WotC Releases Free D&D Adventure for International Day of Play
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Wizards of the Coast has just unveiled a new free adventure to celebrate International Day of Play; an annual event created by the United Nations which recognizes the universal right of children to play. The adventure is entitled Borderlands Quest: Goblin Trouble and is available for download now for free via D&D Beyond (you do need an account, but don’t have to be a subscriber).
Notably, the adventure will also be featured in upcoming D&D International Day of Play events, which run from June 9th to 30th at participating game stores in the US. These all-ages events are designed to introduce younger players to D&D and are co-sponsored by Dominos, who is offering $50 gift cards to select stores who join in the program.
So just what kind of trouble will adventurers get into with this celebration of play? Below, we take a look at all the details.
What is “Borderlands Quest: Goblin Trouble” about?
Borderlands Quest: Goblin Trouble is a short one-shot adventure for four to six level 1 characters that will take roughly 1 to 2 hours to complete. It’s designed specifically to teach new players the basics of Dungeons & Dragons using the new 2024 rules. It also serves as a preview of the upcoming Heroes of the Borderlands D&D start set which is slated for released in September 2025.
The adventure kicks off with players hired by the castellan of the Keep on the Borderlands to track down a band of goblins who stole a powerful magical artifact known as the Bowl of Plenty. Unfortunately, the goblins have headed to the dreaded Caves of Chaos and it’s up to the players to retrieve the Bowl and stop the goblins, while exploring the cave and overcoming a variety of traps and monsters.
What is International Day of Play?
International Day of Play is an annual event held each year on June 11th that was created by the United Nations (with the first one occurring in 2024). The event is described by the UN as being designed to “preserve, promote, and prioritize playing so that all people, especially children, can reap the rewards and thrive to their full potential.” It’s also focused on raising awareness of play as a fundamental human right under Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Last year, Wizards of the Coast (and parent company Hasbro) was actively involved in first ever International Day of Play, running a number of events and providing significant donations and volunteer efforts.
Final Thoughts
It’s great to see Wizards of the Coast supporting an event like International Day of Play as well as bringing younger players into the game with a free adventure (although oddly, the event has received little promotion via D&D Beyond or their social channels). It’s also the chance to get an early look at just what will be included in the upcoming Heroes of the Borderlands starter set.
You can download Borderlands Quest: Goblin Trouble for free now on D&D Beyond and can also register for upcoming D&D International Day of Play events in the US via the Wizards Play Network.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
