Not that I play 4Ed, but anyone have any idea what this is? How does it differ from the Encounters weekly stuff they're already running?
Wizards of the Coast has announced the September launch of its new highly tactical Dungeons & Dragons Lair Assault Organized Play program. The new D&D Lair Assault in-store play program features “convention-style play that challenges players on two levels, character building and tactical knowledge. The program will offer reusable, modifiable challenges, creating a different play experience every time. The first D&D Lair Assault challenge, Forge of the Dawn Titan, will run from September 1st through November at participating hobby game stores, with future challenges following a similar format.
The D&D Lair Assault program is designed for players looking for more complex, strategic, and highly tactical challenges. The D&D Lair Assault program is tailored to groups of players who enjoy solving tactical puzzles, optimizing characters, and using rules to their advantage. Each D&D Lair Assault challenge features complex encounters prepared in advance by the Dungeon Master. Players are then pitted against their DM in an attempt to solve highly customized and creative challenges.
Adventuring groups will often attempt a challenge several times before solving it, and will be successful only when a balance of skill and luck is achieved. The quickly changing game elements force players to reevaluate their strategies as they navigate treacherous terrain and hazards. Challenges feature an extremely difficult “super” encounter in which players must build an adventuring party to take on a perilous and highly tactical challenge. D&D Fortune Cards are featured as part of the play experience, providing a critical edge for success through special in-game effects the players can use or trade to aid them in their game.
Not that I play 4Ed, but anyone have any idea what this is? How does it differ from the Encounters weekly stuff they're already running?It sounds like this is more of an advanced program, similar to the D&D challenges you'd see in earlier editions, or the sort of intense battle interactives you might get with Living Greyhawk in the 3rd Edition days.
Encounters is aimed at new and casual play, getting people into the game, etc. This looks much more intense, more of a competition to see how far a party can get or how well they can do. At least, from how I'm reading it.
It's WotC's version of fourthcore. Dungeon delves for people who like to CharOp and fight the hard fights.
That is how I started 4E, via the previous 4E encounter book. We would change out characters every month at the game shop. The only thing I don't like is the fortune cards in this recent version, so I wonder how much of a power gap that will present. I stopped playing 4E encounter nights because I can only stomach so many low levels adventures.