DM certification options at Neverwinter Connections
Carlo_One
Member Posts: 77
A new feature of the two-month-old (new) Neverwinter Connections (NWC) site is DM certification. It is intended to provide recognition for people who choose to DM using the site as a platform for scheduling their games, as well as help reward new DMs for taking the plunge into DMing.
Three ranks are now available that will display on NWC members' site profiles: Certified, Experienced and Veteran DM - reflecting one, five, and ten+ scheduled games successfully DM'd.
Both PW-hosted DM'd sessions and individual campaigns/modules are eligible. That means DMs on PWs who schedule their regular campaign-type sessions on the NWC events calendar can receive credit, as well as individual DMs who are running their own campaigns or DM'ing a "one-shot" module.
For a scheduled session/module to be recognized, the DM and player roster should be listed on the Neverwinter Connections events calendar. Players who attend should then post in the comments section after they complete the session, to validate that it in fact occurred. A link to the event(s) should then be sent to site admin by the DM.
Co-DMing a session can count for certification, as long as each DM actually did significant DMing in the game.
Grandfathering certifications for DMs who were active on the former NWC site (2002-2012) can be done on request. If necessary, proof of previously running DM'd games on the old NWC site can be provided via a Wayback Machine profile link. (For example: Carlo One's old NWC profile)
Additional details and background are on the NWC DM forum: http://nwncampaigns.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1057
Three ranks are now available that will display on NWC members' site profiles: Certified, Experienced and Veteran DM - reflecting one, five, and ten+ scheduled games successfully DM'd.
Both PW-hosted DM'd sessions and individual campaigns/modules are eligible. That means DMs on PWs who schedule their regular campaign-type sessions on the NWC events calendar can receive credit, as well as individual DMs who are running their own campaigns or DM'ing a "one-shot" module.
For a scheduled session/module to be recognized, the DM and player roster should be listed on the Neverwinter Connections events calendar. Players who attend should then post in the comments section after they complete the session, to validate that it in fact occurred. A link to the event(s) should then be sent to site admin by the DM.
Co-DMing a session can count for certification, as long as each DM actually did significant DMing in the game.
Grandfathering certifications for DMs who were active on the former NWC site (2002-2012) can be done on request. If necessary, proof of previously running DM'd games on the old NWC site can be provided via a Wayback Machine profile link. (For example: Carlo One's old NWC profile)
Additional details and background are on the NWC DM forum: http://nwncampaigns.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1057
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Comments
What are the key metrics that are being tracked alongside this? Off the top of my head:
- typical session size, i.e. how many players a DM's session normally comprises of;
- typical session time and duration;
- typical ruleset, e.g. casual versus hardcore, setting, etc.
I think having these available benefits two groups - players looking for sessions that fit their time slot and play style, and for players with DM experience to build a portfolio of work for prospective admins to look at.
DMs will definitely do themselves a favor by being clear about the type of game sessions they intend to run, and under what rules, to get the best fit between DM and player styles. (This is one of the things mentioned in the Creating and Running a Neverwinter Nights Campaign guide.)