So i recently started DMing a few AL games and was just told that the DM gets a reward for sessions they run. Cool cool. The first one had a part at the end of the module that said exactly what i got... some gold and some XP (not sure if that helps me) and 10 DT days. But the second one just says "In exchange for running this adventure, you earn DM Rewards as described in the D&D Adventurers League Dungeon Master’s Guide (ALDMG)." But I can't find anything anywhere in the new v11 DM Guide that mentions rewards. I even looked through the FAQ and it is similarly vague and gives no answer. Where would i find said information/
I think the updated DM Rewards document, which will be called Service awards, is due out sometime early next year along with the Adaptation Guide which will include instructions for running the hardcovers. Until the new Service awards document comes out folks are supposed to use the season 9 DM rewards document. As far as I know, the season 9 document would supercede any DM rewards listed in a module.
AL has been running for a while now and there have been changes pretty much every year from what I've learned. Some of those were big, others not. But the bottom line is that the current rules for DM rewards are those from Season 9 and they will be updated in the near future.
For the moment the DM options are, IIRC, that you can give 1 level to one of your characters OR you can take 1 magic item from those available in the module. If you take a magic item you may give it to one of your characters, With the magic item you could bank it to give to a character at a later time and, I suppose, you could do the same with the level. I usually pass out the reward to one of my characters.
Discord has the new dms rewards download. For every 5 hours of play you get a magic item.
True but incomplete. At the moment the DM rewards are 5 hours of "credit" earns you a level for one of your characters and one of a very short list of magic items with some custom descriptions (and a quirk/minor property) but which are basically standard magic items. You can no longer choose items from content you run. There are several other constraints and personally I think the new system is far more of a disincentive to run AL than some reward for running it.
The new reward system would not make me more likely to run AL over playing which is what I think the ultimate goal of a DM "awards" system should be. If your goal is to advance your characters then it is a far better choice to play your character and leave the DMing to someone else (if you can find one) than choosing to run the content for a group and have fun that way since the players get far more rewards than the DM. The system also works against anyone DMing casually since to max out the DM rewards in the 3 month award periods, you need to run 90 hours of content or about 30 hours a month (though you can get more credit if you produce and stream your games and use safety tools in play) but if you are just running games it is just more work DMing for little reward. It may work for someone who is a forever DM but then the system isn't aimed at folks like that in the first place since all the "awards" benefit the character's of the DM and if the DM doesn't play they are essentially useless.
Anyway, I am hoping that they take into account feedback and revise the DM awards system to something that would actually work. In my opinion, the DM should never get fewer rewards than the players in the adventure - so they should receive level/magic items/consumables they can award to their characters if they wish - and there shouldn't be an expiry date. Most DMs won't use most of their awards anyway. (As an example, I've run DoIP, CoS nd a few modules for AL - I collected something like 40 DM rewards under the season 9 rules - I think I have awarded 1 magic item and 2 levels to my characters out of all that but at least that library of games I have run gives me a range of useful magic items I could award to a character if I felt like it. The new system doesn't, in my opinion, encourage a DM to run AL content as opposed to playing it at all.
Discord has the new dms rewards download. For every 5 hours of play you get a magic item.
True but incomplete. At the moment the DM rewards are 5 hours of "credit" earns you a level for one of your characters and one of a very short list of magic items with some custom descriptions (and a quirk/minor property) but which are basically standard magic items. You can no longer choose items from content you run. There are several other constraints and personally I think the new system is far more of a disincentive to run AL than some reward for running it.
The new reward system would not make me more likely to run AL over playing which is what I think the ultimate goal of a DM "awards" system should be. If your goal is to advance your characters then it is a far better choice to play your character and leave the DMing to someone else (if you can find one) than choosing to run the content for a group and have fun that way since the players get far more rewards than the DM. The system also works against anyone DMing casually since to max out the DM rewards in the 3 month award periods, you need to run 90 hours of content or about 30 hours a month (though you can get more credit if you produce and stream your games and use safety tools in play) but if you are just running games it is just more work DMing for little reward. It may work for someone who is a forever DM but then the system isn't aimed at folks like that in the first place since all the "awards" benefit the character's of the DM and if the DM doesn't play they are essentially useless.
Anyway, I am hoping that they take into account feedback and revise the DM awards system to something that would actually work. In my opinion, the DM should never get fewer rewards than the players in the adventure - so they should receive level/magic items/consumables they can award to their characters if they wish - and there shouldn't be an expiry date. Most DMs won't use most of their awards anyway. (As an example, I've run DoIP, CoS nd a few modules for AL - I collected something like 40 DM rewards under the season 9 rules - I think I have awarded 1 magic item and 2 levels to my characters out of all that but at least that library of games I have run gives me a range of useful magic items I could award to a character if I felt like it. The new system doesn't, in my opinion, encourage a DM to run AL content as opposed to playing it at all.
So i recently started DMing a few AL games and was just told that the DM gets a reward for sessions they run. Cool cool. The first one had a part at the end of the module that said exactly what i got... some gold and some XP (not sure if that helps me) and 10 DT days. But the second one just says "In exchange for running this adventure, you earn DM Rewards as described in the D&D Adventurers League Dungeon Master’s Guide (ALDMG)." But I can't find anything anywhere in the new v11 DM Guide that mentions rewards. I even looked through the FAQ and it is similarly vague and gives no answer. Where would i find said information/
Thanks a bunch!
I see if I can find the link but the most current DM rewards list is season 9.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
AL_DMRewards.pdf (wizards.com)
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
I think the updated DM Rewards document, which will be called Service awards, is due out sometime early next year along with the Adaptation Guide which will include instructions for running the hardcovers. Until the new Service awards document comes out folks are supposed to use the season 9 DM rewards document. As far as I know, the season 9 document would supercede any DM rewards listed in a module.
David42 is correct.
AL has been running for a while now and there have been changes pretty much every year from what I've learned. Some of those were big, others not. But the bottom line is that the current rules for DM rewards are those from Season 9 and they will be updated in the near future.
For the moment the DM options are, IIRC, that you can give 1 level to one of your characters OR you can take 1 magic item from those available in the module. If you take a magic item you may give it to one of your characters, With the magic item you could bank it to give to a character at a later time and, I suppose, you could do the same with the level. I usually pass out the reward to one of my characters.
Discord has the new dms rewards download. For every 5 hours of play you get a magic item.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
True but incomplete. At the moment the DM rewards are 5 hours of "credit" earns you a level for one of your characters and one of a very short list of magic items with some custom descriptions (and a quirk/minor property) but which are basically standard magic items. You can no longer choose items from content you run. There are several other constraints and personally I think the new system is far more of a disincentive to run AL than some reward for running it.
The new reward system would not make me more likely to run AL over playing which is what I think the ultimate goal of a DM "awards" system should be. If your goal is to advance your characters then it is a far better choice to play your character and leave the DMing to someone else (if you can find one) than choosing to run the content for a group and have fun that way since the players get far more rewards than the DM. The system also works against anyone DMing casually since to max out the DM rewards in the 3 month award periods, you need to run 90 hours of content or about 30 hours a month (though you can get more credit if you produce and stream your games and use safety tools in play) but if you are just running games it is just more work DMing for little reward. It may work for someone who is a forever DM but then the system isn't aimed at folks like that in the first place since all the "awards" benefit the character's of the DM and if the DM doesn't play they are essentially useless.
Anyway, I am hoping that they take into account feedback and revise the DM awards system to something that would actually work. In my opinion, the DM should never get fewer rewards than the players in the adventure - so they should receive level/magic items/consumables they can award to their characters if they wish - and there shouldn't be an expiry date. Most DMs won't use most of their awards anyway. (As an example, I've run DoIP, CoS nd a few modules for AL - I collected something like 40 DM rewards under the season 9 rules - I think I have awarded 1 magic item and 2 levels to my characters out of all that but at least that library of games I have run gives me a range of useful magic items I could award to a character if I felt like it. The new system doesn't, in my opinion, encourage a DM to run AL content as opposed to playing it at all.
https://media.wizards.com/2021/dnd/downloads/DDAL_Forgotten_Realms_Service_Awards_Season_11A.pdf