Council Special Event Track: FCS Gaming League D&D

We have several special event tracks at this year's Council of Five Nations.  We will have special 'event track highlight' posts from now until Council weekend (coming in just two weeks; Oct 10-12).

Our first is from the FCS Gaming League.
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The FCS Gaming League is coordinated by Christopher J. Ford since its founding in December 2001. After more than 200 events, it is a very active component of gaming in the Capital and Adirondack Regions. Our games have taken place at Council of Five Nations, as well as over 15 other Cons since its founding, and have also actively participated at the SWA Game-A-Thons.  Some of the key points to the league:

1. Multiple Characters: One of the issues that the league has with RPG campaigns is that the number of game masters in any one area is very limited. Therefore, you only have the opportunity to join a very limited number of games. In each game, you usually only play one character. In the league's opinion, this doesn't allow you to explore as many facets of an RPG as you may like. The very first principle the league wanted to work with was the opportunity to play multiple characters. By putting together a team of characters, you get to explore many more classes, skills, and abilities, while decreasing from the urge to build one superbuilt character.  This also makes some classes more known for their supporting roles to be a bit more viable.

2. Multiple GMs: The league wants to give people the opportunity to GM or try GM'ing without committing to a long term campaign.  A players commitment to GMing is just one game.  In addition, GM teams also earn XP, allowing their teams to progress without hindrance.  The full information on team rewards, including player & GM XP, can be found at http://www.firstduty.com/add/league/guidelines.php?pg=rewards

3. Standard Rules: By sticking as close to possible with the standard rules, people can build characters anywhere and bring them into the league.  Unlike RPGA, though, the league allows all WOTC D&D current edition core and accessory books to be used in character creation, along with Dragon magazines after 309.  To see more information on creating your teams, visit http://www.firstduty.com/add/league/guidelines.php?pg=teams.

4. Social Gaming: One of the great things about an RPG is that you are actually interacting with other people. Many campaigns run for extended periods of time and require that you make the commitment for the length of the campaign. This occasionally becomes more like an obligation than a recreation.  The league wants a setup where people can come and go without feeling like they are tied down.  As a player, your commitment is for one game at a time – and if you can only make some games it doesn't impact your ability to play in the league.  To see a schedule of games that the league will be running, see http://www.firstduty.com/add/league/events.php - and any teams that participate at Council can continue in the fun at any of the events listed there, provided it is a game of the same level (i.e. novice, master) as the one(s) you play at Council.

To get to experience some of the joy that is FCS D&D, the league will be running two series of games this year:

Riders on the Storm & Presence of a Lord – Mixing several genres together, this two slot game will allow the players to test their characters in the James Bond pentathlon.  In the first session, the players will have to escort a diplomat across a light jungle during monsoon season safely to a trade guild outpost.  Once there, during the second session the players will need to help the trade guild deal with corruption that exists on the base and weed out the rebel warlord responsible.  Being run at novice level, new players will have teams with a total XP of 55,000.  And don't worry - there will be a way for players to join us during the second session if you just want to play one!

Silence & In Search of Sunlight – If you like pitched warfare this session is for you.  In the past, the Champions have taken the Diamond Rose, a powerful artifact, away from the most powerful undead dragon-like beast on the continent.  This dragon has raised an army, quickly, and it's heading right for the Castle of Trades, where the Champions had used it to save the Queen of the Lands.  Had it not been for the Champions noticing the huge Radont pack, the cabal of serpent-spiders known as Slassins, and the Colossal+ war machine a few hours out from the castle this would have been even worse, although any war machine that can be described as a nightmarish fusion of skeletal beast, mechanical terror, and lumbering dinosaur should be feared, and immediately respected, by any group that faces it.  As a master level game, the enemy is really able to bring it full tilt and will be swarming the castle with everything it can raise, and the Champions will be paid remarkably well if they can keep it from falling.  And, with new teams having 136,000 XP to work with, this could get very, very interesting.  No matter what happens, bards will sing about this day scores of years from now.  Will it be a song of praise or a funeral dirge?

If you have any questions about the league, please visit http://www.firstduty.com/add/league/ or email gaming@firstduty.com.

See you at Council!

~The FCS team