Kids' Roleplaying Game Summer Camp (Ages 8-10, June 22 - June 26)

Game Kastle College Park is holding week-long sessions designed to teach kids how to play roleplaying games (RPGs). In this class, a small group of students will learn how to play with an experienced instructor. Spaces at Kids’ RPG camp are extremely limited, so we encourage you to sign up today! This camp is intended for children ages 8-10.

Students will learn the roleplaying game hobby by playing. They will create their own characters with help from the instructor and participate in a multi-session adventure during which the campers will work together to achieve a common goal and tell a story together.

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!

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 persuade a guard to let them through a gate, 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.

Campers will play the Land of Eem: Dungeoneer Adventures RPG during this session. The Land of Eem RPG is based on the popular “Rickety Stitch and the Gelatinous Goo” and “Dungeoneer Adventures” graphic novels by the same writers. It was originally released in the spring of 2025 and quickly made waves with its “Muppets meets Lord of the Rings” setting and focus on incorporating collaborative storytelling into the game mechanics. Land of Eem won three ENNIE awards in 2025, including Best Family Game! Land of Eem: Dungeoneer Adventures used research on child learning and development to adapt the original game specifically for younger age groups. With a slated release of April 2026, the campers at Game Kastle College Park will be among the first ever to play this amazing new installment!

Camp runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 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. 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.

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:

• Character sheet to keep track of their character’s development in the game
• A copy of the Land of Eem: Dungeoneer Adventures box set, which comes with:
• The full rulebook
• Dice for playing the game
• Item and adversary cards
• A sandbox setting to run their own adventures!

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.

Most importantly, RPGs 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/

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. If you have specific dietary needs or preferences for your child, please reach out to us before the start of camp so that we can coordinate with New York Deli to ensure that appropriate arrangements are made.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in working within these guidelines to provide the best possible dining experience for all campers.

Black Friday Weekend Registration: $500 through December 1

Early Bird Registration: $550 through December 31

Regular Registration: $650 through April 30

Late Registration: $750 beginning May 1

Game Kastle closely monitors the waitlist to gauge demand for a specific week of camp. Historically, we have been able to add extra sessions when demand is high enough. If this camp’s registration is full, we strongly encourage you to join the waitlist!

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.

Refund requests made by April 30 will be honored in full, aside from any processing fees levied by Eventbrite. Refund requests made starting May 1 may be honored at Game Kastle College Park's discretion. In most cases we are unable to refund Eventbrite’s processing fees, which are included in the registration price.

As Game Kastle College Park’s summer camp program has grown, we’ve met the qualifications to be regulated as a legal summer camp by the Maryland Department of Health. Game Kastle is currently applying for that required certification. While we anticipate being certified, we will refund all tuition in the unlikely event that we are not certified.

Also check out other Kids events & activities in College Park, Trips & Adventurous Activities in College Park.