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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Legacy of the Crystal Shard – Preview

legacy-of-the-crystal-shard-coverLegacy of the Crystal Shard is different than any other D&D Encounters adventure we’ve seen so far – and I mean that in a good way. Although it does bear some similarities to previous season and holds true to some of the conventions you’ve come to expect from the D&D Encounters program, it takes a huge leap into new territory as we’ll describe below. My initial impression is that this will either be the very best or very worst season of D&D Encounters; there will be no middle ground.

The adventure itself is part of The Sundering, the ongoing series of stories happening throughout the Forgotten Realms. It’s the second of fives D&D Encounters adventures that tie in to The Sundering, the first being last season’s Murder in Baldur’s Gate. This adventure builds on the events of R.A. Salvatore’s original Icewind Dale trilogy. Although it’s not necessary for the DM or any of the players to have read these books, if they have it will give them with additional insight this season (so read them if you haven’t because they’re fantastic!).

Legacy of the Crystal Shard is presented as edition-neutral and can be run using 3.5e, 4e, or D&D Next mechanics.

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 12)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverThe party’s candidate for Duke, Carl the Half-elf Paladin, was invited to speak before the Parliament of Peers during last week’s session. While there he discovered evidence that someone was planning to blow up High Hall and all Members of Parliament with it. At the same time Ravengard had ordered mass executions of hundreds of criminal, many of whom did not deserve a death sentence if any punishment at all.

The PCs had to make hard choices about where to intervene, deciding in the end to split their efforts. Although the some PCs managed to save the Members of Parliament, High Hall was destroyed. The rest of the party successfully freed 300 “criminals” sentenced to death thereby stopping the pubic executions.

We had a packed house at Harry T North in Toronto. We had a table of seven and two tables of six. At my table were the following familiar faces: Carl the Half-Elf Paladin, Dwarf Fighter, Human Monk, Elf Mage, Human Cleric and Warforged Fighter.

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 11)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverDuring last week’s session Ravengard declared marshal law in Baldur’s Gate and the PCs learned that the Guild was smuggling weapons from Wyrm’s Rock and arming people in Outer City for “something big” that was going to happen in the next 24 hours. As the PCs were finishing their confrontation with their Guild contact they heard an explosion emanate from somewhere in Lower City.

We had a very full house at Harry Tarantula North in Toronto this week. I ran a table of six while the other two DMs each ran tables of seven. My table had the same six players I’ve had for the past few sessions. The party consisted of a Human Monk, Elf Mage, Human Cleric, Dwarf Fighter, Warforged Fighter, and Half-elf Paladin (Carl the would-be candidate for Duke).

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Legacy of the Crystal Shard (Launch Weekend) – Preview

legacy-of-the-crystal-shard-launch-weekend-coverIn just a few short weeks we’ll begin season 16 of D&D Encounters. The adventure is called Legacy of the Crystal Shard and it’s part of The Sundering, the ongoing story line that’s running through everything Wizard of the Coast is publishing this year.

As a teaser for the new D&D Encounters season Wizards is once again doing a launch weekend event to kick things off. This is how last season’s Murder in Baldur’s Gate began and it worked quite well. The launch weekend for Legacy of the Crystal Shard is November 16-17.

Although I don’t yet have a copy of the full Legacy of the Crystal Shard adventure (available in stores everywhere on November 19) the launch weekend kit makes it pretty clear that what happens on launch weekend is an expanded version of the first D&D Encounters session. This is exactly how the launch weekend worked last season too.

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 10)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-cover

Following the massacre at the gates between Lower City and Upper City, the people of Baldur’s Gate took to the streets and a riot consumed the city. Fortunately the PCs were in the thick of things and were able to sway the masses with diplomacy. Under the powerful and charismatic influence of the Carl the Paladin and the rest of the party, the heroes brought out the best in the people of Baldur’s Gate and convinced them to stop the destruction and senseless violence. Once again the heroes were branded as heroes of the people.

This week at Harry Tarantula North in Toronto we ran two full tables of six. The DM for our third table knew he’d be absent this week and agreed to do a double session for his group next week. My table is finally getting some stability and we had the exact same party we had for the previous two sessions – Dwarf Fighter, Warforged Fighter, Human Cleric, Carl the Half-Elf Paladin, Elf Wizard, and Human Monk.

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 9)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverWhen last we saw our heroes they rescued a teenager from some kidnappers and bore witness to a massacre as hundreds of protestors were shot at by guards resulting in chaos and almost 200 deaths. The PCs helped with the aftermath, healing the wounded, but were angry and frustrated that they were unable to do more than watch as the terrible events unfolded before their eyes. They swore they’d do whatever it takes to ensure this kind of atrocity doesn’t happen again.

We actually ran this session last week at Harry Tarantula North in Toronto as part of a double session because many players were going to absent this week. I think that made a big difference to how things played out as the massacre from week 8 was still fresh in everyone’s mind and emotions were still running high.

None of the players left or changed tables between encounters so my party of six remained unchanged with the following PCs: Half-Elf Paladin (Carl McClure, candidate for Duke), Dwarf Fighter, Human Cleric, Elf Wizard, Human Monk, and Warforged Fighter.

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 8.)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverThe latest law in Baldur’s Gate allowed dueling in the streets. In response, Ravengard enacted a law empowering the Flaming Fist soldiers to hold tribunals on the spot to better uphold the law, enact justice, and keep the city safe. Add to the mess a fire deliberately set in the warehouse district near the docks in Lower City and you get a pretty good idea of how things are spiraling out of control in Baldur’s Gate.

This week at Harry Tarantula North in Toronto we had 19 players and three DMs. I ran a table of six, all of whom had played with me during this season. However, one of the players decided to scrap his pre-gen and create his own character. The party ended up with the following PCs: Half-Elf Paladin (Carl McClure, candidate for Duke), Dwarf Fighter, Human Cleric, Elf Wizard, Human Monk, and Warforged Fighter.

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D&D Encounters

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 7)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverWith Upper City closing its gates to non-residents at 3 bells, the PCs decided to help merchants from Lower City and Outer City skirt the system by travelling through Underceller to bypass the gates. It took considerable effort and a battle with some skeletons, but the PCs found a safe passage and began escorting merchants.

This week at Harry Tarantula North in Toronto we ran three tables, all using the D&D Next play test rules. The other two DMs both had six players at their tables. I started with three players at my table and got two more after about 30 minutes bringing my total up to five. The party consisted of a Half-Elf Paladin (Carl), Halfling Rogue, Dwarf Druid, Human Monk, and Elf Wizard.

None of the PCs from last weeks session were present this week so we said they continued to escort merchants through Underceller as other events played out in Baldur’s Gate this week.

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D&D Encounters

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 6)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverBaldur’s Gate faced a crippling garbage strike during last week’s session. The PCs used magic to summon monsters to eat the garbage and clean the streets. The success of such a creative endeavour endeared Carl the Paladin, the party’s leader, to the residents of Baldur’s Gate and now his name is being shouted from the rooftops as a possible candidate for Duke.

This week at Harry T North in Toronto we ran three tables of D&D Next. The other two DMs each ran tables with five players. Three of my five regulars notified me that they’d be absent this week; fortunately we had two brand new players walk in so I added them to my group brining us up to a very manageable party of four. The party ended up consisting of two Dwarf Fighters and two Human Clerics – sometimes you get balance, sometimes you don’t.

The new players had some previous experience with RPGs, but nothing recent. I gave them a brief recap of what had happened so far in the adventure and then asked them how they saw these characters fitting in to the story. I suggested we just say they already knew some of the previous PCs but they didn’t want to do that (which was fine). They decided that they were wandering adventurers. When they heard the tales of Carl the Paladin they decided to find him and see if he really was as great as the stories made him sound.

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D&D Encounters

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 5)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverDuring the last session the PCs spent a few days investigating acts of vandalism throughout Baldur’s Gate including the theft of hands from numerous statues around the city. When the hands from the Beloved Ranger statue were stolen the PCs led the investigation to recover them. They eventually captured two young nobles and recovered the hands from the Ranger statue.

About two weeks had passed since the events of the last session. The PCs had already earned a good reputation as heroes after their role in the events that happened on Founder’s Day, but their part in the recovery of Minsk’s hands elevated their reputations even more.

This week at Harry T North in Toronto we ran two tables of D&D Next. One of our DMs couldn’t play this week and his group of six all agreed to just do a double session next week. Another DM ran a full table with his six regular players. I began with five players, but about 15 minutes into the session two more of our regulars showed up. So I ended up running a party of seven PCs: a Dwarf Fighter, Human Cleric, Half-Elf Paladin, Halfling Rogue, Elf Wizard, Human Monk and Elf Ranger.

We seem to have lost a few players over the past couple of weeks. I suspect that has something to do with everyone going back to school. I hope that as they get back into a regular routine we see them come back and possibly even bring a few friends to try our D&D. Most of my players read the weekly posts on this website and on the D&D forums so if they do return I know they’ll have a pretty good idea of what they’ve missed and we won’t have to spend a lot of time getting them caught up.