500 Words on the Adventurer's League

500 Words on the Adventurer's League — Blue Ink Alchemy

Of late, (almost) every Friday night, I take a long trip from my flat to West Seattle so I can join in the occasionally madcap shenanigans known as the Adventurer's League. For the uninitiated, the Adventurer's League is the 'official' organization for players and DMs of Dungeons & Dragons, sanctioned by Wizards of the Coast. Participants log their adventures, XP gains, and magical items to maintain a relative power level. There are three tiers of play, based on player character levels. New players start with characters at level 1 and work their way up the tiers, trying a smattering of different adventures every week as they progress. To what end, you might ask? The advantage of the Adventurer's League is that you can take an official, logged character to any League venue and game, and fit right in. No need to explain any odd stats or homebrewed items to your new DM. You can review a logsheet at any time, make sure things are on the level, and start rolling dice from there. It could be a friend's house, a coffee shop, or a huge gaming convention. It doesn't matter. Got that +1 breastplate and your holy avenger logged and approved by another DM? You're in. Speaking of DMs, being a Dungeon Master for the Adventurer's League has perks all its own. When you run an adventure, you don't just get the satisfaction of helping your players have a good time, even if you kill their characters. You also get rewards to apply to characters of your own. Dungeon Masters can be hard to come by — the DM experience is ultimately rewarding in and of itself, but it can be incredibly intimidating. There are incentives given just to get someone behind a screen at the table. After all, you can't have a Dungeons & Dragons adventure without someone to populate the dungeon and bring those dragons to life. Most of all, however, beyond the experience points and whatever else players and DMs gain, the Adventurer's League is a wonderful way to meet new people. Tabletop gaming, more often than not, is a collective experience, and everyone has something to bring to the table. Meeting like minds who contribute to a wonderful night of adventure and magic helps create a feeling of community. It helps people feel like they're not alone. It draws people out, and encourages them not only to engage their imaginations, but share it with others. That, in and of itself, is a beautiful thing to me. This happens with most D&D groups, of course. But when gathering at home, most of the players know one another, or get to know one another fairly quickly as they meet regularly. In the League, this happens with strangers. Every week. And everyone benefits from it, and walks away having had a good time. I know this isn't always the case, but so far, my personal experiences have been overwhelmingly positive. In spite of my worries, I plan to keep making the trip every week.

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Blue Ink Alchemy