I am currently DM’ing for a weekly run of Encounters. Basically D&D encounters is an adventure with the purpose of attracting new players to D&D who may not be able to commit to a regular group or who would just like to ease into the game instead of jumping right into 4th edition. It is a very good idea and one which I support as a DM and a player of 4e D&D. I just wish the adventure was more polished and had the proper hooks for a pug (pick up game).
I personally have no problem with ideas and ways to bring new players into the game every week. That is not the issue at all. Instead I would say that the issue is that even though this product was meant to be used to bring in new players on a weekly basis there was no effort put into bringing the new players together or easily providing hooks into the story. Instead time that could be spent explaining mechanics and explaining the surroundings and creating a more in-depth story goes towards bringing new characters into the plot.
The new mechanics that are in place for returning characters are a welcome addition. Even the idea of keeping track of certain player achievements adds a certain tangible sense of accomplishment for players as they gain abilities they can use during play in the form of an additional power card.
The story is decent, if lacking any real substance and some reasons behind events are very loosely strung together. All in all the encounters are varied and at least somewhat plausible given that this is a world of magic. Some of the skill challenges from Encounters are substandard while others such as the ‘White Dragon Encounter’ from the PB3 release are very memorable and full of flavor but intended for a single day of gaming. Why is it so hard for WOTC to balance their content for single day and multiple day events? This inconsistency in quality only degrades those few places where the story and development are outstanding. If I were going to run this adventure again I just might skip over various parts taking those that worked the best for flavor and mechanics and leaving the dregs behind.
I am hoping that the quality will improve and for now I am enjoying the free content as a DM who recycles encounters and maps as much as I do the price was definitely worth it.
