D&D Encounters Season 3 - Keep on the Borderlands

[Kurtomatic]

Regarding the 20-week season commitments; it appears to be broken down into 4-week chapters, with a new kit for each chapter. Like Festivus said, being the Keep, its likely each chapter is a distinct foray into the Caves. So its really five 4-week commitments, rather than one 20-week commitment.

This season may actually suck me into Encounters, which I've escaped so far...

 

[possum]

Well, it looks like I will definitely keep playing Encounters, because this looks very interesting. Still up in the air about Essentials, though...

 

[hopeless]

So ?

So is this restricted to the US and if the Uk is included any idea where?

Does this need to be requested by a game store willing to run it and can anyone explain how they dealt with this previously in the earlier seasons or series?

 

[Vael]

Encounters isn't limited to US and UK, as I'm a Canadian player in the current Dark Sun season of Encounters.

I'm tempted to offer to run this season. Or play, depends.

 

[Henry]

NNOOO! Not Keep on the Borderlands! Dammit, I already have a Wedneday D&D game! Why must they torture me so?

I may have to get in on this....

 

[surfarcher]

Hhhmmm... What about us antipodeans?

I'd be tempted to run this for my local game shop.

 

[pedr]

Hhhmmm... What about us antipodeans?

I'd be tempted to run this for my local game shop.

So is this restricted to the US and if the Uk is included any idea where?

Does this need to be requested by a game store willing to run it and can anyone explain how they dealt with this previously in the earlier seasons or series?

I'm not 100% sure about Australia, but I think this is available in most territories where WotC operates.

It's distributed via the same organised play network that Magic: The Gathering uses, now folded into an organisation called the Wizards Play Network. General information is here: http://www.wizards.com/wpn

If the programme is available (and it is available in the UK - I organise it in Sheffield) it must be run at a game store. This is one of the major ways Wizards is trying to encourage game stores to host D&D games, and people to play at stores. The organiser - who needn't be a store employee and needn't end up GMing if they can find people who will - needs to register as a WPN organiser, which can be done from the WPN website. Once the WPN have verified that the venue details entered when registering are a retail store, the organiser should be able to create an event in the WPN online system, and then Wizards will send the kits out to the registered stores. There's a particular window during which this event creation has to take place, though I don't think sanctioning for the third season of Encounters is open yet, so new people have time to get it sorted.

Far more advice can be found on the WotC forums and groups, particularly the WPN forum, the D&D group and the RPGA forum. Feel free to PM me for more info.

Players looking for places which are hosting Encounters can use the Wizards Event Locator to see if their local store is running the current Encounters events (they're set in Dark Sun).

Hope that helps! (Oh, and I just had a look and there are some Australian stores running Encounters, so it is available). The main limiting factor is that it is only available to retail stores; WotC has other organised play programmes - particularly Living Forgotten Realms - for people who aren't lucky enough to be near an FLGS.

 

[Solvarn]

Sigh, I was going to take a break from DMing encounters next season when they drop this on me:



Can not resist... must DM this!

I was very, very dissatisfied with the poor job that was done with the Dark Sun Encounters. I may try this, but I'm I don't have a whole lot of faith in this program at this point. I know in my area the Dark Sun Encounters turned a lot of people off to D&D.

 

[surfarcher]

Any idea if it has to be physically at the physical store?

I'm proud to say I've known one of the guys who runs our local store for nearly 20 years. Played BXCMI and 1e a lot with him back in the day.

If space was an issue could nearby space rented by the store be legitimately used?

Probably a question for wizards

I'll send an email to the store shortly...

 

[MerricB]

Any idea if it has to be physically at the physical store?

Yes, it does. This is a program to promote play of D&D in stores. (The Living Forgotten Realms allows play out-of-store). Mind you, if the store is renting the space, does that make it an extension of the store? It may well!

And yes, D&D Encounters are running in Australia. Your local store has to sign up in advance, though: you can't do so once the season has started. I don't think sign-ups for season 3 are live yet, but I'll check.

Cheers!