How Close is D&D Encounters to you?

[filthgrinder]

Not meaning to threadcrap here, but one of the strengths of Pathfinder Society organized play is that they don't have to be played at a convention or game store to "count". You can play them in your home game or online.

So, just like the Living Forgotten Realms games by the RPGA that you can download and play at a game store, convention, public area, or your home game?

The RGPA has two D&D programs. One is the LFR games, which have a TON of adventures for you to download and run. You just need to take the free, open book, DM test to run these adventures and have them "count". The second program is the D&D Encounters program, which has a little more rules because it has different goals.

The programs have different formats and different goals. D&D Encounters is meant to be more of a FLGS promotion, designed for people who have busy schedules and can't fit in a four hour game. It's also designed to attract new people to the game, since you can have people jump in and out. Thats why they put more rules on running the D&D Encounters program. It's intended to be played out in public and get people who don't play organized games interested.

So, yes, it is threadcrap.

 

[Samurai]

If I'm willing to run it, about 2 miles. If I actually want to play, about 75.

 

[Pseudopsyche]

I moved to San Francisco last year, and I assumed it would be a hotbed of gaming. For D&D Encounters, it turns out I have to travel across the bay to Berkeley or down the peninsula to the San Jose area. Sigh.

 

[Ourph]

My closest is about 5 minutes drive away, 15 minutes if I ride my bike.

 

[El Mahdi]

5 minute drive also...it's an official Close_Encounter...

 

[Mark CMG]

5 minute drive also...it's an official Close_Encounter...

You must spread some xp around before . . .

 

[Stormonu]

So, just like the Living Forgotten Realms games by the RPGA that you can download and play at a game store, convention, public area, or your home game?

The RGPA has two D&D programs. One is the LFR games, which have a TON of adventures for you to download and run. You just need to take the free, open book, DM test to run these adventures and have them "count". The second program is the D&D Encounters program, which has a little more rules because it has different goals.

The programs have different formats and different goals. D&D Encounters is meant to be more of a FLGS promotion, designed for people who have busy schedules and can't fit in a four hour game. It's also designed to attract new people to the game, since you can have people jump in and out. Thats why they put more rules on running the D&D Encounters program. It's intended to be played out in public and get people who don't play organized games interested.

Out of curiosity, does either the Pathfinder Society or LFR have a method for locating nearby games (I'd include just the local game store advertising it, though if they have something like the "Find an Encounters near you" would be a bigger bonus).

The main reason I started this thread was to get a sense how easy it is to find a pick-up group to play with (Like Friday Night Magic). Didn't want to include home games because those tend to be by invite only and there is generally the pressure to play an ongoing campaign.

 

[IronWolf]

Pathfinder Society allows online play. There is a Google Group that has formed just for organizing interested folks to play in these online games. Most are run over MapTool and something like Skype or Ventrilo. I've played in a few and it works out surprisingly well.

There is no way that I will got to a game store to game -- no matter the system. Won't happen. Even if it is close to where I work - it's inconvenient for me to play in a game store; moreover, it's not relaxing.

I agree. I have no desire to head to a gaming store to game. It just doesn't seem comfortable or relaxing.

But I have played PFSS over the net via Skype using multiple webcams. Played two of them yesterday using that method, as a matter of fact. And we'll try it with Fantasy Grounds II and D20 Pro in the coming months, too.

My PFS play has been online. MapTool works quite well as well, especially with the Pathfinder framework.

Out of curiosity, does either the Pathfinder Society or LFR have a method for locating nearby games (I'd include just the local game store advertising it, though if they have something like the "Find an Encounters near you" would be a bigger bonus).

You can start looking for Pathfinder events here:

http://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/events

 

[SquareKnot]

My two closest locations are 10 and 12 minutes away. Both run D&D Encounters. Store A runs a lot of LFR, world wide game days, and the occasional Pathfinder game. Store B pretty much only runs Encounters, but it does participate in Free RPG Day, which A no longer does.

For a town with about 150,000 people, I've got it pretty good.

The Encounters locator is at this link
The LFR locator is at this link
A recent thread about finding LFR games on-line is at this link

 

[Pseudonym]

A half mile, according to Google.