Dungeons & Dragons Summer Camp (Ages 14-17, July 12 - 16)

A week-long summer camp for 14-17 year olds who want to learn about and expand their understanding of Dungeons & Dragons. Game Kastle College Park is holding week-long sessions designed to teach kids how to play Dungeons & Dragons ® (D&D). First designed in 1974 and with an extensive revision for its fifth edition released in 2024, D&D is regularly billed as the “world’s most popular roleplaying game (RPG).” In this class, a small group of students will learn how to play and deepen their understanding of 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 RPG hobby by playing. Roleplay will be integrated into the elements of building a character, developing a backstory, and even painting their character miniature. The rest of the week will be spent on a multi-session adventure during which the campers will work together to achieve a common goal and tell a story together, learning more about the game as they play. This camp is intended for children ages 14-17. About Game Kastle College Park 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 and tournaments to grow our amazing community. We have hosted summer gaming camps since 2022, and we are excited to expand our camp offerings year after year! What Is a Roleplaying Game? In an RPG, most players take on the role of a single character, narrating their actions in an imagined scenario. One player, often called the Gamemaster, designs the basic contours of the story and takes on the role of the other characters 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 an opponent, 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. Daily Schedule Camp runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day. Parents can check in their camper as early as 8:45 a.m. and check them out as late as 3:15 p.m. We ask that a parent or guardian enters the store to check their camper in and out. There will be a morning session, followed by lunch at approximately 11:30 a.m., and free play of other games in the Game Kastle College Park demo library. After lunch and free play, campers will reconvene 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. Weekly Schedule ● Monday – Stepping into the Role: Students begin with a Session Zero during which they play quick roleplay games, set expectations, and discuss safety tools. The instructor introduces the world of the adventure, and students begin discussing character ideas. Students develop their character sheets through a roleplaying session, learning elements of the game through play. This session will also introduce the week’s adventure. Students are tasked with considering their backstory during camp and at home. ● Tuesday – Coloring in the Lines: Students develop their characters through a roleplaying session designed to investigate their backstory and how it connects to the rest of their character sheet. They will also get to paint miniatures today! Students will start with a practice miniature to learn the basics of miniature painting and then move on to painting their character miniature. Students will have an opportunity to introduce their character’s appearance in a roleplaying session. ● Wednesday-Friday – The Adventure Awaits: Now that the students have developed their characters, it’s time to begin the adventure in earnest! For the rest of camp, students will play in roleplaying sessions designed to deepen their understanding of the rules of the game, nuances to their characters, strategies for playing the game, and techniques for roleplaying. They will contribute meaningfully to a story curated specifically for their table. Loot! 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 the D&D Player’s Handbook • Multi-Sided Dice – the campers will each select a d4, d6, d8, d10, d100, d12, and d20 from our collection of loose dice to make their own custom dice set! • Character sheet to keep track of their character • Miniature for their character Developmental Benefits of Playing RPGs & Game-Based Learning 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. RPGs serve as a vehicle for players to explore different perspectives in a safe environment, deepening their understanding of others as well as themselves. The Role-Playing Games Research website [https://w3.rpgresearch.com/] archives much of this research for public consumption. RPGs also provide an alternative avenue for entertainment from our screen-filled world. At GKCP, we encourage every student to read printed materials rather than digital, and to make use of paper and pencil for recording notes and tracking their characters’ progress in the game. Michael J Walton, illustration, Tabletop EDU, November 26, 2025, https://www.tabletopedu.org/ Our camps make use of Game-Based Learning, a concept developed and taught by Tabletop EDU. Although primarily designed for using TTRPGs in traditional education settings, we find they have great value in learning how to play more advanced TTRPGs as well! Rather than lecture about the rules of the game and then begin play without further check-ins, the learning of the rules and strategies are woven into the play. This gets kids playing games as fast as possible, without sacrificing the learning. The play sessions are designed to provide instruction as well as assess campers’ understanding. Lunches At our day camp, we prioritize the health and satisfaction of every camper. Our lunches are provided by a local business that we work with, New York Deli. We have chosen New York Deli for their commitment to quality and variety, ensuring that our campers receive nutritious and delicious meals every day. We understand that each camper has unique dietary needs or preferences. Within the bounds of what New York Deli is able to accommodate, we are happy to tailor lunch options to suit each camper. Whether it is allergies, dietary restrictions, or personal preferences, we strive to provide a suitable meal for everyone. Due to our contractual agreement with New York Deli, we are unable to make pricing adjustments to the meals provided. The cost of each meal is fixed, and while we can make accommodations within the menu, this does not affect the pricing structure.