DND-Themed Birthday Parties Are Magical
Is a game-obsessed member of your family celebrating a birthday? There’s no better time to gather some friends together to play Dungeons & Dragons! A D&D-themed birthday party gives everyone a memorable experience to enjoy together, whether your child’s party guests are attending in person or online. We can craft a one-day adventure that’s friendly to beginners and includes plenty of surprises for your child’s big day.
A D&D birthday party is a great fit for older elementary school, middle, or high school-aged kids. Let us know who will be attending your event, and we’ll help you create a game that’s the right length and maturity level for your child’s age group. You bring the cake and ice cream, and we’ll bring an interactive story that helps everyone feel included and engaged. Dice and other D&D gear are totally optional.
Depending on your child’s age and what else you have planned, our “one shot” D&D birthday games can be as short as 45 minutes, or as long as several hours. Our games meet online but players interact in real time, which can help birthday parties feel special even if everyone can’t be together face-to-face. While many campaigns can last a long time, we keep our birthday games short and sweet. Players will overcome challenges, work together as a team, enjoy some quick wins and hopefully share a few laughs in the process.
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Why Hire a Professional Dungeon Master?
It’s a classic gamer’s dilemma: the kid who loves D&D the most often gets stuck running campaigns for their friends. Being the Dungeon Master (or DM) has its perks, but it is also a lot of work! If you’re celebrating a big day, you may not want to be the one running the whole show—and your kid might not want to, either. Hiring an experienced Dungeon Master means that everyone in your group can forget about managing hit points or crafting a good storyline, and just focus on spending some quality time together.
Our team members have years of experience working with kids, both as DMs and in other fields like education, therapy, and the performing arts. We have Game Masters located on the East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast, making it convenient to schedule games for most U.S. time zones. Meeting on Zoom makes our games accessible whether your child is meeting with friends from the neighborhood or family across the country. Depending on your location, we may even be able to host a game in person!
We love creating custom “homebrew” stories for friends and families to enjoy together. By creating a customized D&D campaign, your child can go on a birthday adventure tailored to their own interests. Rather than following a pre-made module, kids can explore the multiverse, a YA-novel-style dystopia, outer space, or any other setting your child dreams up.
D&D for Families and Events
While we love a good birthday party, we’re also happy to lend our Dungeon Master-y services to other events, like family game nights or extended family gatherings. While “dungeon” and “dragon” may not be the first words that spring to mind when you imagine a family-friendly activity, this imagination-based storytelling game lends itself to players of all ages. D&D is an awesome opportunity for parents and kids to have fun together and connect in a new way.
Here are a few reasons why we love D&D for families:
Players work together, not against each other, which (hopefully) cuts down on the sibling rivalry that sometimes comes up in competitive games
Everyone gets a chance to make decisions, fight monsters, and generally make their character look cool
There are lots of chances to practice communication and teamwork
The game can be as long or as short as it needs to be in order to hold everyone’s interest
Rules can be tweaked to make the game appropriate for kids as young as 8
D&D is a fun escape from everyday life that encourages players to interact with each other, rather than passively watch a screen. Honestly, who wouldn’t want to travel to an undiscovered realm and vent some frustration slaying gargoyles for an hour or two?
If you’re considering playing D&D with your family and are looking for a DM, reach out to us and tell us what you have in mind. We’d love to create a story for you that gives everyone in your family a chance to shine. Be sure to tell us if there are any fandoms your kids are crazy about, and whether there are any monsters or scary scenarios we should avoid for younger players in the family.
Not Familiar With Dungeons & Dragons?
If you’re the parent of a child who loves D&D, you may be wondering what exactly this game is all about. Dungeons and Dragons is a game that’s been around since the 70s, but suddenly seems to be everywhere due to the popularity of TV shows like Stranger Things and players who livestream their games, like Critical Role. The game is enjoying a new wave of interest from young players, which is awesome, because it’s an activity that encourages imagination, creative problem-solving, and friendship.
D&D is a storytelling game, where players work together to make their way through a magical fantasy world. Each player is a character in the story, who has their own unique traits and powers: think wizards, dwarves, elves, and the like. Players are led by someone called the Dungeon Master, who sets the stage and narrates the story. Players get to decide what their characters will do next, and—with the help of some dice rolls—determine where the story goes. It’s a big serving of choose-your-own adventure story, served with a side of improv, a dash of random chance, and a lot of fantasy or sci-fi flavor.
Unlike a board game or video game, a lot of D&D happens in the players’ imaginations. You can use props like tokens, dice, figurines, and cool set pieces to play on, but they aren’t required. The most fun part of the game isn’t the gear, it’s the other players. Despite the intimidating name, D&D is surprisingly wholesome, and a great way to spend time with or make new friends.
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Frequently Asked Questions About D&D Birthday Parties
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We’re an online company based in the U.S., so while we can technically work anywhere the Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones are easiest for us to accommodate.
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We do our best work with tweens and teens, so our age range for D&D parties is similar to our ongoing . We can modify game content to work well for kids as young as 9 and as old as 17. We recommend that all participating party guests should be relatively close in age.
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Our DMs work online and are very comfortable hosting games for kids and teens remotely. If you happen to live in the vicinity of one of our facilitators and you’d be interested in an in-person game, feel free to let us know. We can’t make any promises, but we’ll do our best!
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Usually, our DM runs the game virtually using Zoom for a group of partygoers who have assembled for an in-person event. Playing the game together can add some structured fun to the more traditional party fare like gifts and cake. It works well to connect a smart TV to Zoom so that all players can easily see the DM and share a common device to play on their turn. Players can also use separate devices, or even join the Zoom call remotely for a fully virutal party.
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Depending on your group’s age and interest level, a party game can run anywhere from 1-3 hours. We recommend 90 minutes as a sweet spot for most groups: it gives time for everyone to learn the basic rules and still leave room for a full adventure.
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Our base rate for parties is $200/hour, with a recommended minimum of 90 minutes for most groups. This rate includes time spent creating a storyline tailored to your child’s interests prior to the event—please let your DM know what your child would like to see in their game!
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D&D events work best for smaller parties—around 4-6 kids is ideal. If your party will be larger, your DM might recommend hosting a longer session to make sure everyone gets a chance to play.
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The DMs who host our birthday party games are professional facilitators who work for us here at Young Dragonslayers™, running ongoing weekly game groups for kids that focus on inclusivity and social support. They’re all certified geeks who also have experience working with youth in other settings, like education and mental health. Learn more about them here!
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Yes! We offer weekly online game groups for kids and teens. Like our parties, these games include customized stories based on the players’ interests, but the weekly format allows for more epic adventuring. We find that D&D is a great way for kids to boost social-emotional learning, meet like-minded peers, and develop a new skill they can use to bond with friends in real life. You can learn more and apply here.
Ready to Schedule Your Birthday Party D&D Game?
Let’s get this party started. Tell us what you’re looking for, and we’ll be happy to come up with options that work for your group’s time frame and budget. We’re excited to hear your ideas!
Follow the 3 steps below to find your DM:
Shoot us an email and tell us about your group, party, or event.
2. Meet with your DM to tell them about your child or group’s interests.
3. Enjoy your game!
You can take a peek at our other gaming services, too:
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Young Dragonslayers™ provides fun, professional online D&D experiences for kids and teens throughout the United States and Canada. With staff on both coasts, you can make new friends through gaming with us whether you’re located in Manhattan, Seattle, or somewhere in between. Find a safe, kid-friendly D&D group or hire a DM for your family or party today!
hello@youngdragonslayers.com
