A little over a year ago, the D&D Adventurers League (DDAL) started a new program called the Convention Creation Content (CCC) program. Through this program, convention organizers who follow a few rules can create (or arrange to have created) unique adventure content set in the Moonsea region of the Forgotten Realms and have that content approved and declared legal for D&D Adventurers League play. We get a lot of questions about these adventures and so let’s try to answer them here.
About the Program
What is a CCC and what is it for? CCCs are adventures for the D&D Adventurers League that are produced by convention organizers instead of the DDAL Administrators. These adventures might be two, four, or in rare circumstances, eight hours in length and are intended to follow the model of a standard DDAL adventure. We instituted this program for several reasons but the two primary purposes of the program are to A) Help the Administrators find new writers that we might not have seen otherwise who cut their teeth on a CCC, and B) Give conventions something special to encourage public play because we believe that helps build community. Of course, the program has the added advantage of increasing the number of adventures everyone gets to play – starting of course with your attendees!
What sort of support do the D&D Adventurers League Administrators provide? We provide a style guide, adventure reward guidelines, and a template that must be followed. We check your adventure over to make sure you meet the reward and content guidelines, but we DO NOT edit them, check encounter balance, provide playtesting or otherwise help develop your adventure. We do not find authors, artists, or cartographers for you. Editing, development, and art are the responsibility of the writer and the sponsoring convention. This also means that the DDAL Administrators will not make changes to adventures once they have premiered even if significant issues are discovered unless the adventure violates our community, content, or reward guidelines. Policing quality is the responsibility of the convention organizer. Adventures that violate our guidelines will be taken down from the DMsGuild.com until they are fixed. If you should notice an issue with a CCC for which you are not the writer or sponsoring convention organizer, you are encouraged to leave a review for the author that they might make the corrections. Finally, and perhaps most importantly: we will announce your release if you notify community@dndadventurersleague.org when you are ready to post it to the DMsGuild – a little free marketing from us for your efforts can go a long way towards building exposure for your event and your contributors!
Where do I go to apply for a CCC? If you are ready to apply you can go here and fill out the form. We’ll get back to you in a few weeks. In order to be eligible to be considered for sponsorship of a CCC, your convention must be of sufficient size. In general this means your convention must be large enough to span multiple days and run at least 15 total tables of D&D Adventurers League adventures over the course of your event. If your convention meets these criteria, you must submit your application at least nine months prior to your show. You can find complete details on how to apply for a CCC here.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email us at resource@dndadventurersleague.org.
Why might my convention get turned down for a CCC? We want to be as inclusive as possible, but there are some common circumstances that might cause you to be turned down for creating new content. One of the most common is not submitting your request in time. Not meeting deadlines is a good indicator of problems to come. Another possibility is that you have requested a CCC for a show that is the same general geographic location at the same time as another convention that we have already approved to get a CCC. Too many unique events at the same time and place mean it is likely that there will be fewer players available to take part in these unique adventures. You might also get turned down if you ask for something special such as an Epic-style event, a location outside the Moonsea, or a plot that significantly changes the region such as completely destroying a city. While the DDAL Administrators do not go out of their way to police the plots of CCCs, massive changes that are not reflected in other adventures are confusing to players and we try to avoid them. These are just a few of the many reasons that a request might be turned down. If we turn you down, you should expect an explanation, as well as some details on how you might improve your request and try again.
Writing CCCs
How do I write a CCC if I don’t have a convention sponsor? In short, you don’t. We only accept content created for and by conventions. If you have a great idea for an adventure, start by contacting local conventions and see if they are interested in your adventure. If you are not sure what conventions are in your area, check the convention map. Consider writing an outline and one or two of the encounters so you can show convention organizers the quality they can expect from you.
Where can CCC adventures be set? All DDAL adventures are set in Faerûn, and CCCs specifically must be around the Moonsea (roughly that area surrounded by the red line). This is the only area we have set aside for aspiring writers and conventions to use. In general, your CCC adventure cannot leave this area, though some exceptions might be made with DDAL Administrator approval.
Can I use a different template? No. You can make slight adjustments to add your convention logo, add a new type of subsection, or the like, but your adventure must keep the same dress as our other CCC adventures. You must use our listed fonts and formatting. Any deviations from these rules must be approved in writing by the D&D Adventurers League Resource Manager.
What rewards items can I put in my adventure? You may only choose magic items from the Dungeon Masters Guide. You can modify the in small ways, such as described in the tables on page 143, but any changes must be approved by the DDAL Administrators. You may not invent new items. Story Awards may be included that note the favor or disfavor of NPCs. A general rule of thumb is that any adjustments to rewards or story awards is to ensure that no mechanical elements are introduced (ie: your Magic Polearm of Awesome cannot do +1d6 force damage, and your story award cannot provide a character with 10 free downtime days, etc).
What monsters can I put in my adventure? You can choose from creatures in sources published under the Dungeons & Dragons brand such as the Monster Manual or Volo’s Guide to Monsters. You can modify the in small ways, such changing a bandit to an elf bandit using the rules Dungeon Masters Guide, or saying the party faces a large animated statue, but using the statistics of an ogre reskinned as that statue. You may not invent new monsters. The stat blocks in the adventure’s appendix must be faithful reproductions of the creature as found in its original product. Minor adjustments should be called out in a sidebar.
What happens when I am done writing? Part of this depends on what you have worked out with the convention that is sponsoring your adventure(s). You or the convention MUST provide a final, edited copy of your adventure to the DDAL Administrators by emailing it to submissions@dndadventurersleague.org three months prior to the convention and await its approval before the adventure is declared legal. You may NOT run your adventure in public (beyond private playtesting) or post your adventure for sale without the express consent of the DDAL Administrators. Your adventure MUST appear on the DMsGuild.com for sale within six months of its premiere.
What can I put up for sale? Your adventure, absolutely! You cannot post additional art packs, maps, or other files in the Adventurers League category. You may have only one version of each CCC adventure listed for sale (so, no “collected trilogy”, “normal version”, “premium version”, “platinum scale edition”, etc). If you want to post additional support for your adventure, you may do so, but it cannot use the D&D Adventurers League logo, may not be tagged as an Adventurers League product and may not be posted to the Adventurers League section of the DMsGuild. Some authors would like to post collected editions of their 2-part or 3-part adventures; if you wish to do this, all previous copies must be removed from the Adventures League portion of the storefront. Sales of your content are only allowed via DMsGuild.com, and it cannot be sold in any other storefront be it digital or physical.
Playing CCCs
Do I get character rewards for CCC adventures? Absolutely, CCCs offer the same sorts of rewards for your DDAL character as other adventures we offer. Normal rules for treasure distribution and story awards apply.
Do I get DM rewards for CCC adventures? You get many of the same rewards such as experience and gold, but CCCs do not qualify for all of the DM Quest rewards. The DM Quest reward program is designed both to help DMs keep their characters up with the players but also encourage the playing of DDAL and Hardcover adventures. Because we want to promote the adventures of the current storyline produced by the DDAL Administrators and Wizards of the Coast, we are not providing the bonus DM Quest rewards for adventures created by others. It is up to conventions to promote their CCCs. As of July 2017, CCC adventures apply to the following rewards: Acolyte of Oghma, Adventure Calls, Bounty Hunter, Giving DM, On/Off the Grid, & Saint of Ilmater. Please note that this list may be changed with little or no notice; for the latest ruling, be sure to download the most current DM Quest pack from dmsguild.com.
How do I find CCCs? CCC adventures are posted to the DMsGuild like other adventures. They have adventure codes that look like CCC-XXX-## where the X’s denote a code for the convention and the #’s are a unique number for the adventure. There are lots of great conventions that have already put out content you should check out.
More info!
Where Can I hear about More CCC talk? You can listen to two experienced designers and developers, Paige Leitman and Ben Heisler, on the Table Top Babble Podcast.