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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Alphastream" data-source="post: 6288839" data-attributes="member: 11365">There is a fine tradition of tournament adventures at Origins, for sure. Several classic adventures (such as Barrier Peaks) began as an Origin tournament adventure. But, I'm not sure WotC appreciates that or sees that as a reason to have a strong presence (currently) at Gen Con. (This is, again, just my speculation. For all I know, they could have great plans for Origins 2015.)  It has been interesting to see that over the past few years the "classic" event has made a comeback, while the tournament competition has declined. It has barely run at Gen Con the past few years, and I'm not sure many people even know that it has run, or how close it has come to not running. Ironically, the Wizards site itself recently highlighted how <a href="https://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ex/20130528" target="_blank">the forward to the Slave Lords series bemoaned the near loss of the tournament adventure</a>:  "In the early days of TSR, we were still feeling things out, learning what we could and couldn’t do. It was in a previous GEN CON Game Fair that we had heard murmurs that the AD&D tournament needed some work. We hadn’t realized until then how much the tournament could be, should be, a showcase event. The players who came to Wisconsin deserved a deliberately crafted experience, something that could show TSR and AD&D in the best possible way." So begins David “Zeb” Cook's foreword to A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity. While the original adventure appeared as part of Gen Con XIII's Open Tournament, it returns with June's Against the Slave Lords compilation.If I had to guess, I suspect the Battle Interactive is replacing the tournament in WotC's eye as a way to create an exciting event. <a href="http://www.dndclassics.com/product/120762/Vault-of-the-Dracolich-DD-Next&affiliate_id=66355" target="_blank">Vault of the Dracolich</a> and Assault on Candlekeep have been well received and WotC's goal and design appeal to new, casual, and experienced players. The events are exciting, but not punishing. I personally hope we continue to see competitive events, and especially the kind that can create new classics. I would have loved last year's Origins event to have been "Barrier Peaks: The Lost Levels" instead of just converting the original, and to have the final work published in some form (even just DDI). I endlessly dream of being asked to write the 'lost levels' for one of the tombs in the Desert of Desolation series! I think such events could be fun for new players while still remaining competitive. I agree with what Zeb Cook wrote back then: The loss of the tournament is a negative for D&D. It can and should be a showcase event. I'll step off the soapbox I strapped to my high horse...</blockquote>

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