My Two Cents on the new D&D Encounters

During 4th edition's heyday, D&D Encounters  was responsible for bringing a ton of new players into the hobby. 4th edition Encounters ran as mini-campaigns, typically levels 1–3, over 11 weeks. Players earned rewards for playing, and sessions were drop-in, drop-out though for me, the same core group of 2-4 showed up most of the season at my table, with drop ins filling out the rest.

My favorite season, hands down, was the one built around the Neverwinter Campaign Setting. It kicked off with a worldwide play day featuring a one-shot called Gates of Neverdeath, then rolled into the mini-campaign Lost Crown of Neverwinter the following week. That season was packed with activity, one session was even a costume contest. I present: Kyle the Beer Dwarf...

The Beer Dwarf

That was the fall of 2011, if memory serves. Game stores back then felt different from the ones I've walked into in 2026, more focused on gaming as a hobby, less card-shop energy, but never the less bringing back Encounters in-store, AND online I think is great. The new format kicked off with a special multi-table event, then moved into four weekly sessions, each set in a different Domain of Dread. The adventure, Shadows of Sithicus, was written by Shawn Merwyn, a longtime contract designer at WotC who co-hosts the podcast Mastering Dungeons.

I'll give them credit for bringing in an experienced designer. But I think they dropped the ball on what Encounters is supposed to be. The 4th edition version, 11 weeks, roughly 2/2.5 hours a session — could get away with a session that was pure combat, because it was building toward something bigger. Next week you might be negotiating with the Sons of Alagondor instead of swinging a sword.

Shadows of Sithicus doesn't really have that. It's combat, then more combat, then more combat. Some players are fine with that. But if a new player's entire introduction to D&D is four weeks of combat slog, that's a problem. When I teach new players, I run a 3.5-hour session built around a three-room dungeon that hits all three pillars of the game: exploration, social interaction, and combat. New and newer players need to see that D&D is more than just rolling initiative over and over, and on that front, I think WotC and Merwyn dropped the ball. And while the multi-table kick off event may have been a blast for those who have a store to attend, they should have thought about those that may want to run a kickoff event online, like me. While I am currently not affiliated with a store, I have run one group through, and and halfway on a second group. All for free, online.

Here's hoping the next season brings a better-designed adventure. Bumping it from 4 weeks to 6 wouldn't hurt either, give it enough room to actually tell a story.