D&D General What I learn from DM 600 sessions of Adventure League

[jasper]

All good advice. I'm curious how #15 works with AL games. Early in 5e I played some AL games. The typical arrangement in FLGS where I attended was that there were some established AL groups running through a campaign for whatever book was new that season. Maybe about a third of the people there. Most of the rest were regular AL players who would join whatever game was available, playing various AL one shots. Some would try to stick to their favorite GM(s) from week to week, but the groups would mix up quite a bit from session to session. And then GMs would rotate running introductory adventures for new players.

Putting aside obvious, over-the-top bad behavior, what would be your guidelines for "people who don't play well together" and how do you handle rejecting someone who wants to join your table as an AL event, unless you were running a campaign with a regular group? If and when you decided you didn't want to DM for someone was it just a personal decision and that player would go play with another DM, until they found a DM they played will with, or went from DM to DM until nobody wanted to play with them. I'm assuming it wouldn't be a total event ban by the organizers for any but the most egregious actions.

1.we had a couple of people who did not get along if at the same table. We seperated them.
2. I recently total ban a cheater from my table. It bad when the casuals are looking at them side eyed. Before it was just me and the other dm, we could pass the cheater from table to table until the dm/table got tired of them. Note he didn't cheat all the time but....
4. One the guidelines I established for the group was a DM could bounce a person for any reason. this was more to cover number 1 but as with any open table you have people who ick the DM out. And we not getting paid for this. i go pushed by the official AL facebook in 2016 over this.
5. I set a table limit for pick up games.
6. i did a total day ban on one person at con before. Note if I knew how he acted on Friday, he would have been bounced Saturday morning. And after what I learn late Sunday, we could had him bounced from the con. but my dms were too nice.

 

[jasper]

These are fantastic observations! Can you talk a little more about the 600 games? Over what period of time? I'm assuming like six to ten years? Is this all 5e or other OP systems? In store or at conventions? How many unique players? How many regulars and how many new? I'd love to hear more of the context. Thank you again!

1. Can you talk a little more about the 600 games? Just A little? First why I started counting sessions. I discover here and in real life people is over or underestimated how many games they ran. Second, Adventure League gives out DM Rewards. The quality has changed over the years. They used to have log sheets for session but dropped those in Nov 19. So, I just started logging the sessions in a composition notebook. The bad thing about some rewards, is changes to rule system make them less special. I have Goblin with gun who now nearly blends in. Note Guns must be found in adventures or reward as a certificate at cons.

2. Over what period of time? I'm assuming like six to ten years? Let me take off my shoes. Um Let go to day count site. I got back into D&D around May 2016. I started running AL 9-9-16. So 8 years, 10 months and 1 day. Or 3226 days.

3. Is this all 5e or other OP systems? All 600 sessions are Adventure League but I have and currently play other systems. I started gaming in fall of 80. I have played Traveler, various D&D, Chill, Star Wars, Star Trek, and those are what I can remember. I have been asked to take a shot at doing Daggerheart coming up in August.

4. In store or at conventions? Both locally in store and at cons. I have DM at DragonCon. Other cities have been Birmingham Al, Montgomery AL, and Save Vs Hunger in Knoxville TN. And have went two other cities to give AL sessions. They count but My wife had art shows in those towns so, I was able to sneak off and play.

5. How many unique players? I have lost count at 300+. Since cons will rotate 2 to 7 people at table, my numbers get higher than normal. I think I have 50 sessions at cons but my con notetaking needs work.

6. How many regulars and how many new? I recently started counting new players again and so far this year it is 8. I have manly regulars but this number is skewed since post Covid. I started running the hard covers in stores, since why buy the book if I not going to run it. Call it 75% regulars for a book and some drop ins which become regulars.

i'd love to hear more of the context. Thank you again!

Books I haven’t run yet. Out the Abyss and Dragon Delves.

I am currently running Princes of Apocalypse and Dragon of Icespire Peak. AL used to create modules which went with the books. They did this up to Icewind Dale which was Season 10. I dm all but 20 of those adventures and that number maybe less as I have no notes before session 197 Nov 17-19.

I have notes on 25 Con Created modules some of those I have ran multiple times either at cons or locally. I have 50+ con modules which I have but haven’t ran. This one the reasons I try to stay away from DMs Guild.

The major plan this year is to finish running the hardcovers then go back to AL modules.

Having open tables means I do get variety of players. Some stick around. Some don’t. Some get sick of me and become Magic players (the horror. The horror.)

My routine at the table. Introduce Skully. A plastic skull where if your pc dies, it goes on the skull. Currently on skull number five with 164 names. Two of those are mine, as my group force marched me to my car to get the skull when my pcs died. I also mention this is team game and be helpful of new people.

Choose 3+ d20s and drop them in a dice cup. Players choose from my dice collection and if they die…. Well they chose the die that did them in. I also do a write up of the game which runs two to three pages. This scratches my creative writing itch and allows adjustment to Gold etc in case I missed something at the end of the night. Amazing I have fans of this.

I keep a spreadsheet of my gaming purchases for budget reasons, and again people under over estimate stuff.

Any other questions?