Question about cheating

[Warmaster Horus]

Interpretations will vary. Running a single chapter does not imply the need to finish it, for example. So clarification would be nice.

 

[Pauper]

So, what counts as 'not finishing' the chapter that doesn't qualify as 'running individual encounters' rather than the chapter?

Again, not seeing a rational third option here. Either you run all the encounters in a chapter, or you run not all of the encounters in a chapter, and the latter is explicitly not allowed. ("You may not, however, run individual encounters as one-off adventures." --emphasis mine) Note that the very next section in the FAQ deals with logging multi-session adventures, which doesn't seem like an accident.

I'll agree that there are ways a player or table can fudge that text, against the spirit of the rule, but I don't see that more detail is going to be very helpful -- and we get back to the OP's concern. If you play at a table that seems to be violating the spirit of this rule, log the session, but claim no rewards. That puts you on the moral high ground.

--
Pauper

 

[rooneg]

Honestly, I think a "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck" approach is best here. If the one-shot you're running or playing in doesn't feel like an adventure it's probably not something that should be runnable as a one-shot. If it does feel like an adventure, then it should be runnable as a one-shot. Trying to say that you must run an entire chapter while still saying "players can drop in and out at any time and it's totally cool" while also accounting for the fact that some stores schedule really short time slots for these things just ends up with a lot of edge cases.

Like it's fine to coincidentally have a session of out of the abyss where the only thing that happens is the players encounter the dawnbringer dungeon (which is, let's be clear, at least as long as many 2 hour AL modules), and it's fine if it's someone's first time at the table, and they get dawnbringer and then never show up again (maybe they're traveling and just happened to stop in that week, or they start playing at the SKT table next to mine, or maybe they quit the game for a year because reasons). All of that is totally legal within the rules, but if I do it as a one-shot it's magically not ok?

That's a weird outcome, and it's just asking for abuse. The people who are willing to game the system win out, and the people who want to play by the rules feel like chumps when they sit down next to the guy who's got a dawnbringer on their character who just coincidentally happened to drop in to that particular week of an out of the abyss campaign.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

So, what counts as 'not finishing' the chapter that doesn't qualify as 'running individual encounters' rather than the chapter?

Again, not seeing a rational third option here. Either you run all the encounters in a chapter, or you run not all of the encounters in a chapter, and the latter is explicitly not allowed. ("You may not, however, run individual encounters as one-off adventures." --emphasis mine) Note that the very next section in the FAQ deals with logging multi-session adventures, which doesn't seem like an accident.

I'll agree that there are ways a player or table can fudge that text, against the spirit of the rule, but I don't see that more detail is going to be very helpful -- and we get back to the OP's concern. If you play at a table that seems to be violating the spirit of this rule, log the session, but claim no rewards. That puts you on the moral high ground.

--
Pauper

Look, I'm just looking for a clear ruling. Individual encounters in a one-shot sounds like it could include 1 encounter (as in individual, singular) run as a 1-shot. Nor does the ruling seem to preclude running less than a full chapter (ie, "The chapter must be run in its' entirety..." is not stated).

For example, I'm considering running Against the Giants for my FLGS AL group. However the characters they would bring are probably too advanced for Steading of the Hill Giant Chief and I'd like to start them at The Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl instead. However I apparently can't do that because it's not the whole chapter (as in Chapter 6. Against the Giants). So now I can't run it. Great.

 

[nswanson27]

I guess if I found myself in this situation:
Why do I think there was cheating - was it illegal or just not run well? Can I find out more info on what was supposed to happen to verify?
But at the end of the day, what makes an AL game an AL game is that they (players and DM) follow the AL rules - not that they just call it an AL game. At some point, despite the DM's claims, I would just simply conclude that it wasn't an AL game and treat it as such. You don't log non-AL games (not allowed by rules). Probably would re-consider playing with that DM/table again. It's on the honor system, so just make a good-faith attempt to reconcile things as best you can. You could just email the AL admins for guidance too.

 

[ccs]

Look, I'm just looking for a clear ruling. Individual encounters in a one-shot sounds like it could include 1 encounter (as in individual, singular) run as a 1-shot. Nor does the ruling seem to preclude running less than a full chapter (ie, "The chapter must be run in its' entirety..." is not stated).

For example, I'm considering running Against the Giants for my FLGS AL group. However the characters they would bring are probably too advanced for Steading of the Hill Giant Chief and I'd like to start them at The Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl instead. However I apparently can't do that because it's not the whole chapter (as in Chapter 6. Against the Giants). So now I can't run it. Great.

So....
You've got the desire to DM.
You've got the adventure & the time.
You've got the space.
And you've got players.
Why do you feel the need to run this as an AL game?

 

[Warmaster Horus]

So....
You've got the desire to DM.
You've got the adventure & the time.
You've got the space.
And you've got players.
Why do you feel the need to run this as an AL game?

Excuse me? Why wouldn't I feel the need to run my Wednesday night AL group using AL characters my players want to continue to play and grow in a WotC HC adventure? Having just finished SKT I didn't want to overdose on Giants but they need something between their current level and Tomb of Horrors. Against the Giants is technically made up of three modules, G1-G3, which could be played as stand alone adventures and IMHO should continue to be playable as such in AL.

 

[CapnZapp]

I understand the lack of "clear rulings" here. It would be a nightmare to try to quantify the difference between "a few cherry-picked encounters" and "the lion part of a hardcover chapter".

So in the end you're simply going to have to rely on and trust individual DM judgement.

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[thethain]

So, what counts as 'not finishing' the chapter that doesn't qualify as 'running individual encounters' rather than the chapter?

Again, not seeing a rational third option here. Either you run all the encounters in a chapter, or you run not all of the encounters in a chapter, and the latter is explicitly not allowed. ("You may not, however, run individual encounters as one-off adventures." --emphasis mine) Note that the very next section in the FAQ deals with logging multi-session adventures, which doesn't seem like an accident.

I think his point is this. And it is a completely valid one. You are 100% allowed to break up hard cover sessions. (you don't have to play Curse of Strahd in one sitting) If you do so you are required to award xp and distribute items at the end of each session (this has been specifically stated that you can't leave items "floating, or party loot" that isn't claimed by players).

Scenario:
I decide to run Chapter 6 of PotA. (which is already an issue as it is 11 completely disconnected dungeons/ecounters). I decide we will do them in the order players decide from a list of leads they got from a faction member. The first session they do 3 of the encounters in about 4 hours, we call it a day, reward XP/renown/items. Plan to meet up online to play next week at same time.

Next week rolls around, not enough people show up. I give up finishing the chapter as no new players want to start mid chapter.

This is a 100% legit and legal thing to happen. As a player or a DM you are not required to continue in any adventure, and you are allowed to split hard cover adventures over multiple sessions. But it can be framed to be very much against the spirit of the "No loot runs" rule. In this scenario, all the players would be prohibited from joining any game that contains that chapter in the future (except if they joined each other to continue the one they started)

 

[thethain]

Also to the original point, there are provisions in the AL that you are not required to take items or even gold (although your share of gold is still taken from the gold being split). I believe you are not allowed to refuse XP.