Puzzled Pint was founded nearly 5 years ago and DASH was a strong inspiration for our founders. (Alas, I cannot include myself in that group; I joined GC a couple years later.) We try to position Puzzled Pint as a monthly event to help foster a puzzle community in new cities and to act as a stepping-stone to train folks for more advanced puzzle hunts such as DASH. In other words, if you attend Puzzled Pint, you should strongly consider DASH.
For those not in the know, DASH stands for Different Area, Same Hunt. It is an afternoon-long puzzle hunt that’s played out in cities around the world. While Puzzled Pint happens on paper, in a bar, DASH involves running (or walking) around your city, and answering puzzles to reveal your next destination. While the majority of DASH puzzles are on paper, there are sometimes more interesting mechanisms — plastic lemons, business cards, tokens, Post-It notes, foam-core board constructions, MP3 players, and so on.
DASH can be as competitive or noncompetitive as you want. There are three tracks: one for experienced puzzlers, one for beginners, and one for kids. Time is tracked during solving itself and does not accumulate when walking between locations. Some teams like to run, many prefer to walk at a leisurely pace.
DASH 7 is coming soon. From the look of the logo, this one is Harry Potter themed. (I’m so excited!) The event is on May 30th, but registration closes in less than a week, on May 1st. It’s $45 per team, with a team being 3–5 people. It takes place in 16 cities: Albuquerque, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Davis, Denver, London, Minneapolis, New York, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington DC. Find out more on the PlayDASH website and on their FAQ.