New to Living Greyhawk [Archive] - Wizards Community

New to Living Greyhawk [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
A_Cruel_DM
01-30-08, 04:35 PM I'll be attending my first convention soon (D&D eXPerience) and was hoping for some help understand Living Greyhawk. The campaigns say "A one-round core adventure set in the Free City of Greyhawk for characters level 1-15 (APLs 2-12)". So... what level do I roll up a character at. Will I be playing a level one character among level 15 characters?
kenobi65
01-30-08, 04:52 PM You should make sure to download the Living Greyhawk Campaign Standards document; it'll help you greatly in making sure you're putting your character together the right way.

Living Greyhawk PCs must *always* be started at 1st level.

In the case of the adventure you describe, there are different APLs (Average Party Level), or difficulty levels, of the adventure for different experience levels of characters; almost every LG adventure is written at a range of different APLs. "APLs 2-12" means that there is an APL 2 version of the modules, an APL 4 version, etc., all the way to an APL 12 version (LG generally uses even-numbered APLs).

When you go to the convention, and "muster" at the beginning of the time slot, the "marshall" will help the players figure out who's playing at what APL. You'll find that most experienced LG players have multiple PCs, at a variety of different levels. You figure out your table's APL by averaging the actual level of all the PCs, and then adding 1 to the average if you have a full table of 6 PCs (which you almost undoubtedly will have at a big con like DDXP). (There's also some fiddling that might happen to your APL if you're bringng "combatant animals" that aren't class features.)

You should try to get seated at a table playing that adventure at APL 2 (any higher, and you'll be taking a penalty to the XP and GP you earn, as well as significantly decreasing your odds of surviving). This means that you'll be playing with other low-level PCs.
Lomiat
01-30-08, 04:57 PM I'll be attending my first convention soon (D&D eXPerience) and was hoping for some help understand Living Greyhawk. The campaigns say "A one-round core adventure set in the Free City of Greyhawk for characters level 1-15 (APLs 2-12)". So... what level do I roll up a character at. Will I be playing a level one character among level 15 characters?

Characters aren't rolled. They're created using the 28 point buy system. All attributes start at 8. It costs 1 point per attribute bump until you get to 14 (so 6 points for a 14), then 2 points until 16 (10 points total for a 16 attribute), and 3 points each until 18 (16 points total for an 18 attribute). 14 is commonly the water mark attribute (no extra points spent). Racial modifiers apply *after* the point buy.

All LG characters enter play at 1st level. Though it is *possible* you could (if you chose) play your 1st level character in the stratosphere with your buddies' 15th-level PCs, the campaign is designed to feature APL ranges (Average Party Level). "APL 2 - 12" means the adventure is tiered at every even level from 2 to 12. Essentially, a table/party determines its Average Party Level by adding the total level of its PCs and dividing by the number of players (then adding 1 if the table is a full 6-person table). At a convention, the organizers "muster" tables (form the tables) by trying to get players looking to play the same APL to sit at the same table - then subdivide multiple tables at that APL by creating the most balanced parties.

In other words, you will start at 1st level with a 28-point buy and then end up playing your first adventure at APL 2 with a bunch of other characters levels 1 through 4.
elfan
02-13-08, 04:55 PM Thank you Lomiat and kenobi65. I will also be playing in my first Living campaigns at D&D eXPerience. Could you clarify how regions work for the adventures listed on the website <http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=rpga/ddxp/rpgblurbs>. Can I come with a new 1st level character and play in all 3 of the adventures that allow 1st level characters? Does the "Domain of Greyhawk" mean that that adventure is "region-less"?

Anything else first time players at a convention are often confused about?

Thank you again.
kenobi65
02-13-08, 05:42 PM I will also be playing in my first Living campaigns at D&D eXPerience. Could you clarify how regions work for the adventures listed on the website <http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=rpga/ddxp/rpgblurbs>.

All of the LG adventures being offered at DDXP (except for the DM's Challenge module) are Core adventures (you can tell from the COR at the beginning of the module description).

Originally, when you played an adventure that was set in your PC's home region, it cost you fewer Time Units (TUs) to play than it did to play in an adventure outside of your home region, and Core adventures were out-of-region for *everyone*.

However, with the end of the campaign, you no longer have to pay TUs for playing adventures (you may still need to pay TUs for other uses, like metaorganizations, crafting, etc.), so this distinction is now gone. The region of an adventure still may make a difference for some items you may gain access to on your Adventure Records.

Also, these days, it is possible to play a PC with Greyhawk as your home region (by playing a 1st level PC in the first Greyhawk Ruins module).

Can I come with a new 1st level character and play in all 3 of the adventures that allow 1st level characters?

Yup, and, assuming you survive, your PC will likely be 2nd level by the end of those three adventures.

At the beginning of each time slot, they'll be "mustering" the players into tables according to the APL that they want to play. You'll want to get mustered into an APL 2 table -- while you *could* play a higher APL, you'd only receive half XP and half GP for playing a 1st level PC at an APL 4 or higher table, and that assumes you even survive.

Does the "Domain of Greyhawk" mean that that adventure is "region-less"?

No, it means that it's set in a Core region (i.e., a region that's not controlled by a Triad).

Anything else first time players at a convention are often confused about?

The biggest thing I see is the confusion over rewards.

The PCs will recover items during the adventure (e.g., the +1 sword that the bad guy's carrying). However, none of the PCs actually walk out of the adventure with that item -- it's assumed that all non-cash treasure was sold, and your PC gets 1/6th of the total GP from all the treasure. However, if you (and your party) encounter an interesting item during the adventure, you're given "access" to it -- this means that you can then turn around and buy that item with the GP you earn, if you have enough GP.

At low levels, this can be frustrating, because you frequently won't be earning enough GP to actually buy most of the items you get access to. But, it's a fair way to split up treasure, and it works reasonably well most of the time.
elfan
02-13-08, 07:16 PM Thank you again.

I guess my only other question isn't a LG one per se but at a large convention like this do people customarily play back to back to back adventures or are there a lot of other things going on?
kenobi65
02-13-08, 07:47 PM I guess my only other question isn't a LG one per se but at a large convention like this do people customarily play back to back to back adventures or are there a lot of other things going on?

Depends entirely on the convention, and the player.

I just went to a convention last weekend, where I played 6 LG modules (Friday afternoon, Friday evening, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, Sunday morning).

Some conventions are RPGA-only, or even LG-only. So, if you go, there's not a whole lot else to do.

Other conventions have a lot of other gaming going on, and even sometimes other things entirely (movies, costume contests, etc.) And, of course, there's always the dealer hall to prowl.

It also depends on what you're going there for. If you're really into LG, you might want to schedule as much LG play as you can (especially if you're traveling to the convention). And, yes, there's a fair number of people who do just that. Or, you might be interested in sampling other games.

DDXP, while it's a pretty big convention, is a little atypical for a big con, in that there isn't anything going on except for RPGA play. IIRC, they have a couple of dealers there, mostly for supplies that players would need while they're there. But, other than D&D and D&D Minis, there aren't any other games being offered -- at a more typical large con, you could play board games, card games, etc.
smerwin29
02-13-08, 07:51 PM That really depends on the person and the convention. Most of the people I know do play games in every slot they can. At a convention like GenCon, the RPGA is just a part of the action, so there is tons of other things to do. Just seeing and sampling everything at the Exhibit Hall at GenCon can keep some people busy for the entire convention.

At DDXP, which is RPGA-only, there are other things to do, but it is much more limited. I think Wizards is going to be running some seminars, and they are going to be showing what they feel ready to show in terms of D&D Insider, and you can play D&D Minis or some other "non-RPG" games, but for the most part people are there for the D&D games, and they don't take much time off from that.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
A_Cruel_DM 01-30-08, 04:35 PM	I'll be attending my first convention soon (D&D eXPerience) and was hoping for some help understand Living Greyhawk. The campaigns say "A one-round core adventure set in the Free City of Greyhawk for characters level 1-15 (APLs 2-12)". So... what level do I roll up a character at. Will I be playing a level one character among level 15 characters?
kenobi65 01-30-08, 04:52 PM	You should make sure to download the Living Greyhawk Campaign Standards document; it'll help you greatly in making sure you're putting your character together the right way. Living Greyhawk PCs must always be started at 1st level. In the case of the adventure you describe, there are different APLs (Average Party Level), or difficulty levels, of the adventure for different experience levels of characters; almost every LG adventure is written at a range of different APLs. "APLs 2-12" means that there is an APL 2 version of the modules, an APL 4 version, etc., all the way to an APL 12 version (LG generally uses even-numbered APLs). When you go to the convention, and "muster" at the beginning of the time slot, the "marshall" will help the players figure out who's playing at what APL. You'll find that most experienced LG players have multiple PCs, at a variety of different levels. You figure out your table's APL by averaging the actual level of all the PCs, and then adding 1 to the average if you have a full table of 6 PCs (which you almost undoubtedly will have at a big con like DDXP). (There's also some fiddling that might happen to your APL if you're bringng "combatant animals" that aren't class features.) You should try to get seated at a table playing that adventure at APL 2 (any higher, and you'll be taking a penalty to the XP and GP you earn, as well as significantly decreasing your odds of surviving). This means that you'll be playing with other low-level PCs.
Lomiat 01-30-08, 04:57 PM	I'll be attending my first convention soon (D&D eXPerience) and was hoping for some help understand Living Greyhawk. The campaigns say "A one-round core adventure set in the Free City of Greyhawk for characters level 1-15 (APLs 2-12)". So... what level do I roll up a character at. Will I be playing a level one character among level 15 characters? Characters aren't rolled. They're created using the 28 point buy system. All attributes start at 8. It costs 1 point per attribute bump until you get to 14 (so 6 points for a 14), then 2 points until 16 (10 points total for a 16 attribute), and 3 points each until 18 (16 points total for an 18 attribute). 14 is commonly the water mark attribute (no extra points spent). Racial modifiers apply after the point buy. All LG characters enter play at 1st level. Though it is possible you could (if you chose) play your 1st level character in the stratosphere with your buddies' 15th-level PCs, the campaign is designed to feature APL ranges (Average Party Level). "APL 2 - 12" means the adventure is tiered at every even level from 2 to 12. Essentially, a table/party determines its Average Party Level by adding the total level of its PCs and dividing by the number of players (then adding 1 if the table is a full 6-person table). At a convention, the organizers "muster" tables (form the tables) by trying to get players looking to play the same APL to sit at the same table - then subdivide multiple tables at that APL by creating the most balanced parties. In other words, you will start at 1st level with a 28-point buy and then end up playing your first adventure at APL 2 with a bunch of other characters levels 1 through 4.
elfan 02-13-08, 04:55 PM	Thank you Lomiat and kenobi65. I will also be playing in my first Living campaigns at D&D eXPerience. Could you clarify how regions work for the adventures listed on the website <http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=rpga/ddxp/rpgblurbs>. Can I come with a new 1st level character and play in all 3 of the adventures that allow 1st level characters? Does the "Domain of Greyhawk" mean that that adventure is "region-less"? Anything else first time players at a convention are often confused about? Thank you again.
kenobi65 02-13-08, 05:42 PM	I will also be playing in my first Living campaigns at D&D eXPerience. Could you clarify how regions work for the adventures listed on the website <http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=rpga/ddxp/rpgblurbs>. All of the LG adventures being offered at DDXP (except for the DM's Challenge module) are Core adventures (you can tell from the COR at the beginning of the module description). Originally, when you played an adventure that was set in your PC's home region, it cost you fewer Time Units (TUs) to play than it did to play in an adventure outside of your home region, and Core adventures were out-of-region for everyone. However, with the end of the campaign, you no longer have to pay TUs for playing adventures (you may still need to pay TUs for other uses, like metaorganizations, crafting, etc.), so this distinction is now gone. The region of an adventure still may make a difference for some items you may gain access to on your Adventure Records. Also, these days, it is possible to play a PC with Greyhawk as your home region (by playing a 1st level PC in the first Greyhawk Ruins module). Can I come with a new 1st level character and play in all 3 of the adventures that allow 1st level characters? Yup, and, assuming you survive, your PC will likely be 2nd level by the end of those three adventures. At the beginning of each time slot, they'll be "mustering" the players into tables according to the APL that they want to play. You'll want to get mustered into an APL 2 table -- while you could play a higher APL, you'd only receive half XP and half GP for playing a 1st level PC at an APL 4 or higher table, and that assumes you even survive. Does the "Domain of Greyhawk" mean that that adventure is "region-less"? No, it means that it's set in a Core region (i.e., a region that's not controlled by a Triad). Anything else first time players at a convention are often confused about? The biggest thing I see is the confusion over rewards. The PCs will recover items during the adventure (e.g., the +1 sword that the bad guy's carrying). However, none of the PCs actually walk out of the adventure with that item -- it's assumed that all non-cash treasure was sold, and your PC gets 1/6th of the total GP from all the treasure. However, if you (and your party) encounter an interesting item during the adventure, you're given "access" to it -- this means that you can then turn around and buy that item with the GP you earn, if you have enough GP. At low levels, this can be frustrating, because you frequently won't be earning enough GP to actually buy most of the items you get access to. But, it's a fair way to split up treasure, and it works reasonably well most of the time.
elfan 02-13-08, 07:16 PM	Thank you again. I guess my only other question isn't a LG one per se but at a large convention like this do people customarily play back to back to back adventures or are there a lot of other things going on?
kenobi65 02-13-08, 07:47 PM	I guess my only other question isn't a LG one per se but at a large convention like this do people customarily play back to back to back adventures or are there a lot of other things going on? Depends entirely on the convention, and the player. I just went to a convention last weekend, where I played 6 LG modules (Friday afternoon, Friday evening, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, Sunday morning). Some conventions are RPGA-only, or even LG-only. So, if you go, there's not a whole lot else to do. Other conventions have a lot of other gaming going on, and even sometimes other things entirely (movies, costume contests, etc.) And, of course, there's always the dealer hall to prowl. It also depends on what you're going there for. If you're really into LG, you might want to schedule as much LG play as you can (especially if you're traveling to the convention). And, yes, there's a fair number of people who do just that. Or, you might be interested in sampling other games. DDXP, while it's a pretty big convention, is a little atypical for a big con, in that there isn't anything going on except for RPGA play. IIRC, they have a couple of dealers there, mostly for supplies that players would need while they're there. But, other than D&D and D&D Minis, there aren't any other games being offered -- at a more typical large con, you could play board games, card games, etc.
smerwin29 02-13-08, 07:51 PM	That really depends on the person and the convention. Most of the people I know do play games in every slot they can. At a convention like GenCon, the RPGA is just a part of the action, so there is tons of other things to do. Just seeing and sampling everything at the Exhibit Hall at GenCon can keep some people busy for the entire convention. At DDXP, which is RPGA-only, there are other things to do, but it is much more limited. I think Wizards is going to be running some seminars, and they are going to be showing what they feel ready to show in terms of D&D Insider, and you can play D&D Minis or some other "non-RPG" games, but for the most part people are there for the D&D games, and they don't take much time off from that.