Do I need to apply the full amount of XP earned by DMing a session to a single character, or is it more like a pool I can split up and apply as I wish? I'm a player for an Encounters group, and the DM for an Expeditions group. Let's say at the end of an Encounters group, I am 25 XP short of hitting the next level. I have 400 DM XP from running two Expeditions modules. Can I apply 25 to the Encounters PC, and save the rest for an (as yet) unused PC? Or do I need to apply the full 200 XP for running a session to a single character?
Also, at last week's Expeditions game, we had an overflow of players. Six people showed up well before start time, four of them brand new players. Two more guys from the previous week's game arrived right at start time. I declared first come, first serve for spots at the table. While I was happy to teach new players, in hindsight, I think it was unfair of me not to save a seat for the players who were already vested in this store's event schedule. So the question, is there any official stance on the DMing choosing who gets to play, either on a first-arrival basis, or previous attendance?
Nevvur wrote:
Nevvur wrote:
Skerrit wrote:
As per the ALPG and adventure text - 3-7players are the minimum and maximum limits for OP. If your table is outside this range - it is not legal.
Kalani wrote:
Avross wrote:
http://dnd.wizards.com/playevents/organized-play
Under the section, How To Get A Game Going. Seems like something that should appear in the actual AL Player's Guide, but that's the only place the 'legal table size' is mentioned.
Nevvur wrote:
Kalani wrote:
From a personal standpoint, I'm already uncomfortable with 7 players...with 6-7, things tend to bog down, and it's hard to get an Expedition module down in 4 hours. Plus, the LGS gives us a card table to play on which barely fits 5.
But...I roll with 7, because that's the way the AL works. Just...not willing to run with 8. I don't *think* I'll get crap for that from the LGS, but I like to know these things ahead of time.
Nevvur wrote:
Kalani wrote:
At the start of last season I showed up to a Saturday Expedition with my son. We were the only people who showed and so it was called a bust. My son was understandably disappointed.
I thought I had read the 3-7 table limit in the Guide too, but I do not see it in the new one. Was it in the ToD season Guide?
It is also mentioned on the Encounters page: http://dnd.wizards.com/playevents/encounters
Where it is specific and say this in the How To Get A Game Going section:
"At least 3 players and one DM. (A legal D&D Adventurers League table consists of 3-7 players.)"
But who actually reads all the AL pages on the WotC site? For that matter, I doubt if even half the players and DMs have ever looked at or read the Players Guide, seeing as how many things that are asked on here or the Facebook group have their answers in the Guide.
Now, for the question of who gets to sit at a table when there are more players than seats, that really depends on whether you and your DMs have made it clear that it is on a "first come" basis. For me, I prioritize it as brand new players, then players who can only play on Wednesdays, then everyone else. But you also need a cutoff time where if someone with more priority shows up after it expires, then they are out of luck. Someone walking up to the table a minute or two before you are ready to start should not take a seat from someone who has been there an hour or two, waiting for the game to start. You can also use signup sheets to reserve some of the seats, while saving a couple of seats at each table for the newbies who show up at the last minute. But any of this will only seem fair to the players if you let everyone know in advance that this is how you do things.
Enevhar_Aldarion wrote:
Pauper wrote:
Kalani wrote:
Kalani wrote:
Coredump00 wrote:
Coredump00 wrote:
Kalani wrote:
Unless the store has been directed to the dndadventurersleague.org site previously, the most likely point of entry for any interested store is to go to wizards.com/dnd as this is the most logical place for a new player/store to look.
Right at the top is a drop-down menu for Play/Events. Scrolling over the Adventurer's League link provides additional options (the first link being the Encounters program), while clicking the link takes you to an overview of the program.
Clicking the Encounters link gives you the following information.
HOW TO GET A GAME GOINGTo play in the D&D Adventurers League, all you need is access to a few things. Check the resources page to download materials.
The D&D Basic Rules, available now.
The D&D Adventurers League Player’s Guide (or the Quickstart Guide), available now.
A D&D Adventurers League Log Sheet.
At least 3 players and one DM. (A legal D&D Adventurers League table consists of 3-7 players.)
- A place to play. This can be your local store or a public event (like a convention or game day). Some D&D Adventurers League games can be played at home or online as well.
Once I started looking for the information, it actually turned out to be in the most logical place to find it..... The first point of contact. I do agree however, it should also be included in the ALPG.
Yes,we all know where it is.... we all know what the pages look like... it was even linked earlier in the thread.
The point is you were trying to berate people for being "too lazy" to read the rules, then tried to list the things they 'should have' already read. But now you are talking about clicking through several links to read multiple pages to hopefully find all of the info. But thats only because you already know it is all of the info... how many links ahould somebody be required to research before deciding there are no other locations with 'hidden' info?
Enevhar's point is that most people are not going to read all of the AL pages on the WotC site and then all of the pages on the DNDAL site.... and they should not be expected to. To call them "too lazy" is just over the top.
I think that "most people" don't even know that Adventurers League exists. I didn't, at first. I started my quest by just looking for a game store. I found the one closest to me (the only one I considered "close") and saw a poster announcing the Encounters program. I talked to the person in the store and found out what night they played on and how to get into the game.
If I hadn't been an RPGA member for over 15 years last century, that would've been it. I would have had no reason to even go looking for any more information online. I would have gotten all I [thought I] needed to know from the DM. And that particular DM is not exactly a stickler for the AL rules, so I never would have known what I was doing "wrong." Based on my limited exposure, I think that's a pretty common experience for players.
In my case, of course, I'm a recovering rules lawyer and gaming junkie, so I was motivated to find out more—maybe too much more! 
But I think many people are content to just play however the DM at their table tells them the game works.
TheBreen wrote:
Locally we dont have a huge player base. We started off with a lot of players and dms for Hoard and they just slowly bled away. Now we have a table of 4 for hoard and my table of 5-7 for Lost Mine. Ive promoted it by making a sign I hang in the shop, but its mostly been by word of mouth and social media like Facebook.
We've actually picked up a few players after TotalCon and PAXeast. (We're about an hour outside of Boston) Both times, we had people at the event...not to promote the LGS, but just attending. They don't really make any announcements at cons that you can keep playing AL at LGSs, but just conversations with people that included the phrase 'we play at' put it in people's brains to actually look for local games.