How it works.
We offer two things: introductory classes that teach kids how to play DnD and regular, ongoing games that meet once a week.
Our introductory classes teach kids the basic rules and concepts of DnD. This is a great way to find out if DnD is something your child would enjoy, or to get them primed before they play in an upcoming game.
For our weekly games, players from all over the country meet at the same time every week for a two-hour game over Zoom. This is a weekly subscription but can be paused for family holidays, vacations, or whatever the need may be.
Details about the program are in the following links. If you’d like more information, you can check out the FAQ and About Us sections. If you have any additional questions contact us.
About Dungeons & Dragons
Our Introductory Classes
Weekly Games
Subscriptions & Fees
The Game Session
What You'll Need
Selecting A Character
Surprise Drops
Gaming Groups
Chapters
About Dungeons & Dragons.
DnD is a game where players assume the role of characters in a fantasy setting. These characters participate in a story organized by another player assigned the role of the “Dungeon Master” (or DM for short). The DM is one part referee, one part storyteller. They describe events in the story, ask the players how they would like to respond, and the players then roll dice to see if they succeed or fail in their responses. Different outcomes create different paths for the story to take. No one, not even the DM, knows ahead of time everything that will happen in a game. The players and DM discover the story together.
Our Introductory Classes.
One of the most daunting parts of starting out playing DnD can be reading a character sheet. To the uninitiated, this looks like a big collection of numbers and words more at home in an accountant’s tax filing than a game trafficking in magic and elves. So we start by demystifying the character sheet for kids and showing how, once they know a few of the basic concepts, the character sheet is really easy to navigate. From there we dive into some actual gameplay with a quick mini-adventure that covers all the basic rules. Consider this kind of like the tutorial at the beginning of a videogame, only using their imaginations. For players with some experience who want a little refresher, we can skip over the basics and focus on the parts of the game they want to review. To sign up for an introductory class click here.
Weekly Games.
Our regular weekly games are made up of groups of 3-6 players and meet at a regular time once a week for two hours over Zoom. Kids are organized by their availability and age. We try to group kids into similar ages because we’ve found they have more fun that way, but there are always exceptions (we have some surprisingly mature 9 year olds!). To sign up for one of these games, click here.
Watch a clip from an actual game: “The Gelatinous Cube”
Subscription & Fees.
Our introductory classes are $13. If your child wants to play in one of our regular groups, the fee is $45/week automatically billed through a subscription. We don’t charge for canceled or postponed weeks (with 24 hours notice). You can pause your subscription for holidays, vacations, or for any reason, really. To learn more and/or sign up, visit our getting started page.
The Game Session.
Gabe is our resident Dungeon Master. During their first sessions, he will teach new players how to play through a methodical rollout of the rules. He uses art, hand-painted miniatures, 3D printed sets, and soundtracks to immerse the kids in the story of each game. Each two-hour session is sort of like an episode in a TV series or chapter in a book. It starts out with a recap of the story so far, then picks up where the last session left off. The story progresses as the players dictate how their characters engage with the world and roll dice to see what occurs. This might include exploring a forest, questing for a magical sword, or defeating a gang of goblins. During the game, Gabe establishes opportunities for teamwork and collaboration within the group. After two hours, the game wraps up until the next session.
Watch a clip from an actual game: “The Gelatinous Cube”
What you’ll need to play.
To participate in our program, all a player needs is a a computer or tablet with a good internet connection for videochat, the free version of Zoom, and a DnDBeyond.com account (which is also free). Players are not required to have any previous experience with DnD. In fact, we welcome new players as our program was built around teaching the rules.
Selecting Your Character.
Each player gets to choose their character and with it their character sheet. This comes prefilled with all the information about their character’s abilities and equipment. Players then come up with their own take on their character’s personality, what they are like, and their history. Are they more like Bilbo Baggins or Brienne of Tarth? T’Challa or Han Solo? Players should have a browser open to their character sheet and be able to toggle between at and the zoom window while they are playing.
Surprise Drops.
Part of our program includes surprise packages in the mail. These are small tokens and tchotchkes that relate to events from the game. You’ll get your first one of these as soon as your first game is scheduled.
Gaming Groups.
Groups of 3-6 players meet at a regular time once a week and are organized by their availability and age. We try to group kids up in similar ages, but there are always exceptions (we have some surprisingly mature 9 year olds!). If you’d like to sign up for a group with a particular player, just let us know during sign up.
Chapters.
Our games are structured into the chapters listed below, with rough estimates given for each chapter’s number of sessions. This can vary per group depending on how each individual game is progressing. Some kids want to spend a little more time doing things and that can extend the number of sessions, which is fine! We follow the story where it leads us.
If you’d prefer to timebox your child’s session into a set number of weeks/sessions, just let us know when you sign up. Taking a break for a week or two is also fine (you won’t be charged for anything so long as you give us a heads up at least 24 hours in advance).
Chapter 1
Investigating the Ruins
(3-4 sessions)
Deep in the forest, a patrol of scouts is ambushed while exploring a set of mysterious ruins. The Queen hires the party to investigate. In these first sessions players learn the basic rules of the game, their characters, and how they work together as a team.
Chapter 2
Into the Wastelands
(3-4 sessions)
The party must head deep into the trackless desert to take the measure of a threat that’s building there. The players will face a challenge for which there is no right or wrong answer, only the plan they develop together to achieve their goal.
Chapter 3
Found In The Temple…
(4-5 Sessions)
The Queen’s scholars discover an uncomfortable legend about a monster living in a cave to the north of the castle city. Is this creature an ancient myth? Or a real danger laying in wait? This chapter emphasizes exploration and discovery, as well as opportunities for heroism.
Chapter 4
The Long Road Home
(3-4 sessions)
The party must navigate the uncharted forest and its mysteries to return home. This chapter introduces puzzle challenges and problem solving.
Chapter 5
The Necromancers
(5-7 sessions)
A powerful magic item, locked away in an ancient dungeon for centuries, is sought after by a wicked orc shaman. Can the party get to it first? Puzzles, teamwork, and creative roleplay are heavily emphasized in this classic dungeon crawl of a chapter.
And more…
The adventure continues and is currently beyond 15 chapters! Most of our players have been enrolled for over a year.
