Chris Lindsay Talks About Adventures League June 22, 2018Zoltar <br /> hi everyone this is Dean d beyond I am<br /> here with my friend Chris Lindsey and<br /> we’re talking about adventures leave yep<br /> so yeah tell me what this magical thing<br /> adventures like is what new things do<br /> you guys have in store certainly<br /> adventurers League is the organized play<br /> program for Dungeons & Dragons that<br /> Wizards of the coast manages and I’m<br /> responsible for it which is the coast so<br /> and we have all kinds of DD events<br /> around the world basically some of which<br /> we directly get involved in like the one<br /> here at origins right and our goal<br /> really is just to make sure that people<br /> can have the best play experience in<br /> public possible right and how do you go<br /> about doing that though<br /> well you’re providing structure we do we<br /> have a structure there’s a shared world<br /> campaign so people can take their<br /> character from game to game the game so<br /> if they go from event to playing it home<br /> to wherever to the store they can take<br /> the same character and they can play and<br /> they can continue to advance a character<br /> and have a good time and meet new<br /> friends and just be a part of their<br /> community you know of gamers why is this<br /> a passion of yours Wow<br /> well D&D in general has been a passion<br /> of mine since I was like 10 but<br /> community the the feeling of being a<br /> part of a much larger group has always<br /> been extremely fulfilling for me and<br /> super exciting and I love going to big<br /> shows and seeing like seeing a DND<br /> gaming event that you can’t get anywhere<br /> else right so like here we’re gonna have<br /> the red war epic and we’re gonna have<br /> today and tomorrow we’re going on the DD<br /> open and we have game elements built<br /> into these games that you can’t get at<br /> your home game you’re you need more than<br /> like one table you need more than five<br /> tables you need a whole bunch of tables<br /> or people whether it be what are these<br /> elements you’re talking about so like<br /> with the epic today tables will be able<br /> to help each other because technically<br /> they’re all playing in the same<br /> adventure right and it’s not that we<br /> have a bunch of separate teams and<br /> they’re all running the same adventure<br /> that there’s interactivity between<br /> tables right and there’s elements built<br /> in like they can do things to help boost<br /> the other table or give them a nice one<br /> tables handling an aspect of an<br /> adventure yeah other table is making<br /> something else handling something else<br /> and depending off this table succeeded<br /> or failed exactly that will inform the<br /> experience of someone next to you<br /> exactly have a big haul of people<br /> playing adventure exactly like 40 tables<br /> of people playing one adventure right<br /> then it’s basically live Marvel<br /> Cinematic Universe exactly exactly what<br /> it is right and and people were playing<br /> at all tiers right so you’ll have<br /> characters from levels 1 to 20 all<br /> playing the same adventure but the<br /> challenges that they have to interact<br /> with are gonna be different depending on<br /> where they meet that adventure attic<br /> right that’s gonna form some new<br /> friendships when you like jump into<br /> something like that it does yeah yeah<br /> absolutely and the logistical aspect of<br /> actually managing all of that because<br /> they’re in addition to having table<br /> Dungeon Master’s we have to have<br /> basically a bent dungeon masters who are<br /> circulating and making sure that<br /> everything is running smoothly as it’s<br /> all kinda like interlocked together<br /> right and someone’s gabbi’s designing<br /> the stories to interlock yes nice so<br /> yeah where is that coming from<br /> we we have a cadre stable or how do you<br /> want to call it of fantastic fan authors<br /> and which actually are professional<br /> authors for D&D yeah right and they put<br /> together<br /> these adventures under the guidance of<br /> the adventurers like abdun team okay who<br /> report directly to mean and they work to<br /> build out the entire we start with like<br /> a based storyline and and not line an<br /> idea and then we just kind of work with<br /> them to like flush out the whole thing<br /> and then they just go crazy and they<br /> build the adventure and the admins tie<br /> it all together that’s so cool yeah<br /> especially like if you are new to D&D<br /> mm-hmm and you can just like jump into<br /> like a convention like this or your<br /> hobby shop and you’re just getting the<br /> full experience in one day attack you’re<br /> getting the whole thing and you can come<br /> in and sometimes we’ll have like<br /> billions that float from table to table<br /> the table yeah right there’s nothing<br /> like having you know you just you know<br /> that that one Dungeon Master who’s all<br /> they’re doing is they’re playing the<br /> Dragon and the dragon comes flying in to<br /> the table and then um buddy goes nuts I<br /> get like Merle’s big a big miniature<br /> Tiamat just going and Tiamat shows up<br /> yeah yeah we had an epic last year where<br /> one of the it was a lower level of it<br /> but one of the floating monsters was<br /> this casmi demon and rhudi Ruttenberg<br /> from me Zarkana would go from table to<br /> table and the cosmic demon has a drone<br /> ability and he would speak to all the<br /> players in the voice of Ben Stein<br /> because he’s voice actor it was<br /> hilarious<br /> what uh what are there things that<br /> you’re working on now that you would<br /> like to expand is there like new<br /> features or new Jesus just had a DD<br /> summit and for the adventurers League<br /> and we are getting ready to move into<br /> season eight with the release of Dragon<br /> heists and then later on dungeon of the<br /> mad mage that’s gonna be an especially<br /> challenging season for us because<br /> instead of taking one adventure and<br /> building a season around it we’re taking<br /> both adventures and we’re linking the<br /> whole thing together in one cohesive<br /> story arc to support those adventures<br /> for adventure sake<br /> so we’re gonna have a two-book season<br /> and and we are moving over to using the<br /> checkpoint system in zathras guide to<br /> everything for player rewards and<br /> advancements so that’s gonna become a<br /> new thing for the adventures in<br /> community but we really feel like it’s<br /> gonna streamline how you operate in how<br /> people can like move from table to table<br /> with those characters will make it much<br /> easier for them to do that now Lisa’s<br /> not here with us no yeah she had a<br /> scheduling conflict yeah but tell me a<br /> little bit about Lisa’s contributions so<br /> lisa is one of our two Community<br /> Managers her and Alan Patrick and Lisa<br /> is really fantastic at rallying the<br /> community behind behind D&D and she is<br /> really basically the ultimate I don’t<br /> want to say she’s the ultimate<br /> cheerleader because that’s really<br /> diminishing what she does but she she’s<br /> like the you know she keeps everybody up<br /> right and it’s Lisa’s job to be that<br /> warm welcoming person for new folks as<br /> they coming into the adventurers League<br /> and she helps to kind of guide them into<br /> the program and then direct them to<br /> where they need the things they need so<br /> that they can be involved yeah and she’s<br /> fantastic at that how does someone get<br /> involved the easiest way to give<br /> especially for a new player yeah someone<br /> who is just scared of like making that<br /> leap to D&D uh-huh how do they get<br /> involved well one way to get there’s a<br /> number of ways to get involved one way<br /> to get involved of course is to come to<br /> a show like this right like where it is<br /> yeah like origins right and that’s but<br /> that’s kind of like sometimes it can be<br /> a little bit daunting but we always try<br /> and set up these introductory tables to<br /> get people involved like in a very<br /> gentle manner and we tell our dungeon<br /> master say be nice with the new guy hey<br /> folks we want them down you want them to<br /> come back yeah right<br /> another way is to go to your friendly<br /> local gaming store and<br /> and some of them will run adventurous<br /> League events at their store for new and<br /> existing players and and that can be<br /> very fun and exciting<br /> a third way is if you just want to get<br /> involved with the ventures League if you<br /> just want to start at home you could do<br /> that you can get an adventure off the<br /> Dungeon Master’s guilds and download it<br /> and run it for your friends and and you<br /> get the little documentation and you can<br /> keep track of your experience and stuff<br /> and it’s not complicated at all we try<br /> to make it as easy as possible how big<br /> is this community oh wow<br /> they get last count we had somewhere<br /> between eighty and a hundred thousand<br /> followers on Facebook and by the way our<br /> Facebook page for a DV Ventures league<br /> is also a fantastic way to come in and<br /> ask questions and get acclimated to the<br /> community right there’s Lisa is there<br /> and Alan Patrick is there and they’re<br /> their sole mission is to basically guide<br /> people into the community and help them<br /> get comfortable with participating with<br /> a much larger group yeah it’s really<br /> important to like for people who are<br /> like scared because they get this<br /> question a lot like we were scared –<br /> playing – indeed there is a network of<br /> first off the community for DeeDee is<br /> incredibly nice yes yes we would–we<br /> wants you to play they want you to have<br /> a positive experience and adventures<br /> League is a big part of that yes we want<br /> everybody to come we don’t care you know<br /> it’s the all inclusive environment and<br /> it’s absolutely a safe place to come in<br /> and learn about D & B and to have a good<br /> time and to be a part of a logic you’re<br /> not gonna feel alienated no you should<br /> never feel alienated<br /> ya know we want everybody from all walks<br /> of life from all belief speedos and<br /> whatever to come in and join us we’re<br /> within this fantastic hobby yeah if you<br /> ever see this guy walking around the<br /> show floor of any con just go over to<br /> them and yeah I’m not even you know say<br /> I say hi oh you got a little bit water<br /> yeah cool<br /> I like water is that water for em or<br /> maybe<br /> [Laughter]<br /> now dams go yeah you’re heavily involved<br /> with as well yeah I mean I’m the<br /> business architecture the Dungeon<br /> Master’s guilds and I I keep tabs on how<br /> the guild is doing the health of the<br /> guild as far as like number of new<br /> authors coming in and new products going<br /> up and I just kind of keep tabs on that<br /> and I am always looking for new talents<br /> and the DMS guild yeah oh the last<br /> handful of authors that Wizards of the<br /> coast has recruited to work on our own<br /> products have come directly from my<br /> recommendations from from authors that I<br /> found in the beams guild and then I<br /> brought them in and I’ve even got them<br /> to work on adventurers League product so<br /> they can get used to the idea of working<br /> in a collaborative environment and then<br /> some of them become guild adepts which<br /> is a kind of an elite cadre of awesome<br /> people who like to make things with<br /> other awesome people and put them up on<br /> the DMS guild and then other folks like<br /> you know James intro caso and will Doyle<br /> coming in and working on our products<br /> and Lisa Tran yeah we’ll go on and work<br /> on ya actual D&D pottery because we’re<br /> making you’ve shown you have the job<br /> yeah absolutely so yeah it’s like minor<br /> leagues so the DMS guild is a great<br /> place it’s a creative community at DMS<br /> guild calm right where you can go in and<br /> you can make a product and you can put<br /> it up there for yourself you can make a<br /> few dollars on it and and really to me<br /> though the most valuable thing you can<br /> get from that is the feedback of your<br /> peers and and other fans and creators<br /> who purchase your products and get a<br /> chance to engage with that in their game<br /> what’s your advice when it comes to<br /> standing out as a storyteller<br /> that’s an excellent question really the<br /> most important serving to audiences one<br /> you need to make a deemed skilled<br /> product that looks interesting to a DM<br /> to run yeah but it also has to be fun<br /> for the play exactly exactly so we have<br /> a lot of a lot of fans buying the<br /> hardcover content that was just creating<br /> the event the adventures that we have<br /> like Tomb of annihilation and then the<br /> upcoming I’m sure the upcoming dragon<br /> heist adventure what are you bragging<br /> eyes<br /> and what we really look for is authors<br /> that can take that content and then<br /> understand the game well enough that<br /> they can see oh if I were running this I<br /> would also have this other side quest<br /> thing right and and it would help flesh<br /> out this aspect to the adventure that I<br /> really enjoy them I personally enjoy and<br /> then they can take that idea that kernel<br /> or what they would run and they can turn<br /> it into a published adventure but they<br /> can put up on the DMS guild and then<br /> other people will see that and they’ll<br /> be like oh I haven’t thought about the<br /> adventure that way so I can get this<br /> thing and I can add it in I can see how<br /> it just pleasures out there’s one<br /> section of the adventure really nicely<br /> by those people who contribute really<br /> rather than doing it for themselves they<br /> really are basically adding to the whole<br /> community of gamers who are trying to<br /> experience that story together right and<br /> that’s people who can do that really<br /> well I think<br /> are more likely to get our attention<br /> than other folks how did you get<br /> involved in DMD like well this year gate<br /> of entry because the world is very<br /> different it is you are doing so much<br /> work to try to get people to join D&D<br /> yes great for D&D that’s to be coming<br /> from a place I was I was drugged kicking<br /> and screaming into my first D&D game by<br /> my little brother yeah because he and<br /> his friends wanted to play D&D II and<br /> III wanted nothing to do with them<br /> because that’s how you are when you’re<br /> like you know 11 yeah yeah yeah right<br /> but they kinda finally convinced me to<br /> come and play with them and six months<br /> later I was the only one still wanted to<br /> play and so I had to go I had to go find<br /> convince your little brother to play you<br /> can play anymore yeah he started it<br /> I’m like seriously the cool part is is<br /> that same little brother now who’s only<br /> really a year younger than I am but he<br /> he is he is playing D&D<br /> again and he is teaching his children to<br /> play D&D he just started in the last<br /> couple of months I’m so proud of him<br /> those multi-turret you know yeah those<br /> multi generations yeah it’s awesome to<br /> see my nephews and nieces and stuff get<br /> excited about the same things that we<br /> got excited about when we were kids<br /> what slew how long have you been that<br /> Wizards I’ve been that Wizards as a<br /> full-time employee since 2003 but I was<br /> a contractor for a couple years before<br /> that so over 15 years what has this been<br /> like for you go from you know running<br /> this game for your little brothers yeah<br /> your little brother and his friends yeah<br /> to wanting more I mean suddenly you are<br /> now a steward of Dean B it’s absolutely<br /> surreal sometimes sometimes I have to<br /> like you know punch myself so I mean I<br /> would recommend a pinch ya punch you<br /> know I’m a heavy sleeper yeah<br /> so to realize that I get to basically be<br /> like you know the front man to like you<br /> know cheer on people it’s almost like<br /> being a pudgy David Lee Roth right<br /> inhaling next thing that’s right you’ve<br /> got it right here but ya know it’s it’s<br /> it’s awesome when I started at Wizards I<br /> was actually in the game support and<br /> that was actually really valuable I did<br /> that for seven years I started off as a<br /> rep and I eventually worked into<br /> becoming a manager there but that type<br /> of a position constant contact with<br /> other fans like daily like hundreds of<br /> contacts every day on the phone and<br /> email and chat and all this things and<br /> that really helped me to formulate like<br /> a really strong idea of what it is like<br /> that i and all the other fans want yeah<br /> now right and so much comes from that<br /> yeah like even a lot of Dungeon Master’s<br /> playing games first and I were like this<br /> is what I would do differently<br /> absolutely I see you’ve learned a lot so<br /> you learn a tremendous amount and then<br /> playing in organized play starting with<br /> the RPG a and then transitioning into<br /> Dungeons and Dragons aventuras League<br /> which is what basically that became one<br /> program became the other right and you’d<br /> eat your damning for new players at<br /> conventions all the time and you always<br /> have something that you can learn from<br /> somebody at the table even if it’s like<br /> what not to do right sorry<br /> and I did that for four years for hours<br /> at Wizards and it was all I didn’t<br /> realize the time I was just engaging in<br /> my hobby but really I was training<br /> myself yeah<br /> so 2:12 no one no one working at Wizards<br /> right now was like I know where I’m<br /> going to go yeah I can become rich and<br /> famous<br /> yeah well anyways it was all like<br /> everyone came at it with love yeah<br /> absolutely that’s the impression of the<br /> entire team I’ve met yeah and we’re like<br /> a big boy<br /> right there’s like you know there’s 30<br /> or less of us right over there yeah and<br /> and we fight and and we you know but but<br /> it’s all like roommates<br /> yeah that’s fight but we we fight and<br /> then we work together we get things done<br /> and at the end of the day we make really<br /> really awesome products and every<br /> conversation we have is out of that that<br /> love yeah yeah<br /> it shows especially when I see you guys<br /> damn yeah to see these guys running<br /> games very often I get to see them run<br /> games like Jeremy Crawford and Mike<br /> morels and you and then you see like oh<br /> my god these people are the biggest fans<br /> of D&D yeah yeah and so that’s like<br /> really spirit like that makes me really<br /> happy because you guys are all so<br /> genuine about your love of it and when<br /> you are doing it when you’re playing it<br /> when you are running games that explodes<br /> out of absolutely amazing absolutely hey<br /> look forward to one growing above this<br /> fall right season two I’m one rung above<br /> the drung in water deep I want a big I<br /> want to be the tall strong one rung<br /> above yeah it’s gonna be hey I can’t<br /> wait that ocher got the Barbarian<br /> growing yeah so instead of being like<br /> three feet tall you’re four feet tall<br /> yeah nice three and a half three in a<br /> hurry in the quarter yeah I tell<br /> everyone I mean Maxie I’m a three in the<br /> quarter<br /> yeah I’m not kind of a big run yeah I’m<br /> a big be wrong thank you so much for<br /> being drunks by the way yeah because<br /> that was a fight yeah that was that was<br /> it that wasn’t the one house Dean D<br /> group that did not one crime and in<br /> being I got a golden ticket monster when<br /> we were making bolos and that was my<br /> bowl that was my golden ticket monster<br /> so we we put it in the book wait wait<br /> so everyone gets a golden ticket monster<br /> no matter how terrible you can like<br /> incident we did with that one so when we<br /> were doing Volos we were going through<br /> this elaborate number of meetings that<br /> Mike put together and by the way we<br /> could turn anything into a game yeah the<br /> whole thing into a game where we’re<br /> selecting monsters and we’re you know<br /> checkmarks and voting them off the<br /> island and so<br /> right on it’s all a big whiteboard and<br /> at the very very very very very very<br /> very end we all got during that process<br /> anyways we all got one monster that we<br /> could give a golden ticket to and it<br /> didn’t matter how much people that like<br /> did not want that monster in the book<br /> you write that monster and there were<br /> there were harsh words between but and<br /> gazes of a challenge between myself and<br /> another person named Chris whose last<br /> day might rhyme with Arkans about the<br /> grunge but but Richard witness to the<br /> rescue so I gave them my golden ticket<br /> and then Richard sat down and he concept<br /> art like a madman the groung and he did<br /> such a fantastic job he really helped me<br /> I just love throwing them my people<br /> because they are like the cute oh look<br /> you frog yeah and then it all goes wrong<br /> yeah they’re way worse than Ewoks yeah<br /> oh yeah we’re terrifying<br /> I love that we need more cute monsters<br /> on there fit on the face yes and then<br /> horror underneath all absolutely yeah<br /> should never know you never feel safe in<br /> the jungle spots things I didn’t ask you<br /> about adventures League Indians guild<br /> what you want to impart to the audience<br /> right now since we’re live really just I<br /> don’t have anything specific other than<br /> just get involved you know reach out to<br /> us come to our Facebook page you know<br /> and and don’t afraid yeah yeah if you<br /> want to see somebody play D&D watch a<br /> good stream online critical role there’s<br /> me as Arkana right and all these people<br /> out there that are playing fantastic<br /> Dungeons and Dragons and it’s not<br /> complicated or hardware a friendly<br /> welcoming group and we really want<br /> everybody who has that drive to engage<br /> to engage and if you were a fan of<br /> watching DD live streams yes you are a<br /> fan of D&D yes also a member of the DD<br /> community absolutely I grew up reading<br /> the books I lived in the middle nowhere<br /> and all I did was read the Monster<br /> Manual a thousand times yeah it was part<br /> of the community absolutely yeah if<br /> you’re just watching and you’re engaging<br /> you’re in that chat room and talking<br /> about the cool stuff that’s happening I<br /> gaming sorry that you like D&D you are<br /> artim you are one of us all right I<br /> think that’s a good that’s a good<br /> message message stand up yes we feel we<br /> feel very passionately about please do<br /> Engler topic all right<br /> that wraps up with our interview with<br /> mr. Chris Lindsey hey thank you for all<br /> your wisdom your knowledge<br /> Share this:TweetWhatsAppTelegramEmail
