DDAL Things I learn from being a DM for 400 Adventure League sessions.

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Ask questions then. I have done about 2/3 of Season1 to Season 9. And DM the following books. Books Ran - Rise of Tiamat, Yawning Portal, Tomb of Annihilation, Mad Mage, Waterdeep Heist *2, Ghost of Saltmarsh, Descent into Avernus, Icewind Dale, Candlekeep Mysteries, Curse of Strahd, Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Call of the Netherdeep, Spelljammer Academy, Journey of the Radiant Citadel, Spelljammer Light of Xarysis,

Which of those ran the easiest out of the box? Which had the best overall reaction from players? Which were the most trouble out of the box?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Don't be afraid to act out a bit. I feel like i get a little carried away sometimes with accents and characterizations sometimes but people seem to enjoy it. Don't just tell them "these are the rumors", have them talk to someone who is drunk, another bored, another crotchety old man that's hard of hearing*.

Yeah, I'm always self-conscious about funny voices, as I think a lot of DMs are, but every time I do it, everyone is delighted.

 

[jasper]

SKULLY HAS 114 NAMES IN 401 SESSION. BE COOL AND DON'T GET YOUR NAME ON SKULLY. My few home games the players know i will kill them if they get majorly stupid and don't work as team. So less death there because nearly the same players all the time. Petrification happens as often as the pc fails to make it save but I have not yet had a whole party fail their pertification saves. I had people banished to or fell to another plane which cost them 50 downtime days to get back.
Does reducing Ten Towns to Two and Quarter Towns before giving goddess named Auril a scroll of Tarrasque summoning count as lost of life of NPCS.

I do have some regular players who don't mind losing their PC and since the death penalty of losing magic items or gold has gone away, some players are more reckless.

 

[Oofta]

Yeah, I'm always self-conscious about funny voices, as I think a lot of DMs are, but every time I do it, everyone is delighted.

People should play to their strengths and recognize their weaknesses of course, but nobody expects professional voice acting. There's a lot of little things you can do from changing your normal pace of speaking to physical affectations like squinting while leaning forward to nervous twitches and other mannerisms. Just remember, practice makes... well, not necessarily perfect but better.

 

[jasper]

Which of those ran the easiest out of the box? Which had the best overall reaction from players? Which were the most trouble out of the box?

Most trouble was Rise of Tiamat. The maps are a mess and flipping around the book did not help.
Easiest. Candlekeep and Radiant Citadel. Each chapter is it own session and I did not have track anything that happen.
Best overall Reaction was Icewind Dale. One reason we held the games at my house so the noise level was down and I made dinner every other session. Second I allows pc to bring in a second pc if they want to but most generally decide on one pc. Third I had two people retire their PC. Sandoval who was supposed to be a sacrifice to Auril gave Auril a scroll of Tarrasque summoning. Jimmy stayed in the glacier with his dryad wife. And since Sandoval had the curse weapon which made him a giant, he decided not to have the curse removed.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

SKULLY HAS 114 NAMES IN 401 SESSION. BE COOL AND DON'T GET YOUR NAME ON SKULLY.

That is a fun prop.

I currently have an oversized boss fight d20 with a liquid core and, after seeing an early Critical Role video, am thinking about getting an ornate hourglass timer. A Skull of Player Character Death feels like another good prop to put on my list.

 

[jasper]

Skully has his own story which he will reveal at his good time. Or if he gets enough up votes. Skully 1 is at the game store. Skully 2 is on my office desk where I tell new hire I listed the names of user who broke my programs and never submitted a ticket. Skully 3 is still taking names. .

 

[jasper]

That is a fun prop.

I currently have an oversized boss fight d20 with a liquid core and, after seeing an early Critical Role video, am thinking about getting an ornate hourglass timer. A Skull of Player Character Death feels like another good prop to put on my list.

Wait till around September or October. Dollar Tree and Walmart has small skulls which are about 2 inches thick. Write the name on the skull and start a stack.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I played in an AL game where it felt like we spent a lot of time at the beginning faffing about and then were rushed at the end. Suggestions to DMs on how to stay on target? Especially during an Epic (I ran an Epic during the Mad Mage season - the one where you

Spoiler

were supposed to end with an epic space battle