What is D&D Adventurers League: A Guide for New Players

If you’re new to D&D you may have heard of Adventurers League. But what exactly is it? We break out everything you need to know.

The D&D Adventurers League (DDAL) is a program managed by Wizards of the Coast that allows new and existing players to participate in officially run Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition adventurers. DDAL events typically occur at a local “host” game store, library, school or convention, and consist of a single curated adventure designed to be completed in a single sitting (also known as a one shot adventure). Players can also participate in “Epics,” which are longer adventures that take place over the course of multiple game sessions (also known as a “Season”) and involve multiple groups of players.

How can I play in a D&D Adventurers League event?

Anyone can participate in a DDAL event, and sessions are open to both first-time and experienced gamers alike. To participate as a player, all you need to do is find a local store hosting a DDAL event, create a character and show up for the session at the time and place indicated. If you’re new to Dungeons & Dragons, the Adventurers League provides a number of free online resources to help you get started with character creation, including reference materials, rules and even official printed DnD character sheets.

How can I DM a D&D Adventurers League event?

To participate as a Dungeon Master in public DDAL events, you’ll first need to contact the official event organizers for a specific location. Bear in mind that only DDAL approved adventures are allowed, so you won’t be able to run any homebrew materials.

To get started, you’ll need to purchase and download the official adventure (bear in mind that different “Seasons” have different adventures and no homebrew materials are permitted – although Wizards of the Coast does allow players to create content under their Dungeoncraft program. You’ll then need to familiarize yourself with the adventure and then arrive at the date and time provided. Most of the adventures are available for purchase via DMs Guild, an online store that offers a range of fifth edition D&D materials.

It’s also important to note that you will likely not know who you’re playing with ahead of time and what characters they may choose to use, so be prepared to be as flexible as possible during the session.

How can I organize a D&D Adventurers League Event?

If you’re interested in setting up your own event, you can follow Wizards of the Coast’s DDAL Organizer’s Guide. The event can take place at a convention, a game store, a school or other venue. You may also be able to run an adventure online.

Regardless of where you host your DDAL event, you’ll need to have a “Coordinator” to schedule events ,keep track of players and ensure that DMs have the official adventures ready to go. Notably, Wizards of the Coast also offers discounts on materials to participating retailers, and many game, comic book and hobby stores use the event to draw in new customers and sell products to existing customers.

Common D&D Adventurers League Terminology

While you don’t need to have any familiarity with D&D or the Adventurers League to participate, your first session will likely go a lot smoother if you understand a few of the key terms used. You may also note that a lot of abbreviated “codes” appear with materials, so having a bit of familiarity with these (while not a requirement) can be helpful.

Adventures/Expeditions (DDAL/DDEX): These are short, two-to-eight hour adventures that take place during a the main storyline of a season. They are usually set in a single location and feature multiple character level tiers (starting out a 1-4 and advancing from there). Notably, “Expeditions” (DDEX) is an older term that has since been replaced by “Adventures” (DDAL) by Wizards of the Coast.

Authors Only (DDAO): These are adventures that only the author who wrote them can officially run. These authors are usually Wizards of the Coast employees, approved third-party publishers, or D&D Adventures League administrators.

Campaign Setting: This refers to what world the adventures take place in. The majority of DDAL events take place in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, but there are games set in other game worlds. You can may see the worlds abbreviated in material names. For example, Dragonlance adventures appear as “DL”, while Spelljammer appears as “SJ.”

Convention-Created Content (CCC): These adventures are produced by independent organizations for use at local conventions. In most cases they are exclusive to the convention but will often be made available for general purchase six months after they were played.

Epics (DDEP): These are epic adventures that require two or more groups to play simultaneously. They usually include some game element that allows the groups to interact. Epics tend to much more difficult than standard adventures/expeditions.

Episodes: You may also see specific adventures listed as “Episodes,” much like a television show. These will often be appreciated as “Episode X,” with the X indicating the episode number. In most cases players can drop in and out of DDAL events and play in a current episode without having to have played any previous ones.

Introductory Adventures (DDIA): These introductory adventures usually occur before the release of a Wizards of the Coast hardcover book and serve as a way to drum up interest for that product and introduce players to the materials that will eventually be released.

Hardcover Adventures (DDHC): These are adventures that are taken from existing publisher hardcover D&D books published by Wizards of the Coast. For example, the code “DDHC-JRC” means that the adventures are taken from the hardcover anthology Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel.

Part: Like episodes, you may also see specific materials listed as “Part,” indicating they consist of a sequent of adventures. This will simply appear as “Part X,” with X indicating what episode is being played.

Publisher: In some cases, third-party publishers may be allowed to create Adventurers League materials and will be represented by their own unique code. For example, the publisher Baldman Games has been officially chosen by Wizards of the Coast to produce Adventurers League materials. Their content appears using the code “DDBMG.”

Seasons: As noted previously, Adventurers League events are often broken out into seasons (consisting of multiples adventures). Typically these are based around a specific campaign hardcover release. Below are the list of past seasons and their code.

• Season 1: Tyranny of Dragons (DDEX01)
• Season 2: Elemental Evil (DDEX02)
• Season 3: Rage of Demons (DDEX03)
• Season 4: Curse of Strahd (DDAL04)
• Season 5: Storm King’s Thunder (DDAL05)
• Season 6: Tales From the Yawning Portal (DDAL06)
• Season 7: Tomb of Annihilation (DDAL07)
• Season 8: Waterdeep (DDAL08)
• Season 9: Avernus Rising (DDAL09)
• Season 10: Plague of Ancients (DDAL10)
• Season 11: Wild Beyond the Witchlight
• Season 12: Spelljammer

Pros and Cons of D&D Adventures League

While the DDAL is for the most part a great experience, there are a few things you should be aware of.

Pros

• The chance to meet new players (and potentially form you own group)
• A robust online community
• High quality adventures
• Usually top-tier DMs
• Convention exclusive materials

Cons

• No homebrew materials allowed
• Random players and DMs (might run into a few rules lawyers/power gamers)
• Only allowed at specific locations/venues
• Can be somewhat intimidating for new/younger players

D&D Adventures League Resources

If you’re looking for more information, you can also find a ton of online resources to help you get started with the DDAL.

• Official D&D Adventures League Website
• Forgotten Realms Adventurers League Wiki
• DMs Guild List of DDAL Adventures
• Official DDAL Twitter Account
• DDAL Reddit Community
• Yawning Portal: Official DDAL Blog
• DDAL Discord Channel

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