Introducing the Count Dante Tournament Rating System!
Every year at Gen Con we run a huge DCC team tournament. Because tournament modules are played at Gen Con over a large sample of tables and judges, we are able to quantify their danger level. Based on this quantification we have a new rating system to use as a guide when selecting your next adventure to run: The Count Dante Tournament Rating System!
The Count Dante Tournament Rating System uses a ratio of killed player characters to total player characters that explore the dungeon. Depending on that ratio, a rating is assigned. A Type I rating means the dungeon kills, on average, 20% or fewer of the characters that explore it. The ratings progress in 20% increments up to a Type VI, which is 100% lethal.
The ratios work out as follows, based on the ratio of killed PCs (eliminated) to players for every PC that entered the dungeon across all rounds:
- Type I – 0.0 to 0.2:1, or 0-20% lethal
- Type II – 0.2 to 0.4:1, or 21-40% lethal
- Type III – 0.4 to 0.6:1, or 41-60% lethal
- Type IV – 0.6 to 0.8:1, or 61-80% lethal
- Type V – 0.8 to 0.99:1, or 81-99% lethal
- Type VI – 1:1, or 100% lethal!
We have run three large DCC tournaments over the last couple of years (and are planning another one for 2020). Based on this we can now assign ratings. Here are the ratings for this year’s tournament The Greatest Thieves in Lankhmar, along with our previous tournament adventures, Riders of the Phlogiston and The Black Heart of Thakulon the Undying. Future tournament modules will also use this rating system once they are put through their paces at Gen Con or other large gaming events!
| Adventure | Count Dante Dungeon Rating* | Ratio of Killed PCs | Total PCs Killed | Total Players, Including Rounds 2 and 3 |
| Riders of the Phlogiston – Gen Con 2018 | IV | 0.62:1 | 83 | 134 |
| The Greatest Thieves in Lankhmar – Gen Con 2019 | III | 0.57:1 | 74 | 129 |
| The Black Heart of Thakulon the Undying – Gen Con 2017 | II | 0.35:1 | 23 | 65 |
Remember, you can run your own tournaments at home! The last two Gen Con tournaments—The Black Heart of Thakulon the Undying and Riders of the Phlogiston—are both available! Head on over to our online store to check them out!
