D&D General The Future of Adventurer's League

[MrTemplar]

I stopped playing D&D with First Edition AD&D, and although I kept playing other games in the intervening years, I did not play again until my Adult son started a 5E game. After Covid ended, I joined the AL games at my local store, and have been DMing a group the last 2.5 years.

The first year or so all 4 tables filled up, often with 8 or more people at each table. Lately, it has been about 4-6 people across 3 tables, and each DM has regulars. The players are there to play D&D and could care less about the AL structure; only one player actually maintains logs. Most complain regularly about the restrictions (no optional rules such as flanking, or no use of unique campaign spells from setting to setting (Silvery Barbs isn't allowed at all, since Strixhaven is not an approved campaign setting, and, well, players aren't happy when they can't use it.

Players who love role playing as their favored pillar often are disappointed as AL does not do character arcs well. AL does not support FLGS well anymore (or at least the one I go to).

There is uncertainty where AL is going with regards to 5.24. I am curious--are other AL DMs noticing player grumbling a little bit more about AL guidelines or less people playing AL and moving to non AL games either privately or at the FLGS? Has any DM here had AL burnout?

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Our AL club has a sign-up system where people who want to DM state the module they will be running and when, and this gets posted up on an event organisation site, and people who want to play sign up for those sessions. Some members DM a lot, but there aren't any designated DMs. DM burnout is definitely a thing, but it is reduced by a person not having to DM if they don't want to. This can mean that sometimes there are only two or three games in a week rather than six, depending on people wanting/being able to run modules.

Many of the AL members have regular, non-AL games as well.
AL probably isn't as good as an actual campaign game, with a specific party, playing through a structured plot etc. But its still D&D and still fun. The FLGSs where the AL games are held also host non-AL games (and CCGs, wargames, board games etc.)

Since no one knows how D&D 2024 is going to integrate into adventurer's league, there has been a lot of discussion/speculation, but no one is making any particular plans yet.

 

[jasper]

My wednesday group is growing, and we do have homebrew there. The Friday group is shrinking due to people getting their own groups. And some personality conflicts.

 

[payn]

I stopped playing D&D with First Edition AD&D, and although I kept playing other games in the intervening years, I did not play again until my Adult son started a 5E game. After Covid ended, I joined the AL games at my local store, and have been DMing a group the last 2.5 years.

The first year or so all 4 tables filled up, often with 8 or more people at each table. Lately, it has been about 4-6 people across 3 tables, and each DM has regulars. The players are there to play D&D and could care less about the AL structure; only one player actually maintains logs. Most complain regularly about the restrictions (no optional rules such as flanking, or no use of unique campaign spells from setting to setting (Silvery Barbs isn't allowed at all, since Strixhaven is not an approved campaign setting, and, well, players aren't happy when they can't use it.

Players who love role playing as their favored pillar often are disappointed as AL does not do character arcs well. AL does not support FLGS well anymore (or at least the one I go to).

There is uncertainty where AL is going with regards to 5.24. I am curious--are other AL DMs noticing player grumbling a little bit more about AL guidelines or less people playing AL and moving to non AL games either privately or at the FLGS? Has any DM here had AL burnout?

I did PFS for awhile. I find org play tends to go in waves. At times, very popular, at other times not so much. One thing remains constant, the consistent need of arbitration often restricts options, and players never like it.

 

[aco175]

AL games do not fill the same niche for me as games we play as a dedicated group. They are not made for that. I would play some of them at my LFGS, but I have enough of the other play. We do play them at the local convention, but they are just ok.

I do see that DMsGuild or Wizards has opened things up for anyone to make AL modules, so not sure if that lowers quality, but also not sure how much quality control they had to start or kept over the years.