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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pedr" data-source="post: 6344049" data-attributes="member: 33464">I think some of the criticism is the generic reaction to being told that you can't have something. It's not really possible to argue with that - some people will be annoyed no matter what system is in place. I think WotC is making good decisions on the basis of the programme's goals. But there are cogent reasons to critique the design of the Adventurers League. Exile's point is one of them: living campaigns are a better fit for some groups' play style than anything else offered by WotC because of its aggressively episodic and connected-but-stand-alone nature. Being able to organise a group which can play when there are enough people free without worrying about continuity if some players can only make every other session, or only play occasionally, can mean that play happens and D&D groups exist, which wouldn't otherwise. Certainly when I was in Oxford I tried playing in a home campaign, but the group collapsed as none of us were as regularly available as was necessary to sustain the game. I then found the Oxford Living Greyhawk group, and played more than I would have if I'd stayed in the home group. That group (and its LFR successor group) plays in members' homes, but is open to newcomers, advertises on the internet, etc, and has proved to be the entry (and re-entry) point for many. There's a flexibility in home-hosting which stores don't have: the space isn't being competed for by CCG players, the overheads are already paid by the home owner, etc. It strikes me as a shame that programme changes mean that a long-running supporter group of WotC OP will struggle to continue - and the for-sale adventures aren't a suitable replacement, as they're ongoing and written with the assumption that the same players will play continuously. I hope they'll find a suitable public place and engage with Expeditions, but I don't know if that'll be possible, or if they'll consider the cost and additional organisation worth it.I'm fortunate enough now to live in a town with an extremely well-run and supportive store. Even so I realise that Encounters is a source of some tension - Wednesdays used to be a card and board gaming night; now half the space is filled with D&D. The owners seem happy, but it's not a large store and there are often more people wanting to use it than can fit. Most towns in the UK don't have stores, of course, and there are plenty of places more than an hour's drive from a retail game store, let alone one with enough space for gaming. WotC's decision to assist stores in maintaining their position in the gaming culture is excellent - but it's definitely not the case in the UK that "for most" a store is the hub of gamers' experiences. After all, one British owner of a popular D&D discussion site is vocal about having never been to a game store! Stores not existing is a reasonable critique of a programme which seems designed largely to encourage stores to support D&D. Certainly in the UK - and plenty of other very-high-rent places, nothing D&D does will cause someone to open a store that they wouldn't otherwise, and in many cases running AL is actually a net cost, as it can reduce space and effort used to support Magic (and Yu Gi Oh, and L5R, etc!)Now having said all that, I think there are improvements with AL: using the same story for Encounters and the for-sale adventures is great. It basically provides what people have been asking for since Encounters began: access to the adventure for those who can't play at a store. Clearer support for conventions and game days is also good, and might encourage the development of some more small events. One of the major criticisms of LFR of course, was that because everyone could play almost everything at home, conventions which existed to run LG games folded. I'm not sure the AL set up will support small conventions in the same way - the LG regional system was an extremely artificial distortion of the small convention market - but proving a reason to set up game days is a good thing, and might encourage some public play and increased visibility of D&D in those areas without stores.</blockquote>

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