Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Bob_the_Theurge 01-22-07, 04:58 PM	http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=11257479&posted=1#post11257479 If anyone wants to comment there, feel free. I'm doing the courtesy of passing this link to you in case someone here doesn't read that subsection of the boards. Yes, I'm still a bit mad.
pedr 01-22-07, 05:51 PM	I do understand why you'd be mad. But on the other hand, the fact that modules have short play-windows wasn't hidden, and even on the previous dates, I believe, all the modules were scheduled to retire before the convention you're talking about. You can't plan on new modules being released on time - not even in LG. The way I see it, it has nothing to do with the RPGA being unwilling or reluctant to support your convention. The situation is this: D&D Campaigns require a level-bump; this is a fixed element of the system. The RPGA has decided that these are applied at the two major shows: GenCon Indy and D&D eXPerience. This is logical as they are six-months apart. Conventions which co-incide with these two conventions are always disadvantaged by the RPGA system because they feature premiere content which is then rolled out to other conventions in a staggered way - again this should be familiar, from the situation regarding LG Cores. What's new this time is the month-long window to get events reported and take the database offline to apply the level bump; again this has nothing to do with spite or attempting to cause a problem for your convention, but trying to avoid causing a problem for all the other players in the campaign! The problems with MoH last year were serve. In short, it's unfortunate that your convention is scheduled to clash or nearly clash with D&D eXPerience. But the vehement complaints seem mis-directed - from what I can tell there was literally nothing that the RPGA could do to accommodate you. It doesn't appear that the RPGA has reneged on any assurance or promise they made - it appears that you hoped that there would be XE modules available but until the RPGA confirm that something is confirmed for a particular show, you can't be sure that it is. Are there problems with the D&D Campaigns model? Yes, there are. But some problems are inherently structural and just have to be worked around. It might be that late-Jan/early-Feb and late-June/early-August each year will have no XE mods available. If so that would be an enormous shame, but it wouldn't be the situation unless it were unavoidable. I imagine the RPGA will work towards a different solution, and the current problem is a stage on the way to fixing it. We can hope!
Bob_the_Theurge 01-22-07, 06:04 PM	You were asked to comment in the linked thread. Such a simple request, really...
Ersatz 01-22-07, 06:58 PM	http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=11257479&posted=1#post11257479 If anyone wants to comment there, feel free. I'm doing the courtesy of passing this link to you in case someone here doesn't read that subsection of the boards. Yes, I'm still a bit mad. You were asked to comment in the linked thread. Such a simple request, really... Saying "If anyone wants to comment there, feel free" is not the same as asking people to only comment in your old thread. If you didn't want people to comment here why even make this topic? No one here wants to listen to you whine about how the system screwed you because you didn't pay attention to how it operates. The "no play" gap is a needed time to update the online character tracker for the level bump. During this time no games can be reported so that it can update without error. The rpga can choose to give out the modules whenever it wants and take them away whenever it wants, and if they have a convention like Gen Con or D&D experience you can bet there is going to be a level bump around those or they will be giving out modules first to their home cons. I really don't see why you need to keep posting on the subject trying to get everyone to see this big evil shadow controlling the strings to the rpga. I managed to get all the XenEx games done and reported to date as well as my full group of players. The people you need to complain to should actually be your home convention staff. It is their fault that the con is too close to D&D experience. Sorry for commenting in your topic. :rolleyes:
Bob_the_Theurge 01-22-07, 07:18 PM	Saying "If anyone wants to comment there, feel free" is not the same as asking people to only comment in your old thread. If you didn't want people to comment here why even make this topic? No one here wants to listen to you whine about how the system screwed you because you didn't pay attention to how it operates. The "no play" gap is a needed time to update the online character tracker for the level bump. During this time no games can be reported so that it can update without error. The rpga can choose to give out the modules whenever it wants and take them away whenever it wants, and if they have a convention like Gen Con or D&D experience you can bet there is going to be a level bump around those or they will be giving out modules first to their home cons. I really don't see why you need to keep posting on the subject trying to get everyone to see this big evil shadow controlling the strings to the rpga. I managed to get all the XenEx games done and reported to date as well as my full group of players. The people you need to complain to should actually be your home convention staff. It is their fault that the con is too close to D&D experience. Sorry for commenting in your topic. :rolleyes: It's our fault, that a big convention for far more than the RPGA - a convention that serves warhammer, and anime, and just about everything else - is "too close" to a convention that a bunch of stuck-up bigwigs decided should be "exclusive" for a campaign that is faltering and desperately trying to attract the same players that they turned off from the last group of campaigns with the exact same nonsense that we're going through? They should all bow down before the mighty WotC/Hasborg? It's our fault that the biggest Xen'drik booster in the region now has ZERO morale after working his chops off for a good two months only to get the door slammed in his face? WTF. Are. You. Smoking. It's obvious the RPGA or Xen'drik or WotC/Hasborg or some permutation thereof doesn't care about us or about actually having new players. Fine. Consider Xen'drik dead in my region. And I'll be making that suggestion from now on every time the question comes up as to what other than LG any convention I'm volunteering for should bother to offer. I'll run some pickup tables of Classic Battletech, or I'll break out the Hackmaster books and my HMPA card, or I'll bring out the Carcassonne box, or another board game, or I'll sit in a corner and read a book, rather than deal with Xen'drik. I might even go hang out with the LARPers for a while. Oh, and word to the wise: You don't "get games done." People play, or should play, because they will ENJOY the games. If you're burning through just to get them before deadline, you're a sad fool.
Ersatz 01-22-07, 07:50 PM	It is your conventions fault for setting a date next to an RPGA con and expecting to get the same treatment as their home convention. I am not blaming you for anything, I am simply suggesting you advise the convention staff that next year they might want to change the date to a more suitable time if they want to run certain rpga games. I am not aware of the morale of XenEx in regions other then my own because I don't play D&D anywhere but my own region. XenEx is doing quite well here, I have not seen a lack of support by players at all. Our MoH and Xen games are more popular then LG. As for "burning through games", we have been playing XenEx since late November or Early December and completed the series at a nice pace by Early January. The only time it ever felt like burning was during the Well of Woe because it was a 3 section adventure and we did it all in the same weekend. While you are helping promote the D&D books by playing rpga games, you don't seem to realize that the rpga is a free system that caters to a lot more people then those that attend your convention. Stop being so selfish and suck it up, no one wants to hear you cry about a badly scheduled convention not getting some free adventures. The reason D&D experience gets adventures first is so more people attend it, which makes more revenue for WoTC. Don't expect them to go out of their way and lose profit just to satisfy your needs. I will again remind you that you are playing games a "for profit" company is giving away, so don't be upset when they make a decision to make some money on the side. If this was a paid system then your complaints might be more valid but right now you are just looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Bob_the_Theurge 01-22-07, 09:00 PM	It is your conventions fault for setting a date next to an RPGA con and expecting to get the same treatment as their home convention. I am not blaming you for anything, I am simply suggesting you advise the convention staff that next year they might want to change the date to a more suitable time if they want to run certain rpga games. Again: - They're the biggest convention of the year for this area. - They serve FAR more than RPGA, and they have always been on that weekend of the year, and there is no chance of changing. - RPGA can either get their heads out of their butts, or just accept that this is how they've killed all the previous similar campaigns and they're going on their merry way killing this one too. - Calling it a "badly scheduled convention" is ludicrous. This is one of the few conventions that one can say it's going to be on X weekend, two years in advance, and be 100% certain of it. - Maybe - if you are LUCKY - two people from my area might attend that waste of space known as DDXP. WotC wouldn't lose money by supporting us and helping us get Xen'drik played by more people; in fact, the bass-ackwards way they are doing things now, they are losing a whole heck of a lot, because they've pretty much ensured that Xen'drik doesn't get played around here, hence nobody around here's going to waste their hard-earned money on the Eberron books in order to play it. The only guys around here who waste their money on it are the ones who buy everything anyways. And yes, I do call it a WASTE of money. I won't buy books for campaigns I don't play, but I will buy books for campaigns I do play.
Ersatz 01-22-07, 09:23 PM	At this point you seem to be just trolling for attention. Please understand, it DOES NOT matter how big your convention is or where it is. The rpga is doing what is in their companies best interest by not letting you get special treatment. They need a two week reporting period to make sure the database is up to date for the level bump. The fact your convention gets the shaft is bad timing. This timing is what is the most convenient for the rpga as it is right before their home con. It does not make sense to change their entire system just so your convention can play. They will still need a two week "no play" time and someone else might end up in your position. So unfortunately for you, you get to take the fall. If you wanted to play XenEx earlier you could have done so at a retail location or home play. You have had chances to play outside of a con had you taken the initiative. Waiting until right before the bump was a mistake you have made, the modules have been available for quite some time. Whining about how you hate Xen'drik or Eberron is pointless as no one here cares that you didn't get to play because you were ignorant of the times the modules were available. This will be a good lesson for you to schedule your time better if you want to do certain things in life.
Bob_the_Theurge 01-22-07, 09:32 PM	Please understand, it DOES NOT matter how big your convention is or where it is. The rpga is doing what is in their companies best interest by not letting you get special treatment. They need a two week reporting period to make sure the database is up to date for the level bump. The fact your convention gets the shaft is bad timing. This timing is what is the most convenient for the rpga as it is right before their home con. It does not make sense to change their entire system just so your convention can play. They will still need a two week "no play" time and someone else might end up in your position. So unfortunately for you, you get to take the fall. If you wanted to play XenEx earlier you could have done so at a retail location or home play. You have had chances to play outside of a con had you taken the initiative. Waiting until right before the bump was a mistake you have made, the modules have been available for quite some time. Whining about how you hate Xen'drik or Eberron is pointless as no one here cares that you didn't get to play because you were ignorant of the times the modules were available. This will be a good lesson for you to schedule your time better if you want to do certain things in life. You seem to be singularly incapable of reading. I don't care to play Xen'drik. I was volunteered to DM them, to eat the modules for other people, so that THEY could enjoy them without having to worry about eating them. I volunteered to do so: #1 - Because I love D&D #2 - Because I support my local RPGA #3 - Because many of these people are my friends and I want them to enjoy the game. Now, one of said friends worked very hard setting things up, coordinating, setting up slot mustering, working with the convention organizers, and trying to promote Xen'drik. And what did he get for his trouble? A whole load of hurt and we got to watch the RPGA flick our region the finger. And it DIDN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. They could easily have made any number of compromises. They could have sent out a couple of Xen'drik modules to be played on an "exhibition" basis, with players being informed that they wouldn't be given RPGA play points and that they'd get to make 4th-level characters if they continued playing. It would at least have let newcomers to the campaign get a feel for the campaign setting, as well as letting them know it even exists. They knew this was coming up the day he sent them the requests to get Xen'drik set up. They strung him along for a month. They chose to flick us the finger, treat us like dirt. The very players they expect to play their game, supposely. I stand by everything I said before. If they expect people to play their campaigns, the first step is to stop treating the players this way.
Ersatz 01-22-07, 09:50 PM	I may be incapable of reading but when I order modules I can clearly see the date available for convention play. If your con wasn't in that time, don't expect special treatment. Just because they discussed something with you for a month doesn't mean they are stringing you along because they said no later. The only time they fully allow you to play their games is when it says so on their site, anything else is special treatment. You're forgetting that the rpga doesn't write the modules, authors do. Each module is available for play for a limited amount of time, if they kept it longer the authors would be payed more. After the expired date for a module they might not have the authority to let you play it at a convention. With the all crazy things your buddy did to get Xen'drik set up you would think something like a module ordering expiration date would be one of the first things they checked. Once a module is expired it is expired and out of the rpgas hands. This is why they don't sell old modules in a book.
Bob_the_Theurge 01-22-07, 09:55 PM	I may be incapable of reading but when I order modules I can clearly see the date available for convention play. If your con wasn't in that time, don't expect special treatment. Just because they discussed something with you for a month doesn't mean they are stringing you along because they said no later. The only time they fully allow you to play their games is when it says so on their site, anything else is special treatment. You're forgetting that the rpga doesn't write the modules, authors do. Each module is available for play for a limited amount of time, if they kept it longer the authors would be payed more. After the expired date for a module they might not have the authority to let you play it at a convention. With the all crazy things your buddy did to get Xen'drik set up you would think something like a module ordering expiration date would be one of the first things they checked. Once a module is expired it is expired and out of the rpgas hands. This is why they don't sell old modules in a book. They didn't even try to work something out, after they lied to him about the day the new modules would be available. They don't give a crap about our region? Fine. We won't care about them and they can take the monetary loss. I'm just making sure they know it.
Ersatz 01-22-07, 10:02 PM	Who says they don't care about your region? You seem to have absolutely no clue how the rpga works. You're just trolling by saying they lied and broke promises without giving examples, the only one here who looks bad is you. The rpga is doing what it has been doing for a while, they have modules availible to order during certain dates. They are not required to make those modules availible after those dates. And for all we know they might not even have the liscence from the author to use their adventures. Plenty of things could have made them change their mind when talking to your friend, this is simply how the real world works. If they gave him the authority to use modules no longer under their liscence that might have resulted in a lawsuit, which would have lost them more money then you would have used buying some books.
Bob_the_Theurge 01-22-07, 10:12 PM	Who says they don't care about your region? You seem to have absolutely no clue how the rpga works. You're just trolling by saying they lied and broke promises without giving examples, the only one here who looks bad is you. The rpga is doing what it has been doing for a while, they have modules availible to order during certain dates. They are not required to make those modules availible after those dates. And for all we know they might not even have the liscence from the author to use their adventures. Plenty of things could have made them change their mind when talking to your friend, this is simply how the real world works. If they gave him the authority to use modules no longer under their liscence that might have resulted in a lawsuit, which would have lost them more money then you would have used buying some books. And if they needed to work something out, it could have been arranged. We could have talked to the authors themselves. We gave them TWO MONTHS NOTICE. The convention's not for three weeks yet. If they can't be bothered to do the least bit, then they don't care about the region, they don't care about attracting new players, and they will get the same level of care out of us from now on. They proved they don't care, so that's that.
Ersatz 01-22-07, 10:24 PM	I still fail to see how you connect the rpga not doing something for you that they don't do for anyone else as the same thing as the rpga slapping you in the face and not caring about you. They gave you months to play these games, they paid the authors to write them, they give out rewards for playing them. This is all free. Don't be so damn greedy and take what you get. You had your chance to play, now it is their turn for their convention. So wipe your eyes and grow up. They are being very generous and just because they aren't going out of their way to help you doesn't mean they are going out of their way to screw you over.
Skerrit 01-23-07, 09:09 AM	Bob, if you get a chance, PM me with the exact names of who said you would be getting these mods and on what dates they told you this and I will look into it.
Wrathamon 01-23-07, 08:52 PM	I dont see why you couldnt still run these mods. I can see how you wouldnt get points, but it shouldnt be hard to track down the adventures.
Lord_Darquain 01-25-07, 03:44 PM	How would one go about getting ahold of the older adventures? I have formed a group interested both in RPGA play and specifically in Xen'drik and we would like to "catch up" before the new stuff comes out post-DDXP. If anyone has them or know a way to get them, please contact me here or privately. Thanks!
Harliquinn 01-25-07, 03:54 PM	I don't think there are rules against sending out the modules after the fact, since you can't record them in the database.
WolfStar76 01-25-07, 11:58 PM	I've heard it bandied about that there are assorted copyright and distribution problems with it, though I'm hardly an expert on the topic.
Skerrit 01-26-07, 09:35 AM	Yes, unlike LG mods, WOTC actually pays for the rights for XE mods, and you will note that some of them do actually get printed up all nice like with art and such and used for promotion (like retail store packs). So they are owned and copyrighted and WOTC gets cross if you just hand them out.
Harliquinn 01-26-07, 01:20 PM	Well by hand out, I meant provide to players/DM's within the RPGA system. Is that a problem?
Skerrit 01-26-07, 04:01 PM	I'm not much of lawyer, so I can't say go do, or don't do something. I know that you definately can sell them! Giving them to someone else to read, that's a whole different kettle of fish that I don't know the answer to.
WolfStar76 01-26-07, 04:04 PM	I'd argue that **loaning** them out would fall into the grey area of "fair use". But, as is usually the case, my view as the person using the content probably differers from the viewpoint of the persons (WotC) distributing the content. If someone made/kept a copy of the module being loaned, of course, that falls back into copyright violation.
Harliquinn 01-26-07, 04:44 PM	I'm not much of lawyer, so I can't say go do, or don't do something. I know that you definately can sell them! Giving them to someone else to read, that's a whole different kettle of fish that I don't know the answer to. I assume you meant to say "can't sell them?". I'd hate for someone to see that and misread it.
smerwin29 01-26-07, 04:47 PM	[Shawn looks around and quietly closes his Ebay shop.] No, you definitely cannot sell them.
Kelvane 01-27-07, 12:54 AM	You can sell the ones you get in a retail kit.
Skerrit 01-27-07, 10:13 AM	I assume you meant to say "can't sell them?". I'd hate for someone to see that and misread it. Opps, ya, what he said. Though the printed ones that are ordered as part of a retail kit can be sold (and many are).
qstor 01-30-07, 01:54 PM	http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=11257479&posted=1#post11257479 If anyone wants to comment there, feel free. Yes, its been mentioned a number of times on the boards that players prefer the "Living" style of RPGA campaigns but that's not what WOTC wants from the RPGA now. And its been mentioned the problems of the module production and short availibility since LGR, but the D&D campaign model is the current *wave* of RPGA campaigns. Mike
Harliquinn 01-30-07, 03:25 PM	Yes, its been mentioned a number of times on the boards that players prefer the "Living" style of RPGA campaigns but that's not what WOTC wants from the RPGA now. And its been mentioned the problems of the module production and short availibility since LGR, but the D&D campaign model is the current *wave* of RPGA campaigns. Mike I don't prefer the Living style actually since too many times at conventions you walk around saying "Level 1 Bard needs a table" to the sounds of crickets. It is just too hard to play at cons unless you have always been playing. No one wants to play with the 'new guy' if it will reduce their APL or hinder their play at all.
DarkWhite 01-30-07, 09:41 PM	Well, I've just returned from Arcanacon, one of Melbourne Australia's largest gaming conventions, held annually on the Australia Day long weekend. I spent the better part of two weeks reading all the Campaign documentation downloaded from the website, excited about trying out new base classes I'd never played before, and building characters for the campaign. Then I discovered, a week before the event, that Arcanacon falls into the Xen'Drik blackout period where no games are playable. [I am NOT going to enter discussions that Arcanacon should have been held on a different weekend due to Xen'Drik game availability - that is just rediculous!] I was hugely disappointed, and outraged that I'd spent all that time developing characters that I'd never have an opportunity to play. Having previously played Mark of Heroes, I then decided to level up my old character to the current play level - 10th. When I arrived at the Con, however, there was only one double session of MoH offered, and I was the only one who signed up for it, so it was cancelled. Instead, I played 8x Living Greyhawk, and 2x Living Arcanis games over four days, which both have huge popularity and ongoing local support. I had a great time at Arcanacon, but I wasted three weeks building characters for campaigns that weren't available for play. And THIS is why I don't (couldn't) play Xen'Drik. So, when Melbourne's next convention, Conquest, arrives over the Easter long weekend, what am I going to do? Continue playing my Living Greyhawk and Living Arcanis characters, of course. I do realise the level-bump / database closure reasons given, but RPGA organisers MUST realise how this is hurting the reputation of the campaign, and how it is affecting conventions and players worldwide, and do SOMETHING TO FIX IT!
Istaran 01-30-07, 10:01 PM	It should be possible to have a reporting black out period without a play black out period: At day X, all pre-bump mods retire. At day X+1, new post-bump mods are released. Campaign rules (reprinted at the front of the mod as reminder hopefully) allow any character that didn't already "beat the bump" to play with newly bumped stats. These new post-bump mods are available to play starting at day X+1 but are explicitly not allowed to be reported until day X+1+N. Hypotheoretically, these would be mods run at the WotC cons and some DMs marks released explicitly to fill the gap. At day X+1+N it is no longer possible to report pre-level bump mods. The level bump has been processed. It is now possible to report post-level bump mods. This gives the technical side time to process the level bump and not have the difficulties noted before, while not giving no-play windows. It is intended to be an example suggestion for WotC to consider in thier quest to improve this campaign and address customer pain points. On the other hand, maybe the damage is already done. By this point is seems as though most people who are going to be playing Xen'Ex are going to do so regardless of black out periods because they've seen what the campaign has to offer and enjoy it enough to put up with some inconveniences, while others have already been put off from it for various reasons and claim they aren't going to bother joining us. Still.. these withdrawal symptoms are brutal, man.. please don't do this again in six months..
smerwin29 01-31-07, 07:43 AM	First and foremost, and I cannot stress this enough: THE FACTIONMASTERS ARE NOT HAPPY ABOUT THE BLACKOUT PERIOD. WE KNOW IT IS A PROBLEM. WE ARE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO KEEP IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. HOWEVER, OUR POWER IS LIMITED IN THIS AREA. It should be possible to have a reporting black out period without a play black out period: At day X, all pre-bump mods retire. At day X+1, new post-bump mods are released. See, this is the problem. Say all the level 1-3 adventures retire today. Say new mods for after the level bump are released tomorrow. People play the old mods today, then they want to play the new mods tomorrow. The database, at some point, needs to be told "If level is less than 4, make it 4. If EV is less than 5000, make it 5000." Also, results from the pre-bump adventures need to be input by the senior DMs and event organizers before the bump happens. Otherwise people are missing story object, xp, and gp going into the level bump--or they get old results added to their bumped characters. I do see what you are saying about allowing play while putting a black-out period on allowing reporting until the level bump is processed. It is a possibility that is one of several I am going to take to RPGA HQ to hopefully eliminate or reduce the play blackout period. On the other hand, maybe the damage is already done. By this point is seems as though most people who are going to be playing Xen'Ex are going to do so regardless of black out periods because they've seen what the campaign has to offer and enjoy it enough to put up with some inconveniences, while others have already been put off from it for various reasons and claim they aren't going to bother joining us. This is unfortunately true. I know people are going to be put off the campaign because of this issue. Again, I am not happy about it. It's something I will work with HQ to see if we can eliminate or fix before the next level bump. But as with any organization with several different departments working together, something things are out of our control. GenConIndy is August 16-19. Most likely that will be the next level bump. If you plan to run a convention in the two-week period before that, understand this could happen again and plan accordingly. We will do our best to get all adventures released early to avoid any last-minute rushes, because that will help and that is something we can (now) control. Thanks! Shawn
Istaran 01-31-07, 06:37 PM	I'm pleased to know you're doing your best (though I technically knew that from other posts you've made around the forum). Keep it up, and thank you for all the hard work. That goes for all of the factionmasters. I do see what you are saying about allowing play while putting a black-out period on allowing reporting until the level bump is processed. It is a possibility that is one of several I am going to take to RPGA HQ to hopefully eliminate or reduce the play blackout period. My engineering instincts required me to offer a possible solution. I realize there are plenty of difficulties to deal with, and my proposal is imperfect at best. Just trying to help. Hopefully with enough ideas floating around, HQ will be able to select and implement a solution that will solve this problem. It would be a help if the blackout could even be reduced to the middle of one week. As others have commented, some Cons are tied to particular holiday weekends that we Americans tend to overlook because they are not generally observed here, or just have a consistent weekend of their own that has been the case for years. However, I know better than to blame the FMs if this problem persists; you've shown time and again that you are on our side, regardless of any rants like the one that started this thread. Please continue to do your best, and know that your efforts are appreciated. And I will continue to preach the greatness that is Xen'Drik to my local LG players and help them see the Light.. and the Shadows, and the Crimson, and the umm.. Blackwheel. Or something. And to those of you who missed your con-playing opportunities; I urge you to find your own time and place and get home games or retail gamedays going. It is unfortunate that you missed some fine gaming opportunities, but this is still a great campaign to play in and I suggest you not write it off over a beaurocratic failing. That is a silly reason to miss out on some fine gaming. But if you insist on confining yourselves to LG: have fun with that. LG is a fine campaign as well.
DarkWhite 01-31-07, 09:15 PM	And to those of you who missed your con-playing opportunities; I urge you to find your own time and place and get home games or retail gamedays going. It is unfortunate that you missed some fine gaming opportunities, but this is still a great campaign to play in and I suggest you not write it off over a beaurocratic failing. That is a silly reason to miss out on some fine gaming. But if you insist on confining yourselves to LG: have fun with that. LG is a fine campaign as well. I don't have a home group, so conventions are the only opportunity I have for gaming, that tends to be twice a year Australia Day and Easter long weekends. I didn't mean for my post to come across as a rant, but if I don't express my dissatisfaction, then neither can I expect the situation to change. For every player who posts on these boards, there are dozens who don't. The original poster was flamed for his criticisms, I just wanted to say I share his grief. It's all fine for those who play home games and can order and run these adventures themselves, but not all of us can. I'm not "confining" myself to LG - I'm fully expecting Xen'Drik to be a great campaign! But I have missed a prime opportunity to join the campaign and advance a character from the ground up. If I have an opportunity to play Xen'Drik at Easter, assuming they're running it, I might do so. But I would have to be re-assured that I can continue playing at Arcanacon next year without being locked out again! I understand the Faction Masters are aware of the problem, I'm not pointing any blame, I just want the situation resolved so that I, and so many others, don't have to miss out on limited play opportunities in the future. Technical issues may be beyond the scope of Faction Masters, but at least they can present a strong case to anyone who can make a difference. Thanks.