I'm a new Herald GM looking to start running some sanctioned (non-LFR, at this point) home games with my group. We are going to be starting Keep on the Shadowfell shortly, and I see that it's specifically sanctionable in the system.
Unlike some of the other modules, though, I see it only shows up as one event (i.e. it's not divided into multiple sections like FR1 is). Since it will certainly take more than one session to complete all of KotS, I'm wondering if I'm supposed to:
1. Sanction it only for the session on which we start KotS
2. Sanction it only for the session on which we conclude KotS
3. Sanction it each time we have a minimum-four-hour session playing KotS
Furthermore, if it's 1 or 2, should the other sessions at which we play KotS be unsanctioned, or just sanctioned as Home Campaign (other)?
Thanks!
Congratulations on your successful test, and welcome to the world of RPGA DM'ing
Great questions about sanctioning. Hopefully I can have some decent answers for you:
If you are going to sanction a printed adventure such as H1, H2, or H3 but will be running them using casual, home-campaign rules you can sanction as many game sessions as you need to get through the adventure. You and your players will each gain 1 RPGA Rewards point for these sessions, and will not gain any LFR rewards or LFR character advancement (if there are rewards available).
If you will be using these adventures as LFR adventures - whether as they are written and available for reporting, or through the use of the adaptable files like Barrow of the Ogre King, for instance - you may only sanction the adventure session one time. You and your players will each gain 4 Reward point for participation in the session, and the players will get LFR rewards and LFR character advancement. Note: a player can play an adventure any number of times, but a character may only do it once.
Hopefully these help! Let me know if you have any more questions
If you sanction Keep on the Shadowfell, your players can earn four points in total. I'd sanction it for the first date you're going to play, and report the whole thing as soon as you've started. What happens once you've started is irrelevant for the purposes of the RPGA.
Anyway, it sounds like the answer is "1. Sanction it only for the session on which we start KotS".
Thanks again!
Thanks for the reply, guys. I understand that KotS is non-LFR, but what had thrown me off was that it was worth four points. It didn't seem like it'd make sense to have it count as four points per session, but I wasn't sure how to break it up, sanctioning-wise.
Anyway, it sounds like the answer is "1. Sanction it only for the session on which we start KotS".
Thanks again!
Sanction it for when you begin - report it when you complete the adventure.
How many sessions pass in-between is up to you, your group, and how much time you have.
Sanction it for when you begin - report it when you complete the adventure.
I appear to be disagreeing with you a little more than is healthy at the moment, Wolfstar, but this leads to a problem, in that you will be unlikely to complete Keep on the Shadowfell within eight calendar days of starting to play. While the system is not currently doing anything about delinquent events, as far as I can tell, the system enforced for other DCI events appears to track how many events are left unreported for more than eight days and list that as a mark against your account for consideration for eligibility for future events, and according to the documentation locks you out of reporting that event until you email DCI to apologise/explain!
This is why I've been suggesting that long LFR adventures be sanctioned twice - one event to obtain the adventure which is then cancelled, one sanctioned and reported as soon as you know you've finished the adventure and can answer the questions.
As all the RPGA needs to know about Keep on the Shadowfell is who the players and GM were, there's no need to wait until you've finished, or create a second event; everything the RPGA needs to know can be reported to them after the first session is complete, as you then know who the GM and players are.
I appear to be disagreeing with you a little more than is healthy at the moment, Wolfstar, but this leads to a problem, in that you will be unlikely to complete Keep on the Shadowfell within eight calendar days of starting to play. While the system is not currently doing anything about delinquent events, as far as I can tell, the system enforced for other DCI events appears to track how many events are left unreported for more than eight days and list that as a mark against your account for consideration for eligibility for future events, and according to the documentation locks you out of reporting that event until you email DCI to apologise/explain!
This is why I've been suggesting that long LFR adventures be sanctioned twice - one event to obtain the adventure which is then cancelled, one sanctioned and reported as soon as you know you've finished the adventure and can answer the questions.
As all the RPGA needs to know about Keep on the Shadowfell is who the players and GM were, there's no need to wait until you've finished, or create a second event; everything the RPGA needs to know can be reported to them after the first session is complete, as you then know who the GM and players are.
I keep forgetting about the (alleged) 8-day lockout, having not encountered/tested it myself.
In light of that possibility, sure, nothing wrong with the "order twice" OR if you have the foresight to know it's going to take roughly "X" weeks, sanction the event for the day/weekend you expect to finish - since there's no delay on download mods anymore, this would be a win/win - assuming you finish within 8 days of your anticpated completion date.