Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Thurazor Sep 08, 2014 19:37:39	I am wondering, we have been doing the Adventure League for a few weeks and our normal GM/DM has been running the first two parts of the first episode of the Horde of the Dragon Queen (Encounters) game (Episode 1: Greenest in Flames). Unfortunately, he is wanting to delay a week (and this DM is a friend, so I do not want to upset him by stealing the last session of Episode 1) and we already have someone running Expeditions (I think that's what the other one is called). I have already volunteered to be the temporary GM/DM until next week (or in case we end up getting an excess of players) and I am uncertain what to run. I don't want people to have to play all over from Part 1 of the Episode 1 <since I doubt they want to do that>, so I am curious as to what else is available.
#2 DM_HEEGZ Sep 08, 2014 21:00:50	the first batch of expeditions includes three different adventures, maybe run one of the  others. or, you can run the starter set adventure. if it were me i would just make something up or convert a different module from the playtest or a previous edition. the DM basic pdf is out, so you can really make a nice one off adventure now. here's a few ideas, that i could pull off with an hour prep:   old temple now dangerous, undead dungeon delve in the crypts   miners unearth a strange cavern, explore ancient ruins of an old civilization   pirates attacking local fishermen and merchant ships, track them down to their base and assault   political intrigues plaguing a prince and he appeals for help, mostly roleplay, but some combat potential   trade wars, guild wars, crusaders off to war, barbarian raiders   collect semi rare magical components for a local wizard or wizards cabal, think big hunt safari meets D&D monsters   some sort of planar jaunt that is semi unintential whisking away the party, and now they must figure out how to get back   there are tons of resources online that you can browse and settle on something. if you want to DM the existing players in an existing adventure, you can piggy back off of something that exists in your current game. for the Hoard, you could make up an extra mission, or run a random encounter that is extra detailed. there is a random encounter table in the episode you mention. look through them and flesh out a small adventure. i noticed there is a marketplace or town square on the map that goes entirely unused... make something happen there as a random encounter. perhaps a merchant will offer a valuable award if the party saves his store from being looted. maybe a young child got left behind, etc.
#3 Thurazor Sep 08, 2014 21:28:07	Well, considering that I am required to run something that is not of my own make (local store rules, I believe, unless its actual league rules), I figure perhaps one of the other missions/quests. The Phlan quest line is already on Mondays, so I will see what the other two are. Any idea where I can find the other two?
#4 Thurazor Sep 08, 2014 21:38:03	Holy Heck in a Hand Grenade. I just realized that the Legacy of the Crystal Shard (which a friend picked up for me) will work in this situation (as it is a printed scenario). I think I will probably end up using that information (although, I am told that the creatures might need to be adjusted).
#5 DM_HEEGZ Sep 09, 2014 12:00:46	You will need to adjust the D&D Next creatures. A quick update is to double the HP for monsters. You can do a comparison with the monsters from the DM Basic .pdf   There is also the Murder in Baldur's Gate, in addition to the Icewind Dale adventure. It is very roleplay heavy and maybe not as well suited for your needs for a one-off.    With Icewind Dale, you can choose locales from among the ten towns, or wilderness regions. I haven't finished reading my copy yet, but there was plenty of room for one off adventures there. You should have little difficulty lifting stats from the DM Basic .pdf and the Hoard of Dragon Queen monster blocks to suit your purposes. For example, the stat block for a Yeti is on p. 56 and Air Elementals are on p. 9, requiring no conversions at all.   Here is the link for LOTCS if you don't have it yet:   http://media.wizards.com/downloads/dnd/LoCS_Stats_Next.pdf   Note that it has a lot of encounter situations at the beginning that you can steal from liberally. Good luck!
#6 Thurazor Sep 09, 2014 14:22:52	Ugh. One of the players is having a caniption fit (sp?) by declaring that the Legacy of the Crystal Shard is not 'authorized League play' and, because of that, he refuses to play it. So, he sent me the modules and told me I /had/ to run one of those and that no others were allowed.
#7 gregsc Sep 09, 2014 15:07:09	Sounds like it's time to un-volunteer. Let him run the game.
#8 DM_HEEGZ Sep 09, 2014 15:41:42	If the group is adamant that you run Adventurer's League content you have lots of options from which you will need to choose:   1. Run an adventure from Hoard of the Dragon Queen. You would need to coordinate with your DM for which one comes next.   2. Run an adventure from Lost Mine of Phandelver (the Starter Set). This one starts off with combat, a short dungeon crawl, and lots of RP potential and another dungeon crawl in the first two episodes.   3. Run an adventure from D&D Expeditions. There are currently three options to choose from:   DDEX1-1 Defiance in Phlan   Five 1-hour long sessions, with one of them being mostly RP and the others involving some combat.   DDEX1-2 Secrets of Sokol Keep   This one is a few hours and has a fun and challenging dungeon crawl. One of my favorite adventures in 5e so far.   DDEX1-3 Shadow on the Moonsea   Involves pirates or something, haven't played yet but we start it this weekend.   If you can't find something to run for a session or two from that list then your group is out of luck. To me it seems there are five options for organized play, and you will simply need to coordinate with your stores two DMs for Encounters and Expeditions to make something work for your group.