I have found the description around, but when is it supposed to be out?
I think it was supposed to be out by now. And no, it is not in the ordering system (as of this morning).
I assume it will be available for public play after this weekend but that is just an assumption.
According to the new policy, private play will not be able to order it for... how long was that time frame? It was several months, I remember something like that.
Modules that appeared at DDXP should be available for public play within two weeks.
3 months is the lag time on modules for private play.
I should hope that MINI1-6 would not fall under this new "3 months of public play only" rule. It's technically still a Year 1 module, and I was under the impression that the new rule only applied to Year 2 stuff (since it's coinciding with the debut of the Year 2 stuff).
I asked this in another thread, which I can't find right now, and it will be available for private play.
The question is whether it will be available for private play in a couple weeks or if we have to wait the 3 month waiting period which is being placed on all other modules from now on.
Keith
Yes, we knew it would be available for private play.
The question is whether it will be available for private play in a couple weeks or if we have to wait the 3 month waiting period which is being placed on all other modules from now on.
No, that's what I meant. The answer was that it'd be available for private play immediately. And... there we go; the post is here.
Assuming no change in our current plan you should see the release schedule posted in a day or two (fingers crossed, but I can't promise 100%). Teaser (and the only I plan to give): MINI1-6 comes out the first weekend in March.
Well, so much for running it at DDC.
God, I miss LG.
Steve Kendall
RPGA@KublaCon
RPGA@DDC
Assuming no change in our current plan you should see the release schedule posted in a day or two (fingers crossed, but I can't promise 100%). Teaser (and the only I plan to give): MINI1-6 comes out the first weekend in March.
Well, so much for running it at DDC. God, I miss LG. Steve Kendall RPGA@KublaCon RPGA@DDC
God, I miss LG. Steve Kendall RPGA@KublaCon RPGA@DDC
Yeah, LG release dates were never missed.
Are those prescription rose-coloured glasses you're wearing?
God, I miss LG. Steve Kendall RPGA@KublaCon RPGA@DDC
Yeah, LG release dates were never missed.
Are those prescription rose-coloured glasses you're wearing?
I think your talking about 2 different things. For LG convention special mods were usually written by the con organizer or someone very close (as you know).
For the general public: The general idea was that in LG a region had tighter control over the release of the modules and especially convention special modules.
Surge, I am not sure if you are just taking a jab at an online friend or I missed a joke?
I think your talking about 2 different things. For LG convention special mods were usually written by the con organizer or someone very close (as you know).
For the general public: The general idea was that in LG a region had tighter control over the release of the modules and especially convention special modules.
Surge, I am not sure if you are just taking a jab at an online friend or I missed a joke?
Nah, no joke. I think people forget what a massive mixed-bag interactives were, because the good ones were so good and stand out in the memory. Even the best regions had interactives that had to be cancelled because they weren't done on time.
Chris Tulach and most of the original LFR administrators logged multiple years in official LG positions as well (some for the whole eight years), so there is/was a broad understanding of how special convention content really happened. The ability of any given region to produce an acceptable-quality interactive on time (special and otherwise) varied tremendously.
The most stable triad in LG was my region (Perrenland), with two people serving from start to finish (and only three sharing the other role). Even with this stability and a higher-than-usual quality control, interactives had to be cancelled or basically improvised on the spot because deadlines were missed. Every region experienced this to some degree and for many it was a regular occurence.
...and then there's the infamous slipped deadlines of published adventures - Bridge over Svartjet, the Bright Sands arc etc. but that's beside the point...
I reckon I could count on my fingers the number of people who logged more miles flying to LG interactives than me and while I remember the good ones most, I also remember the two times I spent $1000 plus only to play the one premiere adventure because the interactive fell over at the last minute.
This got worse towards the end of the campaign, I understand this was especially the case in the States, as triad turnover increased. Anyway, my point is that while nostalgia has its place, it isn't helpful when trying to compare LG to LFR. YMMV.
And guess what ... one week away from DDC and once again, just like last year with KublaCon, LFR gives me nothing in the end.
So excuse me for being peeved.
Steve Kendall
RPGA@KublaCon
RPGA@DDC
Acutally, as an RPGA convention organizor, LG release dates were far and away much better and more acurrate than LFR release dates. I often have to have a con schedule in the can 8 weeks before the event. LG, I often knew when an adventure was going to be delayed and could act on it. With LFR, I have no idea what is delayed or what is going to be on time. LG, I could go to the Triad or mod writer and might be able to run it at con time, anyway, or at least write something specific for the convention. With LFR, I got nothing.
And guess what ... one week away from DDC and once again, just like last year with KublaCon, LFR gives me nothing in the end.
So excuse me for being peeved.
Steve Kendall
RPGA@KublaCon
RPGA@DDC
Consider how many "premieres" that were magically available just in time for a convention were actually word documents that hadn't been vetted and approved by Circle members yet though. LG was much more fast and loose, and a lot less "professional" than LFR is, so a lot of the organizational breakdowns that we're seeing new were just not exposed yet. In general, I am seeing the LFR admins implementing many of the "lessons learned" from LG.
Acutally, as an RPGA convention organizor, LG release dates were far and away much better and more acurrate than LFR release dates. I often have to have a con schedule in the can 8 weeks before the event. LG, I often knew when an adventure was going to be delayed and could act on it. With LFR, I have no idea what is delayed or what is going to be on time. LG, I could go to the Triad or mod writer and might be able to run it at con time, anyway, or at least write something specific for the convention. With LFR, I got nothing.
And guess what ... one week away from DDC and once again, just like last year with KublaCon, LFR gives me nothing in the end.
So excuse me for being peeved.
Steve Kendall
RPGA@KublaCon
RPGA@DDC
Consider how many "premieres" that were magically available just in time for a convention were actually word documents that hadn't been vetted and approved by Circle members yet though. LG was much more fast and loose, and a lot less "professional" than LFR is, so a lot of the organizational breakdowns that we're seeing new were just not exposed yet. In general, I am seeing the LFR admins implementing many of the "lessons learned" from LG.
Somewhat like how the french implemented the "lessons learned" from the Franco-Prussian war during the first world war. Just because a group is older does not mean it is wiser nor are so-called "lessons learned" always productive. While there are some areas where LFR administration is doing better than the LG administration--and many of the process improvements you are talking about may even actually be improvements--defending the administration on this score is missing the forest for the trees.
Players do not see whether the adventure they are playing is written in Word, Notepad, or are officially done up in pdf format using WotC's funky fonts that no-one else has or cares about. What players see (and care about) is whether the con organizer has to cancel or rearrange slots at the last minute because the administrator/author/whoever missed a release date. Likewise, I'm pretty sure that con organizers care more about being able to deliver on their advertisements and promises than they do about the format of the adventure they get. I know several local con organizers (or former con organizers) other than Steve and a number of them now distrust the LFR administration to the extent that they will not even schedule an event unless they have the pdfs on their computer at the time. And the LFR administration has earned that distrust. Even a putatively superior process will not make up for an inferior end product. And if that supposedly superior process is preventing adventures from being produced and released on schedule, it is probably worth thinking whether the more "professional" process is really superior. The French lost half a generation of their soldiers at least partially because they thought that the lesson of the previous war was to always and relentlessly attack and never defend. They very nearly lost the rest because they did not re-evaluate that analysis after it led to disaster initial phase of the first world war. If LFR's new and more professional administrative proceedures prevent them from delivering on release dates and communicating with con organizers, they should re-evaluate what they are doing and whether it is actually an improvement.
The new delay in availability of adventures for private play and experiment with battle interactives (successful from what I hear--I hope it sets a precedent) indicate that WotC and LFR see the value in LFR convention play. If they want a healthy convention community, however, they need to be able to make promises to the organizers and to deliver on those promises.
Until that time where we impliment our new ideas, I would generally avoid scheduling any adventure where an official release date has not been published on the community LFR group or on the RPGA website. We never promised when MINI1-6 or any of the XXXX2-1s would come out (as we haven't released a Q1 schedule, though we should have and that should be rectified tonight or tomorrow morning), so advertising that you will be having them at your con is relying largely on prayers. Now all the missing adventures from Q4 of 2009 are another story of course. Those should have been out and for one reason or another they didn't make it (troubles with rogue authors, things not being approved by higher ups, or just flat out dropping the ball because people got overworked). Our policy remains the same as it always has been. If an adventure significantly misses its release date, it goes it to the pile of "it will get done when we get to them, but not before we do everything else that is in danger of being late." We are also discussing removing the 3 month embargo on these adventures so if you have to wait for an adventure from us, you do have to wait twice.
We never promised when MINI1-6 or any of the XXXX2-1s would come out
Er...
"The Embers of Dawn mini-campaign is a low-level, six-adventure story arc set in Returned Abeir. Specifically created as a springboard for new characters, the first adventure of the monthly series premieres at Gen Con Indy this year. Start a new character native to Tarmalune or any of the other Windrise Ports, and play through these tightly linked adventures (levels 1-4). All the adventures are two rounds and a new adventure will be released each month, concluding with the mini-campaign finale at D&D Experience."
www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/d...
Our policy remains the same as it always has been. If an adventure significantly misses its release date, it goes it to the pile of "it will get done when we get to them, but not before we do everything else that is in danger of being late."
My suggestion is that this policy needs to change in regards to series modules.
In particular, if you have two parts of a series scheduled for the same quarter for the same level band (Bald1-5, I'm looking at you), then getting both parts released in the same quarter needs to be a priority, and if a stand-alone adventure gets bumped slightly, that's a fair trade-off.
All the adventures are two rounds and a new adventure will be released each month, concluding with the mini-campaign finale at D&D Experience."
While that was true back in May 2009, we long since said that MINI1-6 would NOT be at DDXP. In fact, we (the Globals) were asked by DDXP specifically NOT to premier the adventure there as there was no room in the schedule for a two-round adventure. The official release schedule is the one put out every quarter and if an adventure isn't on it, or if the schedule isn't out yet, you should not make assumptions when adventures will be available and then feel abused when those assumptions are not proven correct. Now we are looking at ways we can involve the regional staff in our scheduling and in keeping local cons informed. I think this will help keep con organizers in the loop and limit these problems in the future.
My suggestion is that this policy needs to change in regards to series modules.
In particular, if you have two parts of a series scheduled for the same quarter for the same level band (Bald1-5, I'm looking at you), then getting both parts released in the same quarter needs to be a priority, and if a stand-alone adventure gets bumped slightly, that's a fair trade-off.
In general, I expect this will, but not always. What I mean is we are looking at releasing series wholesale. If a series is three mods in the same level band, we hope (and its still in the planning stages) to just release them all at once. You will see this happening at Gen Con for example where three adventages are 1, 2, & 3 of a 3-part series. Now if a region decides to revisit a story with another part after a six monthes or a year, I guess it might happen, but are hoping to avoid that as much as we can in the future. As for bumping other adventures to make room for some, one also has to realize that sometimes you would be forced to bump adventurers by regions who did not fail to turn in their work on time. We generally try not to punish those followed all the rules. I'm not saying that's what happened with BALD1-5 (as it wasn't in my stack to shepherd), just reiterating the philosophy.
Consider how many "premieres" that were magically available just in time for a convention were actually word documents that hadn't been vetted and approved by Circle members yet though. LG was much more fast and loose, and a lot less "professional" than LFR is
I guess things loosened up a lot - similar activities netted a 3-year suspension for somebody creatively making an LG mod available for play at a con.
-Rozman
Consider how many "premieres" that were magically available just in time for a convention were actually word documents that hadn't been vetted and approved by Circle members yet though. LG was much more fast and loose, and a lot less "professional" than LFR is
I guess things loosened up a lot - similar activities netted a 3-year suspension for somebody creatively making an LG mod available for play at a con.
-Rozman
The difference being that these mods were pre-approved by the Circle... everyone was just so behind that they didn't have time to review it before the con but gave their blessing to the Triad to run it anyway in whatever form it was in.
Consider how many "premieres" that were magically available just in time for a convention were actually word documents that hadn't been vetted and approved by Circle members yet though. LG was much more fast and loose, and a lot less "professional" than LFR is
I guess things loosened up a lot - similar activities netted a 3-year suspension for somebody creatively making an LG mod available for play at a con.
-Rozman
The difference being that these mods were pre-approved by the Circle... everyone was just so behind that they didn't have time to review it before the con but gave their blessing to the Triad to run it anyway in whatever form it was in.
Okay, I never played RPGA in the LG days, but this is starting to sound like a cult. With The Circle giving their blessing to The Triad to undertake forbidden actions... how clandestine!
Or maybe the mob.
Keith
The difference being that these mods were pre-approved by the Circle... everyone was just so behind that they didn't have time to review it before the con but gave their blessing to the Triad to run it anyway in whatever form it was in.
Yeah, once I was close to the triads I saw this happening all the time. It was pretty routine for 2-3 of the adventures to be in draft form, printed from last-minute Circle-approved versions (approved as in hastily reviewed), and with the ARs showing up at the very last second. I recall at least two conventions where an AR was not available on the first day and one where it was available only after the convention.
LG just had a more informal closer-to-the-source system between cons and authors. Most of the adventures were local, so everyone knew everyone and could get a draft out on time (and either pressure the author, bring in reinforcements, or take it away and assign it to someone else). The problems were there, just easier to get around. I think LFR is doing much better, especially considering the volume.
And, it is hard. It is very hard to release quality stuff on time. Start with this all being everyone's second job, add in a whole mess of factors. It is hard.