D&D Home Play NewsScheduling and Reporting Update
by Chris Tulach
For the last few years, D&D play has been able to be scheduled under 2 categories – home (or private) play and public play. With the change in focus to public play, and specifically Wizards Play Network (WPN) play, we have decided to retire the home play category effective January 2011.
Talk about this Update here.
The 2nd paragraph, which is included in the original news item but not blurb above:
"For Living Forgotten Realms, we are in the process of making many of the previously released adventures accessible to the public at large through the Living Forgotten Realms Community Group (community.wizards.com/lfr), and moving forward, that group will be the portal by which players will access new adventure content managed by the community."
In the days of Living Greyhawk and 3E there was an interesting balance between home play, convention play, and store play. Adventures, usually written and deployed by Triads, would premiere at regional conventions. The story and the types of adventures created an incentive for players to attend the conventions. From there, players would run them at stores or homes for those that could not attend. Stores had the least love in this equation, simply being attractive as a gathering point. Both players and DMs received rewards for play, regardless of where they played. The primary reward was Player Reward Cards, and these could have actual street value on E-Bay in addition to being of high utility/demand within the living games. There were very few special store events during these days and few if any of them had rewards. There were other living campaigns (including third party games like Living Spycraft, Kalamar, Arcanis, etc.) and those usually provided points toward DM and player rewards. About halfway through Living Greyhawk the DMs began to get special additional DM rewards, such as templates for AoE spells and miniatures (including valuable repaints).
In the early days of 4E, the outcry was over how conventions and stores saw no love from the RPGA and 4E - the rules heavily encouraged Living Forgotten Realms home play because an adventure was released centrally to all members of the RPGA. A member could just sanction/download the adventure and run it. With no premiere mode, conventions had nothing special to draw players. Because all regions were accessible, nothing enticed players to travel to other regions' conventions. A down economy underscored the ease of just playing at home. A convention pack was developed a little later, providing coveted reward cards and books; this was a minor convention incentive.
Over the course of the past year the emphasis changed drastically. New LFR releases were available only for public play for the first three months (six for special adventures). Public play meant stores or conventions and private meant home play. The actual delay was longer because almost every single one of these adventures had both an actual delay in release and then a delay in being switched over from public to private play. Store offerings began to be deployed, including high quality adventures, maps or tiles, and real miniatures. The E-Bay value of these offerings alone is a compelling reason for some to attend, if not the actual content (which tends to be very high in comparative RPG quality).
After some time the convention pack briefly disappeared and then was changed to the current dismal offering that is inadequate for most DMs. Player rewards changed several times, to a new system where only DMs received bonus adventures and things like the Dark Sun box. Then home play was removed as a way of earning rewards, and the last reward was a promo card for the Ravenloft boxed set. Reward cards, long the main reward currency, were not developed after January 2010 and drop from LFR at the end of the year (likely replaced by fate cards you buy in stores).
The store offerings (Encounters and Game Days) were refined to provide benefits to both players and DMs and backed by significant marketing. The Wizards method for calculating stores and the types of events stores can run meant that a store running D&D could quickly become a favored WPN store. Favored stores could release product early, finally beating Amazon and other big online retailers for how quickly a gamer could get new product. The content in Encounters and Game Days reflected the latest product lines, creating further synergy.
The definition of public play also changed over time, eventually being only conventions and official WotC stores (with some recent nebulous wording to allow gamers with no official store to find a way to sanction adventures).
This latest announcement completes a big part of the transition. The obvious blow to home play was the removal of rewards, but that was also a blow against conventions. In a single convention a DM (in the past players too) could qualify for the rewards package. You now only get rewards when you play Encounters and when you attend a Game Day. In each case the kit holds the rewards. It may seem logical that with no rewards it made sense to remove reporting. Why report home play when you don't receive anything? And, in truth, any reporting, without rewards, is likely suspect - you need a reward for gamers to correctly report adventures.
There is more here, however. This is a big step because it indicates that home play as a demographic is of no interest to WotC. The announcement indicates a real lack of support for anything other than store play. It is a big blow to conventions, because anything they offer for WotC/LFR can just be downloaded and played at home anyway. And because LFR play carries no rewards, the net result is a disincentive for people to be involved in LFR play (regardless of location) and likely indicates that WotC has little desire to support living campaigns in the future. The future is Encounters and Game Days.
Across recent years, the real effect is that the RPGA, once an association by gamers and for gamers, has become a tailored marketing program designed to sell new content and reward stores.
It is easy to get a bit angry about that, so let me qualify my comment: I want WotC to be as successful as possible. I firmly believe that the strengthening of store play, and specifically Encounters and Game Days, is a really good move for the company. These programs bring in many more players and probably result in more current sales than any living campaign. I am all for that side of the changes.
At the same time, I do not see the benefit of ignoring and even harming the other demographics. I am not convinced that Encounters drives sustained sales or that other demographics are not critical to revenue. The home campaign demographic is very large and has long suffered for being separate from what WotC does, barely aware of what the company offers. Why not integrate their efforts so they are closer to the fold? The convention has often been an incredible awakening for gamers that helps them become hardcore gamers. Conventions often re-awaken interest in games and expose the gamer to a wider variety of offerings... including third party offerings that likely do more to keep players fresh as opposed to stealing them away from the biggest RPG. The hardcore gamer as a demographic, in fact, has been pushed aside in a number of ways. It is easy to draw the conclusion that the hardcore are no longer wanted. The gamer that organizes or DMs a huge convention for hundreds of gamers will have trouble looking at the changes over the last two years and finding reasons to feel loved. And yet, that hardcore gamer has probably done more to promote D&D than a hundred typical Encounters players. And, unlike the casual gamer that may play an Encounter season and then go dormant, the hardcore gamer sticks with D&D and purchases books all the time.
I see the latest change as a big change and the latest in a long series of changes. I can both really appreciate the changes and desire them to be different. I would like to see changes strengthen demographics without drawing away from other valuable ones. I suspect the cost of maintaining a small but reasonable reward for home play and of ensuring that conventions had a draw would pay dividends over time... especially if we find out over time that Encounters isn't creating sustained revenue over the years.
The history of the RPGA is one of constant change. It would not be shocking to see the pendulum swing once more. We can accelerate that swing by letting WotC know what we want in organized play. Do you want to see just Encounters and Game Day support? Do you want other rewards? Do you want to see conventions flourish? Do you want home games to have a reason to have an active interest in what WotC does? Do you want living campaigns?
Across recent years, the real effect is that the RPGA, once an association by gamers and for gamers, has become a tailored marketing program designed to sell new content and reward stores.
...
The history of the RPGA is one of constant change. It would not be shocking to see the pendulum swing once more. We can accelerate that swing by letting WotC know what we want in organized play. Do you want to see just Encounters and Game Day support? Do you want other rewards? Do you want to see conventions flourish? Do you want home games to have a reason to have an active interest in what WotC does? Do you want living campaigns?
Tough questions... and, like you, I find myself very conflicted over it all.
It's undeniable that my friends and I miss the days of LG - of going to conventions, and feeling like we were part of a greater connection. Taking part in carefully woven storylines, and feeling the impact our characters had on how things played out. Feeling like those character's had left their mark on the game and the setting.
As compared to LFR which... we enjoyed, but did not get especially invested in. And eventually stopped playing altogether, in favor of running our own campaigns and adventures. We've been to maybe one convention since LFR began, as opposed to the half-a-dozen we'd attend every year.
But for all that I miss those elements, that campaign that was really honed for experienced players and had such an enormous depth for those who wanting to delve into it...
...I visit the gaming stores, and see tons of new players at game days. Casual players who have found a place where they can really get into the game, without having to commit to a hardcore schedule. New players who are welcomed and eagerly taught the rules. And as much as I miss the conventions, I can't deny that WotC's new focus might be a much better one for the hobby.
LG, and the conventions the focused on it, had a lot to offer the really commited player... but could be a terrible experience for casual gamers. Some of the Geoff adventures and Battle Interactives remain among my best memories of all my gaming experiences - and yet, I know at least 3 different people who quit the RPGA forever because of bad experiences with them. I know players who loathed the focus on conventions, because it meant that if a player didn't have the time to commit to go to them and be there for the premiere of adventures, then they couldn't have any real impact on the campaign at all.
For myself, I'd love to see a balance between all these elements. An RPGA robust enough to cater to both casual gamers and hardcore ones. One with both game days to welcome new players, as well as conventions and programs to reward dedicated players. I'd love to see programs that are easy to just pop into and join, alongside ones that let characters feel really invested in a long-term story.
But... WotC is a business, and something that ambitious might simply not be possible. And if I had to choose between the two, a program that emphasizes bringing in new players, and rewarding DMs who help expand the hobby... well, it may be less useful for me personally, but probably better for the game as a whole.
Ideally, I'd like to see multiple offerings from WotC. A quick and easy "D&D Encounters" that runs for a set length of time and is easy for new players to join or leave. Alongside it, a robust Living Campaign with support from WotC, regular rewards and perks, and incentives for convention play.
In terms of rewards, which I imagine are among the most cost-intensive part of the program, I'm not sure what to expect. Previews of new product might be a good approach, serving as both reward and advertisement in one - a mini or dungeon tile from an upcoming set, one or two free 'fortune cards', etc. Free mini-adventures for DMs is certainly an excellent reward, perhaps sent out once a year.
But again, I don't know how much is reasonable to expect for free, or at what point the cost of the program becomes more than WotC is willing to pay. Maybe the answer is in a shift to more digital products, though WotC has enough on their plate in that department as it is.
I'd certainly love to see WotC aim for a more balanced offering in this department. And I can't deny it would be nice to see them handle these various transitions better, rather than simply having the rewards program cut off with a small, almost useless final 'gift'. But, again, I can only hold them so accountable for what they give out for free, and while my hopes may be high for what direction they may take in the future, I certainly won't be holding my breath.
My second basic thought is that I believe that while light easily consumed play is great, nearly every player wants story. I am constantly amazed that even players that are very quiet and passive player or players that are heavily into the mechanics will state they want a campaign that has a sound story presence and compelling setting. Even if they don't want to RP or interact much, they want that - just as we all like great fantasy movies even though we are sitting there. And, along that gradient, you find many players that want to interact with the story in an RPG. Building solely for disposable play will hurt the hobby in the long term, selling it short as a light board game instead of as a experience you want to care about more deeply. I like selling stuff to new players and casual players, but I want to also always provide more and to have easily accessible ways for players to gain more. Story and RP should never be forgotten in any WotC organized play offering and there should be at least one easily accessible option for strong story/RP.
). For the record, I have not played in any RPGA events. I played the 4e Preview game day a few years ago. At with the way things are for me personnally, I would like to see my friends that I used to play with, let alone play D&D.First, a little history, I used to play Everquest 2, and the model that is setup in that game could be applied to a Living campaign.
First, you have the Home groups, which I would consider the equivalent of Solo players up to a small group of friends (less than 6 in the case of EQ2). People in this group mainly play home games, with the occasional FLGS Game Day. They have the chance at some decent items, but most will not see a huge reward.
Next, you have the Local group, equivalent to a full group up to a small guild. People in this group attend the local events consistently, and the smaller cons. They have a chance to recieve some decent loot, with the possibility of a bigger reward for attendance or some other measure.
Finally you have The Guild group, the equivalent of those people that are max level within < 2 days of an expansion release, and have killed every monster in the game in less than a month. They are HARDCORE. People in this group play multiple home games in between attending local Gamedays, smaller cons, and they go to the Big Cons. They get every piece of loot that they can, and justifiably so, since they are heavily invested in their hobby.
Here's how I think it could work, you have everyone start with a smaller scope adventures. Those that fall into the Home group would go through the adventures, and their actions would add to the change that happens in the world (it could be dependant on the number of groups completing an adventure series, or the like.) If you belonged to the Local group, you would gain access to a medium scope adventure, that has a bigger affect on the world. And finally, if you belonged to the Guild group, your adventures have the largest scope of all.
Now as each adventure series comes to completion, it would move down a group. So the Guilds adventure series moves to the Local, and the Local goes to the Home. Everyone gets to experience the adventure, it just depends on which group you belong to determines the result of your actions and the affect on the campaign.
Am I making any sense, or just talking out of my A--?
Ramius
Edit: After rereading my post, there would have to be alternative adventures presented for those that play in the Local and Guild groups, because if they have already played that Series in their larger group, there's no point in playing it again.