May has come and gone, and now we’re diving into the busy summer convention season. Last month was a busy one around here, so we’ll start with some updates on recent goings on in Organized Play, then we’ll talk some more about the Ultimate Dungeon Delve, premiering at Origins this month!

Monster Manual 2 Game Day A Success

Despite being on the US Memorial Day weekend, we had an excellent turnout for Monster Manual 2 Game Day. Our feedback on the event was also positive -- players really liked the opportunity to fight some new critters and do battle with a returned nemesis, the rust monster. In addition, we received a lot of feedback expressing that we got the level “right” this time, so look for future Game Days to continue to focus on heroic-tier play (levels 1-10). Next up in September is Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 Game Day, where you’ll experience a new play format for the event as we spotlight a team adventure-building activity. Keep an eye on www.dndgameday.com for more information soon!

My Realms Adventure Now Available

The first in a series of customizable adventure templates meant to expand your group’s Living Forgotten Realms experience is now available! The first adventure packet has everything you need to get started on creating your own LFR-compatible adventure to run for your home group or show off your creativity to others. This one, coded MYRE1-1, is for characters levels 1-4. More My Realms adventure templates are on their way soon. To schedule a game and get the packet, login to your profile and select it from the list of adventures when you schedule your event. Then, read through the material in the adventure packet and start creating!

It Takes a Village … DM Rewards Program Launches With a Bang

The all-new, all-awesome DM Rewards program sent out its first annual mailing to all members this past month. Arriving in mailboxes all over the world was a 4th Edition take on the classic adventure The Village of Hommlet. This 24-page adventure contains information on the classic locale that served as a launch point into the dreaded Temple of Elemental Evil, including stats on your favorite NPCs and a full-color, double-sided poster map detailing the first floor of the Inn of the Welcome Wench and the Moathouse!

The D&D community has had a very positive reaction to this classic adventure, and fans all over are wondering how to get it. Well, it’s still available, it’s free, and it’s easy to obtain. Simply get a DCI/RPGA number and then head over to the DM Rewards page to read more about the program and how to sign up. Our next scheduled mailing is in August, and if you sign up by June 30, you’ll get a copy of this great adventure written by Andy Collins and inspired by the original Gary Gygax module! If you sign up later on in the summer, don’t worry -- we’ll still ship one to you during our November mailing.

Ship Ahoy! Exclusive Tile Sheet for Active DMs

Our great DM Rewards don’t stop with our annual adventure. DMs that have done at least five sessions of reported DMing by June 30 will receive the first “activity” mailing for our new program in August. What’s up this time around? A great-looking exclusive tile that has a number of different ships on it, including below decks for the largest one! Each DM that qualifies for the reward will receive two copies of this ship tile sheet, so you can have a ship-to-ship combat or portray both above and below decks on your gaming table at one time.

Ultimate Dungeon Delve Details

Last month, we teased a bit about the Ultimate Dungeon Delve. Now here’s the rest that you need to know!

The Ultimate Dungeon Delve will be running at select conventions this summer. These conventions are listed below.

Character Creation

In order to participate in the Ultimate Dungeon Delve, you need to create a character for it. The character must be created with the D&D Insider Character Builder and must be printed on the character sheet from that program. Use the 22-point-buy system for your character's statistics. Anything that is a legal option in the Character Builder is legal for play. The character must be 6th level and can have the following magic items: one (1) 7th-level magic item; one (1) 6th-level magic item; and one (1) 5th-level magic item. In addition, you have 1,000 gold pieces (gp) to spend on additional gear or other magic items. You may purchase a maximum of two (2) consumables (potions, one-use magic items, alchemical items, etc.) for your character. Consumables purchased may not be higher than 10th level.

(This information has been added to version 1.9 of the RPGA Character Creation Guide, which can be obtained via the RPGA downloads page.)

Make certain you bring your printed character sheet with you to the event! We will have only a limited number of stations open for people to use the Character Builder on-site, so you'll want to ensure you're prepared for your event.

Adventure Play Specifics

The Ultimate Dungeon Delve is an endurance test, whereby you and your team attempt to finish six encounters without taking an extended rest. Here are the rules for play:

• Your team consists of five players, each with one 6th-level character created according to the rules listed above. You will need to provide the DM with the name of your team when you sit down and get ready to play.
• You will have 45 minutes to complete each encounter from the time the DM starts the clock. Once you finish one encounter and tell the DM you are ready to begin the next one, the timer will begin on the next encounter. Fast play and quick decision-making are critical to completing an encounter within the allotted time. The clock will always be ticking from the time you begin play, so be sure to monitor it.
• Your group may take short rests between encounters when possible but may not take an extended rest at any point during the Ultimate Dungeon Delve. Deliberation during a short rest counts during your game time for either the encounter you've just completed or your next one, depending on the team's decision.
• Characters that die during the Ultimate Dungeon Delve are out of play. You may take a fallen comrade's gear with you during the remainder of the adventure. Players that have a dead character may not help the other players for the remainder of the adventure, but they may continue to observe. Players of dead characters are still rewarded if the team manages to complete the Ultimate Dungeon Delve.
• Your team is eliminated from the Ultimate Dungeon Delve if any one of the following occurs: your characters take an extended rest, all the characters are killed, the team decides by majority vote to stop play, or time runs out before an encounter is finished.

Prizes

Teams that successfully complete all six encounters within the allotted time will each receive copies of new D&D game product and will have their characters placed in the Ultimate Dungeon Delve Hall of Fame!

Adventure Descriptions

There are two adventures for this season's Ultimate Dungeon Delve. The first, The Lunar Awakening, plays at Origins and San Diego Comic-Con. The second adventure, Fall of the Tower at Windrock, plays at Gen Con Indy, PAX, and Gen Con Australia. The descriptions for each are listed below.

The Lunar Awakening
The howls grew louder and louder until one night they were upon us. The myths and stories, they were all true. The primal urges of our people were too strong for the old apothecary's snake oil. But there's more; more dread I dare say. Someone or something is awaking the victims of these bestial men, to walk the earth again as living dead! How can we stop them? Who can help us overcome the Lunar Awakening? An Ultimate Dungeon Delve adventure for five 6th-level characters.

Fall of the Tower at Windrock
Floating on an earthmote above a verdant island realm, the enigmatic wizard, Kelleck, once built a magnificent tower as a beacon of hope to the villages of Windrock below. Now, word has reached far and wide that the tower has crumbled, and whispers of the wizard's demise have reached the ears of many adventurers. What has become of Kelleck, and who now will keep the villages safe? An Ultimate Dungeon Delve adventure for five 6th-level characters.

New Living Forgotten Realms Adventures Releasing This Month

Check out the latest adventure offerings from D&D Organized Play!

June 3, 2009

AGLA1-4 Through Twilight Boughs
The Tome of Twilight Boughs is a legendary book of powerful ancient Yuir rituals protected by cryptic magic. The tome, or a copy of it, has recently been found. A half-elf scholar believes he has decoded a portion of it and now invites adventurers to help verify his findings. But how exactly does one verify the contents of a book over 2,000 years old? This adventure is the second part of the Tome of Twilight Boughs major quest, which began in AGLA1-1 Lost Temple of the Fey Gods. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Aglarond for characters levels 4-7.

June 10, 2009

CORE1-10 Dancing Shadows
On most occasions, the trip from the ruins of Spellgard back to civilization is reasonably safe. But what happens when the road is more dangerous than expected -- especially when shadows bite? First part of Bane of Shadows trilogy. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in the Fallen Lands for characters levels 4-7.

June 17, 2009

DRAG1-4 Falling Snow, White Petal
Master Fan-Ji has a problem and needs the help of professionals who value the arts of discretion and diplomacy but can also pack a decent punch when those fail … and if you can keep a stubborn mule under control, that would be handy too! A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Dragon Coast for characters levels 4-7.

June 24, 2009

BALD1-4 Silent Streets and Vanished Souls
A distraught father has gotten no satisfaction from the city authorities of Baldur’s Gate, so he turns to sellswords in the hope of finding his lost daughter. The truth of her disappearance may reveal dark secrets from the city’s past -- secrets that those on both sides of the law would kill to protect. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Baldur’s Gate for characters levels 1-4.

AKAN1-4 Runes in Ruins
When the Spellplague brought Akanûl to the Realms, many items were shattered and lost. Pieces of something are now surfacing, and it is imperative that the government of Akanûl finds it before anyone else. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Akanûl for characters levels 4-7.

About the Author

Originally thought to have been raised from a humble Midwestern family, Chris Tulach actually fell to Earth in a meteorite-shaped capsule flung from a planet far outside our galaxy. While under the yellow rays of Sol, Chris’s nerdity far surpasses that of any normal human. Using this precious gift only for good, he has become the RPGA Content Designer, responsible for the development and deployment of Dungeons & Dragons organized play programs.