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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.

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 4)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverDuring the last session the PCs witnessed tensions grow in Baldur’s gate as sumptuary laws were implemented and the Watch and Flaming Fist officers began enforcing it. The PCs got caught up in a street brawl between Flaming Fist officers and a mob of angry Lower City residents. The Fist prevailed and the PCs escorted most of the troublemakers to Wyrm’s Rock for processing.

A few PCs split from the group and met with Rilsa Rael, a member of the Guild working out of Little Calimshan. She provided a different perspective of the recent events happening in Baldur’s Gate and suggested the PCs stop working for the Flaming Fist. She went on to ask them (again) to help her and the Guild do what was best for Baldur’s Gate.

This week at Harry T North in Toronto we had another large turnout. In addition to our many regulars we had 2 brand new players join in the fun. For the first time this season we actually had four DMs ready to run tables.

Since this season began I’ve run massive groups each week (9 players twice and 8 players once). In order to try and fix this problem and speed up our sessions we recruited a fourth DM. Players at the first two tables (6 each) were all punctual so they started on time. That left two DMs and 6 players. Normally I’d just group these folks together and run a table of 7, but we were still expecting as many as 6 more players so we waited.

After about 10 minutes we decided to begin with both DMs running tables of 3. After all, none of the players had called, texted, emailed or Tweeted that they’d be absent, and I didn’t want to start with a table of 7 and have it balloon up to 9 or more. Of course no more players showed up so I ended up running a small group of 3: Half-Elf Paladin, Dwarf Fighter and Human Cleric. You know if we’d started with 7 everyone else would have shown up. Oh well.

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 3)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverThe PCs, working as agents of the Flaming Fist, closed down two gambling dens during last week’s adventure. During this week’s session they didn’t have any official duties so they took the opportunity to get to know the streets and landmarks of Baldur’s Gate a little better.

At Harry T North in Toronto we continue to see a fantastic turn out for D&D Encounters. We ran two tables, one with eight players and one with nine players. Our third DM knew he would be absent this week so he and his six players took the week off and plan to do a double session next week. Our fourth DM was unable to play this week so we proceeded with the massive tables.

My party was relatively unchanged from last week. Seven PCs returned, one player changed his character, and we had one brand new player. This is how the party shaped up in the end: two Elf Rangers, Human Cleric, Dwarf Fighter, two Human Monks, Half-Elf Paladin, Halfling Rogue, and Elf Mage.

Without any clear direction or orders this session, the PCs were free to do whatever they wanted. This seemed to throw the players off, but as the night progressed they got more into it. They decided to break into smaller groups as they each explored different areas of Baldur’s Gate.

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 2)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverDuke Abdel Adrian is dead – killed in front of hundreds of witnesses while addressing the people of Baldur’s Gate on Founder’s Day. Fortunately a group of adventurers were on site and helped defeat the assassin before there was any other loss of life.

That’s how things began last week for the PCs. Following their spectacular heroics they were approached by three different people who wished to enlist their services while Baldur’s Gate tries to reestablish some sense of order in light of the Duke’s death. By night’s end they needed to decide which of the three offers seemed most appealing.

Last week at Harry T North in Toronto we had a lot of players and only 2 DMs. This week we were back up to 3 DMs but had even more players. The result was two tables of seven and one table of eight.

I ran the table of eight which included seven new players. None of them had ever played D&D Next, and three had never played any form of D&D. After letting them choose from the pre-generated characters, we ended up with the following PCs in the party: Half-Elf Paladin, Gnome Druid, Dwarf Fighter, Elf Mage, Human Monk, Halfling Rogue and two Elf Rangers.

I spent the first 30-40 minutes providing a recap of last week’s events and tried to offer an unbiased breakdown of what each of the three factions had revealed to the PCs during week 1. Eventually the PCs agreed to side with Marshal Ulder Ravengard of the Flaming Fist company. A few were leaning towards supporting Silvershiled, but they were eventually convinced to come on board.

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate (Week 1)

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverWe begin another season of D&D Encounters. Season 15 is called Murder in Baldur’s Gate and it’s part of Wizard of the Coast’s next big cross-over event, The Sundering. The Sundering will bring about changes that will transition the Forgotten Realms from 4e to D&D Next.

This past weekend Wizards encouraged FLGS that normally participate in D&D Encounters to run the Murder in Baldur’s Gate launch weekend adventure. This adventure is a prequel to this season of D&D Encounters. Fortunately I got a chance to play the launch weekend adventure at GenCon, as did a few others from my FLGS. However, my FLGS did not order the kits so players who were not at GenCon (which was most of them) didn’t play it. As it turned out, that was a good thing.

This season the weeks are divided into stages rather than sessions. The first stage is the Introductory Stage which we played this week. It begin by repeating the events of the lunch weekend, albeit it an abridged version, and then gave the PCs opportunities to meet with up to three significant NPCs. Anyone who played in the launch weekend and then showed up for D&D Encounters this week would have likely been bored having to do pretty much the same encounter twice.

This season the PCs will have a tremendous amount of freedom. The choices they make will have a direct impact on the story as it unfolds. There are no right or wrong choices, but the final outcome will be different depending on what choices each group makes along the way. For this reason we are going to try and have fixed tables this season keeping the same parties together whenever possible.

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Search for the Diamond Staff – Report Card

search-for-the-diamond-staff-coverWe have once again concluded another season of D&D Encounters. The season 14 adventure, Search for the Diamond Staff, had its ups and downs and we’re going to look at many of them today as we put together our report card on the season.

This report card will follow the same format I’ve used many times before; I’ll start with the good and then move on to the bad. However, as this was the first time we used the D&D Next rules for D&D Encounters I’ll do a special good/bad breakdown of the elements unique to the playtest rules.

Without further ado here are our thoughts on season 14 D&D Encounters: Search for the Diamond staff. Let us know your thoughts on the season as a whole in the comments below.

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Player Resources

In Anticipation of GenCon: 10 Things I Learned at Worldwide D&D Game Day

gencon-logo-01Many people try role-playing games for the first time at their FLGS or at a gaming convention. Events like D&D Encounters and D&D Game Day present great opportunities for curious observers to sit at the table and join in the fun.

This weekend at GenCon and at FLGS in the U.S.A. and Canada, the Murder in Baldur’s Gate launch weekend event provides the perfect opportunity for new people to try D&D for the first time. As experienced gamers it’s up to us to act as ambassadors for the gaming community and welcome these new members into the fold.

A someone who knows what it’s like to wear the gaming ambassador hat on a regular basis I’d like to offer some suggestions on how we can all work together to ensure that new gamers have a good time. These tips are valid for any public play game including D&D Encounters, Game Day, or GenCon.

Originally published on May 25, 2009, Dungeon’s Master once again presents 10 Things I Learned at Worldwide D&D Game Day.

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D&D Encounters Player Resources

In Anticipation of GenCon: 8 Things I Learned at D&D Encounters

gencon-logo-01

I’m going to share some important words of wisdom with all the DMs out there – running a public play game is very different than running a home game. So for everyone who’s going to be running a game at GenCon next week I suggest you read on and take notes.

Public play games are certainly a lot of fun. Personally I think I’ve become a better DM since I started DMing public play games (LFR, D&D Encounters, and Lair Assault). But improvement wasn’t immediate, it took time for me to learn the dos and don’ts of DMing public play games. To help the uninitiated I complied a list of tips that I think you’ll find helpful. Many of these tips will be especially relevant if you happen to have younger or brand new players at your table. Good luck!

Originally published on September 12, 2011, Dungeon’s Master once again presents 8 Things I Learned at D&D Encounters.

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate – Preview

murder-in-baldurs-gate-coverNext week begins season 15 of D&D Encounters: Murder in Baldur’s Gate. August 14 is the week 0 character generation session, with things kicking off officially with the D&D Launch weekend event August 17-18. There are a lot of changes this time around, so read on for a preview of what to expect.

Today Dungeon’s Master welcomes our newest contributor, Joe Lastowski (a.k.a. The Average Joe). Joe has over 20 years of gaming experience and has participated in the public play program including D&D Encounters for many years now.

Normally I write the D&D Encounters preview article each season, however, changes to the program now require the DMs to purchase the materials. My FLGS hasn’t yet received their copies, but as luck would have it Joe got his hands on the materials earlier this week. I think Joe does a great job of explaining what’s in store during season 15 and I think his initial impression of the materials aligns with mine (based on what I’ve seen and read so far). We welcome your feedback and encourage you to leave your comments below.
– Ameron

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D&D Encounters D&D Next

D&D Encounters: Search for the Diamond Staff (Week 8.)

search-for-the-diamond-staff-coverDuring last week’s session the PCs ventured into the Vault of Song. After they figured out how to open the sealed doorway by manipulating the statue of the five Elf maidens, they faced off against a gargantuan Uvaeran Dragon. With the Dragon’s defeat the PCs took a quick breather before proceeding onward to the final chamber.

We had a good showing for the final session at Silver Snail in Toronto. The 4e table had seven players and my D&D Next table had seven players. My party consisted of a Human Fighter, Elf Ranger, Elf Wizard #1, Elf Wizard #2, Human Wizard, Halfling Rogue (re-skinned as a Bard), and Half-Elf Paladin.

Although a new playtest packet was released over the weekend, we decided not to adopt any of those changes for the final encounter. We’d played with these rules for seven weeks and we didn’t see the value in changing now.