The whole premise of this blog is to detail my abject refusal to abandon my various geeky obsessions despite having to split my time between a full-time job and a family. These grown-up commitments have slashed the amount of bandwidth (and money) I can devote to comics and games, but I’m working hard to find new ways to pursue my favorite hobbies without shortchanging all that other important stuff.
Enter Dungeons and Dragons Encounters.
The last two Wednesdays, I’ve been able to get my d20 on in short, controlled 2-hour increments at my local hobby gaming store through an organized play program called Dungeons & Dragons Encounters. I’m not sure who at Wizards of the Coast came up with the concept for Encounters, but that person deserves a raise. It’s tailor-made for guys like me who love table-top gaming but don’t have the time to put together an ongoing campaign.
Each session lasts about an hour or two as PCs take on a standardized adventure module that features one combat encounter and some light role playing. The program utilizes D&D’s 4th Edition rules, which I hadn’t played before but picked up in a hurry. The sessions are structured to accommodate characters dropping in and out, so if you can’t make it every week, no big deal. However, the renown, xp and specialized power cards you earn at each session are carried over from week to week, so it rewards good attendance.
At my LCS, the DM helped us use an online character-design app (no more rolling for stats!), printed out all our character sheets and ability cards, provided the maps and miniatures and just generally did a great job of facilitating an enjoyable experience.
Taking into account my unfamiliarity with 4E, I created an elven 2-blade ranger that I figured would be a simple point-and-click badass. He can deal some serious damage with an axe in each hand or with his longbow, and he’s mobile enough to target enemies all over the battlefield without giving them much of a chance to strike back, which is key since his HP is pretty low. In the first session, I rolled a high initiative and wound up leading the charge, my whirling axes raining down destruction against a swarm of Drow who were attempting a late-night raid on the inn at which my party was staying. Last night, I botched my initiative roll and ended up spending a good chunk of the fight behind the main skirmish line, nocking arrows and letting them fly against shape-shifting hostiles as we searched for a magical amulet in an ancient tower.
Our party changes a little every session as some players from the first week were absent and some new folks showed up, but that created a welcoming atmosphere for everyone. The experience level varied pretty broadly among our group, which is another feature I really like about Encounters. I cut my teeth on 3E and 3.5, but I’d never played 4th Edition. Last night, I sat across from a middle school-aged girl and a guy about my age who had never played D&D before in any capacity. Sitting next to me was a 30-something dude who could quote the rules from the 4th Edition Player’s Handbook with impressive accuracy. And as I said before, the DM did a masterful job of keeping the fight lively while making sure everyone got out of there before two hours had elapsed.
As you can probably discern from my description, Encounters is pretty standard fare for D&D, but that’s exactly the sort of thing I’ve been jonesing for since the real world forced me to cut back on gaming. It’s fast-paced and combat-centric and requires minimal commitment. Just show up when your schedule allows and wade into the bloody mayhem. For any other aging nerds out there who regret that they no longer have time for table-top role playing, Dungeons & Dragons Encounters might be just the thing to drag you back into the Underdark.
To the organized play gurus at Wizards of the Coast, I swear my undying allegiance to thee.
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