No More Ultimate Delve?

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

kineticoperations

May 02, 2011 4:20:42

I was disappointed to note that this will be the second GenCon in a row with now Ultimate Delve....I guess it was a one-off.

I'm not surprised the UD was not continued. Unlike pregen character games, it's hard for GMs to account for player shenanigans, and I imagine there was a lot of busy judges during the game.

Still, I was hoping it would magically appear anyway. In 2009, My friends and I had a blast hammering out a team, refining play tactics, and generally making sure we were bringing our A-game to the big show.

What do you suppose it would take to get an event like this back on the schedules?

#2

Wavester

May 02, 2011 7:51:51
Actually the format of the Ultimate Delve was rolled into the D&D Championship because it worked so well (hence no UD last year or this year).

The only difference is you do not bring your own team of characters. A team is provided and you must learn how to best utilize them to defeat the challenges within the time frame (and advancement is simple - if you beat all 5 encounters you go to the finals on Sunday - if you don't then you don't).

Dave C
#3

kineticoperations

May 02, 2011 12:02:46
Oh, I know that part. we ran the Championship last year (didn't do terribly well, but it was fun). We're looking forward to doing it again, in fact.

It's the "build your team!" part that I miss. Last year we sorta did it anyway with the Dark Sun gladiator thingie.

Oh well, we can't have everything, and RPGA has a whole lot of other gamers to please.
#4

kenobi65

May 02, 2011 12:19:52
I suspect that the Ultimate Delve format was an experiment -- AFAIK, the RPGA hadn't done anything like that before (at least, not in the recent past).

Advancement tourneys have nearly always been done with pregenerated characters (and used to be more common in the RPGA in the past, when Living-style play didn't dominate the RPGA).
#5

Alphastream

May 02, 2011 13:13:44
I also see less need for Ultimate Delve if and when WotC rolls out the Lair Assault (or whatever new name) program. It was reported to be a very challenging run that you would have to play more than once to beat and would be at stores.
#6

kineticoperations

May 03, 2011 3:47:53
I've heard a bit about that one...it sounds exciting!