Learn about D&D organized play options

[SidSad]

Hi, first post in the entire forum!

I'm new to DnD, and I don't know what I'm doing, so I apologize for anything stupid I might say!

My group is starting at DnD 5th and we want to start playing in Forgotten Realms and use published adventures.

We don't play at stores or conventions, and there are no stores or conventions anywhere near our homeworld. But we have a big group and play at home. Here are my questions:

1. Will we be able to play all of these "official" adventures and storylines? These adventures that are scheduled to be released (Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat) are the whole story, or are there some parts that will be exclusive to stores or conventions?

2. This D&D Epic stuff seems to work like these: There will be a great event far far away from me that's gonna begin the campaign I'm gonna play and there's no way for me to participate in it. Is that really it?

3. Where is the better place to jump in on Forgotten Realms and not feel lost. I mean, is this Dragons Gone Wild thing being going on for long or can the two upcoming adventures be an introduction to it? What should the DM know and what should the players know?

We don't care about the community part (even though it sounds AWESOME to me!). We just want to play the whole adventures and feel the continuity.

TL;DR: How can we follow the whole current storyline playing at home?

EDIT: I know, I know... a little offtopic. But it's about organized play since I'm basically asking "do we have to?".

 

[MerricB]

Hi, first post in the entire forum!

I'm new to DnD, and I don't know what I'm doing, so I apologize for anything stupid I might say!

My group is starting at DnD 5th and we want to start playing in Forgotten Realms and use published adventures.

We don't play at stores or conventions, and there are no stores or conventions anywhere near our homeworld. But we have a big group and play at home. Here are my questions:

1. Will we be able to play all of these "official" adventures and storylines? These adventures that are scheduled to be released (Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat) are the whole story, or are there some parts that will be exclusive to stores or conventions?

The two adventures should cover the majority of the story.

My understanding is that D&D Expeditions (which is store or convention only) will have side stories related to the Tyranny of Dragons storyline, but are by no means necessary; the core of the story is in Hoard and Rise.

2. This D&D Epic stuff seems to work like these: There will be a great event far far away from me that's gonna begin the campaign I'm gonna play and there's no way for me to participate in it. Is that really it?

Mostly, yes.

3. Where is the better place to jump in on Forgotten Realms and not feel lost. I mean, is this Dragons Gone Wild thing being going on for long or can the two upcoming adventures be an introduction to it? What should the DM know and what should the players know?

In general, Wizards have "events" for the Forgotten Realms that have traditionally lasted a year. It may well be that they're moving to a twice per year cycle, but their plans after Tyranny are still a bit unclear.

The last year has been "The Sundering", which has primarily been about the role of the Chosen of the Gods in the Realms. It has primarily played out in a set of six novels and over four adventures (Murder in Baldur's Gate, Legacy of the Crystal Shard, Scourge of the Sword Coast and Dead in Thay). There's also been stuff in D&D Online relating to it, but I'm unaware of how that worked.

This coming year brings "Tyranny of Dragons". At present, I'm not aware of any novels touching on the subject. The adventure "Hoard of the Dragon Queen" will be the first adventure released for the event, so you'll be coming in at the ground floor like the rest of us.

In addition...

In the widely-acclaimed free-to-play action MMORPG Neverwinter, look for the Tyranny of Dragons module coming August 14th. Neverwinter: Tyranny of Dragons will provide players with a compelling and vibrant Dungeons & Dragons experience, bridging characters and narrative between the MMO and tabletop game through the Tyranny of Dragons storyline.

There are two exciting Tyranny of Dragons tabletop roleplaying game adventures coming soon. Hoard of the Dragon Queen releasing August 19th pits players against evil dragons, the Cult of the Dragon, and the Red Wizards of Thay, which are conspiring to seize power in the Forgotten Realms. The Rise of Tiamat releasing October 21st, brings players and characters into the middle of the war between the forces of good and evil.

Starting in August, fans of the tabletop roleplaying game can experience Tyranny of Dragons at a store near you with D&D Encounters, the highly popular weekly in-store play program.

In addition, we have collaborated with the best in the business to bring players and Dungeon Masters an extensive line up of gaming accessories. Look for pre-painted miniatures from WizKids, vinyl maps, tokens, unpainted model miniatures and a Dungeon Master’s screen from GaleForce9, apparel from Mighty Fine, and comic books from IDW.

The Adventurer's League adventures relating to Tyranny (available through organised play at a store or convention) are listed here:
http://dndadventurersleague.org/tyranny-of-dragons-premier-adventures/

Cheers!

 

[Warunsun]

I still think Wizards is missing an opportunity here to publish the Moonsea Expeditions adventures online for home use. It would be great Dungeon Magazine content even if they were delayed by some time.

 

[SidSad]

Thank you for the answers, MerricB!

That's a little disappointing...

Warunsun, it's not just a case of a missed opportunity to sell more adventures. It's actually a deal breaker for me... (yeah, I'm one of those who wants everything or nothing)

 

[Alphastream]

Warunsun, it's not just a case of a missed opportunity to sell more adventures. It's actually a deal breaker for me... (yeah, I'm one of those who wants everything or nothing)

The problem is that some gamers are insatiable - it wasn't hard to find organized play gamers that played more than 5 4-hour Living Forgotten Realms adventures every week! 20 hours of content a week? When you think of how long it takes to create a single 4-hour adventure (write it, develop it, playtest it, edit it)... it is just impossible to supply everyone with their version of "I want everything". Further, some players want very specific experiences: support for stores so they have a local community (and stores want to boost sales), convention play so they can see their friends and stimulate the con scene, special convention events so they have a way to play truly huge and often multi-table events, home play that feels like a campaign, quick one-shots, introductory adventures, etc. The list of "everything" is completely different in size and form depending on who you ask. Importantly, if you offer everything everywhere, you erode the experiences and the reasons why people play in certain locations. We want in-store play, because it creates a strong hobby. Offer too much of the public play for home play and you take away from in-store play.

What Wizards is doing for the first time is supplying several different experiences while allowing players to jump across them as they see fit. That's really cool. Before, an Encounters player couldn't bring their character to a convention and then come back to the store with the same character. Before, you couldn't feel that your actions in Encounters would have some connection to what you do in home play or at conventions. Now there is a central theme that unifies those varied ways to play.

Is it perfect? It can't be. At least, it can't be everyone's version of perfect because everyone has a different version. Theoretically, the uber-collector can attend a store for Encounters, play the rest of the published modules at home, play Expeditions either at a store of convention, play the Epic at a major convention, play Neverwinter, play whatever else third parties may launch... and get the whole experience. No one is expected to do that (though surely someone will). The alternative to offering so much is to close off or isolate those ways of playing - and that would in turn dissatisfy many.

If what you are is a home player, then here's what D&D is offering:

• There is an overarching exciting theme: The Cult of the Dragon is changing its ways somehow, and dragons are stirring! Regardless of how much you play, others will share in that storyline, which is cool!
• You can purchase the two official storyline adventures, Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat. (I've linked to Amazon because you say you can't buy from a local store). People playing in Encounters will also be going through the first part of Hoard, so you will have much to talk about with others online. The two adventures will take you through about 15th level, so it will be a memorable campaign and a full D&D experience.
• While you won't participate in Epic adventures, you can hear about them and perhaps incorporate some elements into home play.
• You could run Expeditions in a public place, if you were willing to run at a library, coffee shop, or similar location and make the games open to others. That would extend your experience, though you would likely need different characters (the Gen Con adventures top out at 4th level).
• You could also play the Starter Set adventure, which is valid for Adventurer's League. It is a very good adventure.
• You could incorporate other previous adventures, such as Vault of the Dracolich or Sundering adventures such as Dead in Thay, since those touch on similar themes (Cult of the Dragon, Thay, etc.). VoD and DiT both have a very exciting high-stakes feel and the central theme could be taken and the monsters modified to different levels of play... or use them as side stories in your ToD campaign.

All told, that's a ton of possible play. Not ideal for everyone, but nothing is!

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Theoretically, the uber-collector can attend a store for Encounters, play the rest of the published modules at home, play Expeditions either at a store of convention

I wish. I seem to have volunteered to run some Expeditions. I'm not sure the store understands how it works. I was suggesting running some periodically on a Friday or Saturday(maybe once a month or every 2 weeks) so that we could transition some of the casual players from Encounters to Expeditions. I hoped everyone had the opportunity to play both. I even volunteered to be another DM for Encounters since a bunch of my friends said they'd like to play both Encounters and Expeditions.

The store said that they already had a day reserved for D&D: Wednesdays and that they already had DMs for that. They'd be happy if I showed up every Wednesday to run Expeditions, however.

This, unfortunately, is the same store that I attempted to play Encounters at before. I showed up for the first session of Dead in Thay and the DM was handed the adventure 30 seconds before the first session. He then proceeded to give a speech about how he had never ran or played 5e before and hadn't even seen the rules before so they'd be making up characters the first session while he read the rules.

I said if he'd been running encounters for the last 3 seasons how come he hadn't read them yet. After all, the last season required the playtest rules to be used. He said that they ran the first two sundering seasons using 4e rules and Legacy of the Crystal Shard had taken twice as many weeks as recommended since they skipped playing every Wednesday someone didn't show up and they didn't end it early in order to go on to the next season. So this was the first time any of them had seen the rules.

Then, he noticed that the store hadn't actually given him the playtest rules...just the adventure itself. Going downstairs to get the rules, the person at the counter had no idea how to access the playtest or even that there were 5e rules coming out.

I told him that there were precon characters that should have come with it as well, so making up characters might not be the best idea and maybe we should hand those out. One player wanted to make up a character instead of using a precon but the DM told him no. He wasn't going to allow anyone to make up their own character because he didn't want people to make completely overpowered characters compared to the precons. I told him that technically the character creation rules were decided upon by WOTC since he was running Encounters and they posted on their website that anyone can show up with their own created character. He said he didn't care and he wasn't allowing it.

I pulled out my ipad and downloaded copies of the precons and showed them off to everyone and gave them a primer in 5e. Then we cancelled the session for the day since the DM obviously hadn't read the adventure.

The next week I showed up and he started running the opening weekend adventure that was supposed to be the big event that runs the Saturday before the first week. I explain to him that that part of the adventure was supposed to be run before the first session. He says "Oh? Really? Well, I didn't prepare the actual adventure...so I guess we're running it."

I didn't show up the next week and have kind of given up on Encounters because they are basically the only store left running it in the city.

 

[Alphastream]

Oh, I hear ya! I was with Dave Christ, who heads up Baldman Games and runs Wizards' biggest conventions, in Cleveland. I talked him into dropping in on an Encounters session, because it was a new season and why not. I had called in ahead of time and was told they were running it. We show up... and they are running the first Living Forgotten Realms battle interactive from 2 years prior, bit by bit every Wednesday. They didn't have a good explanation why. They ask if we have played it... we just are standing there unsure of how to answer that... I mean, Dave organized it at his con. I finally stammer that we know it well and we thank them and leave.

And I get that stores have a tough time. They need to stay in business. Magic and wargame minis sell really well and every time people play they get cash. They will often just do whatever one person mentions, if that person is convincing enough, because they don't have time to figure everything out. (I would that the WPN solicitations are really pretty clear, but...)

I've been working with a Houston area store (since I travel there) to help them understand why they might want to run a table on Wednesdays. I have a final call with the store, but I'm pretty sure it will be a go. It can take a while to make it work. For this store I'm suggesting that playing will cost some small amount, but you can get it waived if you buy that amount or more in store product. That is helping them see us in a very favorable light (as a group we've purchased about $70 in our two games so far).

Individual problems don't mean the program isn't overall successful. We've been running 4-8 tables from the beginning of the program at just a single store in Portland. And we have probably 8 stores that have run the program at various times. A store doesn't even have to run the program continually to be an effective OP program. I just checked in on one of those stores this week and it is running a kids' D&D camp every single weekday of the summer!

 

[Greyson]

Some Stores Have No Idea...

I'm not sure the store understands how it works.

There are definitely stores that have no idea what's going on. The retailer where I game thinks it's going to run Encounters and Expeditions simultaneously on Wednesday nights. I don't think it's in the spirit of the two programs to compete against each other like that. This same store has missed ordering entire Encounter seasons.

I'm an advocate for Expeditions home play. Being tethered to the store is hopefully a short term paradigm. As ably noted before in this thread, another very successful non-Wizards of the Coast organized play program is killing it with home play. And in-store play. And convention play. Home play has it's place in the Adventurers League.

While I appreciate the AL folks maintaining the party line, here's the thing - I understand we can meet more gamers at public venues and the other purported merits of playing at the store/library/non-home venue and at conventions. I get it. I, the consumer, am saying give us home play for Expeditions because there are strong reasons to play at home in organized play, too. I'll go to the store to play Encounters. I'll go to the conventions to play Epics. Please don't compel me to the store that can't even get Encounters right to play Expeditions with strangers, obnoxious types, or the unwashed. As the consumer, I am asking for a little leeway to play Expeditions (not Hoard, not Rise) with players of my choosing at a place of my choosing.

I respectfully submit that the AL can support us as private gamers as well as public gamers.

Beyond that, I appreciate the efforts of the AL organizers. I was a Nyrond triad, and know how much work this. You gotta have a thick skin.

 

[The_Baldman]

So not trying to be insulting or mean or anything (please don't take it that way). I'm just curious on responses for my own late night tired brain and playing devil's advocate a bit.

Why should they? Honestly ? (and 'because I really really want to' or 'the store in my area suck/don't play/don't exist' are not valid answers)

The goal of OP is to grow your player base (some will say retention as well but I think that is grasping at fog - give a great play experience and that takes care of itself). Straight up across the board. Running OP costs money but that money is seen as marketing because once again it's goal is to grow your player base.

The D&D Adventurers League, much like D&D Expeditions before it sees the store, conventions, and other public events as where new players are brought into the game. I know some are going to jump up and down waiving their arms about the three people they brought into the game played in their basement and that is awesome. Get them to go home and run games for their other friends to but that is not the norm (but still awesome). The gaming store for most is the hub of their experiences. That is where they talk shop, play FNM, and pickup some paints and mini's when their spouses are not looking (or helping them pick one out). Wizards has shown for years now their strong support of stores. They get releases early and materials to support play of those games in the store. Your local gaming store is going to get the new PHB 10 or 11 (I always forget) days before anybody else can sell it. That includes Amazon. Nobody else does that!!! (or at least the big guys I know of - if one does then give them kudos and a shout out). Most have a goal of bypassing as many middle men as possible to sell to you direct because that is the biggest profit margin and that's how most gaming companies stay afloat.

So with all that why should they take a program designed to support the stores and grow their presence there and let you bypass that and play at home? You playing at home is not hitting any of the checkboxes I think exist with this program and their budget for it. Their job is not to provide you with free stuff to play at home. Adding in "Well we will pay for it - just let us buy it" doesn't work either. You don't spend money on a program to get people to a store to grow the hobby so you can then take money from another group to avoid said store and stay home. A common reply is "Well it doesn't cost them anything to let me do X" but that's wrong. It costs them something it is just something that you assign little to no value to. It undermines the goals of the program.

If you want things to play buy them. They are putting out an awesome product right out of the gate with the basic set and an even more awesome one with the PHB. There is months of play right there. Enough to level your character right out of Expedition and Epic play at the start if you want. What it is boils down to this: People want everything in the format that bests suits them. I want to play everything at the store/on my computer/in my basement/at my local convention center/with my crazy uncle Fred and his smelly roommate who chews the corners off all the d4's. That's great. We all want things (especially my kids).

So once again why should they? They've created a great system to tie-together store play, convention/public play, and home play. If you can hit more then once of those and expand your group of gaming friends then rock out like Winger. Expecting to have access to all of those in a way that is exactly like you think it should be is just entitlement.

 

[exile]

Speaking for myself (so only anecdotally), I think they should make Expeditions available for home play because that episodic style of play works well for me. Like a lot of people my age, I have a pretty demanding schedule. I play when and where I can. Sometimes I drive 1-2 hours to a store; I go to quite a few cons; I invite friends over to my house (from several hours away). On average, I get in about one good weekend of gaming per month, but it is not always with the same group. PFS works great for me (as did LFR). Ongoing campaigns like Paizo's APs (and I suspect the what's it what's it Dragon Queen) work less well. My friends who all live closer together than they live to me can play those together, but if I drop in I'm a guest star at best, a disruption to continuity at worst.

So yeah, part of it is just me whining because it is something that I want to do, and the current rules make it difficult.

But here are a few kickers... I have disposable income. I can walk into a game store and spend a lot more money than most any of the kids that live there. I have full collections of Paizo product, 4e product, and lots of other gaming product.

I have already bought the 5e starter set, and I will buy some more 5e product, but I probably won't support 5e in the same way i support Pathfinder (I have already consciously bypassed a set of minis) or the same way i supported 4e. This isn't because I am a vindictive person or because I hate 5e. In fact, I kind of like what I have seen so far; I have even tried to sell it to friends who remain staunch 4e supporters (with no luck yet). The truth is this, I won't fully be supporting 5e because they have created an organized play system (my favorite type of play) that makes my participation difficult.