*Spoilers* Maze Engine Legality - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 AndrewJO Sep 15, 2015 10:54:34	If you missed it in the title, I'll say it again, this post contains spoilers from OotA. In chapter 14, when players activate the maze engine, there is a 2% chance that players will be sent back in time to chapter 1 with all equipment, experience, and memories. AL says that characters cannot play the same module/chapter more than once. Is there an exception in this case, as going back in time is actually part of the adventure, or does it still count as replaying the chapter?
#2 Kalani Sep 15, 2015 11:26:19	Good question. I will forward this up to the admins as I doubt they are aware of it - however, I suspect it might be considered part of the adventure.
#3 AndrewJO Sep 15, 2015 11:33:20	Thanks, no rush on the answer, my players are still only on chapter 5.
#4 Nevvur Sep 15, 2015 21:28:12	lolwut? Does it give advice on what to do if your higher level party tracks down your lower level selves and kills them? I mean, just to see what happens.
(Reply to #4) AndrewJO	Nevvur wrote:
(Reply to #3) Coredump00	AndrewJO wrote:
#7 Pauper Sep 16, 2015 10:42:02	AndrewJO wrote:
#8 Kalani Sep 16, 2015 10:50:33	I tend to complete a chapter / episode in about 3 weeks on average. Started Princes at the beginning of the season, and we have completed all of the following: Chapter 6: Pre-adventure, all but one of the higher level side-quests Chapter 3: 3 of the 4 keeps Chapter 4: 2 of the 4 Temples Chapter 5: Fane of the Eye. Prophets: 2 deceased (Water and Air). Remaining 2 are in their respective Elemental Nodes and won't be challenged for some time. The party is starting on the final Keep (earth) tonight, and is currently at APL 8. I suspect that will transition directly to the Earth Temple, after which they will probably raid the Air Temple (as it is left leaderless for the most part, with even the Giant trying to unify the remnants being slain).
#9 Pauper Sep 16, 2015 12:21:31	Did you mean to post your answer in a different thread, Kalani? -- Pauper
#10 Kalani Sep 16, 2015 12:33:19	No, I was responding to your comment about how quickly someone can get through an adventure. My table is more than 2/3 the way through Princes, while most other tables at my store are still working on the early parts of Chapter 3. There is considerable variation between groups depending on how much they roleplay (some DMs keep it tight, others might run entire sessions for a single encounter), how focused the party is, time management skills (both DM and PC), frequency of play (we play about 8hrs more /month than the other tables as we tend to run a 6-8hr Saturday session once a month), etc. I highly doubt that anyone is in Chapter 5 of OotA yet, but people reading ahead and finding traps and issues which need answers is a good thing, as the admins and campaign staff can debate the issues as they are discovered, and have an answer ready to go well before it is needed. A Chapter 5 issue is not something that needs to be jumped on immediately, but could instead be added to the list of "issues to discuss" somewhere near the bottom. Mid-season however, there should be an answer as to how this should be resolved, esp. given how it appears to contradict the rules of the ALPG - and this will affect roughly 1/50 tables, so is not as small an issue as it at first seems The odds of it affecting at least one table in my store for example is 14% (7x2%).
#11 Pauper Sep 16, 2015 13:00:36	Ah, that makes more sense, then. Still, it points out how disruptive the effect is likely to be -- in effect, that roll undoes months of gameplay and, while it does put the party in a position to cake-walk much of the early content (or decide to skip it and go straight to the stuff they already know is wrong), there are weird questions (as noted in my post above). And, because I can't help nit-picking, the chance of one of your tables being affected is likely far higher than 14% Show As noted above, the chance is 2% per round of operation -- if the engine runs for 8 rounds at a table, then there's a roughly 15% chance that the result is rolled at least once. (one minus the chance of the effect not happening eight times, or (1-.98^8)).
#12 Kalani Sep 16, 2015 13:04:21	Either way, it is something I have brought up to the admins, and which will eventually be discussed. I would have raised the issue at last nights global LC meeting (in which the RCs and Admins answer questions from the entire campaign staff), but it conflicted with my Tuesday night Expeditions so I couldn't attend. Hopefully, I will be able to attend the next meeting and I can bring it up there (or failing that, pass the question on to my RC to be answered on my behalf).
#13 AndrewJO Sep 16, 2015 21:29:57	We've had 2 6-8 hour sessions. We got through chapter 3 in the first session. Session 2 was mostly random encounters, we went straight to chapter 5 and finished it. Next session they'll head to chapter 6 and I'm going to try to steer them towards chapter 4. I foresee chapters 4 and 6 taking 3-4 sessions total.
#14 BRJN Oct 05, 2015 14:42:15	Hmmm. As I understand it, the AL-legal parts of Abyss end before the PCs can encounter the Labyrinth. (I tentatively mark AL ending with the Drow Slave Hunt Conclusion chapter.) So if you DO get sent back, it won't be AL play the second time through.
#15 Kalani Oct 05, 2015 14:46:52	I have not yet received official word as to whether the time-travel element of the Maze Engine is legal or not. I will however inform you guys as soon as an answer comes down the pipe BRJN: The entire adventure is AL-legal. What you are referring to is the Encounters excerpt, which does end before the Maze Engine comes up. The thing is, each of these encounters excerpts encourage the DM/players to purchase the full story to continue their adventure in AL..

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

AndrewJO

Sep 15, 2015 10:54:34

If you missed it in the title, I'll say it again, this post contains spoilers from OotA. In chapter 14, when players activate the maze engine, there is a 2% chance that players will be sent back in time to chapter 1 with all equipment, experience, and memories. AL says that characters cannot play the same module/chapter more than once. Is there an exception in this case, as going back in time is actually part of the adventure, or does it still count as replaying the chapter?

Kalani

Sep 15, 2015 11:26:19

Good question. I will forward this up to the admins as I doubt they are aware of it - however, I suspect it might be considered part of the adventure.

AndrewJO

Sep 15, 2015 11:33:20

Thanks, no rush on the answer, my players are still only on chapter 5.

Nevvur

Sep 15, 2015 21:28:12

lolwut?

Does it give advice on what to do if your higher level party tracks down your lower level selves and kills them? I mean, just to see what happens.

(Reply to #4)

AndrewJO

Nevvur wrote:

(Reply to #3)

Coredump00

AndrewJO wrote:

Pauper

Sep 16, 2015 10:42:02

AndrewJO wrote:

Kalani

Sep 16, 2015 10:50:33

I tend to complete a chapter / episode in about 3 weeks on average. Started Princes at the beginning of the season, and we have completed all of the following:

Chapter 6: Pre-adventure, all but one of the higher level side-quests
Chapter 3: 3 of the 4 keeps
Chapter 4: 2 of the 4 Temples
Chapter 5: Fane of the Eye.
Prophets: 2 deceased (Water and Air). Remaining 2 are in their respective Elemental Nodes and won't be challenged for some time.

The party is starting on the final Keep (earth) tonight, and is currently at APL 8. I suspect that will transition directly to the Earth Temple, after which they will probably raid the Air Temple (as it is left leaderless for the most part, with even the Giant trying to unify the remnants being slain).

Pauper

Sep 16, 2015 12:21:31

Did you mean to post your answer in a different thread, Kalani?

Pauper

#10

Kalani

Sep 16, 2015 12:33:19

No, I was responding to your comment about how quickly someone can get through an adventure. My table is more than 2/3 the way through Princes, while most other tables at my store are still working on the early parts of Chapter 3. There is considerable variation between groups depending on how much they roleplay (some DMs keep it tight, others might run entire sessions for a single encounter), how focused the party is, time management skills (both DM and PC), frequency of play (we play about 8hrs more /month than the other tables as we tend to run a 6-8hr Saturday session once a month), etc.

I highly doubt that anyone is in Chapter 5 of OotA yet, but people reading ahead and finding traps and issues which need answers is a good thing, as the admins and campaign staff can debate the issues as they are discovered, and have an answer ready to go well before it is needed. A Chapter 5 issue is not something that needs to be jumped on immediately, but could instead be added to the list of "issues to discuss" somewhere near the bottom. Mid-season however, there should be an answer as to how this should be resolved, esp. given how it appears to contradict the rules of the ALPG - and this will affect roughly 1/50 tables, so is not as small an issue as it at first seems

The odds of it affecting at least one table in my store for example is 14% (7x2%).

#11

Pauper

Sep 16, 2015 13:00:36

Ah, that makes more sense, then. Still, it points out how disruptive the effect is likely to be -- in effect, that roll undoes months of gameplay and, while it does put the party in a position to cake-walk much of the early content (or decide to skip it and go straight to the stuff they already know is wrong), there are weird questions (as noted in my post above).

And, because I can't help nit-picking, the chance of one of your tables being affected is likely far higher than 14%

Show

As noted above, the chance is 2% per round of operation -- if the engine runs for 8 rounds at a table, then there's a roughly 15% chance that the result is rolled at least once. (one minus the chance of the effect not happening eight times, or (1-.98^8)).

#12

Kalani

Sep 16, 2015 13:04:21

Either way, it is something I have brought up to the admins, and which will eventually be discussed. I would have raised the issue at last nights global LC meeting (in which the RCs and Admins answer questions from the entire campaign staff), but it conflicted with my Tuesday night Expeditions so I couldn't attend. Hopefully, I will be able to attend the next meeting and I can bring it up there (or failing that, pass the question on to my RC to be answered on my behalf).

#13

AndrewJO

Sep 16, 2015 21:29:57

We've had 2 6-8 hour sessions. We got through chapter 3 in the first session. Session 2 was mostly random encounters, we went straight to chapter 5 and finished it. Next session they'll head to chapter 6 and I'm going to try to steer them towards chapter 4. I foresee chapters 4 and 6 taking 3-4 sessions total.

#14

BRJN

Oct 05, 2015 14:42:15

Hmmm. As I understand it, the AL-legal parts of Abyss end before the PCs can encounter the Labyrinth. (I tentatively mark AL ending with the Drow Slave Hunt Conclusion chapter.) So if you DO get sent back, it won't be AL play the second time through.

#15

Kalani

Oct 05, 2015 14:46:52

I have not yet received official word as to whether the time-travel element of the Maze Engine is legal or not. I will however inform you guys as soon as an answer comes down the pipe

BRJN: The entire adventure is AL-legal. What you are referring to is the Encounters excerpt, which does end before the Maze Engine comes up. The thing is, each of these encounters excerpts encourage the DM/players to purchase the full story to continue their adventure in AL..