Welcome back to the Sword Coast, intrepid adventurers! This season we begin with the first published adventure for Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Edition - Hoard of the Dragon Queen! It's time to get down and dirty with the Cult of the Dragon, but please be advised that this season will contain spoilers for the adventure, so if you haven't played it yet you may wish to avoid the RPG Campaign Updates.
However, if you've already played it (or don't intend to, or intend on running it) then you will be amused at the ridiculous antics of our ridiculous player characters. Serious / Not Serious play is where we live, so expect over the top characters and equally ridiculous reactions to events in game. Our Dungeon Master is no less than the Reverend Greg, and he's been preparing for 5th Edition since launch and has already ran an awesome campaign last year based on the Basic Set. We got 55.5 hours of play time just with the introductory box set and a Player's Handbook!
The shared experience of these adventures is what's going to make them classics, almost instantly. I'm really looking forward to this, and we even have a few new players this season as well. This shows how anticipated the new game is, and the strength of the new line to draw in players who have never played an RPG before.
All our campaigns this season share the same setting, as we've "nested" them together to create a stronger narrative. This is another important aspect of the draw, and helps spread enthusiasm to other game lines. Our version of the Sword Coast will definitely be changed, and we'll catalog all such new additions at the end of the campaign as normal so there will be a reference guide for any such changes.
As I've already mentioned, I personally am super-stoked about being able to play this campaign as a player. Big thanks to Reverend Greg, who's devoted his time to preparing and running the game and committed to running the season's game for four months. To our new players: we're so happy you've decided to join us!
Game Day this week will be in overdrive, as we've got some catching up to do from last week. Our internal meeting took up too much time last Sunday...but that's ok. A small backlog will help us avoid the "we're caught up" blues and give your wizards, dragons and professional wrestlers a good reason to try to kill each other.
Just remember - it's not the size of the wrestler that counts, but...no wait, that's not true. The size of the wrestler does count, so stack all the bonuses you can find and get ready to do battle with the followers of Tiamat. For our characters, an interesting career opportunity emerges from the strife of the Sword Coast.
It's not every day the gods give you a dragon to wrestle. So just accept it, and know that no matter what happens it is a feat of strength that will surely garner the attention of the gods themselves. When the hits go down, you better be ready - or you'll get bodyslammed.
