Frequently Asked Questions

D&D in a Castle is a 4-day luxury, all-inclusive tabletop gaming retreat. The event is hosted in a genuine English Castle when in the UK, or in a fantastical Castle-Hotel in the USA. Guests eat, sleep and game in the Castle for 4 days and nights. Every guest plays a 24-hour Campaign with a world-class professional Dungeon Master and up to 5 other guests for about 8 hours each gaming day. During the remaining hours, guests can choose between more tabletop gaming (one-shots) and other activities, such as game-related crafting, escape rooms, workshops, panels and outdoor games. All meals are prepared by the Castle's own chefs, and guests stay in the guest rooms of the Castle, which is always a thematic hotel.

Our motto is “Vacation Beyond Imagination” and that's exactly what you get. During each round, players will spend at least 24 hours in their custom Dungeons & Dragons Campaign in the Castle over four days. For the rest of the time, you can explore the Castle, participate in our player galas, play other games with special guests, and so much more.

You are welcome to download the example schedule to review from the button above.

Registration includes participation in an epic 24-hour playtime Campaign with a world-class professional Dungeon Master, all one-shot games run by our incredible talent, bonus gaming, crafting, and other activities and events at the Castle, as well as all meals and shuttle transportation to and from the Castle from a nearby major airport/train station.

Registration for 2026 is $3400 USD per player registration. Accommodation in one of the Castle's guest rooms is a separate purchase and is required to complete your booking. There are a variety of room types available in any of our top-quality Castle hotels. Companion Mode Registration is also available at reduced rates.

Registration at D&D in a Castle includes 4 days of role-play gaming, food prepared by the Castle's gourmet chefs, and first-class entertainment all in the setting of a fantastical Castle. Guests will play a 24-hour Campaign with a top-tier Dungeon Master, and can participate in one-shots run by our special guests, as well as crafting and other activities and events at the Castle. Registration includes all meals from a feast and ball on the first night, to a farewell breakfast on the last morning. A shuttle to and from the Castle will be available from a nearby transportation hub, and will be communicated to registered guests.

Guest rooms vary in size and luxury. Accommodation is a separate purchase and begins at about $200 per person per night based on double occupancy.

You may also download and review an example schedule of activities from the button above.

Payments for D&D in a Castle are fully refundable for 7 days after payment.

We also offer optional Refund Protection for tickets to D&D in a Castle for an additional charge at time of purchase, which covers guests for a broad range of emergency cancellations. Details of our refund protection can be found on our Refundable Booking Protections Terms and Conditions.

D&D in a Castle is an event designed for adults, and the minimum age for participation is 14. However, guests under 18 are registered through a separate process, and placed at designated gaming tables. If you would like to inquire about youth or family registration, please contact us at contact@dndinacastle.com. Some details are also available on our Family Mode page.

Conduct and Maturity: D&D in a Castle upholds a standard of maturity and respect in all our sessions. We trust our younger adventurers, like all guests, to contribute positively and maturely to every aspect of the experience.

All meals and refreshments are prepared and served by the chefs of the Castle - a luxury hotel, accustomed to regularly accommodating the dietary needs of its guests. We can accommodate any and all dietary requirements as long as we know about them in advance. Just let us know your needs when you register. The more notice we have, the better prepared the castle will be to ensure they have gourmet options for you to enjoy within your dietary restrictions.

D&D in a Castle is a residential retreat, and all guests must be registered to stay in one of our available accommodation options for the duration of the event. We have a range of accommodation options to suit various requirements, and we are confident you will see once you are with us that staying on site is the ultimate D&D in a Castle experience. If you have any particular needs that you are unsure if we can meet, please reach out to us by private message or by email to contact@dndinacastle.com and we will do our utmost to ensure your comfort at our event.

There is nothing better than making memories like D&D in a Castle with your kids! Sometimes, parents introduce their children to the game at this event, and sometimes children bring their parents along!

You are welcome to bring your kids to D&D in a Castle events. The minimum age for attending alone is 18, but youth age 14+ can join if they are accompanied by a responsible adult chaperone who is also registered as a Family Mode Player Guest. Both the Youth and the Chaperone should select the free Family mode registration option. If there is no such option available, simply email us and we will ensure you placed at a Youth-Friendly table. All youth attending D&D in a Castle are expected to conduct themselves as adults. Younger children not participating in a Campaign must be registered and paid for as Companion Guests, with a dedicated caregiver also registered as a Companion Guest.

We now offer Family Mode options during select events for young adventurers and their chaperones. You can find out more about our Family Mode at dndinacastle.com/family.

Please go to the dndinacastle.com/the-castles page to review details on how to get to and from each Castle. The Port of Call for each Castle is as follows, please no later than noon for any location on the first day of the event:

• Castle “Grimsorrow” (County Durham, UK): Newcastle upon Tyne Airport or Train Station

• “Lothmere” Castle (Darlington, UK): Newcastle upon Tyne Airport or Train Station

• “Thelien’s Rest” (Mohican Forest, USA): Columbus Airport.

If you are not traveling by train or plane, or arriving later than noon, email us at support@dndinacastle.com. At the end of the event, we offer a shuttle back to the train station and the airport, getting you there by 12:30pm.

Always travel with your passport if you are travelling internationally.
Additionally, please review the ETA requirements for traveling to the UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta

At D&D in a Castle, we believe this game is for everyone! We would be honoured to initiate you in what we consider the greatest game ever made. Our Dungeon Masters love welcoming newcomers to the table, and fellow guests are always excited to share their passion with you. The specific campaign will be new to everyone, and the DM will be there throughout to guide and assist you. We'll explain everything you need to know and make sure you have a great time even if you've never played before.

Games at D&D in a Castle are run by world-class Dungeon Masters — some of the top game designers, streamers, and performers in the industry. Each round of D&D in a Castle has a different roster of Dungeon Masters as to choose from for your 24-hours of campaign, as well as a selection of One-Shot talent to run additional games when your Campaign is not in session. All Dungeon Masters will be very experienced with new and venerated players, and will provide an unforgettable gaming experience for everyone. You can read about all our Dungeon Masters at www.dndinacastle.com/dungeon-masters.

At D&D in a Castle, you will get to play a 24-hour Campaign over 4 days with a world-class Dungeon Master from among some of the top talent in the industry. You can read about your choices at www.dndinacastle.com/dungeon-masters. Each Dungeon Master has their own style, but all the campaigns will be focused on simplicity and fun for a variety of players, with a focus on pace and story and the rule of cool.

In addition to the main campaigns, there will be plenty of opportunity to play one-shots with our special guests who will run games throughout the event, and which you can join when your Campaign is not in session. These will take all kinds of forms, but will all be accessible to all players, and will all be run by talented and experienced gamers who know how to create a magical experience in a single session.

Imagine, if you will, a fantastical Dwarven or Elven Castle, bursting with nerds, all there for the gaming experience of their lives. You may find a few moments between games to catch a brief respite of sleep, so your eyes don't start to bleed mid-Campaign, but you will never run out of chances to play at the Castle. At almost all times of day and night, you can find a group of gamers somewhere in the Castle, rolling dice and laughing until they cry.

Officially, each gaming day of D&D in a Castle is broken into several session, between 2 and 4 hours long. Every guests participates in a 24-hour long Campaign played with the Dungeon Master of their choice. That Campaign is played in the majority of the sessions each day. During the remaining time, we offer One-Shots, as well as other Castle-based activities. But fellow guests also get up various kinds of games at all hours, and there is always someone around to join in.

D&D in a Castle is your vacation, and we want you to enjoy it! Each guest will be part of a 24-hour long Campaign over 4 days run by the Dungeon Master of their choice. These Campaigns will be run for about 8 hours of each gaming day. You are requested to attend all your table's Campaign sessions as a courtesy to the other gamers. This is the heart of the event and we have never had a guest not wish to participate.

During the remaining hours of your stay, there are many other activities to enjoy, such as One-Shots run by our dedicated special guests, crafting activities, and other Castle-based fun. Or, you are free to relax in one of the Castle's many nooks, or to stroll through the grounds. But we anticipate, you will just want to game your heart out while you can. In a Castle.

The Dungeon Master University is a gathering for all people who run or want to run games of Dungeons & Dragons, for fun, professionally, or anywhere in between, who want to hone their craft with the guidance and wisdom of other experienced Dungeon Masters. All activities are centered around the art of Dungeon Mastering, and all Faculty are seasoned and knowledgeable Dungeon Masters themselves. The event is 2 full instructional days, from morning to evening, of learning, sharing, and enjoying the company of fellow Dungeon Masters in a weekend escape dedicated to this vocation. Participants/Registrants in the Dungeon Master University are respectfully referred to as Scholars.

All Faculty at the Dungeon Master University are industry professionals with significant experience in the subjects they are instructing. You can read about each instructor by clicking on their name.

Primary Course Faculty:

• Skill Building - B. Dave Walters and Mike Tinney
• Campaign Building - Kelly Lynne D'Angelo
• Worldbuilding - Keith Baker and Monte Cook
• Career Building - Clint McElroy, Elisa Teague, Hunter Fell (Start Playing Games), and Kage Freudigmann (Drive-Thru RPG)

Additional "Seminar" Faculty may be added at a future date, who will be offering optional Seminars on various subjects relating to the art of Dungeon Mastering. Access to Seminars is included in all Registration Tiers.

The Campus for the Dungeon Master University will be at the beautiful Oglethorpe University, in Atlanta Georgia. All Courses, Seminars, Presentations, Meals and Game Lab will take place on Campus. The Welcome Reception, for all Scholars registering at the Gold or Platinum Tiers, as well as Registration Check-in for ALL Scholars, and hotel partner accommodations will be at our Hotel Partner, the JWC Marriott in Buckhead, Atlanta, which is connected to the Campus by the MARTA Train. All Scholars will receive a train pass allowing them to travel freely between the Hotel and the Campus throughout the Event.

The Dungeon Master University is two full instructional days, going from 9am to 11pm+ on January 2 and 3, plus Registration Day on January 1. For those registering with the Gold or Platinum Tiers, there is a Welcome Reception with Faculty on the evening of January 1. Scholars should plan to be in Atlanta from Thursday, January 1 to Sunday, January 4 in order to be present for all programming.

January 1, 2026:

• Evening VIP welcome reception - (Gold and Platinum Tier)

January 2 & 3, 2026:

• 9:00 am - Courses start at the University.
• 11:00 am - Seminars
• 12:00 pm - Lunch & Office hours start
• 2:00 pm - Course class
• 4:00 pm - Seminars
• 5:00 pm - Dinner & extra activities
• 7:00 pm - Game Labs
• 11:00 pm - Approximate end of Game Labs (Game Dependent)

Registration at the Dungeon Master University includes your choice of one Primary Course, access to all seminars, breakfast, lunch and dinner on all instructional days, entrance to the Keynote Address, and the opportunity to play in a "Game Lab' - evening one-shots run by fellow (Platinum Tier) Scholars and participated in by Faculty.

Silver Tier Registration - $995

Includes all of the above

Gold Tier Registration - $1500 (100 available)

Includes all of the above, plus early access to sign up for Game Lab, one appointment for Office Hours (a half-hour, one-on-one session with a Faculty member), admission to the Welcome Reception on January 1, and a welcome gift pack including a custom Dungeon Master University backpack valued at over $250.

Platinum Tier - $2,250 (32 available)

Includes everything in Silver and Gold Tiers, plus a Game Lab Run - the chance to run a game at a Game Lab with one of our Faculty as a player along with 5 other Scholars, and to receive feedback on your game from that Faculty. Platinum Tier Scholars will also receive a Dungeon Master University exclusive Varsity Jacket valued at $175, and first access, before all other Scholars, to choose their Office Hours with the Faculty of their choice.

The Dungeon Master University (DMU) offers four different Primary Course options, each focused on a specific area of DMing: Worldbuilding, Campaign Design, Career Building, and Skill Building. You'll find descriptions of each course in the DMU catalogue. Each course is 4 hours per day over 2 days, for a total of 8 hours.

Additionally, DMU offers a series of shorter seminars, each 1 hour and covering a wide array of topics, from Puzzles to Encounters to NPC building. The list of available seminars will be published and provided to registered guests of the DMU.

A variety of instructional Seminars will be offered, and are subject to change. The following are a sample of the seminars that will be offered:

• Laughter is the Best Medicine Check: Humor in D&D with Steve Wrigley
• Rolling Initiative: Professional D&D Podcasting with Clint McElroy
• DMing for Team Building with Dax Levine
• Secrets, Symbols, and Solutions: Puzzles in the Dungeon with Elisa Teague
• Secrets of Self-Publishing: How to Publish Like a Pro with Kage Freudigmann
• The Virtual Table: How to Make Your Online Games Feel More Like In-Person Games with Hunter Fell

Primary Courses (Worldbuilding, Campaign Design, Career Building, and Skill Building) are each 4 hours per day, in 2 hour blocks, for a total of 8 hours over two days.

The Dungeon Master University helps you level up your skills through structured courses, expert instruction, and hands-on exercises that focus on storytelling, player engagement, campaign design, improvisation, and more. Whether you're running home games or aiming for professional-level mastery, the DMU gives you the tools, feedback, and confidence to create richer, more rewarding experiences at the table.

All Scholars receive access to session slides, handouts, outlines, templates, and optional reading materials. Many courses also include video recordings, worksheets, and prep frameworks designed by working DMs. Exact materials vary by course and faculty instructor.

Primary Courses are deep-dives that are focused on a specific but broader area of DMing across two days in the classroom. They are designed to be fully interactive, with more direct engagement with the faculty instructor and your fellow Scholars.

Seminars are shorter lecture-style presentations that focus on a specific topic.