Sep 6, 2022 — Dungeons and Dragons, Events

3 Keys to Running a Successful D&D Demo

Prepare for your D&D Learn-to-Play Weekend event with these tips.

Sep 6, 2022 — Dungeons and Dragons, Events

3 Keys to Running a Successful D&D Demo

Prepare for your D&D Learn-to-Play Weekend event with these tips.

The Dungeons & Dragons Learn-to-Play Weekend event begins in one month, and with your D&D demo kits in-hand, it's time to begin preparations for your Learn-to-Play D&D Weekend event that runs October 7–9.

In this video, Maria Bartholdi walks through how to run an incredible D&D demo using the Voyage to Stormwreck Isle encounter.

Now that you've learned how running the D&D Demo will look in your store, it's time to schedule your D&D Learn-to-Play Weekend event!


Run D&D Demos In-Store October 7–9

The Learn-to-Play D&D Weekend is a celebration of the Dragons of Stormwreck Isle release that runs from October 7–9! You'll use your demo kit to facilitate a 15- to 30-minute experience for players who want to give D&D a try at your store.

The Learn-to-Play Weekend runs October 7–9, and if those dates do not work for your community, you may schedule your Learn-to-Play event up through October 16.

As a reminder, here's a list of what came in your D&D kit:

  • 1 Learn-to-Play D&D Weekend poster

  • 1 Adventurers League poster

  • 1 organizer instruction sheet

  • 2 sets of encounter cards

  • 2 sets of DM's guides with full encounter details

  • 2 sets of 5 pre-generated characters

  • 20 ad slicks for new player next steps

  • 20 dice pouches

Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is available in multiple languages, but please keep in mind that each D&D kit will have slight differences that vary by region; for example, dice pouches will not be provided to non-English regions.

After the demo, players interested in a longer experience can play a full encounter lasting one or two hours. The longer experience is the very first encounter from the Dragons of Stormwreck Isle book, and if players want to keep adventuring, you can encourage them to buy a copy for themselves.

If they're on the fence, be sure to tell them about the weekly play opportunity with the Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Adventure Event!


Continue the Fun with Weekly In-Store D&D Play

You can continue hosting weekly D&D events for your players from October 10 through November 20, focused entirely on Dragons of Stormwreck Isle. We will send you an email with instructions for how to split Dragons of Stormwreck Isle into four, two-hour sessions, as this weekly play is not supported by a separate kit. This information is also included in the kit on the back of the organizer instructions sheet.

The instructions help pinpoint ways to accelerate the adventure to ensure it can be run within a two-hour timeframe. Of course, we encourage you or your DMs to amend the adventures to suit the needs of the players at the table.

Encourage players who were especially engaged with your demo to purchase a copy of Dragons of Stormwreck Isle to use for weekly adventure play. As they continue to return to your store, learn their tastes and continue recommending additional Dungeons & Dragons adventure and campaign books to try.

The Learn-to-Play D&D Weekend event is open for scheduling in Wizards EventLink today, so don't wait—get your event on the books and start spreading the word to your community.

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