TwinPeaksGuy
Explorer
Point taken. The initial questions were answered. Discussions about "why" were getting badly bogged down.
There is a downside to league play. Building and playing a character with deeper and enjoyable relationships and flavor can have aspects that get in the way of keeping it portable across tables and venues.
I submit to you that the overall effect is that of a playground that is soon outgrown. AL(or at least Expeditions/Encounters) seems to be intended to provide an easy way to get people into the hobby and rolling some dice, with the league and its policies serving as a meta-DM. It more or less functions to meet that goal.
What may or may not be a problem is retention in the organization. It may simply be part of the intent that many or most people will find parts of the League structure incomplete, confining, or absurd and just go away and play home games, leaving more room at the league tables but draining on the player and DM pool at those tables. That may leave an ongoing problem of finding DMs who themselves have more than a year at it, so best of luck on solving that. I've seen more than a few DMs at my FLGS who can barely pronounce half the words in the box text, that give up on roleplaying the NPCs, and just turn the whole thing into a tactical combat game with few options or rewards. Is it any wonder I'm looking for ways to spice things up and keep myself engaged?
I've played 2 editions of D&D over the last 30 years, with three other systems in between, and it truly seems to me that my time playing at league tables is drawing to a close, after really only a few months. Given the discussion here, I doubt any of you will be sorry to see me go, so that's likely best for all concerned.
There is a downside to league play. Building and playing a character with deeper and enjoyable relationships and flavor can have aspects that get in the way of keeping it portable across tables and venues.
I submit to you that the overall effect is that of a playground that is soon outgrown. AL(or at least Expeditions/Encounters) seems to be intended to provide an easy way to get people into the hobby and rolling some dice, with the league and its policies serving as a meta-DM. It more or less functions to meet that goal.
What may or may not be a problem is retention in the organization. It may simply be part of the intent that many or most people will find parts of the League structure incomplete, confining, or absurd and just go away and play home games, leaving more room at the league tables but draining on the player and DM pool at those tables. That may leave an ongoing problem of finding DMs who themselves have more than a year at it, so best of luck on solving that. I've seen more than a few DMs at my FLGS who can barely pronounce half the words in the box text, that give up on roleplaying the NPCs, and just turn the whole thing into a tactical combat game with few options or rewards. Is it any wonder I'm looking for ways to spice things up and keep myself engaged?
I've played 2 editions of D&D over the last 30 years, with three other systems in between, and it truly seems to me that my time playing at league tables is drawing to a close, after really only a few months. Given the discussion here, I doubt any of you will be sorry to see me go, so that's likely best for all concerned.