MANKATO — Thirteen-year-old Owen Stackurski may have aged out of playing Dungeons & Dragons with dad Zack, but he’s still gaming with his friends and playing out adventures.
Zack is a D&D dungeon master, or chief storyteller, for this game that’s surging in popularity.
“It’s one of the most recognized brands worldwide, up there with Coca-Cola and Disney,” said Joe Huber, owner of The Dork Den in Mankato. “You have ‘Stranger Things’ on Netflix, which is rooted in Dungeons & Dragons. Its popularity has spurred interest and familiarity with it.”
The Dork Den is hosting its annual summer camp for D&Ders July 21-25, from 1-5 p.m. daily. The camp is for ages 7-16 and the cost is $175 for the week with a capacity of 24 kids.
The five-day camp is designed exclusively for The Dork Den’s Young Adventurer Guild. Kids will create characters, explore the magical world of Denaria and experience a complete campaign guided by experienced dungeon masters, Huber said.
Included is character creation and four days of adventure, a copy of the 2024 player’s handbook, dice set and miniature and daily snacks.
On the camp’s first day, the focus will be on character creation and basics; Tuesday is choices and challenges; Wednesday is danger and discovery, Thursday is strategy and secrets; and Friday is the grand finale showdown.
No prior experience is needed to attend the camp and friend requests are accommodated when possible.
“You get to make friends and get to know people in a safe space,” Huber said of D&D. “You’re playing a character so you can fill that character with parts of you, but you can be better than yourself or different than yourself through the character that you play in the game.”
Owen, of Mankato, will be at the D&D camp as a player and his dad will be there as a dungeon master.
“He thinks it’s fun to tell adventure stories with his friends,” Zack said of Owen. “He likes feeling like a hero and doing exciting things at the table. He has a good time.
“We thought it would be good for him to play with people instead of doing just video games,” he said. “And he gets a chance to socialize around a table and roll dice and play stories. We thought that was something he’d really enjoy and he is.”
As for D&D, Zack enjoys being able to drive the story.
“If you’re playing a video game or watching a movie or reading a book, the plot is given to you. With D&D you can do anything your imagination can come up with,” he said.
Registration for The Dork Den’s D&D camp is due by July 18. You can register by contacting Huber at joe@thedorkden.com or 507-386-1406. Or go to thedorkden.com.