If you're going to be DMing in the D&D Adventurers League, what type of DM rewards would you like?
I'm not too worried about what the rewards are, but I hope the rewards are consistent across all three "E's" of the adventurer's league. I don't want to see folks scrambling to DM one particular event and neglecting others just because one reward for one particular adventure is cooler (or more exclusive) than another. With San Diego Comic Con going on right now, my distaste of exclusives is at its peak for the year. 
A system where DMs earned points (for quality and quantity of DMing) that could then be used to choose rewards from a short list (perhaps refreshed with new rewards annually) would be interesting to me, but certainly more overhead than the prior rewards system required.
As a store coordinator, I'm already anticipating a greater level of interest in DMing Expeditions vs Encounters at my FLGS, but I recognize the importance or maintaining Encounters as an on-ramp to the hobby and public play. I don't want this to be further compounded by an unbalanced set of rewards for running one type of Adventures League program that causes neglect of another program.
Getting back to the orignal question of rewards though, I have a bunch of oversized, multicolored d20s from prior Encounters seasons that could really use some non-d20 friends. This type of reward would be a cool exclusive, but one that would be more of "repaint" of a gaming aid (a cool, unique d12 for example), rather than the only way to ever get the functionality of that particular gaming aid (I can still buy another d12 if I'm not able to get this particular d12).
Also, if there are materials that end up being exclusive to running a particular Adventurers League adventure (I'm thinking of things like the tactical maps that came with 4e WPN adventures - Encounters and Lair Assault in particular) I'd like a chance to earn those type of items. This has the benefit of cutting back on ebay scalpers for such items as well as allowing DMs to volunteer to run the adventures needed at a FLGS rather than running an adventure just to get the materials that go with that adventure.
Give me options to level up my characters along side my friends. that way we can round robin DM and no one gets screwed!
Posters are nice. GM "levels" like the Paizo program are great. And the DCC RPG World tour stuff is awesome. DM more? Get more stuff! That wll draw a few people in.
I almost never "play", as I really love to DM. So treasure and/ or experience for my character doesn't really matter to me. Gaining ranks as a DM would be cool. A title like "Epic Grand Master of Dungeons"! Tangible rewards are the best for me. I especially like maps and minis. But any thing else that I can use to enhance the game. Npc portraits, player handouts, special dice, or inspiration point tokens are just a few ideas.
WelkerJ wrote:
I'd like to have some sort of 'flag' on my WotC account that I've DMed adventures in Adventurers League, which then gets me invited to special events -- special 'DM Appreciation' runs of Epics at conventions like GenCon and Winter Fantasy, meet-and-greets with the campaign staff at those same cons, etc. I want to feel like being a DM makes me part of the program -- because it does!
--
Pauper
Interesting they give a special starting item choice:
[edit]
Also some other Tyrrany of Dragons related faction things.
That's actually pretty danged cool. Useful enough to make a difference, but not overpowering for starting DM characters.
Really cool for DMs!
The shown League card is a good start. I liked the NPC face cards with descriptions, and the Encounter Maps of old were a great game utility item.
Pauper wrote:
bag of holding is pretty awesome, or could be. the breastplate looks pretty tempting as well for starter gear and is non magical. you make an interesting point though.
It it was my PC (speaking without an admin hat), I would likely choose either the breastplate or the bag of holding. The armor is a good chunk of coin and would be great starting gear for many melee focused PCs. The bag is a great all purpose item. Sure, it counts as an item, but I think it could be used to good effect (particurly when trying to carry off more gold/valuable items in an adventure).
DM_HEEGZ wrote:
Skerrit wrote:
DavidArgall wrote:
Mirtek wrote:
DavidArgall wrote:
Mirtek wrote:
Special RPGA modules, miniatures, and such. Special tactical maps. DM screens. Dice. Essentially, exclusives. No need to go overboard. And no need to make them SUPER exclusive. In other words, the bar can be pretty low in terms of what is required to get these things. In this way they essentially become flavor and not so valuable that people engage in gross bufoonery in order to get them. Just a nice 'thank you' for spending the time DM'ing a game!
Pauper wrote:
Raddu76 wrote:
The special starting item looks good to me.
question on the back there a code where do we enter the code?
Certificate identification code
where do we register the cert or verifed
Maybe a nice discount coupon for a manual or module?
Playing should be the reward. Why can't we just enjoy the game and not be out for something.
Ishorn wrote:
Generic maps are really useful for those of us that use figures.
Access to the adventures is a reward in itself as we can re-run after store or con use as we wish.
Titles and badges on this forum would be nice as well.
Bust best of all - eager players coming to enjoy games =)
DavidArgall wrote:
Ishorn: Why I share your sentiments, sadly convention play has to an extent degraded this gaming cultural view to the point where yes you actually get people complain about the quality on the free swag bag that comes with a large number on conventions..
Whats more interesting to speculate on is how many conventions would still be going if they did NOT give Free accomodation to their dms/gms. Whilst its true only the bigger cons generalyl tend to do this, its still a large component of attracting gms to a convention. Its also a cost now which Im guessing its factored into costs for the event year after year (because at the end of the day someone still has to pay for the Hotel Room).
In a roundabout way, does it now mean that players are paying an increasing cost to cover the accomodation of the dms?
Whilst conventions are a good focal point to hand out certificates and other such items, its when you have a diverse player base over a wide geographical setup where dm rewards become tricky. Now the company in question needs to divert resources into getting physical items (whether these be maps, posters, pins etc) to dms from Spain to Australia to the Phillipines. Add up the costs. Notice how expensive postage is getting nowadays. This is why organised play tends to go the in game rewards way. Ie You get exp for running scenarios, you might get an email saying that you can now run an Aboleth character and so on.
For those reading this topic. Please keep Encounters DMs and Expeditions DM's separate. The Encounters DM is the one that gets the DM Folio. The Expeditions DM does not.
Maps/tiles and minis ...
But instead of some random assortment of crap I may never use, tie it to content being released. If I'm running Expeditions, I'd love a map for the final encounter of DDEX1-14 (presumably the finale) or for the final foe being faced. This helps create a memorable experience with a physically represented prop for the encounter. (Note: I'd want this reward well before the release of DDEX1-14).
End result: My reward is something I can/will actually use, and that the adventure designer for the "chosen adventure" can incorporate into the adventure design. (i.e. If the BBEG is going to be a half-dragon wizard, give participating DMs an appropriate half-dragon wizard mini to use when they get to that encounter.)
Option one: Battle maps. The maps were, imho, one of the biggest perks for DMing encounters in the past as I re-use them over and over for my home group (although admittedly I've started to buy vinyl maps for the better durability...). So if there was going to be one benefit I would like to get for DMing, that would likely be it. Tiles are almost as good, but personally, I'd rather have maps.
Option two: Miniatures. I used to DM back in the days when we used to get minis for DM rewards and they were always a welcome bonus. Lately I've started going to tokens for the monsters and minis for the players (its easier to get - or even make - tokens that actually match the creatures than it is to get my hands on a full collection of every creature I might want to use) - but I suspect most would rather have minis (and I'd always like at least more PC-race minis).
Option three: Monster tokens (see above). I suspect most would rather have miniatures. But if the choice were between a few minis and a few sheets of monster tokens, I'd take the tokens.
Number four (a somewhat different approach): Download codes for PDFs of WoTC game products. I really dislike the lack of legit pdfs for current edition gamebooks (and- fwiw - I really like the Evil Hat approach to pdfs - if you buy a print product from a brick and mortar, rather than online, they will send you the pdf free.) But if I could get download codes for pdfs by DMing It would let me at least have pdfs of my hardcovers - and perhaps pick up a few old adventures, etc. as well.
Carl
Many things were provided in the past, and all were nice.
I'd like to see the DM's character get some gold and renown for running the games when they are not playing.
DMs should get something, for crying out loud. With all the extra work WotC is putting on their DMs (preparing the game, running the game, printing the PDFs with our own ink and paper, finding all the latest modifications that were left out of the original pdf that we got, making maps if we use them, making sure people get DCI numbers, reporting the games every week, etc.), the DMs deserve something. Getting something that's just the first few chapters of a book that I bought, anyway, doesn't seem right. Yeah a little thing for their character is all fine and dandy but I have yet to be able to play in the new edition (other than the playtesting I did).
I also need to be able to report who else DMs. Presently, the way the WER is, I can only report who the primary DM is (me). I have multiple full tables at the FLGS and DMs other than myself so the other dedicated DMs get no credit for DMing even though they're there handling full tables of players.
One thing I need to know is how to get more of the faction folios for my players. Any ideas on that?
Back on topic, from previous Encounter seasons, the season specific dice were nice (but all the players got them), the combat map sheets were nice, the ship map tile set was nice, an exclusive adventure was nice, monster tokens were nice, specially painted figures were nice. Do something for the DMs, already, because this DM is feeling a bit put upon because the work load has gone up (exponentially) and the rewards have disappeared.
Geoharpst: THere are no more faction folios to be send out. Bang. Shelves are empty. THere is nothing left to send. Its probably been that way for over a Month now. Generally if you store was in on this back in August then your store received it. The ones that took longer to get on board... didnt get any. They have also stated they wont be making anymore until next season (so March?). Hopefully that means a lot of stores will be making sure this time that they wont miss out by getting in an ordering encounters.
The question about the folios does seem to come up again and again though, and I think the fact they ran out is a good thing. It means the latest encounters has been a bigger success then they planned for . If you plan for X and get X+ then Id call that a mighty success.
Ive already commented on this topic in regards to the unlikelihood of physical rewards.
Miniatures are nice. Doesnt need to be one of the big ones, just a variety of medium sized mini's
SteveMND wrote:
The current print run is 100% done and will not be repeated during this 1st season. After that is up in the air. I speak with no authority when I say this particular thing, but I would not be surprised if we see them again, maybe every season or every other season.
There are a few issues facing people who DM a lot
- Characters falling behind their friends so they can't play with their group when they get a chance
- Missing out on experiencing once-in-a-lifetime content, like battle interactives
To make up for the first one, you need XP gold AND story awards; if you don't get, say XP and no gold, your character is weaker than a full-time PC. I'd like to see the DMs able to apply the minium adventure gold and xp and any story awards they otherwise qualify for to any character they want. The DM could also sacrifice all gold earned from that adventure for one items found. This is SUPER powerful, but who cares: too many people wanting to DM is a GREAT problem to have.
To make up for missing the second, you really need things that make you a special snowflake. Thinks like unlocking options unavailable to other PCs--good LFR examples were the Orc and Kenku cards, as well as the cards that let you buy from otherwise-illegal rules sources.
Personally, what's motivated me to DM an AL-compliant home game is the XP and Renown rewards for my AL PC. So... yeah, that's working for me.
Speaking of which, I have a related question, if someone can help me with it. The AL Player's Guide says DMs earn XP per "episode" they run. What counts as an "episode"? I want to keep myself honest here. In Phandelver, is Goblin Arrows plus Cragmaw Hideout an "episode"? Because I've seen them grouped as such for the 1-hour intro games at conventions.
Each named Part of LMOP is an episode. Goblin Arrows is episode 1, Phandalin is episode 2, The Spiders Web is episode 3, and Wave Echo Cave is Episode 4. The other adventures are more clear on this. There was an older post in this section of the forums that detailed how much XP and downtime a DM got for this episode, and this info might be in the AL Player's Guide as well. I just can't remember it off the top of my head sorry.
DM_HEEGZ wrote:
Personally, I think the DM rewards need to be beefed up a little. PFS gives their GMs the same access, as the players, for running a game as if they played in it! Why the heck can't AL DMs get the same?! Who the heck in R+D, wizards management or whatever decided to rip off the DMs? Sure, thanks for the XP and the downtime, now how about doing more? Did the "powers that be" not think that somebody is going to get stuck DMing 99% of the AL games? Or that a DM might want to play in a game as a player and not have his character behind the others at the table who have had access to magic items, gold and renown? I mean seriously! WotC, you're going to have to reward your DMs better. BTW, I'm not the only DM who feels this way! Get with the program! No wonder PFS is putting D&D out of business! Think about it!!!!
I've been running 5 sessions of Encounters, and am about to finish the first "episode" this week (session 6). To say I am disappointed with my 300xp is a bit of an understatement. Most of my players got 300xp after 3 sessions, and then were able to make a new character if they wanted when I told them that they would max out at 300xp per character for the episode.
:/
And did nobody at wizards think we might need a map of Greenest for the players? It's the backbone of episode 1, and I dislike having to point to some little picture in the book. I ended up spending $15 to print a nice copy after purchasing it online from the artist. I love gaming, but if this is going to be the way of things in Adventurer's League, I don't know if I'll continue next season.
If you want to support the game, please give us the things we want/need to make a better game for everyone at the table. I understand the new edition emphasizes not needing maps, but be careful not to move away from using the best tools for the job, and in episode 1, it should have clearly been a good player's map of Greenest.
I love the compactness of the adventure, and how much material can be fit into a page, but maps of the mill, chapel, and keep would have all saved a lot of improvisation work for the GM as well. A good GM can come up with maps, but a lesser GM can struggle with these things. And like it or not, every time I've leaned towards not using maps (I have no problem going old-school myself) it is the players that always ask if they can get a map. They love their figures, and they want maps. And wanting to give them a good experience, means one way or another I'm going to get/make/buy them a map.
Does anybody else at Wizards see this as a missed money-making opportunity?
Apologies for rambling, but the entire AL affair has been lukewarm IMO, and I'm hoping it doesn't get any colder. I still love 5E, but AL is not holding it's appeal for me.
Here's to hoping the organizers are listening, and prepared to do something to make next season more appealing.
Qzoo wrote:
I think that's a bit disingenous, Uthrac. There are no "generic" settings in HotDQ. Every single one of those locations needs time to think about and prepare. I had to do a lot of homework in order to come up with a groundplan for the mill that fit the parameters of the combat scenario described, the sally port (what the heck was that?), and the chapel that matched the descriptions and the map of Greenest in the pdf. Fighting off the dragon at the keep either requires a DM to commit to a Theatre-of-the-Mind play experience, or come up with a viable groundplan on their own that the players can wrap their heads around.
The point is that not all DMs can so easily wing it like you're suggesting, and they shouldn't be required to. Some find that preparation fun and interesting, but to outright expect it on top of all the other hats that are expected to be worn by an AL DM--Character Legitimacy Policeman potentially, sometimes a store Organizer and Table Musterer, Incorporator of new players into an ongoing storyline that happen to show up at that moment, and help everyone (and yourself) learn a new rule system... That's a lot for a beginning DM. And frankly, with a new rules system, WotC should have expected everyone to be a beginning DM.
Not everyone has the experience and salt other DMs might have. And doing all that in the face of other Organized Play systems that (apparently) seem to acknowledge that in ways that AL doesn't... Well, it's frustrating. Some DMs may not be looking at the DM experience the way it may have been intended or expected, but that doesn't invalidate what they're feeling.
Just because some DMs had to walk up hill both ways when they were beginning isn't a good reason to write off the use of everything we've learned over the years since then. It doesn't mean these DMs have needs that are inconsequential. They're not inconsequential to them. Degenerating things to some form of lowest common denominator doesn't make the experience easier. It just means DMs who are used to using specific tools are suddenly blamed for needing them in the first place and somehow denigrated for needing to use them at all...
AL has experienced a DM problem for the initial implementation of their OP. On multiple levels: Rewards. Rules Variations. Resource access. And potentially Retention. And there will need to be some solutions forthcoming from administrators if addressing these issues is something important to them. If not, then we have our answers. I am sure they are aware that ignoring the issues can have a significant impact on the success of their endeavors.
In the meantime, as DMs, let's try to make the best of the situation until those solutions present themselves, and take advantage of every possible forum/venue available to us to keep ourselves informed and enable us to muddle through. Because we all care about the quality of play our tables experience, don't we? That quality of experience will vary depending on the DM and the players involved. And expressing how that quality of play is affected by the contents and writing of the adventure is an absolutely necessary growth step for the OP.
I do find that the GM rewards are lacking. They only provided stores with a small number of the DM folios, so those that are starting after the first month are already behind on that, especially if where they are DMing at got started after the initial start up period. WotC has already said that they aren't going to reprint those materials for the current season. On top of that, DMs that want to also play with their friends are going to fall behind on XP, renown and Gold. An earlier poster mentioned PFS' GM rewards, as far as gold and XP go, that should be how it's rewarded. After all, the DMs do have to do more to prep a session than the players. Paizo realized this, and hopefully next season WotC will as well. As it looks currently, there is no way for DMs to make up for the XP that they sacrifice so others can play.
While I like the ideas already posted, I have an alternative idea. Why don't we allow AL DMs to include a character of their own into the party as a pseudo-NPC? It would make it easier for stores that are just starting out to have the minimum amount of players for a legal game. The DM character could also be used to shore up party imbalances. Plus, it gives the DM another tool to direct the story. Such a rule also gets rid of the potential problems caused by a DM character knowing all of the answers in an adventure that DM had run before, not to mention having to spend double the IRL time to have the same gear as the group.
Uthrac wrote:
I think we've sort of split into two topics here: "rewards" and "tools for the job." In my opinion, proper tools for the job (maps, etc.) should be a basic requirement for every module. They shouldn't be considered rewards for the DM any more than the text of the module itself.
In terms of rewards, I don't think the comment that "in my day the DM got no PC rewards" is irrelevant. I don't frankly think the DM should get in-game rewards. Again, this is due to my perspective differing from some of yours; in my day, once you read the module you weren't allowed to play it—ever. That's why "round zeroes" were so coveted; it was a chance to play the module before you DM'd it. Only one DM in seven at a con had to "eat" a module.
To me, allowing the DM to play the module, potentially more than once with multiple characters, makes any in-character reward for the DM unnecessary. I think the idea of a "reward" for DMing should be a thank-you to the person doing the job and shouldn't involve his/her PC at all. Many conventions offer things like free admission for people who DM a certain number of slots. I've heard that some FLGSs waive the "pay to play" fee, or even collect that fee from players to give to the DM.
I think the DM folios were a cool idea, but I'm not sure it's WotC's job to "pay" people to play D&D. After all, it's fun (at least, for me it is). I love reading the modules, preparing NPC personalities and strategies (and, often, voices) and the chance to surprise and delight the players. I love being a player, too. Figuring out the puzzles, finding ingenious ways around an encounter, rolling a natural "20" are all exciting. If it wasn't, I'd read a book.
These are just my opinions. Maybe you folks, or people in your groups, don't see it that way. But me? I'm hooked already. Have been since 1977.
TheBreen wrote:
Agree with TheBreen on everything ... except I drank the Kool-Aid in 1981.
There's a fine line when talking about DM rewards. Ultimately, you want people to DM because they enjoy DMing ... not because they are trying to get some reward or benefit from doing so (at which point the play experience diminishes for everyone at the table).
Benefits I've seen ...
1. Slot-0 opportunities. This means the DMs get to play with an organizer, who's usually a good DM.
2. Pay-for-play. Each player donates a nominal amount ($2?) to the DM to spend at the venue (also rewards the host venue). $10 to run a game is a nice thank-you, but not enough to make a living being a professional DM.
3. Adventures ... these were cool, but simply created a secondary market.
4. Minis ... DMs like toys. This worked.
5. Ship Tiles ... another winner, but exclusivity had the same secondary-market issue.
6. Boon for a PC ... be it a token item for Encounters or XP for a PC, these in-game bonuses are about as nice as the $10 ... a token gesture, but nothing to get people to DM who weren't already.
I'll agree with TheBreen and Uthrac, though I don't have anywhere near their grognard bona-fides.
Uthrac is right, though -- you want DMs to run games because they enjoy DMing, not because they're effectively being bribed to do so. The latter kind of DMs evaporate as soon as the next big OP campaign gets announced, because that's where all the cool new swag is, so it's not as though you can rely on them to serve as the backbone of your OP experience.
That said, I stopped running LFR because the experience stopped being fun for me, and the biggest reason why was the combination of 'free replay' (that is, replay with a new character, as opposed to the Living Greyhawk-style, 'once you play a mod, it's locked for you as a player' rule) and Bundle X (choose any magic item you want from a legal resource within limits). Players would ask to re-play mods, blow away the combats with the tactical precision of Seal Team Six, and utterly ignore everything except the Bundle X at the end of the mod to add the next item to their uber-build.
I'm not a server for the Neverwinter online game, and if I'm not having fun behind the screen, I don't see why I should be DMing. That said, I'm excited to start running AL adventures, as the 'new shinies', but only time will tell if we go back to the old tired system that burned me out once before.
--
Pauper
Yeah, sorry, folks--I think I was partly responsible for pulling this thread off-topic. My bad.
I just want to echo how spot-on TheBreen and Uthrac are about DMing. Ultimately, Rewards for DMing are gravy to so many that DM'ed simply for the love of the experience. I'm willing to bet a huge percentage of the current DMs out there for AL would concur. There is an intagible Reward that comes from being behind the book that you simply can't get when you're a player.
And thank you both for pointing out that being able to play the adventure itself is an aspect that didn't exist in a lot of OPs of the past. I hadn't thought about that--probably because I'm so focused on DMing I hadn't contemplated actually playing much.
I do worry that new or developing DMs might feel differently, and seek more substantial rewards than they're getting currently. I think the "be thankful for what you have because it's more than I had" point might fall on deaf ears for those that never experienced the altruistic approach we had to have as a DM in the past. I fear it's a moot perspective, as there are a lot of new players and DMs that have no reason to factor that in when choosing to be a DM for today's OPs.
I'm curious if that aspect factors into how new DMs are mentored by older DMs (if they even are) and what examples we, as older DMs, set for those who are picking up the reins. Is our altruistic approach to being a DM actually setting a bad example and turning people off to the desire to DM at all when they see how much work it takes, and how much prep time, creativity, and people skills it requires? How can we be surprised people are hesitant to step up in the face of that? If we keep harkening back to those intangible rewards and saying they should be enough, are we insulting them for having different motivations and values for being a DM?
I dunno. But I can tell that with the centralized focus of the DM in the new AL OP, things feel more complicated. It doesn't seem as easy to DM anymore like some of the more "structured" OPs in the past with centralized rule adjudications and formulaic mods. And I think that's something that needs to be considered.
CoreyartustheSecond wrote:
True. The bigger question is whether this is a WotC/global issue or a local issue to address.
It's nice for WotC to think about giving the DMs a cookie ... but at the end of the day, local communities / conventions will be able to provide the most appropriate / desired swag to get DM participation.
Point being ... there might be a better bottom-up solution than top-down.
Just picking up on a couple of the items above…
I think the issue Pauper saw, with Seal Team 6-type precision teams, is inevitable when players can replay adventures ad naseum. It's like replaying a video game over and over again to pick up all the achievements (my son calls this "trophy hunting"). I think a policy of "play one and you're done" (so long as you can both play and DM a given adventure) is best. I'd recommend this to the OP staff.
For CoreyartustheSecond: I don't consider myself as being "altruistic" by DMing. Here's a secret (don't let your players know!)… D&D is a game! 
I play the different parts (PC, DM, p.i.t.a…) because it's fun. When I get to DM, I'm stealing the fun from that part of the adventure all for myself. Nobody else at the table gets to decide how to play my NPCs. Nobody else gets to put the players through the emotional wringer as my kobolds gnaw on their knees. Nobody else gets to do the "evil laugh" when the players walk into a room and miss their passive perception checks (even if there's nothing there). That part of the fun is all for me.
Just like there's 11 players on an NFL football team but only one of them gets to be the quarterback, there are a handful of players at a D&D session, but only one of them gets to be the DM. Not everyone will have the talent or interest, and that's OK. But the good ones [DMs] will, and that's what makes the game fun for everyone else. [Every play at a table where the DM wasn't having fun? Lousy experience.] So the way I'd recommend recruiting DMs is by showing people how much fun it is. Lead by example. Have a GREAT time as DM and make them jealous.
Incidentally, regarding "round zeroes." It's not just that you get to play a module you otherwise might not, but you get to play with a table FULL of DMs! In my experience these are the most fun events of all, because (again, my opinion) DMs tend to be the most fun to have as players. After all, they have enough creativity for a whole world of NPCs, and they get to put it all behind a single PC during a round zero. Virtually guaranteed to be a riot.
In response to Ulthrac, I think the solution has to be a local one. People don't DM "for WotC," they DM for the people at their table, in their store, at their convention, etc. Part of the payoff is having fun with would-be friends. Nothing WotC could do can touch that. It might be nice for them to provide some kind of "thank you" to DMs from time to time (Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza is coming up…), but it can never be the make-or-break decision point for a DM or the campaign is doomed.
tl;dr: People play to have fun, including the DM. Make it as much fun as possible and you'll recruit more DMs and players.
My personal reason for starting an AL group at my FLGS is because the system is designed to lower DM burnout and encourage players to become DMs. The latter is something that sometimes gets overlooked. When you forbid DMs from playing mods they've run before, it also discourages players who want to give running a game a shot without having to sacrifice the character that they've been playing for X amount of time.
The replay rules also exist because of the limited amount of content available. For people with no public play option available to them, the only AL mods are LMoP and HotDQ. Sure, it can lead to some groups doing speedruns, but they become invested players at the same time. The players whose fifth runthrough of LMoP ends before any of Peter Jackson's Tolkien films are highly likely to buy each new mod on its initial release.
Lastly, these rules also change the OP population from a dichotomy into something more like a Venn diagram. No longer is it just Players and DMs. Now you have people who are both, in addition to those who only fall into one category. In an OP setting, those people in the middle are actually quite useful in helping new players learn the rules and helping DMs move the game along as needed. The Sage's Research feature is effectively a mechanical means of legitimizing a small degree of metagaming for the middle group who already know all of the answers. My Doctor Strange build came about with that ability in mind, using it mostly for plot progression.
DM_HEEGZ wrote:
Have to say, I really *don't* want DMs (myself included) to get uber-magic-items as a reward for DMing, because that sends the wrong message -- "Be a DM and get super-cool character swag you can't get anywhere else!"
It kind of reminds me of the old D&D Minatures skirmish game. When I first got involved, WotC was sponsoring cash prizes for regional qualifying tournaments and the national championships, and the atmosphere at those events was ridiculously competitive and often barely sportsmanlike. Then WotC introduced DreamBlade as the 'competitive' minatures game and most of the folks who were playing for the cash left to play that game; the money went out of D&D Minis, so when DreamBlade crashed, the competitive players didn't come back. The players who were left, though, were the folks who were playing the game for fun and to hang out with their buddies, and it was an amazing crew -- I've met some of my best gaming friends through that game, people I still game with today.
Of course, the downside to taking the money out of D&D Minis and making it into a community-style game was that the audience dropped; we still managed to get people in the door, but the game never recaptured the huge audience it had when it was highly competitive, and eventually it too got shuttered.
tl;dr: Bribing DMs to run games to get an artificially high player count is short-sighted and will eventually sabotage the goal of putting together groups of people who enjoy gaming together.
--
Pauper
If DMs got better items than players (or more items cause they could both play and DM), I would also worry that we would see a proliferation of the "Lets get this over fast. I am only DMing to get the item and don't care about your fun" type of DM. It took a lot of effort to stamp out those types of people from the big con judge pool (of course one or two still sneak through, but its much better now). People will do crazy stuff for little pieces of paper.
Skerrit wrote:
Im happy with what we have now. I wouldnt say no to keeping the Tier -4 exp at 300 (instead of the 200 it has become) but Im okay with that.
I think also in terms of DM rewards these have to be focused on the type of DM who is
A) Remote (ie possibly the only dm or one of a couple). Not a major metropolis with access to more than a few shops and a large swarm of dms
and
B) Not able to go to conventions . Yes not everyone has this opportunity or cash supply to do so.
DM_HEEGZ wrote:
Tyranthraxus wrote:
swurvDESN wrote:
ZHDarkstar wrote:
Skerrit wrote:
Uthrac wrote:
personaly i like fee items like mini extra wet earse maps. food cool to a spiecal cert . i rather run 99.9% of the time.
free convention is nice to.. DM need cookie like free minis and spiecal certs or cool tshirts....
only problem i see with this Dm get screwd on items...
So the current DM rewards (XP only) -- don't they put you behind on the gold curve? e.g. If I'm a cleric, fighter or paladin and I want that full plate, every time I log DM rewards against that character, my level is going up but I'm getting no closer to my armor, nor am I picking up any items. I'm basically decreasing my power relative to my peers.
TSRO_Kip wrote:
Uthrac wrote:
Hi all,
Just to be clear, the "pay to play" that I was talking about in my previous post was strictly at the local level. For example, my FLGS charges me $5.50 every week to sit at the table and play AL events. I've heard of other stores that do the same, though amounts vary. In some cases, that money can go toward purchases in the store or to provide "store credit," etc. for the DM. (In my case, the money just goes to the store.)
I'm also of the belief that any "reward" should be for the DM him/herself, not for their character in the game. But that's just me, and my only "OP" experience is with Living City, Living Death and Living Greyhawk. I suppose times change.
TheBreen wrote:
Spykes wrote:
Spykes wrote:
TSRO_Kip wrote:
Pauper wrote:
Do not charge for playing, I would not want to be at a table that does charge.
To me, there is always going to be a good and bad in organized play. It is not a perfect situation every single time and table. If it was then we would have robots as GM's and robots for players and we would be the observers. I want interaction between the players and the DM. To me that is part of the charm of going to the events. We need to encourage DM's to participate more and to grow the community. For without the community we would not have this organized play. Charging for playing is not going to grow the community, to me it will only form elitist attitudes and such. If the money goes to the DM's for the players being charged would make it even worse. It would give the DM an attitude that they are getting paid and are not professional DM's.
I am of the mind that as a DM I am always learning more each time I do so. I have been DMing now for 40 years and yet I still feel I need to learn more. The players always seem to come up with surprises to make me sit back and go... how did you... To me that is a blast. To counteract a bad experience with a DM is not easy, but it can be done if brought up to the event coordinator at the time of play. We all have to remember though that there is one main rule when participating in organized play and that is... We are all here to have fun!! Please respect everyone and treat them like you want to br treated.
TSRO_Kip wrote:
TSRO_Kip wrote:
Skerrit wrote:
I'm not suggesting that free to play isn't great if you can get it, but I don't see a $2 cost to play a slot at a game store as any different than a con. At a convention, you pay a badge price ($20-80) to get in and you slot prices are likely $3-$8. So sure you get some extras like Spykes suggested, but you pay for it. Either way someone has to pay for printing, electricity, water, taxes, etc... If a store can say no to RPGs, because they can make a lot of money on CCGs, but they are willing to give RPGs some space for a small fraction of what they would have made, it seems quite reasonable. If you want everything for free, you need to buy enough RPG product to justify that to the store owner.
Having a sitting fee or suggested donation works when full transparency is involved. When printing the flyer for my FLGS's AL group, I made it clear that all of the money collected gets reinvested back into the campaign to cover the costs of maps, sheets, and other materials. I want to provide the best possible experience for the players, but the costs add up over time. How is it any different from asking your friends to chip in for your home game? This is a community game, after all. The more the community puts into it, the more they get out of it. I'm going to talk to the store owner today about a season pass that covers all Encounters/main storyline sessions and includes either a set of dice from the random bins or a cheap mini.
I'm a DM only. I don't plan on playing a character. I'm also going to primarily be a home gamer as I want to run for my son and his friends. As he gets older, we might go to Cons and such, but not at the moment. Not even to play at the local game store. He's 9 and all local groups stay up too late. So, I'm a home gamer.
With that said, it would be nice to get access to some PDF's to enhance the game. Maybe cool room tiles for specific areas of the modules. Or NPC print outs with a little picture on them. It doesn't even have to cost WOTC money, other than the salary of the artist. Maybe some nice overall maps. Things like that. Just let us print it out on our own, but give us the option.
Oh, and make sure those of us at home get official certificats and such we can then go to Cons and be official for our stuff.
Lashan wrote:
We need to give DM who Dm alot a cookie..
1.) i like spiecal race certs....b
2.) max gold.
3.)maybe a magic item. or else this will happened a Dm arrives at a table since he is lowest magic items he can screw over other players on the pick. this can lead to bad taste in every on miouth...
This is problem that needs to be address. as current rules as is you can screw with people on this way. according to the rules....
4.)i dm alot maybe spiecal modsDm has acess to run as a spiecal..
These have to be adress. in next rules update. i hope there read the forms.
5.) I know certian con have perks but if your not at a con tlo recieve perks you find it hard to run a game or find people to want to run it.
This has always been an issue. How to reward the Dm. Not every store feed there dm or give a discount to theere dm.
if you go spiecal certs give the regional cord some power to reward dms.
I hope They read theses sujestions
evilmouse
Skerrit wrote:
I've found it interesting the number of people who feel that they should be entitled to free adventures, a free venue, and provided with a quality DM to run the adventure for them ... who should receive rewards from WotC for doing so. I'm not certain what the threat of "I won't play your game if I have to pay for it." is meant to acheive ... I already don't play lots of games that I'm not paying for. I doubt any of those companies would provide me with free copies of their games just to get me to play.
Certs for home games is also amusing to me. You're playing at home, so do whatever you want. Organized Play is a different beast. When you come to play in OP, then make an OP character and participate in the program.
Here's an idea for a DM reward ... a nice little icon in the user profile on the left. If games are being reported using DCI numbers, easy enough to track the number of games a DM has run and award a "badge of honor" to user accounts based on the number of games they have run. Recognition over mechanics. At multiples of 100 tables reported (or whatever benchmarks you want), provide a physical pin that those DMs can wear to conventions as a badge of honor ... it's great for me as a player to sit down at a table and know that I have an experienced / expert DM providing my play experience.
Work on a reward system that cannot be cherry-picked by the "I would rather be playing but am just doing this for the reward" DM, and shift the focus to creating a community of "Master DMs" who are good at the craft and enjoy doing so. As someone mentioned up-thread, avoid any rules tests or other barriers. Everyone gets better with experience. I'd rather sit at a table with someone who has run 20 tables of AL than someone who sat with a rulebook and answered obscure questions on an on-line test.
I guess its fine that you feel that way, but no one is ever going to tell stores they must offer Encounters (or any other adventure) in their store for free. If that was the case, many stores would simply not do it. They are businesses, not charities, and the DnDAL is not going to police the business model of game stores whether we think that model is a bad idea or not. Also, personally, I think the DM often gets monatarily shafted. They often buy the adventure, or the dice, mat, minis, etc... which they usually let the players use. So kick a dollar or two to the DM doesn't bother me in the slightest.
Uthrac wrote:
Lashan wrote:
Uthrac wrote:
Uthrac wrote:
we need to give Dm more then exp and down time
Uthrac wrote:
i prefere to run my self. wizards can send minis to dm. i just got 300 mins in the mail today im going have fun painting