Season 4 Curse of Strahd and Adventurers League

[kalani]

The one thing people are forgetting - is that there is also an Online Region. Roll20 is free (while Fantasy Grounds is not). Even if you miss a particular module at your FLGS, you can always jump on Warhorn, or visit the Moonsea Pub on Facebook and see if anyone is running the module you need, or is willing to run said module.

This doom and gloom is grossly exaggerated, as characters are not bound to the brick-and-mortar stores, or a single table.

 

[Steve_MND]

This doom and gloom is grossly exaggerated, as characters are not bound to the brick-and-mortar stores, or a single table.

I don't think that's as much of a fix-all as people think it is, and should not be used as a let-them-eat-cake patch for fixing a potential issue in the campaign -- a lot of people out there have no interest or experience in playing a game of D&D online. The big draw of tabletop RPGs over online RPGs/MMOs is, well, that they are tabletop.

Having the online region makes it more likely you can find a way around it by sheer numbers, but it doesn't fix the potential problem itself, and while I may be overestimating the concerns this sort of situation may cause for people, I think other people are underestimating the problem, by virtue of a 'well, I forsee no problem with me or my local group, so I can't see how anyone else might have difficulties."

A lot of people also didn't see why having the AL tied to a store was potentially limiting to the thousands of players out there that didn't have a local gaming store, either. Fortunately, that's no longer the case here coming up, and I hope the Admins will revisit this issue as well in time.

 

[skerritthegreen]

I am getting the impression that a lot of people think the 'trapped in Ravenloft' idea is a flop. I like the idea about as much as I liked Chapter 1 of OotA...I stopped coming to AL for 2 months, rather than play the first couple chapters...The feedback I have heard sofar says they nailed the ravenloft feel pretty well, so maybe there is hope. 3 of our 5 DMs are already dropping out for S4, so I am probably going to have to DM anyways. If roughly the same number of people show up to play that means we are looking at having about 9 pla...err 7, right 7 players per table! *wink*

Wouldn't it just be easier to say only season 4 origin characters can play the content until xxx date, or until tier 2, or whatever?

I guess I can understand the desire to scare all those 2nd level dudes with Dawnbringers (I count no less than 5 of them in at our LGS) from going to vampire land and getting free exps. I am betting someone will show up with a SCAG rebuilt character Dual-Wielding 'Dawnies' the second another Legendary with a trade log hits print. I mean at least that other massively OP sentient weapon wasn't available till mid tier 2.

Without having seen the rules for Season 4 or the new ALPG, or for that matter knowing any details about S4, the people who think its a flop are those who want it to be a flop and are being overly dramatic to try to prove a point. Maybe the rules are not that you automatically can find your way out after some date? Or that you can hire a vistani for 5 gp to move back and forth? Or that your PC is automatically executed if you play any season 4 adventures? The point is that since the Admins haven't told you yet, announcing that its a failure based on incomplete information is a little silly. Again, its assuming everything the Admins do will always fail and is dumb. If that's case, why would so many people be playing?

 

[skerritthegreen]

It's not a flop as far as I can tell. Not around my neck of the woods.

In fact this season I have four new DMs asking about how to participate. Scratch that, five now.

I have also seen a huge spike in people looking to DM for S4.

 

[skerritthegreen]

So, now that Death House has been released to everyone for free through Dragon+ is it still going to be the launch event adventure? I was kind of under the impression that Death house was going to be a special preview for the WPN game stores.

There are additional, as of yet unannounced, benefits and incentives to play Death House in the store. The announcements got a bit mixed up but its coming.

 

[skerritthegreen]

Not a flop so much as... awkwardly implemented (as far as we've heard so far). As mentioned elsewhere, I like the idea of a character getting stuck in Ravenloft -- that is one of its key elements, after all -- but if that happens, I want it to be because of in-character decisions, not because the player had bad luck and missed a key session. And nothing can drive away a new player like telling them the character that they've grown attached to can not be played anymore, because they missed that one mod that the rest of the characters have now played.

As announced previously, there will be more than one way out. I count three, possibly four. As previously announced, the admins did plan for this in advance. I get the assumption that they have no clue and all things will automatically fail. Its how the internet works. However, at this point you'll have to take my word for it.

 

[Lhorgrim]

There are additional, as of yet unannounced, benefits and incentives to play Death House in the store. The announcements got a bit mixed up but its coming.

Thanks for the update. I'm looking forward to kicking off the new season at my FLGS!

 

[RCanine]

Without having seen the rules for Season 4 or the new ALPG, or for that matter knowing any details about S4, the people who think its a flop are those who want it to be a flop and are being overly dramatic to try to prove a point. … The point is that since the Admins haven't told you yet, announcing that its a failure based on incomplete information is a little silly. Again, its assuming everything the Admins do will always fail and is dumb. If that's case, why would so many people be playing?

I'm not worried about season 4, but I think this reaction is a bit unfair. @Steve_MND is reacting to the information as it's been presented to him; he sees gaps that he has every reason to believe may not have been considered. It's not a vote of no-confidence in the admins; it's working with incomplete information.

If these sorts of reactions chafe, the answer's pretty clear: publish draft rules for public comment. It doesn't have to be all the rules. It doesn't have to be polished, or final; I don't even thing you need to act on the feedback, but give players a chance to react and think about it, maybe fiddle with it in their home games, and it'll be a lot less scary.

There's a reason video games have public betas. Right now, we're just stuck with whatever gets published on release day, and so I don't think players reacting with fear that the admins may have missed something should be all that surprising.

 

[Byakugan]

I am happy to hear there is going to be several ways to escape. But if going back and forth is going to be 'trivial' then why make it a point to showcase the restriction in the very beginning, when they had given literally 0 other information out. It is mildly rhetorical, because I think I already know the answer: the same reason Trump says -anything-. Even negative attention is better than no attention. Personally, I've spoken to a handful of people about season 4, and pretty much the conversation has been the same every time...ravenloft...gothic horror...bad ass vampire dude...probably lots of undead...some really stupid(so far not completely explained) rule about characters being trapped in the plane. Well, why would they...oh, right. Dawnbringer. Maybe the other 80% of the conversation is considered a net positive.

BTW, all the cards appearing on the book cover and in some of the other iconography, and the suggestive titles of the modules reminds me of a whole campaign idea I remember from a long time ago. Somehow, a Deck of Many Things has become split into individual cards, and the villain has figured out a ritual to reunite the entire deck and activate its magic. The ritual will allow him to PICK which cards he draws. Ever since I've been a gamer, Decks of many things have always been treated akin to Divine magic...aka God-level Wishes etc. So in this case, what if BBEG wants to escape Barovia...or better yet, he wants to merge his plane with another, thus corrupting it with his evil, undeady, magicky ravenloft stuff. The only problem is the cards are scattered across the land, attracted to strong magical forces, guarded by powerful creatures. Enter the PCs...

 

[Byakugan]

I just read Death House tonight...I've only skimmed it so far, but I am impressed. If it is a sample of what is to come, expect to see Rogue and Bard stock to go up in price this season....and obviously clerics and paladins, but we all already saw that coming.