Tuesday, May 29, 2018

A Dungeons & Dragons Birthday Party

This past weekend I took part in amazing party for our friend’s son who was turning 9-years old. It all started last year when my wife and I offered the use of the Game Tavern for his birthday. The family lives 6-hours away, but that did not stop them making sure this epic quest occurred! Our friend Tanya has always been super crafty, with many amazing parties under her belt. Her son Brokk comes from his love of Dungeons & Dragons honestly, as I have been playing the game with his dad for decades.

Most of our friends have kids between the ages of 6 and 13; so many different activities would need planning. Tanya definitely delivered that and then some, which I will detail below. If you are planning a similar party for your own children, I hope this post serves as inspiration. This is the stuff of legends and great memories!

The party started with outside activities. Since there were many younger kids, they were ready to jump right into the fun. In addition, it was important for the older kids to get some energy out also. When it comes to D&D, the mind can only absorb what the seat can endure. This could not ring any truer with children and teens. Below are pictures of the various crafts and activities all put together for the party.
 
The character sheet shirt.

All of the children received these home made dice chests.

Each chest is guarded by a dragon. Their curled tail holds a D20!

Inside the dice chests, complete with Brokk's birthday d6s.

Outside included a bouncy joust with rings.

A refreshment tent.
Bottled Water Weird was on hand!

An area for birthday presents (loot) to be placed.
 
Of course there was alchemy!

The slime recipe was a big favorite with the kids!


A water balloon siege engine!



What monster to attack?

A goblin target!

A Gnoll target!

An of course an Owlbear...I missed it every time!

This station had target dummies and shield making!

Homemade pillory for photo ops!

A home made BEHOLDER Pinata!!! This was amazing.


The poor Beholder did not last many rounds against a dozen kids!

A home made MIMIC Birthday Cake!!!

This is what it looks like after taking critical damage.

A lock picking station for rogues in training.

Home made Kobold Kandy inside!

My own son is 11-years old, and a new Dungeon Master. With about a dozen game sessions under his belt, he was quick to volunteer to DM for the party. Over the past few weeks, we worked on a 3-hour dungeon together. It was linear on purpose, after all this was a party and things needed to keep moving. The star of the show of course was the birthday boy, Brokk. The story being he was attempting to recover his lost family sword from the vile dragon Acidmaw!

The adventure featured many classic monsters such as a Water Weird, Gelatinous Cube and, Piercers. Many times during the adventure, some of the adults stepped in to quietly watch the adventure unfold. It was really cool experiencing the next generation playing a session together. All I could think was, wow...wish I had parents like us when I first learned about the game in 1983!

The players were given pre-made characters complete with custom paper miniatures. They also received a Bag of Holding which contained all sorts of accouterments such as pencils, paper, etc.

The kids had a blast and were thrilled to battle a dragon. Brokk's character found his magic sword, Dragonslayer and it launched to his hand. We ordered a cool foam sword and had it waiting for that very moment. My son handed it to him and the surprise was priceless! The group eventually slayed the evil dragon, with the birthday boy landing the final blow.


The Game Tavern ready for the adventure.

The game session. Faces blurred for privacy.


If if you have any questions about some of crafted items in this post Tanya can be reached on Twitter @Tuneses. Dungeons and Dragons is such a wonderful hobby. I'm really happy that our own children all love playing it. Keep gaming and remember you're never to old to be a kid at heart!