Those Dungeons & Dragons players who love the steampunk-ish world of Eberron are in for a treat. Adventurers League, the official organization for standardized D&D play, is releasing an Eberron Epic for purchase. This is the first time an Epic has been made available to the public.
A relative few Dungeons & Dragons players have experienced an Epic. While most campaign books and one-shot adventures are sold in game stores or through online vendors, Epics must be given by Adventurers League admins. To earn that favor, one must prove they're holding an eligible convention or charity event.
However, Eberron is the side story of the D&D multiverse. It's a separate planet from that of the typical sword-and-sorcery setting, and rules forbid an Eberron character from even entering the mainstream campaign worlds. Eberron, therefore, attracts a small but passionate audience. This has led to D&D designers being more experimental with Eberron content. The latest experiment, it seems, is to make the Eberron Epic "The Iron Titan" available for purchase via online platform DMs Guild. It will release officially on April 7.
Epics are one-of-a-kind events. These unique adventures see several tables of players all working toward a common goal. It's sort of like the D&D equivalent of an MMO raid. But each table is experiencing the quest from a different perspective, and what one party does affects another. Imagine one table setting off a natural disaster only for the table next to them to be caught in the resulting storm.
Yet for all the risk, Epics give great rewards. This ties back to their usual restriction of being only for big events. Aside from the thrill of participating in a massive D&D game, attendees will usually get a unique magic item or character option at the end of an Epic. Again, it's like the limited-time quest drops in MMOs. It's all meant to entice people to make the trip to a local convention or charity game day.
Circumstances have changed, however, with calls for self-isolation stopping D&D groups from meeting. Other games have adjusted in various ways, either by ceasing certain player restrictions or changing their core gameplay entirely. D&D's answer appears to be this – making exclusive content available to the public. Sadly, this will be a one time deal. The AL post confirms that future Epics will keep their event-only policy. Still, Eberron fans should be happy, and we might be seeing the rise of online D&D Epics.
Source: D&D Adventurers League