I've been DMing AL for about 6/7 weeks now. It's been great, and I've been running season one modules in order. However, I've noticed a really distinct pattern of each module following the pattern of a mystery/ role play opportunity, followed my a mini-dungeon that focuses on combat, with little variation. I want to keep things interesting for my players despite it being AL! Any help would be appreciated :)
The Adventure League modules are very formulaic for a reason. They are intro products to get people acclimated to the various pillars of 5th Ed design. Depending on the module you are running, there are ways to spice things up a little. Which part do you need help with specifically?
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Maybe combat, I'm not terribly sure... I just don't want combat to be so formulaic and gamey. I try to give it a little theatricality by describing deaths ,and some small in-between stuff, but the last module we did had very little role play and was basically just a dungeon and it ended up being a slog.
There's not as much to be done to spice up combat unless you have some buy-in from your players. I would suggest instead of just doing formulaic hits and damage, maybe get your players in on the theatrics a bit? Have them describe that mighty hit that just happened, or explain how they narrowly dodged or blocked that miss that the enemy just dealt. The AL set-pieces for the combats don't often give a lot of wiggle room for players being creative with their surroundings, but maybe look out for various items or unique terrain that would make for an interesting maneuver and let your players run with it.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
I want to keep things interesting for my players despite it being AL!
Pretty sure those two things aren't mutually exclusive ;-)
Anyway, my recommendation would be to run some of the hardcovers. They are certainly a change-up depending on which one you run! Certain chapters can be placed into standard play quite easily so it should work out fine!
Counterintuitive advice: make combat less about the combat
Give NPCs motives
Always have the NPCs motives in mind. Think, "If this PC was a character, how would he/she act." I usually prepare a few triggers per encounter. What goal do the NPCs have? What PC actions will trigger them to flee, surrender, or fight to the death?
Damage, Duration, Disruption
Balance the three pillars of combat! Disruption: have some mechanic that impacts the fight. Low intensity, add difficult terrain (slippery floor, half movement, Dex check to stay standing on ice). High intensity, add environmental damage (poisonous gas, randomly arcing electricity, barrels of oil catch fire). Duration: PCs should always be on a timer, there should never be open ended combat. Low duration: deny rest (tracking kidnappers to retrieve hostages, can't rest and let trail go cold). High intensity: extreme pressure to prioritize getting out more than killing everything (cavern is collapsing on the party, limited air supply, endless swarm approaching). Damage: if nothing else is creating tension, up the damage. Low intensity: low per round damage (extreme heat/cold). High intensity: double the damage from NPC primary attack.
Pro tip: check out the giants from Volo's guide. Great examples of creating thematic variation that makes combat interesting.
Player Agency
Outsource some of the work! Lay the scene's foundation and ask for each player to provide additional element to the scene. Give them a fight in an alleyway, and let them come up with details (low/climbable structures, grates for underground sewer, abandoned merchant stalls, a pile of cooking refuse from a local inn). Exercise judgement here, some players try to use this technique to meta game instead of tell a story. Also, remember that anything they describe for their advantage can be easily used against them.
Your primary purpose as DM is to craft a positive, collaborative storytelling experience. Everything else comes second. AL specifically granted DMs flexibility to incorporate anything "thematically appropriate", so use it! Good luck!
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I've been DMing AL for about 6/7 weeks now. It's been great, and I've been running season one modules in order. However, I've noticed a really distinct pattern of each module following the pattern of a mystery/ role play opportunity, followed my a mini-dungeon that focuses on combat, with little variation. I want to keep things interesting for my players despite it being AL! Any help would be appreciated :)
The Adventure League modules are very formulaic for a reason. They are intro products to get people acclimated to the various pillars of 5th Ed design. Depending on the module you are running, there are ways to spice things up a little. Which part do you need help with specifically?
Maybe combat, I'm not terribly sure... I just don't want combat to be so formulaic and gamey. I try to give it a little theatricality by describing deaths ,and some small in-between stuff, but the last module we did had very little role play and was basically just a dungeon and it ended up being a slog.
There's not as much to be done to spice up combat unless you have some buy-in from your players. I would suggest instead of just doing formulaic hits and damage, maybe get your players in on the theatrics a bit? Have them describe that mighty hit that just happened, or explain how they narrowly dodged or blocked that miss that the enemy just dealt. The AL set-pieces for the combats don't often give a lot of wiggle room for players being creative with their surroundings, but maybe look out for various items or unique terrain that would make for an interesting maneuver and let your players run with it.
DM of Tomb of Annihilation (and more) Group 2 and Group 3
Counterintuitive advice: make combat less about the combat
Give NPCs motives
Always have the NPCs motives in mind. Think, "If this PC was a character, how would he/she act." I usually prepare a few triggers per encounter. What goal do the NPCs have? What PC actions will trigger them to flee, surrender, or fight to the death?
Damage, Duration, Disruption
Balance the three pillars of combat! Disruption: have some mechanic that impacts the fight. Low intensity, add difficult terrain (slippery floor, half movement, Dex check to stay standing on ice). High intensity, add environmental damage (poisonous gas, randomly arcing electricity, barrels of oil catch fire). Duration: PCs should always be on a timer, there should never be open ended combat. Low duration: deny rest (tracking kidnappers to retrieve hostages, can't rest and let trail go cold). High intensity: extreme pressure to prioritize getting out more than killing everything (cavern is collapsing on the party, limited air supply, endless swarm approaching). Damage: if nothing else is creating tension, up the damage. Low intensity: low per round damage (extreme heat/cold). High intensity: double the damage from NPC primary attack.
Pro tip: check out the giants from Volo's guide. Great examples of creating thematic variation that makes combat interesting.
Player Agency
Outsource some of the work! Lay the scene's foundation and ask for each player to provide additional element to the scene. Give them a fight in an alleyway, and let them come up with details (low/climbable structures, grates for underground sewer, abandoned merchant stalls, a pile of cooking refuse from a local inn). Exercise judgement here, some players try to use this technique to meta game instead of tell a story. Also, remember that anything they describe for their advantage can be easily used against them.
Your primary purpose as DM is to craft a positive, collaborative storytelling experience. Everything else comes second. AL specifically granted DMs flexibility to incorporate anything "thematically appropriate", so use it! Good luck!