Dungeons & Dragons Summer Camp (Advanced, Ages 13+)

Game Kastle College Park is holding two week-long sessions designed to help kids improve their skills and understanding of Dungeons & Dragons ® (D&D). First designed in 1974 and with an extensive revision for its fifth edition releasing in spring 2024, D&D is regularly billed as the “world’s oldest roleplaying game.” In this class, a small group of students will learn how to play D&D with an experienced instructor. Spaces at D&D camp are extremely limited, so we encourage you to sign up today!

Students will learn the roleplaying game (RPG) hobby by playing. They will begin with pre-generated characters to learn the basics of D&D in a short scenario. After the intro game, students will make their own characters. They will select a miniature figure to represent their character and will paint it so it’s unique for them. After this, they will work with the instructor to develop their character’s starting statistics. The rest of the week will be spent on a multi-session adventure which the party will work together to achieve a common goal.

Game Kastle isn’t just an average hobby game store. Game Kastle offers hard-to-find items, an outstanding selection of amazing products, an impressive gaming space, daily scheduled events, and a staff that genuinely wants to help.

As a retailer, Game Kastle supplies customers with both newly released and evergreen titles. As an event space provider, Game Kastle hosts open play, tournaments, and camps to grow our amazing community.

In a roleplaying game (RPG), each player takes on the role of a hero, narrating their actions in a scenario. In most RPGs one player, called the Dungeon Master™ in D&D, designs the basic contours of the story and takes on the role of everyone else in the world. Some actions are just narrated, like walking across a room. When it’s unclear whether a player’s action would automatically succeed, like trying to pick a lock or disarm a villain, players use dice to resolve the situation. RPGs combine elements of improv theater, storytelling in general, and statistics to create a group-built story that’s unique to the players involved.

Camp begins at 9:00 a.m. and runs through 5:00 p.m. each day. There will be a morning session, followed by lunch and free play of other games in the Game Kastle College Park demo library. Store staff will be on hand to teach demo library games. After lunch and free play, campers will return to the RPG room for an afternoon session of roleplay. There will be a snack in the middle of the afternoon session. Game Kastle College Park will provide a daily boxed lunch and snack to the students as part of their tuition.

● Monday – Form the Party: Campers create Level 6 characters individually while in discussion with each other about what the party’s needs might be. Campers will learn to write compelling backstories and build characters with the party and the story in mind. Campers will have an opportunity to introduce their characters to the rest of the party through roleplay and play the inciting incident of the campaign.

● Tuesday – Bob Ross Day: Campers will learn about painting miniatures, with a special focus on making developing color palettes based on the character’s backstory and personality traits. Interested campers will also have an opportunity to learn more advanced techniques, including special effects and textures. Time permitting, campers will raise their characters to Level 7 and continue playing through the campaign.

● Wednesday – The Adventure Continues: Campers will work together to raise their characters to Level 7 or 8, followed by a full day of playing Dungeons & Dragons!

● Thursday – The Stakes are Raised: Campers will continue their adventure. Towards the end of the afternoon, a major story break will occur and campers will have the opportunity to raise their character up to Level 8 or 9.

● Friday – The Adventure Concludes: Campers will finish their adventure with a meaningful face-off against a major villain.

Finding treasure is an integral part of the RPG experience. We want our camp to simulate that by giving each camper a loot packet! This will include:

● A copy of an in-stock official D&D book ($49.95 retail)

● A full set of dice for D&D with a random mini! ($10.95 retail)

● Character sheet to keep track of their character

● Miniature for their character ($4.99 retail)

● One booster box of 4 randomly-selected pre-painted miniatures ($16.99 value)

Copious research has demonstrated that children who play RPGs build confidence, develop better critical thinking and coping skills, acquire an extended vocabulary, and develop an inherent understanding of statistics. Because they require a group of people to work together to achieve a desired outcome, RPGs are also useful for developing leadership and teamwork skills. The Role-Playing Games Research website [https://w3.rpgresearch.com/] archives much of this research for public consumption.

$500 through February 29

$550 through March 31

$600 beginning April 1

Game Kastle College Park invites parents and guardians to stay with their children during camp if they wish. The store provides public gaming space with seating for more than 70 people and responsible adults are welcome to work or play at that space while camp is in session. Because Game Kastle is not a professional childcare provider, we cannot legally take responsibility for your children and their safety while they are at camp. The instructor, Game Kastle College Park, and its employees take all reasonable measures to ensure the safety of all individuals that visit the store either to shop or to use our play space, including campers.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Game Kastle (College Park), 4748 Cherry Hill Road, College Park, United States