Keithric is quiet correct in his assessment of LFR. In home games you are free to run the game as you want, although if you change rewards the characters stop being LFR legal and cannot be played outside your own game. There is nobody going to knock on your door if you change adventures beyond what is allowed in LFR, and most would really not care if people play their characters in public events either. The players and the DMs should realize though that by changing those adventures there is a risk it eventually clashes with new materials. The DM should also make sure the players are aware of the fact, and decide beforehand whether they still want to join. That is no different from when you start a normal campaign. It is just that with LFR people already have a strong idea on what the campaign entails, and it is even more important to note that it is going to be different from the casual one-shots most players assume* LFR is.
Note that it is also a good idea to discuss your policy about playing LFR adventures outside your own game. It can be a bit of a dissapointment if the regular player suddenly outlevels the rest of the group due to a visit to a convention or has to sit out an adventure because he happened to play it before.
* I say assume, because if players actually pay attention to the adventures they play beforehand, selecting adventures based on storyline and region, by now they can easily get to paragon level and feel it is one big connected campaig without even running a single MYRE.
We've run a number of "home campaigns" with the outcome that "at the end of the campaign, these characters will be LFR legal." Basically, we all agreed to play our characters together from Level 1-7 with the same DM/storyline until the conclusion of the campaign story arc. When we went to game days, conventions, etc. we used different characters.
At the end of the campaign, our characters went their separate ways. We all walked away with LFR-legal Level 7 characters, and made new characters for the next campaign. This was VERY satisfying. For those of use who developed characters that we really enjoyed, we did not have to abandon them at the end of the campaign - - they are still playable at any LFR event! Some of our players got "bored" with their characters - or became more interested in trying out new content - so "retired" their campaign characters. This system worked for everyone.
The LFR adventure library has enough content that you can play many quests/story arcs and still get continuity. Planning is key if you don't enjoy "replayers." Be clear about which mods/stories you want to run, and communicate to players that they should avoid playing those adventures at other venues. (In our group, we rotate judges, so if someone plays a new mod at a different venue, they judge it for the rest of our group!)
There are many play-styles and groups out there, and it sounds like you have a good idea of what you want to do. Go for it!
Dan Anderson @EpicUthrac Living Forgotten Realms Calimshan Writing Director Living Forgotten Realms Epic Writing Director
Meet me at TotalConfusion: http://www.totalcon.com/RolePlaying.html
The more I read, the more I am confused… but not discouraged at all.
The LFGCCG 1.99 document has some interesting tidbits in it that I am trying to absorb.
Page 4: Rules for Home Games
If you’re going to be the DM for a homebrew game, you can choose to follow any or all of the information in this guide. However, if you make your game a RPGA-sanctioned public event, meaning different players can rotate in and out of your sessions, you need to use two rules presented here: characters use Method 1 or 2 for ability scores and characters have use of RPGA Rewards cards (see below). The rest is up to you.
It seems to read, to me, that having some restrictions (as the organizer/DM), such as starting at level 1 or limitations on what races are allowed, is within my right while still being a legitimate LFR RPGA event. As I am clean and concise with the documentation and requirements of my events, players understand my particular expectations and campaign related details. There shouldn’t be any confusion or uproar over said restrictions.
However, on Pages 10-11 we have rules on Organizing and DMing for LFR:
The DM cannot specify what rules elements are or are not allowed for characters.
Which, when compared to Page 4, seems to clash. Pages 10-11, at no point, say these rules are only for open, public play events.
In the end, my current take on the question at hand is generally:
A campaign based on continuity, roleplay, and a “company” of characters does not go against any LFR or RPGA tenets.
As the organizer of a Private Campaign set in the Forgotten Realms using the LFR guide for creating legal characters, I can set restrictions as to what characters are legal within my campaign. If I want to exclude PHB3 races from my campaign or even have class restrictions/limitations (for roleplay/story element purposes), it’s okay to do so. Restricting players to new characters (at campaign’s inception) is in my right. It’s the player’s decision if he wants to apply to join under said limitations.
That said, even if I set an event up as Public, so long as I advertise it as a Home Brew event with specific rules exclusive to it, I could, in fact, do so. Whether or not characters created or used in said event will be LFR legal beyond that event is another matter entirely.
Which brings me to that important distinction. It would seem to me, based on what I read, that if I were to use LFR Regional Modules and run them as intended (with the minor latitudes allowed in adjusting them) as well as creating modules using the My Realms guide, that characters that come out of the Private Campaign could still be very legal if players wanted to, thereafter, use them in Public venues. I can restrict them to using them only during the private campaign for the course of that Private Campaign, but if someone were to leave (for whatever reason) or the campaign be terminated or come to a natural conclusion, there should be no reason that the players could not use those characters in other LFR events and be considered viable, legal characters.
The spirit of the LFR might be to set guidelines down to allow players to use CCG legal characters of any Level Band in any appropriate event for that level range, but D&D has a strong history of being well suited for campaigns centered around a continuing story, roleplay, and groups of cohesive players. I don’t think one has to preclude the other. I think the two can meet in the middle somewhere and coexist. A private campaign (played with detail and depth that is natural for a world rich with plot in the Forgotten Realms) that produces LFR legal characters and which run events (adventures) that adhere to the guidelines of the various adventures (including My Realms creations) does not break from the essence of what is D&D and LFR.
At least, that’s my take on it to this point.
I want to also express my appreciation for the input, encouragement, and well-intended advice set out here by everyone. There's a lot of food for thought and well expressed opinion that has helped me get a better understand of what I intend to throw myself into. And I am sure my "take" will continue to evolve as time goes on.
As always, I am open to more suggestions, rules clarifications, other input, and inquiries.
A campaign based on continuity, roleplay, and a “company” of characters does not go against any LFR or RPGA tenets.
As the organizer of a Private Campaign set in the Forgotten Realms using the LFR guide for creating legal characters, I can set restrictions as to what characters are legal within my campaign. If I want to exclude PHB3 races from my campaign or even have class restrictions/limitations (for roleplay/story element purposes), it’s okay to do so. Restricting players to new characters (at campaign’s inception) is in my right. It’s the player’s decision if he wants to apply to join under said limitations.
That said, even if I set an event up as Public, so long as I advertise it as a Home Brew event with specific rules exclusive to it, I could, in fact, do so. Whether or not characters created or used in said event will be LFR legal beyond that event is another matter entirely.
Which brings me to that important distinction. It would seem to me, based on what I read, that if I were to use LFR Regional Modules and run them as intended (with the minor latitudes allowed in adjusting them) as well as creating modules using the My Realms guide, that characters that come out of the Private Campaign could still be very legal if players wanted to, thereafter, use them in Public venues. I can restrict them to using them only during the private campaign for the course of that Private Campaign, but if someone were to leave (for whatever reason) or the campaign be terminated or come to a natural conclusion, there should be no reason that the players could not use those characters in other LFR events and be considered viable, legal characters.
Sounds like you pretty much have it. You want to use LFR adventures, starting at level 1 with PHB1-2 races to make a continuous campaign. As an LFR event, you can't actually restrict the race choice, but asking your players to make new characters of a set of races is fine. Once you tell them that they can't use a LFR-legal character, you are not really running a LFR game, but the characters coming out would still be LFR legal. If the players do what you ask (PHB1-2 races, start at level 1) and you keep the treasure/XP/Gold from LFR adventures the same, your players can use those characters in any LFR game that they want to play in.
What makes me sad - no more compiled magazines: http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/27580349/Dungeon_and_Dragon_Magazine_PDFs&post_num=24#495423645
A private campaign that produces LFR legal characters and which run events (adventures) that adhere to the guidelines of the various adventures (including My Realms creations) does not break from the essence of what is D&D and LFR.
One big draw for LFR/RPGA/Organized Play is the portability of characters. It's a "shared rules/guidelines" experience that allows me to take a character from Table A and play it anywhere else in the community. If I move, go to a convention, or whatever, I can still play my favorite character.
By using the CCG as a guideline (with your own more-strict restrictions), your players have LFR-legal characters. If they move away, the campaign ends, etc., they can still keep playing those characters.
I think if you clarify what you are doing, your players will understand. It sounds like you are running: "A private home-brew campaign set in the Forgotten Realms. However, note that characters will be LFR legal when they leave the campaign." as opposed to "I'm running LFR." This still has the appeal of "life beyond the campaign" for the players, while allowing you to impose any "table-restrictions" you want. (So yes, you can exclude PHB 3, if that is to your fancy.) As long as your personal CCG is a subset of the LFR CCG (and rewards conform to the guidelines), characters will still be legal when then move to LFR.
Dan Anderson @EpicUthrac Living Forgotten Realms Calimshan Writing Director Living Forgotten Realms Epic Writing Director
Meet me at TotalConfusion: http://www.totalcon.com/RolePlaying.html
I would love to see more of these. LFR has all of the tools built right in to make it an extremely good roleplaying or home-based campaign.. that manages to keep Living-style portability and options open for everyone. DME, Adventuring companies and MyRealms!
You CAN be as In-Characterly restrictive as you want. Just make those restrictions into an Adventuring Company. This is what I did for my Drow campaign within a campaign set in the Underdark beneath the East Rift. (house-of-exile.wikidot.com) You can be a drow or a slave of the drow. If that's not cool..find another adventuring company! I did this previously with my All-Arcane adventuring company. Your character needs an arcane power source to join.
Make all of the events private, and you can control attendance. And by managing attendance, you can indeed control which races and classes are available. Because if the players want to play in a private event, they have to abide by what you are willing to work with. So.. here's where you invite "vetted" players.
Use MyRealms and you can add as much continuity and roleplaying as you like. These are great tools, and I happen to think they provide some good guidelines to DMs. MyRealms adventures really don't restrict you as far as content goes, and of course there's nobody standing over your shoulder when you DM.
I don't think you should worry too much about making events public..It's perfectly alright to make events public if you can handle it.
A few people have mentioned "A private home-brew campaign set in the Forgotten Realms. However, note that characters will be LFR legal when they leave the campaign." -- I have to tell you. There's no functional difference. if it's LFR legal at the end, then it was LFR all along.
I did this previously with my All-Arcane adventuring company. Your character needs an arcane power source to join. 