This July we are introducing two week-long youth events designed to give children ages 8-16 a chance to build social and teamwork skills through gaming. The first of these events will be a D&D-focused series called “Venture Forth” and will be designed for brand new players to D&D, running from July 10-14. The second session will be called “Master the Dungeon” and will focus on DMing skills, which will run July 17-21. Each day’s event will last from 12 pm – 4 pm, and focus on a different set of skills vital to the game. Children will be divided according to age and experience, with older and more experienced children assisting the younger in learning life and gaming skills.
Experienced Instructors
Our owners and staff have experience as teachers and gamers, so your children will get the best of both worlds. Parents of minors are required to attend with their child for the entire event.
- Quality materials and instruction
- Large tables for playing
- Safe, comfortable environment located in the heart of Penfield
- Emphasis on teamwork, creativity and sporting play
- A great time for budding gamers!
D&D Day Camp – “Venture Forth”
Are your young adventurers ready to venture forth, but aren’t sure of the rules? Are mom and dad not cool enough to game with the kids, but the kids still want to do battle with cunning foes? Then sign them up for the “Venture Forth” program, daily from noon – 4 pm, July 10-14, and they will learn cooperative gaming skills, teamwork, critical thinking and ultimately create a dungeon module to take home and challenge their friends with, so they can learn to be better players in life and in D&D.
Day 1, Monday: Rules basics. Character creation. Each player will generate a character using D&D Adventurers League and the materials in Player’s Handbook. Focus will be on building a balanced party with respect to the other characters at their table. Players will then play a brief adventure, using the characters they have made. Players will each get a Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide, a set of dice, graph paper, pencils and paper to use throughout the week and keep after the event.
Day 2, Tuesday: The first quest. Players will venture into a dungeon provided by the store and begin the hunt for an ancient enemy.
Day 3, Wednesday: The quest continues as players meet new non-player characters, acquire their first treasures, and delve into the mysteries of a nearby ruin, searching for their foe. We expect Day 3 to cover some leveling up.
Day 4, Thursday: Within the dungeon, a villain is revealed, and their henchmen lay a trap for our heroes…
Day 5, Friday: A brief respite to help players level again. Finally, the players come face-to-face with their foe, and a battle commences.
After the camp, players will be invited to attend our Sunday family and kids D&D sessions!
D&D Day Camp – “Master the Dungeon”
Are your young adventurers ready to build their own dungeon and learn to hunt for dragons? Then sign them up for the “Venture Forth” program, daily from noon – 4 pm, July 17-21, and they will learn cooperative gaming skills, teamwork, critical thinking and ultimately create a dungeon module to take home and challenge their friends with, so they can learn to be better players in life and in D&D.
Day 1, Monday [Building]: Rules basics. Character creation. Each player will generate a character using D&D Adventurers League and the materials in Player’s Handbook. Focus will be on building a balanced party with respect to the other characters at their table. Players will then play a brief adventure, using the characters they have made. Players will each get a Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide, a set of dice, graph paper, pencils and paper to use throughout the week and keep after the event.
Day 2, Tuesday [Building]: Dungeon Building 101. Players will break into groups. Each group will make a dungeon map, noting important features, traps, locations of treasure and monsters. Learn several techniques for dungeon creation and mapping to make the dungeon map “pop” for your friends.
Day 3, Wednesday [Playing]: Populating the Dungeon: Player groups will build balanced encounters for their dungeons for characters of level 1. Each child will build a “boss fight” and learn to make a memorable villain. Based on past years experience, it is likely DMs are ready by Day 3 to run adventures, and so this day may instead be a play day.
Day 4, Thursday [Playing]: Fleshing out the World. Why is the Dungeon on Day 3 where it is? What is nearby? Who will send the heroes to adventure here? Overland map sketching skills will be shown today. Players learn to make NPCs and non-combat encounters. Each player will contribute to the Dungeon their group has created. Based on past years experience, it is likely DMs are ready by Day 3 to run adventures, and so this day may instead be a play day.
Day 5, Friday [Playing]: Playing the Dungeon (continued). In their groups, players will select a Dungeon master and play the Dungeon they created using their characters from Day 1. At the end of the adventure, each group will receive a copy of their Dungeon, printed and bound, for their use in the future. Based on past years experience, it is likely DMs are ready by Day 3 to run adventures, and so this day may instead be a play day.
After the camp, players will be invited to attend our Sunday family and kids D&D sessions!
Parents
Are encouraged to attend and play D&D in our spacious gaming rooms up front or in the rear of the store. All parents attending will play free while waiting if their kids are enrolled in one of the camps (please note that parents will need to bring their own DMing and playing materials – alas, we can only prepare so many bold adventurers at a time ourselves). Also please note that due to the ages of participants, a parent or guardian must be present in the store for the entirety of these events.
Pricing and reservations
The Venture Forth session features a $150 fee which covers 1 Players Handbook, a set of dice, character sheet printing and pencils, and staffing to run the adventures. This is a lighter session, intended for beginning players.
The Master the Dungeon session features a $250 fee which covers 1 Player’s Handbook, 1 Dungeon Master’s Guide, 1 Monster Manual, 2 sets of dice, craft materials for map making, printing and staffing to assist children in running their modules and building their dungeons.
Either session can be reserved for a $50 non-refundable deposit. If your child plays in both sessions, the final price will be $50 less for both sessions, to reflect the cost of the Player’s Handbook. If you want your child to play, but do not want the books, you can pay only $100 per session when you pay off the full amount (reservation is still $50 online). If you would like 2 Player’s Handbooks, just add the sessions to your cart individually, rather than using the 2-session option.
