Thanks for the video. Good insight and comments. I'm an old school player (played 1st edition, 4e and 5e). These pre-written Adventurers League campaigns sound like what we used to call 'modules' back in the old days.
I loved this video! I am going to one today and was nervous and had no clue what it was going to be like, but this video nearly explained everything I had questions about, from player death and if I bring my own character sheet, or even what books are allowed to be used in your character! Thank you so much, and have a epic day!
Really glad I found this video I’ve been wanting to try D&D adventurers league for a while my flgs offers it weekly but I wasn’t sure what to expect especially since I’m new to the game.
Skip to @4:30 for the actual content you came here for. Otherwise good video. Could even have started with more basic/intro information - would have been a better use of those 4.5 mins.
I rarely comment, but you did a fantastic job covering the basics of adventure league! I appreciate the way you laced your opinions in with your observations and recommended buying a phb from the store.
this is perfect and should be the first thing that pops up when you search D&D adventure league or what to expect when you join one. i seen so much negative videos on it or people who never really played it for any more than part of a session give their opinions on it
Just played in my first AL league games this past weekend at a 24-hr charity event (though I'm an experienced player and DM). It went quite well overall, as there were 40+ people there with around 7 tables running at once. It helps if you are providing at least something to show you are serious about playing, such as having your character sheet ready and done (within the AL rules), providing writing utensils, providing copies of the books, providing dice, providing miniatures for grid play, providing snacks for the players (if the store/convention allows it), etc. It's a communal game, with everyone pitching in. Most games are going to be railroad-y because they are written that way and/or because the store's hours demand it be quick. The Season 8 changes to how character advancement works facilitate this by making "time played" be the primary factor for leveling, not XP from kills, which allows for people to drop in and out and for some random frivolity (which can be great for entertaining the DM). I earned 16 "Advancement Checkpoints" through the 2 days which was enough to level my character from 1 to 5 even though we didn't kill that much. The new treasure checkpoint system removes the issue of having to arbitrate and divide treasure, as every character now earns money and "treasure checkpoints" instead of taking what they find. Many don't like this system, since it removes player agency to look for wealth/treasure, but it does speed the game up and keeps things more even, as some players/characters are the type to steal/take/pillage everything not nailed down to get as rich as possible while others are RPing selfless philanthropists who end up with nothing. This kind of dichotomy is fine when you are always in the same party and it's really "our money", but not so much when your group and/or DM can change weekly. Coming from having played mostly home games that meet rarely, AL scratches a particular itch of wanting to "experience more content", as there have been quite a few published campaigns and adventures by now for 5E that sound interesting that I haven't had a chance to play. My group took 18 months to finish Out of the Abyss and we've been doing homebrew stuff for the last 18 and haven't touched any other hardcovers yet, which AL can provide hopefully at a local store. I definitely like the idea of traveling to a convention now with character sheets in tow, ready to be a "mercenary adventurer" at a table.
Thank you for watching! I've been running Adventurer's League for nearly a year now (though only once a month) and it has been a lot of fun for me...for the most part, there have been a few issues with a couple of the players. The most outwardly problematic was only there for one session, which was good in a sense, as I believe his continued presence would have been detrimental to the party (since the first thing he said when he arrived is that he uses Area of Effect spells and doesn't mind catching party members in it)
Yea but there's a big difference between a new player just trying to explore and learn through practice and just being rude. Also, DMs should make rules clear from the get-go or at least as you go. My first game, last week, the DM said he'd allow poisoning of these goblins we encountered at the end of our session, even though it was an underhanded act, as long as the majority of the group agreed. I convinced the group by explaining that we'd be saving so many people in the process, seeing as how these goblins were just going to eat the humans we just saved after an encounter and we were too weak to take on all of the goblins in head to head combat now. Anyway, the majority of the party gives poisoning the goblins the thumbs-up except 1 person, who then decides to hide our poisonous mushrooms from the party, which the DM allows. I think he really just didn't want it to happen and thought they'd all be against it but when I convinced them, he let her steal the poison mushrooms we just found and hide them just to get their way. I don't know. It was my first session but that left me with a bad taste in my mouth, especially because I read that you're not allowed to do anything underhanded to party members in an Adventure League group.
No the DM shouldn't be underhanded. I can see both sides of the situation, but if the DM was willing to allow the group to use poison and the majority of the party agreed to that course of action then I would rule that the party uses the poison. If one player objects that's fine, but I wouldn't allow that one player to defy the rest of the group since really it would only waste time. For example when the player boasted that he wasn't selective with where he drops his AOE's I flat out told him that unless it can not be avoided, or the player consents his spells would be placed in such a way that it will not catch any of the PC's. and that was the end of it.
I got back into D&D with 5E after a long break post-2E. I did so through AL. I found a store, rounded up a DM, and asked one player to help recruit other players. It was a mess. The DM had no control, and the six other players were... well... special. Two had learning disabilities that rendered them all but illiterate, three had bad speech impediments that made them hard to understand, and three were divas that had to have everything about them and them only. It was a nightmare. Just sitting there and watching this group tear each other apart or treat each other like children made me want to walk away from D&D. The DM quit, and I found a new DM. When the six others found out who was DMing, they ALL quit. Two months later, another group formed, and its spawned a home group that's fantastic. The positive side is a controlled creation through point buy. No dice cheating. The down side? Unpredictable player base. It also restricts starting gear. (Equal does not equal same, despite the intent) AL can shine if you find the right group. AL can suck if you don't. AL creates the opportunity for a table to be found, but doesn't guarantee the quality of that table. AL is like a live action Roll20 in that way. AL has a "code of conduct" that is enforced on a table by table basis. Overall, League is some good, some bad, and despite the regulations, entirely based on the table you get.
Mike your making me nervous, I got back into D&D 5e from a long time away started with 1E in my teens and I have recently been running Lost Mines of Phandelver and Hoard of the Dragon Queen with Brother and my nephew. Looking to be a player so I hoping to play with the AL league locally...fingers crossed for a reasonable group of players who are respectfully mature and want to have a few laughs and play some good D&D!
Nice summary. The Wotc site does have links to pregen characters and blank sheets. One thing you forgot is a table is legal at 3 to 7 players and the dm.
Crud, I thought I had mentioned that. My first attempt at the video was interrupted so that must have been the take when I mentioned the number of players
Great info as I'm looking into trying my first Adventure's League game in a week or so. Are players allowed to use electronic player sheets instead of physical ones? I use Fight Club on my IPad and love how all the rules/spells/items/etc are all just a click away in the app. It really reduces downtime when something needs to be looked up. Thanks!
That is up to the individual DM, but I can't see it being an issue as long as you let them review your character before you begin play. I'm not technologically inclined but I would allow it, but you would have to roll physical dice
I really liked your review on that Murder in Baldurs Gate, it sounded fun and I googled it afterwards. Skipped through the video you're talking about and I agree I wouldn't want those players at my table either, they would irritate me. As for the Adventurers League I'm not sure if that's something around here where I live in Ontario but I've read about it and being a DM in it, sounds like fun. I guess the DM would have to look at every player sheet and calculate stuff to make sure they aren't cheating.
If you're interested there is an Event Locator on the D&D website. All you have to do is type your city/town in and it will list off the locations that run it. As for the sheets, the players are responsible for them, but I do go over all the calculations with each individual player to ensure there aren't any errors
Very helpful video. I'd been playing D&D 5e for 2 years but never in AL. I joined and wondered why the DMs I sat with seemed to be rushing through the adventures and why the modules don't reward roleplay encounters. Even though we encountered quest givers, there weren't many options to do things apart from the intended adventure so I wondered why not just put us directly at the entrance of a dungeon and explain the premise instead of having us walk in to a pub and go through the extra effort of talking to quest givers. I was just a little put off too I suppose because in the times where I sat for AL we had players who were completely new to D&D and they seemed like they were so lost because of the amount of content and rules involved in the game. Would you say AL is a good place to introduce new players to D&D? Or rather would it be better if an AL DM set beginner-only tables so we can run adventures at a more convenient pace for beginners? How do you handle a table of veterans and beginners who are strangers to each other?
I think AL can be a great place for beginners, so long as the DM is willing to help them out and the players are supportive. That said I always try to have a "Character Generation Session" for new players, where after they make their character I run them through some test combats so they feel comfortable with how the system works, as well as how to use their abilities before they join the actual game
I mostly agree with what you say, though I play a non optimized character and have had a lot of fun with it. That said I do see that so many people going to Adventurer's League have min-maxed their characters (why can't people just play a single classed character?) that I understand how others may feel the need to "Keep Up". The last session I ran (not my regular game mind you but at the place I went to because I wanted to be a Player again....which lasted about two months...) someone made a new character using Warforged as their race...in the Forgotten Realms...with no explanation as to why they are there and not Eberron! Anyway their level 1 character had a 21 AC and he was already taking about what multi-classed abomination he wanted to create. As for Role-Playing, it does look like Wizards does try to have some situations that call for Role-Playing, but now that they have switched to the Check Point system for leveling I kind of feel like any small chances to Role-Play are going to go out the window, since if they go straight to the fights they might be able to finish a 4 hour module in 2-3 hours but still gain XP Checkpoints and Treasure Points as if they played for 4 hours. Based on some of the people I have seen at some of these games I can honestly see them cutting out all the talky bits and try to get two 4 hour modules completed in 4-5 hours (but getting advancement as if they played for 8 hours). For me it was a pretty easy decision to walk away from the AL model and transition to running the D&D game I want to run and still leave it open to the public for drop in, drop out play. Sorry for the rant, but I guess I just needed to get dome of that off my chest.
As a person that wants to get into DnD and AL this is what is starting to make me shy away from trying to find a group. I hate dealing with these types in mmoRPG's . Usually the next follow up after min/max'ing is fussing that they feel like they are in "god mode" and there is no challenge. Ugh.
Went to giant robot comics to look for the sign up sheet...couldn't find it...anyways started with AD&D back in the 80s in my teens, my brother and I would sign up for Tomb if room
It's on the back wall under the large event calendar. The sessions are monthly for now, but can be more regular with more people showing. The next session is August 20th if you want to pop down
Hey Dave I am getting ready to join my first AL group this video is a huge help but I have some questions I can't find answers to. I know this is a couple years old but I hope someone can answer. Can I make part of my backstory being from a domain in Ravenloft ( having escaped at a very young age? I'm sure I'll be ok with that one as long as it doesn't collide with the campaign . 2. Can I take Balok ( the Barovian language) as a language? 3. Can I use a custom trinket? I just wanted my character to have a small pewter goat necklace as a reminder of his family? 3. How does the being part of a faction work? Is it just something I put down on my backstory or something I have to select like being a sage or hometown hero / etc? I really would like to make him part of the Lord's faction to get that ring of the ram ( it'll fit in perfect with him)? Thanks for any advice anyone can give me, I can wait till all this craziness ends so I can get this going!
I tried my first ever AdL session ever earlier this summer at a popular gaming shop here. It was...an odd experience. The venue was large, there were several 5e and Pathfinder games going on in the same time, and the organizers were well-prepared and it was easy for beginners to join...so I acknowledge the work they did to set up the event. Unfortunately, I was put into a group that had an inexperienced DM that wasn't prepared nor had any control of the session. The more dominant players took control of the direction of the adventure (Storm Kings Thunder, which I was excited to play before I saw what happened), they set the tone of the session, and didn't respect the DM at all. Those players wanted to take a hack-and-slash approach, and were only interested in defeating monsters and collecting treasure in order to level up as fast as possible. They didn't allow any opportunity for role playing or storytelling. It was disappointing as I had written up quite a background for my character prior to the session, and the session was an overall frustrating experience. I'm not sure if this is common at AdL sessions. I am wary of trying again; I think I'd like to first be briefed on whom I would be playing with!
I've heard a few stories like this sadly. I feel like the store owner should screen potential DM's before allowing them to run a game, especially since people will talk about their experience, particularly the bad ones which reflects badly on the venue. I've heard more about stores with bad experiences than good. I was in a store while an Adventurer's League session was going on, and from what I overheard I would not want to be a part of that group. I've been pretty lucky so far with my group. There are good ones out there, hopefully you can find one
I've just started getting into AL as well. This was also my first impression. It seems to be an experience closer to video games with a focus on optimization. I noted too that there are no rewards apart from combat and quest rewards so even though we'd like to RP, we might not get any rewards for it. It's a little frustrating and eyebrow-raising. But I also noticed while reading modules that the adventures themselves are not necessarily lean. There are lots of combat encounters, social encounters, and traps that are not necessary to the main point of a module story-wise but are fine if we enter into these games only expecting to fight, avoid traps, and get from point A to point B. What DMs probably should do when receiving new players is to set expectations. I wanted to understand AL better which is why I ended up watching this video.
I'm staying out on an island in the middle of the Pacific ocean, there isnt a *good* adventurers league cabinet here, is there any punishment from wizards for deviating from AL rules? Asking because I would DM here but I don't like the constraints of organized play, and they're ok here but idk about fine line type of things
I personally stopped running Adventurer's League Rules back in the Summer, as did several of the stores that were originally running it so there is absolutely no punishment what so ever. Adventurer's League was a great way to get into new games and meet new people but Wizards never really supported it and back in the Summer they made some major rule changes that caused a lot of people to dump it. At this point I would say run the kind of game you want to run, and I hope your table fills quickly.
Hey Shannon, I had to reschedule Adventurer's League for August 27th. My Best Friend is visiting NS for a few days. He just found out he was hired for a job out west. Hope to see you then
There are situations where Role-Playing opportunities are written into that adventure, the main ones are speaking with the locals in Oakhurst at the start of the adventure and when dealing with the Kobolds in the Citadel itself. I ran the adventure for two different groups and both of those groups did lots of Role-Playing, and both managed a peaceful alliance with the Kobolds. Ultimately it depends on the DM and the Group. I've listened on on a couple of other D&D Adventurer's League groups and in almost all cases the DM's were running the adventures as straight up Dungeon Crawls, and the players seemed more into Hack and Slash for maximum XP's
DravenSwiftbow would you say homebrew and in general home games are better if you want to feel more personal and involved? Or thst your character is really tied to the story?
In general I would say that yes, home games allow more opportunities to really tie the PC's into the adventure itself. Adventurer's League by its nature is designed for more Drop In/Drop Out play meaning that new players can simply show up and be immediately inserted into the game, where as if a player leaves the group then their character simply disappears. I started off running strictly by adventurer's league rules, but honestly thought it was a bit too restrictive especially since I am running Tomb of Annihilation and didn't think it was fair that in a Campaign where Resurrection Magic auto fails that a player should have to start over with a 1st level character just because they want to make their own new character and not be stuck with a proxy character, so I transitioned it to more of a home game even though it is run in-store. It also gives me creative freedom to alter or add encounters. Foe example I really want to boost the PC's XP's so they can enter the tomb asap (I only run once a month) so I added an encounter with a Black Dragon to the swamp area of Omu. All that said I still try to make the characters feel like an organic part of the world, and still try to find ways to logically introduce new players, or try to explain why previous party members have disappeared. I even tried to tie one of the characters to the NPC Artus Cimber and planed encounters to help steer him towards meeting Artus, but then the player moved and can no longer easily join the game so he left. I had a couple pages of notes as to how the meeting would go and all that work was not naught.
DravenSwiftbow thanks for the reply man. I appreciate the help and knowledge. So what's the best way in AL to get the most out of the experience. Make friends then start homebrewing everything? Lol or try to rp which is my favorite thing to do, as much as possible as long as the dm and party seem fine with it.
I would talk to the DM to see how they feel about trying to incorporate more Role Playing Opportunities into the game, though if the DM is planning on running all the adventures in Tales From the Yawning Portal then I don't suspect you will have much luck there, that book is literally just Dungeon Crawls and don't present much chance for that, but if the DM is going to move on from Sunless Citadel to another one of the Hardcover adventures then they generally have much more opportunities to Role Play (if you haven't played it yet Curse of Strahd has lots of Role Playing in it). If you are okay with DMing a game your self you could talk to the store owner and see if you could set up a public game at their store under the premise that it will have a larger focus on Role Playing.
I play d and d with my cousins and they are all distributive and destroy the plot. "A zombie infestation has taken over the city, you must escape to the docks where you may sail away to safety". "I fly to the docks and blow up all the ships so no one can leave". "You can't do that!" "Says who!" YEAAA... NO!
I realise this is a super old video, but breaking up the video with chapters or topics might be good. As it stands it is almost a 20 min rant. Otherwise interesting :)
Virtual dice rollers would be up to the individual DM's running games. I myself would probably not allow them, but I also bring 8-9 sets of Dice to any game that I run. As for character creation, that also depends, many of the Tier 1 adventures are only 2 hours in length while other higher level modules are typically 4 hours. Many times a 2 hour Tier 1 group will make allowances for character creation since you can only start Adventurer's League with a 1st level character. If you have access to the books yourself and are comfortable with the character creation guidelines then feel free to make your character before you attend your first game.
Sounds quite hypocritical on their part. I like module type adventures and home-made adventures. My players are all willing to go either way also. In fact some of my players favorite adventures are from module play. They're more interested in the story than disrupting the game.
I don't think there is a set limit, but I would suggest 12 or 13. Store owners might set an age limit as well, but most stores would likely want to maintain a Family Friendly Atmosphere so i don't see there being an issue with younger players, as long as a parent is with them
Thanks for the video. Good insight and comments. I'm an old school player (played 1st edition, 4e and 5e). These pre-written Adventurers League campaigns sound like what we used to call 'modules' back in the old days.
It takes 4:28 to tell me why I'm here.
jesus christ, thanks.
Real hero
On my first ever time playing d&d (home game with veteran friends) I touched a horse then died
That was 2 months ago
"If it hurts, stop doing that"
I loved this video! I am going to one today and was nervous and had no clue what it was going to be like, but this video nearly explained everything I had questions about, from player death and if I bring my own character sheet, or even what books are allowed to be used in your character! Thank you so much, and have a epic day!
This is really positive and forward thinking and humble. Please stay humble. It's awesome in your videos.
Thanks, I hope I always will
Really glad I found this video I’ve been wanting to try D&D adventurers league for a while my flgs offers it weekly but I wasn’t sure what to expect especially since I’m new to the game.
Skip to @4:30 for the actual content you came here for. Otherwise good video. Could even have started with more basic/intro information - would have been a better use of those 4.5 mins.
I rarely comment, but you did a fantastic job covering the basics of adventure league! I appreciate the way you laced your opinions in with your observations and recommended buying a phb from the store.
Thank you very much
This video has helped me so much! Thank you!!!
this is perfect and should be the first thing that pops up when you search D&D adventure league or what to expect when you join one. i seen so much negative videos on it or people who never really played it for any more than part of a session give their opinions on it
Puffin is the first, but this is second!
Support your Friendly Local Game Store.
I really enjoyed your video you are a really nice dude. Very helpful!
Thank you, I'm glad you found it useful.
Just played in my first AL league games this past weekend at a 24-hr charity event (though I'm an experienced player and DM). It went quite well overall, as there were 40+ people there with around 7 tables running at once. It helps if you are providing at least something to show you are serious about playing, such as having your character sheet ready and done (within the AL rules), providing writing utensils, providing copies of the books, providing dice, providing miniatures for grid play, providing snacks for the players (if the store/convention allows it), etc. It's a communal game, with everyone pitching in. Most games are going to be railroad-y because they are written that way and/or because the store's hours demand it be quick. The Season 8 changes to how character advancement works facilitate this by making "time played" be the primary factor for leveling, not XP from kills, which allows for people to drop in and out and for some random frivolity (which can be great for entertaining the DM). I earned 16 "Advancement Checkpoints" through the 2 days which was enough to level my character from 1 to 5 even though we didn't kill that much. The new treasure checkpoint system removes the issue of having to arbitrate and divide treasure, as every character now earns money and "treasure checkpoints" instead of taking what they find. Many don't like this system, since it removes player agency to look for wealth/treasure, but it does speed the game up and keeps things more even, as some players/characters are the type to steal/take/pillage everything not nailed down to get as rich as possible while others are RPing selfless philanthropists who end up with nothing. This kind of dichotomy is fine when you are always in the same party and it's really "our money", but not so much when your group and/or DM can change weekly.
Coming from having played mostly home games that meet rarely, AL scratches a particular itch of wanting to "experience more content", as there have been quite a few published campaigns and adventures by now for 5E that sound interesting that I haven't had a chance to play. My group took 18 months to finish Out of the Abyss and we've been doing homebrew stuff for the last 18 and haven't touched any other hardcovers yet, which AL can provide hopefully at a local store. I definitely like the idea of traveling to a convention now with character sheets in tow, ready to be a "mercenary adventurer" at a table.
Wish I seen this before I went to my first game.
Very helpful video. Thank you.
Thank you for watching! I've been running Adventurer's League for nearly a year now (though only once a month) and it has been a lot of fun for me...for the most part, there have been a few issues with a couple of the players. The most outwardly problematic was only there for one session, which was good in a sense, as I believe his continued presence would have been detrimental to the party (since the first thing he said when he arrived is that he uses Area of Effect spells and doesn't mind catching party members in it)
Yea but there's a big difference between a new player just trying to explore and learn through practice and just being rude. Also, DMs should make rules clear from the get-go or at least as you go. My first game, last week, the DM said he'd allow poisoning of these goblins we encountered at the end of our session, even though it was an underhanded act, as long as the majority of the group agreed. I convinced the group by explaining that we'd be saving so many people in the process, seeing as how these goblins were just going to eat the humans we just saved after an encounter and we were too weak to take on all of the goblins in head to head combat now. Anyway, the majority of the party gives poisoning the goblins the thumbs-up except 1 person, who then decides to hide our poisonous mushrooms from the party, which the DM allows. I think he really just didn't want it to happen and thought they'd all be against it but when I convinced them, he let her steal the poison mushrooms we just found and hide them just to get their way. I don't know. It was my first session but that left me with a bad taste in my mouth, especially because I read that you're not allowed to do anything underhanded to party members in an Adventure League group.
No the DM shouldn't be underhanded. I can see both sides of the situation, but if the DM was willing to allow the group to use poison and the majority of the party agreed to that course of action then I would rule that the party uses the poison. If one player objects that's fine, but I wouldn't allow that one player to defy the rest of the group since really it would only waste time.
For example when the player boasted that he wasn't selective with where he drops his AOE's I flat out told him that unless it can not be avoided, or the player consents his spells would be placed in such a way that it will not catch any of the PC's. and that was the end of it.
I got back into D&D with 5E after a long break post-2E.
I did so through AL. I found a store, rounded up a DM, and asked one player to help recruit other players.
It was a mess. The DM had no control, and the six other players were... well... special. Two had learning disabilities that rendered them all but illiterate, three had bad speech impediments that made them hard to understand, and three were divas that had to have everything about them and them only.
It was a nightmare. Just sitting there and watching this group tear each other apart or treat each other like children made me want to walk away from D&D.
The DM quit, and I found a new DM. When the six others found out who was DMing, they ALL quit.
Two months later, another group formed, and its spawned a home group that's fantastic.
The positive side is a controlled creation through point buy. No dice cheating.
The down side? Unpredictable player base. It also restricts starting gear. (Equal does not equal same, despite the intent)
AL can shine if you find the right group. AL can suck if you don't.
AL creates the opportunity for a table to be found, but doesn't guarantee the quality of that table.
AL is like a live action Roll20 in that way.
AL has a "code of conduct" that is enforced on a table by table basis.
Overall, League is some good, some bad, and despite the regulations, entirely based on the table you get.
Mike your making me nervous, I got back into D&D 5e from a long time away started with 1E in my teens and I have recently been running Lost Mines of Phandelver and Hoard of the Dragon Queen with Brother and my nephew. Looking to be a player so I hoping to play with the AL league locally...fingers crossed for a reasonable group of players who are respectfully mature and want to have a few laughs and play some good D&D!
I think you'll be alright with the people in the group I am running for
RPG's are always fun with the right people @ the table
Nice summary. The Wotc site does have links to pregen characters and blank sheets. One thing you forgot is a table is legal at 3 to 7 players and the dm.
Crud, I thought I had mentioned that. My first attempt at the video was interrupted so that must have been the take when I mentioned the number of players
Thanks, it was quite informative
Great info as I'm looking into trying my first Adventure's League game in a week or so. Are players allowed to use electronic player sheets instead of physical ones? I use Fight Club on my IPad and love how all the rules/spells/items/etc are all just a click away in the app. It really reduces downtime when something needs to be looked up. Thanks!
That is up to the individual DM, but I can't see it being an issue as long as you let them review your character before you begin play. I'm not technologically inclined but I would allow it, but you would have to roll physical dice
I really liked your review on that Murder in Baldurs Gate, it sounded fun and I googled it afterwards. Skipped through the video you're talking about and I agree I wouldn't want those players at my table either, they would irritate me.
As for the Adventurers League I'm not sure if that's something around here where I live in Ontario but I've read about it and being a DM in it, sounds like fun. I guess the DM would have to look at every player sheet and calculate stuff to make sure they aren't cheating.
If you're interested there is an Event Locator on the D&D website. All you have to do is type your city/town in and it will list off the locations that run it. As for the sheets, the players are responsible for them, but I do go over all the calculations with each individual player to ensure there aren't any errors
BigDad138 theres a kid who always cheats at our al games
@@lardlord1239 Baffles my mind why anyone cheats in dnd. There is litterally nothing to win from it!?
thanks for the vid it definitely helped
Very helpful video
Very helpful video. I'd been playing D&D 5e for 2 years but never in AL. I joined and wondered why the DMs I sat with seemed to be rushing through the adventures and why the modules don't reward roleplay encounters.
Even though we encountered quest givers, there weren't many options to do things apart from the intended adventure so I wondered why not just put us directly at the entrance of a dungeon and explain the premise instead of having us walk in to a pub and go through the extra effort of talking to quest givers.
I was just a little put off too I suppose because in the times where I sat for AL we had players who were completely new to D&D and they seemed like they were so lost because of the amount of content and rules involved in the game. Would you say AL is a good place to introduce new players to D&D? Or rather would it be better if an AL DM set beginner-only tables so we can run adventures at a more convenient pace for beginners? How do you handle a table of veterans and beginners who are strangers to each other?
I think AL can be a great place for beginners, so long as the DM is willing to help them out and the players are supportive. That said I always try to have a "Character Generation Session" for new players, where after they make their character I run them through some test combats so they feel comfortable with how the system works, as well as how to use their abilities before they join the actual game
Thanks man, very helpful, I was on the fence..it’s not for me.
you can get sets of poly dice from china off ebay for like $1.50 usd per set.
My problem with all the League/Society/Living style games is that you need to optimize your character and the lack of the ability to really Role-Play!
I mostly agree with what you say, though I play a non optimized character and have had a lot of fun with it. That said I do see that so many people going to Adventurer's League have min-maxed their characters (why can't people just play a single classed character?) that I understand how others may feel the need to "Keep Up". The last session I ran (not my regular game mind you but at the place I went to because I wanted to be a Player again....which lasted about two months...) someone made a new character using Warforged as their race...in the Forgotten Realms...with no explanation as to why they are there and not Eberron! Anyway their level 1 character had a 21 AC and he was already taking about what multi-classed abomination he wanted to create.
As for Role-Playing, it does look like Wizards does try to have some situations that call for Role-Playing, but now that they have switched to the Check Point system for leveling I kind of feel like any small chances to Role-Play are going to go out the window, since if they go straight to the fights they might be able to finish a 4 hour module in 2-3 hours but still gain XP Checkpoints and Treasure Points as if they played for 4 hours. Based on some of the people I have seen at some of these games I can honestly see them cutting out all the talky bits and try to get two 4 hour modules completed in 4-5 hours (but getting advancement as if they played for 8 hours).
For me it was a pretty easy decision to walk away from the AL model and transition to running the D&D game I want to run and still leave it open to the public for drop in, drop out play.
Sorry for the rant, but I guess I just needed to get dome of that off my chest.
Playing non optimized characters is fun, but people don't like a character "pulling their weight" in those style games.
As a person that wants to get into DnD and AL this is what is starting to make me shy away from trying to find a group. I hate dealing with these types in mmoRPG's . Usually the next follow up after min/max'ing is fussing that they feel like they are in "god mode" and there is no challenge. Ugh.
@@dondavi5798 You can go there, but get to know the other players, and hopefully you can find people that want to have fun rather than win!
@@shallendor actually found a DnD group. Thankfully it's more RP than fight based group.
Wow what a great breakdown, so helpful!
Went to giant robot comics to look for the sign up sheet...couldn't find it...anyways started with AD&D back in the 80s in my teens, my brother and I would sign up for Tomb if room
It's on the back wall under the large event calendar. The sessions are monthly for now, but can be more regular with more people showing. The next session is August 20th if you want to pop down
Hey Dave I am getting ready to join my first AL group this video is a huge help but I have some questions I can't find answers to. I know this is a couple years old but I hope someone can answer.
Can I make part of my backstory being from a domain in Ravenloft ( having escaped at a very young age? I'm sure I'll be ok with that one as long as it doesn't collide with the campaign .
2. Can I take Balok ( the Barovian language) as a language?
3. Can I use a custom trinket? I just wanted my character to have a small pewter goat necklace as a reminder of his family?
3. How does the being part of a faction work? Is it just something I put down on my backstory or something I have to select like being a sage or hometown hero / etc? I really would like to make him part of the Lord's faction to get that ring of the ram ( it'll fit in perfect with him)?
Thanks for any advice anyone can give me, I can wait till all this craziness ends so I can get this going!
I guess the only other question I have is about the mount for my human paladin, I'm sure it's cool to use a dire 🐐 goat right LOL?
I tried my first ever AdL session ever earlier this summer at a popular gaming shop here. It was...an odd experience. The venue was large, there were several 5e and Pathfinder games going on in the same time, and the organizers were well-prepared and it was easy for beginners to join...so I acknowledge the work they did to set up the event. Unfortunately, I was put into a group that had an inexperienced DM that wasn't prepared nor had any control of the session. The more dominant players took control of the direction of the adventure (Storm Kings Thunder, which I was excited to play before I saw what happened), they set the tone of the session, and didn't respect the DM at all. Those players wanted to take a hack-and-slash approach, and were only interested in defeating monsters and collecting treasure in order to level up as fast as possible. They didn't allow any opportunity for role playing or storytelling. It was disappointing as I had written up quite a background for my character prior to the session, and the session was an overall frustrating experience. I'm not sure if this is common at AdL sessions. I am wary of trying again; I think I'd like to first be briefed on whom I would be playing with!
I've heard a few stories like this sadly. I feel like the store owner should screen potential DM's before allowing them to run a game, especially since people will talk about their experience, particularly the bad ones which reflects badly on the venue. I've heard more about stores with bad experiences than good. I was in a store while an Adventurer's League session was going on, and from what I overheard I would not want to be a part of that group. I've been pretty lucky so far with my group. There are good ones out there, hopefully you can find one
I've just started getting into AL as well. This was also my first impression. It seems to be an experience closer to video games with a focus on optimization. I noted too that there are no rewards apart from combat and quest rewards so even though we'd like to RP, we might not get any rewards for it. It's a little frustrating and eyebrow-raising.
But I also noticed while reading modules that the adventures themselves are not necessarily lean. There are lots of combat encounters, social encounters, and traps that are not necessary to the main point of a module story-wise but are fine if we enter into these games only expecting to fight, avoid traps, and get from point A to point B.
What DMs probably should do when receiving new players is to set expectations. I wanted to understand AL better which is why I ended up watching this video.
I'm staying out on an island in the middle of the Pacific ocean, there isnt a *good* adventurers league cabinet here, is there any punishment from wizards for deviating from AL rules?
Asking because I would DM here but I don't like the constraints of organized play, and they're ok here but idk about fine line type of things
I personally stopped running Adventurer's League Rules back in the Summer, as did several of the stores that were originally running it so there is absolutely no punishment what so ever. Adventurer's League was a great way to get into new games and meet new people but Wizards never really supported it and back in the Summer they made some major rule changes that caused a lot of people to dump it.
At this point I would say run the kind of game you want to run, and I hope your table fills quickly.
Great beard
Dave what adventures league are you running? If you need more players I and another person are looking for a game.
Right now I am running Sunless Citadel from Tales from the Yawning Portal. Come September I want to run Tomb of Annihilation
Hey Shannon,
I had to reschedule Adventurer's League for August 27th. My Best Friend is visiting NS for a few days. He just found out he was hired for a job out west. Hope to see you then
Hey no worries...gives me more time to role an AL character.
What time does it start on the 27th? Noon, 1pm? Thanks
It is noon. And remember for Stats it's Point Buy or Standard Array. If you do point buy then the max stat you can buy up to is 15
U can buy equipment with ur starting gold right?
With the GP from your background yes.
Sunless citadel is the one I'm playing... so is role-playing just not encouraged too much?
There are situations where Role-Playing opportunities are written into that adventure, the main ones are speaking with the locals in Oakhurst at the start of the adventure and when dealing with the Kobolds in the Citadel itself. I ran the adventure for two different groups and both of those groups did lots of Role-Playing, and both managed a peaceful alliance with the Kobolds.
Ultimately it depends on the DM and the Group. I've listened on on a couple of other D&D Adventurer's League groups and in almost all cases the DM's were running the adventures as straight up Dungeon Crawls, and the players seemed more into Hack and Slash for maximum XP's
DravenSwiftbow would you say homebrew and in general home games are better if you want to feel more personal and involved? Or thst your character is really tied to the story?
In general I would say that yes, home games allow more opportunities to really tie the PC's into the adventure itself. Adventurer's League by its nature is designed for more Drop In/Drop Out play meaning that new players can simply show up and be immediately inserted into the game, where as if a player leaves the group then their character simply disappears.
I started off running strictly by adventurer's league rules, but honestly thought it was a bit too restrictive especially since I am running Tomb of Annihilation and didn't think it was fair that in a Campaign where Resurrection Magic auto fails that a player should have to start over with a 1st level character just because they want to make their own new character and not be stuck with a proxy character, so I transitioned it to more of a home game even though it is run in-store. It also gives me creative freedom to alter or add encounters. Foe example I really want to boost the PC's XP's so they can enter the tomb asap (I only run once a month) so I added an encounter with a Black Dragon to the swamp area of Omu.
All that said I still try to make the characters feel like an organic part of the world, and still try to find ways to logically introduce new players, or try to explain why previous party members have disappeared. I even tried to tie one of the characters to the NPC Artus Cimber and planed encounters to help steer him towards meeting Artus, but then the player moved and can no longer easily join the game so he left. I had a couple pages of notes as to how the meeting would go and all that work was not naught.
DravenSwiftbow thanks for the reply man. I appreciate the help and knowledge.
So what's the best way in AL to get the most out of the experience. Make friends then start homebrewing everything? Lol or try to rp which is my favorite thing to do, as much as possible as long as the dm and party seem fine with it.
I would talk to the DM to see how they feel about trying to incorporate more Role Playing Opportunities into the game, though if the DM is planning on running all the adventures in Tales From the Yawning Portal then I don't suspect you will have much luck there, that book is literally just Dungeon Crawls and don't present much chance for that, but if the DM is going to move on from Sunless Citadel to another one of the Hardcover adventures then they generally have much more opportunities to Role Play (if you haven't played it yet Curse of Strahd has lots of Role Playing in it).
If you are okay with DMing a game your self you could talk to the store owner and see if you could set up a public game at their store under the premise that it will have a larger focus on Role Playing.
So rolled ability scores legal in the adventures league?
No, only the Standard Array or Point Buy system
Ok thanks
I play d and d with my cousins and they are all distributive and destroy the plot. "A zombie infestation has taken over the city, you must escape to the docks where you may sail away to safety". "I fly to the docks and blow up all the ships so no one can leave". "You can't do that!" "Says who!" YEAAA... NO!
I realise this is a super old video, but breaking up the video with chapters or topics might be good. As it stands it is almost a 20 min rant. Otherwise interesting :)
brid race can be obtained by dmquest Info listed is listed www.dmsguild.com/product/208179/DD-Adventurers-League-DM-Pack reward from this is listed.
That document came out August 25th, this video was uploaded August 10th and at that time races with flight were not considered legal for play
Are virtual dice rollers allowed? Should you make your character before you show up?
Virtual dice rollers would be up to the individual DM's running games. I myself would probably not allow them, but I also bring 8-9 sets of Dice to any game that I run. As for character creation, that also depends, many of the Tier 1 adventures are only 2 hours in length while other higher level modules are typically 4 hours. Many times a 2 hour Tier 1 group will make allowances for character creation since you can only start Adventurer's League with a 1st level character. If you have access to the books yourself and are comfortable with the character creation guidelines then feel free to make your character before you attend your first game.
Sounds quite hypocritical on their part. I like module type adventures and home-made adventures. My players are all willing to go either way also. In fact some of my players favorite adventures are from module play. They're more interested in the story than disrupting the game.
How old do you have to be?
I don't think there is a set limit, but I would suggest 12 or 13. Store owners might set an age limit as well, but most stores would likely want to maintain a Family Friendly Atmosphere so i don't see there being an issue with younger players, as long as a parent is with them
Is it like Pathfinder Society?
I believe it is similar, but I honestly don't know much about Pathfinder Society
bro you misgive info
How so?