Hopefully, the questions that land here will be those that have already seen a little debate and discussion, but remain unresolved.
I don't guarantee these threads will generate any immediate answers, but hopefully, at the very least, they can be used to give a quick pointer to where the existing "hot" issues are.
That said, feel free to start posting current ambiguities or concerns you have in the current RPGA rules at hand.
1.) Can you elaborate a bit on "Content that specifies DM adjudication in order to be used by a character?" I'm trying to get a feel for just how broad this category is. It obviously would include something like upgrading a thundering weapon to a thunderburst weapon (which AV specifically says is allowed at DM's option.) I'm wondering if it would include things like Purple Dragon Knight as well, since "affiliated" isn't a defined term in the either the game or RPGA/campaign rules, and that would require an individual DM to determine what constitutes "affiliation" with Cormyr.
2.) Will the bard and druid be permitted to do a "full" retrain of all feats, powers, and skills (but not class features, rituals, or anything else) once the book is released by way of the special retrain rule for playtest classes? The reason I ask is that bard and druid aren't specifically called out as playtest classes in their respective articles, while barbarian definitely is. I guess I'm looking for a definitive statement on what constitutes a playtest class for the purpose of the retraining rule.
3.) Once and for all - is it legal for the senior GM of an event to play in his/her own event as long as they're playing with a different table GM? I'm not talking about DMPCs here, but if I'm the only Herald+ GM available and I'd like to play an event, can I sanction it, hand it off to a non-herald GM to run, and then play? Does this change based on the event type (home, retail, game day, convention)? The RPGA General Rules seems pretty clear on this subject, but it looks to be disallowing it on the basis of foreknowledge, which is no longer an issue. I've heard of people that did this and were fine, I've also heard of multiple people that had their events invalidated because of this. What's the word?
I'm going to assume these are "Tulach Questions" so I'll try and ping him for the thread. He doesn't often reply to my e-mails, but it can't hurt to try.
2. This is definitely a WotC question.
3. You are certainly allowed to play at an event where you are the Senior DM of the event. The only concern I have is how the database handles such things. I heard at one point if you were the Senior DM of a convention, you could play adventures and report them with the convention, but once the convention was over the database would "lock you out" of being reported with any of those adventures in the future. I do not know for sure this was true, but I heard someone mention it. I do not know if there are any other "glitches" like this is the database. But in terms of rules of the campaign, you certainly can play the event if you are the one who does the ordering.
Shawn
LFR Global Schmoe
So, another month has gone by and there has been no update on the reward card situation. We have been told that they are waiting on the con results being entered, but that was 2 months ago. Is there any official update or comment on the status of the reward cards?
The last update was last month when we were told GenCon Data Entry was still being completed.
That the RPGA Reward Cards have appeared in the download area, and state that there will be a password in our reward letters seems to be indicative of things about to start moving.
- How the admins feel about how the LFR campaign is doing (number of players, things that are working and not working, etc.)
- CCG, when a new update might come out
- Retraining class features
- Reward card timing, what the download means
- Module quality
- Issues being monitored/considered (interactives, clarity on rules vs keeping admins separate from WotC mechanics rulings, working more closely with DDI content so there aren't so many surprises or issues for players and so there is a responsive nature to problems for LFR - I'm thinking about the playtest mods and the database and about the Bard typo in the final Dragon 369)
- Preference for Yahoo boards vs Gleemax, if any
- etc.
Having someone check in and provide a state of the campaign message would really be helpful. There is a lot that is going well but still some reasonable player frustration to be addressed.
Thanks,
Teos
I'm having trouble with what exactly to write, but I'm thinking I would like to see Tulach or one of the global admins have a "State of LFR" type article or post that would address some of the common threads being discussed, such as:
- How the admins feel about how the LFR campaign is doing (number of players, things that are working and not working, etc.)
- CCG, when a new update might come out
- Retraining class features
- Reward card timing, what the download means
- Module quality
- Issues being monitored/considered (interactives, clarity on rules vs keeping admins separate from WotC mechanics rulings, working more closely with DDI content so there aren't so many surprises or issues for players and so there is a responsive nature to problems for LFR - I'm thinking about the playtest mods and the database and about the Bard typo in the final Dragon 369)
- Preference for Yahoo boards vs Gleemax, if any
- etc.
Having someone check in and provide a state of the campaign message would really be helpful. There is a lot that is going well but still some reasonable player frustration to be addressed.
Thanks,
Teos
*nods* I agree that I'd like to get the occasional "official word" on how things are going as well. In fact I send Chris the occasional e-mail trying to coax/lure him into the forums, but they typically go answered in his busy schedule (and according to my other spies in the WotC offices, he's very busy indeed, and seldom even at his desk).
That said, next month I'll be consolidating a list of questions to carry with me to DDXP to ask at the member's meeting, and in any time I can corner Chris that he isn't running around crazy-busy as usual at cons.
I can't promise that it will amount to a "State of the RPGA" (I was rather hoping the monthly Dragon articles would fill that job, but they're wisely being turned into "join the RPGA!" article for the time being), but hopefully I can help get a few issues addressed at the show next month.
1.) Can you elaborate a bit on "Content that specifies DM adjudication in order to be used by a character?"
The issues created when a core rule calls for DM adjudication will most likely be handled by LFR on a case-by-case basis. In the example of the Purple Dragon Knight of Cormyr, it will probably be something to this effect: you must either have Cormyr as your home region, or you must have a story award that specifically documents that affiliation.
2.) Will the bard and druid be permitted to do a "full" retrain of all feats, powers, and skills (but not class features, rituals, or anything else) once the book is released by way of the special retrain rule for playtest classes? The reason I ask is that bard and druid aren't specifically called out as playtest classes in their respective articles, while barbarian definitely is. I guess I'm looking for a definitive statement on what constitutes a playtest class for the purpose of the retraining rule.
The same retraining that is allowed for playtest classes will be afforded to classes introduced via DDI in a form other than a "playtest article." As a tangential issue, class features cannot currently be retrained in any form. However, it is possible that future versions of the CCG--if not the core rules themselves--may allow such retraining.
3.) Once and for all - is it legal for the senior GM of an event to play in his/her own event as long as they're playing with a different table GM? I'm not talking about DMPCs here, but if I'm the only Herald+ GM available and I'd like to play an event, can I sanction it, hand it off to a non-herald GM to run, and then play? Does this change based on the event type (home, retail, game day, convention)? The RPGA General Rules seems pretty clear on this subject, but it looks to be disallowing it on the basis of foreknowledge, which is no longer an issue. I've heard of people that did this and were fine, I've also heard of multiple people that had their events invalidated because of this. What's the word?
According to Chris Tulach, playing at events where you are the Senior DM are both legal by RPGA rules and handled properly by the database.
Shawn
LFR Global Admin
So, another month has gone by and there has been no update on the reward card situation. We have been told that they are waiting on the con results being entered, but that was 2 months ago. Is there any official update or comment on the status of the reward cards?
More information on the RPGA rewards cards will be released in the near future.
I would like to see Tulach or one of the global admins have a "State of LFR" type article or post that would address some of the common threads being discussed.
At the RPGA meeting at DDXP at the end of January, Chris Tulach will certainly be giving the semi-annual talk which discusses the past year, the current situation, and what is coming in the future.
In terms of the campaign, I can only give my personal thoughts, which are limited to my own experience and my peanut-sized brain. I am very happy with how the campaign is progressing, given that the campaign premiered just a little over 100 days ago. Play numbers seem strong, past barriers to play that have kept gamers away from RPGA events are coming down, the campaign staff is continuing to progress, and we have a good system in place for the continued growth of the campaign. I am personally learning from my mistakes, and I hope the offerings that I have a hand in producing--be it as a writer, editor, or reviewer--will improve as the months pass.
The regional admins with whom I work are certainly a diverse lot, to say the least, but everything they have shown me illustrates that they have nothing but the best intentions for the campaign and the players. The other Global Admins (Sean and Pieter) are far too tall but have been a pleasure to work with, and again they have put in a great deal of work to give a lot of people games to play.
Chris Tulach works harder than any person has the right to expect, and his plate just continues to fill, and will only get fuller as WotC moves into the new year. But Chris understands the wants and needs of the players, and even as WotC provides the direction for LFR, Chris always has the enjoyment of the players in mind.
That's all I got.
Shawn
LFR Global Admin
David
The other Global Admins (Sean and Pieter) are far too tall but have been a pleasure to work with
This really made me laugh! He is almost as tall as he is a great player and DM.
Chris Tulach works harder than any person has the right to expect, and his plate just continues to fill, and will only get fuller as WotC moves into the new year. But Chris understands the wants and needs of the players, and even as WotC provides the direction for LFR, Chris always has the enjoyment of the players in mind.
Thanks for the update. Firmly in the "what do i know" camp, but it seemed to me that with LG there were bottlenecks that weren't addressed. If we need more help for Chris, I hope the campaign/WotC will give him that so that we clear up any potential bottlenecks early and often. The plateful of work that Circle members had seemed to hurt quality of adventures periodically. Quality of adventures is something I would like to see increased. There are some good ones, and the -2s are in many cases much better mods, but there is still room to reach that "wow, these are amazing mods" level.
That's all I got.
Greatly appreciated. I suspect you and the other global admins are fairly buried with work as well. Thanks for being volunteers and for keeping communication going. I look forward to contributing in the future.
Teos