding one's proficiency bonus in certain circumstances as well as abilities like “Speak Fluent Boss,” “What a Deal,” and “Tiebreaker Absentee Ballot.”
Each position also has a chart providing sample motivations for why someone might select that position. They're pretty funny.
A sample character is also provided for each position, not as in a fully stat'd character, but rather how they approach the role. So human ranger decisionist Kelshi Annab has seen everything and instead of being an authoritarian decisionist, she comes at things as the objective outsider with unyielding resolve. Each example also explains what book details that race if it's not one in the Players Handbook, like Genasi or Tabaxi. That's a very nice, highly useful touch. Clearly they thought about the readers who might be playing D&D for the first time because they watched AI streams but aren't familiar with all of the supplements.
Chapter 2 also has a lot of ideas for adding business complications as the franchise grows. These touch on topics like philanthropic enterprises, marketing, scrutineering, headquarters modifications, shady business practices, schmoozing, team building and complications for each. AI even adds its own factions – AI itself, of course, Dran Enterprises, The Noble Knife, The Silver Sliver and The Six. I'm thinking of adding these factions and an NPC AI franchise to my Waterdeep campaign as foils for my current players.
The enclosed adventure, The Orrery of the Wanderer, starts in Waterdeep so if you've been running Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (see my first impressions and deep dive reviews) or Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (first impressions and deep dive), this ties in nicely. Characters could make new, first level characters for it (Orrery is for 1-6 level PCs) or scale the adventure to fit existing characters' current level. There is a sidebar on adjusting the adventure for whatever power level.
Orrery is a solid adventure that takes players all over the Sword Coast. That also gives newcomers to D&D a sense of the world at large. Early on the players meet Omin Dran and Jim Darkmagic to get their assignment. It's handled briefly enough that it shouldn't intimidate DMs to play these well-known characters – plus there's plenty of footage online to help you prep.
Part of the charm of Acquisitions Incorporated concept is that it takes a core component of D&D – acquiring profit [treasure] – and reduces it to a pure yet humorous level. The big bosses in the company hand out an assignment. While obviously a lot can be done with that from the role-playing the side, the motivation for an adventure is simplified. It also provides a structure that, theoretically, can rein in unruly players. Maybe. Perhaps.
Besides, office comedies are popular for a reason. Whether it's The Office or going back to The Dick Van Dyke Show, it's a structure that allows people who might not otherwise like each other (how common is that in groups?) to have to work together somewhat cooperatively. Characters can still backstab each other (figuratively or literally), but it eliminates a lot of the “why are these people still working together?” dilemma. If a character dies, someone new is recruited or sent from corporate. It's also highly relatable because most people have either worked in an office at some point or in another way are familiar with the tropes.
The combined teams from D&D and Penny Arcade did a terrific job turning AI into a solid supplement that can seed unlimited adventures beyond the Orrery plot. Whether you're an existing AI, D&D completist or just want something different, Acquisitions Incorporated the book is an excellent read.
This article was contributed by Beth Rimmels (brimmels) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
In case you don't know, Acquisitions Incorporated, which has expanded to streaming, live games at conventions, and comic books, takes D&D's heroic fantasy and treats it like an office comedy. My first impressions article addressed how that affected D&D's character classes, the new monsters in the AI book (Deep Crows! Clockwork Dragons!), etc. Now let's dive into AI's corporate structure, so to speak.
The first part of the book is about how to play in an AI campaign. Appropriately, a lot of that is handled like a corporations' franchise guide. The players would be running an AI franchise much like the official Twitch and live play games that feature the B team or C team. You start off with a small franchise and work up to having a small territory, large territory or limited extraplanar area. As the franchise itself goes up in level, it gets more staff, features and has to handle more tasks.
Each franchise also gets a majordomo to run the administrative aspects. If a player loved that sort of thing they could be the majordomo, but it's assumed the majordomo will be an NPC. The GM is encouraged to have fun with this. Chapter 1 has a fast franchise generator – a series of random tables to quickly handle key points. The ideas for a memorable majordomo are terrific and can inspire new, quirky, memorable majordomos.
Appropriately, Acquisitions Incorporated has its own terminology so instead of skilled hirelings there are interns. Unskilled hirelings are “subemployees.”
Every starting franchise needs a headquarters. I like that in addition to the standard trope of an old tavern, AI offers ideas for bases like an abandoned lighthouse, a beat-up keel-boat and a worn carriage and horses. As the franchise becomes more successful, additional features can be added or they can upgrade to a better “office.”
As with any D&D campaign, players select a class and background, but in an AI game, they can also take on company roles as well. Options include Cartographer, Decisionist, Documancer, Hoardsperson, Loremonger, Obviator, Occultant, or Secretarian. Each position gets its own proficiencies separate from the character's class. These involve adding one's proficiency bonus in certain circumstances as well as abilities like “Speak Fluent Boss,” “What a Deal,” and “Tiebreaker Absentee Ballot.”
Each position also has a chart providing sample motivations for why someone might select that position. They're pretty funny.
A sample character is also provided for each position, not as in a fully stat'd character, but rather how they approach the role. So human ranger decisionist Kelshi Annab has seen everything and instead of being an authoritarian decisionist, she comes at things as the objective outsider with unyielding resolve. Each example also explains what book details that race if it's not one in the Players Handbook, like Genasi or Tabaxi. That's a very nice, highly useful touch. Clearly they thought about the readers who might be playing D&D for the first time because they watched AI streams but aren't familiar with all of the supplements.
Chapter 2 also has a lot of ideas for adding business complications as the franchise grows. These touch on topics like philanthropic enterprises, marketing, scrutineering, headquarters modifications, shady business practices, schmoozing, team building and complications for each. AI even adds its own factions – AI itself, of course, Dran Enterprises, The Noble Knife, The Silver Sliver and The Six. I'm thinking of adding these factions and an NPC AI franchise to my Waterdeep campaign as foils for my current players.
The enclosed adventure, The Orrery of the Wanderer, starts in Waterdeep so if you've been running Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (see my first impressions and deep dive reviews) or Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (first impressions and deep dive), this ties in nicely. Characters could make new, first level characters for it (Orrery is for 1-6 level PCs) or scale the adventure to fit existing characters' current level. There is a sidebar on adjusting the adventure for whatever power level.
Orrery is a solid adventure that takes players all over the Sword Coast. That also gives newcomers to D&D a sense of the world at large. Early on the players meet Omin Dran and Jim Darkmagic to get their assignment. It's handled briefly enough that it shouldn't intimidate DMs to play these well-known characters – plus there's plenty of footage online to help you prep.
Part of the charm of Acquisitions Incorporated concept is that it takes a core component of D&D – acquiring profit [treasure] – and reduces it to a pure yet humorous level. The big bosses in the company hand out an assignment. While obviously a lot can be done with that from the role-playing the side, the motivation for an adventure is simplified. It also provides a structure that, theoretically, can rein in unruly players. Maybe. Perhaps.
Besides, office comedies are popular for a reason. Whether it's The Office or going back to The Dick Van Dyke Show, it's a structure that allows people who might not otherwise like each other (how common is that in groups?) to have to work together somewhat cooperatively. Characters can still backstab each other (figuratively or literally), but it eliminates a lot of the “why are these people still working together?” dilemma. If a character dies, someone new is recruited or sent from corporate. It's also highly relatable because most people have either worked in an office at some point or in another way are familiar with the tropes.
The combined teams from D&D and Penny Arcade did a terrific job turning AI into a solid supplement that can seed unlimited adventures beyond the Orrery plot. Whether you're an existing AI, D&D completist or just want something different, Acquisitions Incorporated the book is an excellent read.
This article was contributed by Beth Rimmels (brimmels) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
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