Frequently Asked Questions

When is it? Where is it? How much is it?

Please visit our Dates page to learn when our next Adventure Weekend will be held. Participants need to arrive by 8pm on the Friday of the Adventure Weekend and should plan to stay until around 5pm on Sunday. The event is held in Pomfret, Connecticut, which is about a 2-hour drive from Boston, 1 hour from Hartford, and 3 1/2 hours from New York. Admission, which includes lodging and all meals, is available at our Rates page.

A costume? Why do participants wear costumes?

Because you'd look pretty silly wandering around a storybook village wearing a Britney Spears t-shirt.

Participants at our 1995 Adventure Weekend examine a treasure map

Actually, the real reason is this: Visiting Otherworld is such a special experience because it's unlike any other place on earth. Although our staff are responsible for "setting up" the fictional village of World's Edge, everybody - including all the participants - help turn the fiction into reality. By wearing a costume and going by a made-up name, you become an important part of the adventure, rather than just being an audience member who watches from the sidelines. Our costuming page can help if you'd like to provide your own. Or just borrow one from us!

What actually happens at an Adventure Weekend?

Pretend for a minute that, after work on Friday afternoon, you started reading a really good novel.

In the beginning of the book - the part you'd read Friday night and Saturday morning - the scene would be set. You'd meet the important characters and start to learn about the underlying story. You might learn that some of the characters don't like some of the others very much. Maybe there have been tensions between the two groups for years.

Then, some decisive actions would start happening, and the novel would really start to get exciting. Maybe someone from one group would accuse the other side of a horrible crime. The two factions, ancient enemies, would prepare to fight each other. You'd read faster and faster, wondering what will happen next. Is the horrible accusation true? Will the two sides really fight? Who will win?

Attending an Otherworld event is like reading a novel with a few very big differences. The biggest is that you're actually walking around in the middle of it, rather than just reading about it. Our staff volunteers portray the inhabitants of the tiny village of World's Edge. On Friday night, you'll start to meet them, learning their histories, finding out what matters to them. When actions happen in the story, they'll really happen. And there's one more huge difference. Instead of sitting in a comfy chair reading about the characters, you'll be a character in the story yourself.

Sunrise over the Lake of Songs

You and the other participants are visitors to World's Edge. Like we said before, you'll be wearing a costume and going by a name you make up, and your actions - along with those of your six-person adventuring group - will influence the tale that spins around you.

With a good book, you won't know how it's going to end until you read the last page. Similarly, we don't know how the story of the Adventure Weekend will turn out. If the plot were the same as the one in our example - it's not - then you might decide that the horrible accusation is in fact true. You might work with the accusing group to help vanquish their foes.

But would you and your group be victorious? We don't know! You'd have to wait until the end of the weekend to find out!

How real is it? Are you actually running around in the woods and everything?

We're actually running around in the woods. An Adventure Weekend is as "real" as we can make it while accepting certain boundaries like safety and the laws of physics. Everyone is wearing a costume, and the camp we use is a rustic one, so the environment looks authentic. We don't use real weapons because that would clearly violate safety rules, but participants do carry padded foam swords, and do actually use them. We have systems to simulate casting magic spells, being healed, and becoming a ghost. If a party finds hidden treasure, it really looks like treasure. Despite some welcome modern conveniences (like eyeglasses, indoor bathrooms, etc.) many participants comment on how real the experience seems.

Am I pretending to be someone else all weekend?

No, not really. That is, clearly you're not going to be exactly like you normally are at home. After all, you're going to be running around in the woods and wearing a costume and having fantastic adventures.

How will I know what do to?

This is probably the question we're asked the most, and it doesn't have a totally simple answer. There's not a script, nor will you receive explicit instructions on what to do in each situation. At the same time, we do provide some direction to parties by establishing goals and "chance" encounters to help get the action moving. There'll be events happening all around you, and you can decide how you want to respond to them.

Of course, all actions have consequences, and some of these are more favorable than others. If a man approached you on a wooded trail, handed you a map and then walked away, what would you do? You could try to talk to him. You could follow the map. You could kill the man, but there doesn't seem to be any reason to, plus it would incur the wrath of the local militia - probably a bad consequence. You could try to sell the map. Or you could choose to do nothing.

The actions of every single participant affect the outcome of the unfolding story. Your map might lead to fabulous hidden treasure or a den of bloodthirsty thieves, but it promises to be an adventure either way!

You may want to take a look at the What It's Really Like page; it (hopefully) makes it easier to understand what we mean.

I've never done anything like this before. Will I feel weird and stupid?

Otherworld Adventure Weekends are unlike anything else on earth, so no one has ever done anything like it before! We keep the complicated rules to a minimum, so participants can focus on meeting nice people, trying new things and having fun.

Before past weekends, some participants have expected to find things confusing. Others were nervous that the weekend's activities would feel foolish or "forced". Afterward, though, the same people commented that they'd been swept away by the story unfolding around them. Many were surprised that taking part in the action came so easily and naturally to them.

Can I come with a friend? With a few friends? Can I come alone?

Participants spend a good deal of the weekend in their six-person adventuring party. If you'd like to come with five friends, you can be a party together. If you come with fewer people, we'll place you in a party we think you'll enjoy. Some people prefer to attend alone. An Otherworld Adventure Weekend can give you a chance to do things you've never done before, and being with people who don't know you already can make that easier. The experience of the weekend is intense enough that parties tend to bond quickly into cohesive units. Adventuring together is a nice way to meet new people and renew old friendships. We know of past participants who still stay in touch with their party-mates. Even if you're with five people you've never met before, they won't feel like strangers for long.

I'm really busy. Can I come for just a couple hours?

Sorry, no. Part of what makes the weekend work is the way parties bond and actions progress over time. Many people find that the time "lost" while they're away from home/work/school is more than compensated for by their renewed energy and enthusiasm when they return at the end of the weekend.

If this all sounds intriguing but you still have some nagging doubts or worries, please visit our common concerns list; hopefully we can answer any remaining questions you might have. 

If you're ready to sign up, check out our Adventure Weekend Registration Form. 

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