Let’s all go to the lobby to get ourselves a game!
A Park Slope movie theater gives visitors a chance to slay monsters and gather treasure while waiting for their films. On the second Wednesday of each month, the second-floor lobby and bar of Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park hosts “Runner Quests” — short, free sessions of Dungeons & Dragons played on a 10-foot-long map.
The games, run by staff from Williamsburg game shop Twenty-Sided Store, are a great way to spread the word about the fantasy role-playing game, said the Bushwick Dungeon Master who ran the February session.
“We love D&D, and the more people who are playing, the better,” said Johnni Medina.
The games at Nitehawk offer a streamlined version of the complicated game system, designed to get players on board immediately.
“We have a lot of people for whom this is their first brush with D&D,” said Medina.
Each player chooses one of six characters to play, including a sneaky cat-person or a mighty warrior, each pictured and described on a postcard. The roughly 30-minute adventure takes the characters from one end of the map to the other, but the details of each run vary based on what the players say and do, said Medina.
“You’ll have a custom experience,” she said. “But if there’s more people, it’ll be faster and more action packed.”
Those who enjoy this appetizer of a game can sign up for a three-hour D&D session at the Twenty-Sided Store, or might be inspired to buy the rulebooks and play at home, said Medina.
One experienced D&D player said that the quick, free-flowing dungeon delve was a welcome change from his home game.
“Me and my friends tend to fall into a rhythm, so it’s nice to try new things, and to see different playing styles,” said Tyler Terriault, from Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Runner Quest at Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park (188 Prospect Park West at 14th Street in Park Slope, nitehawkcinema.com/prospectpark). Next games on March 11; 7–9 pm. Free.
