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The Tower Inside the Tower: An Escape Room Mini-Campaign (11-12)
Ten years ago a wizard vanished into his own tower. Inside, up is down, in is out, and big is small. Find him. Find the way out.
TYPE
SYSTEM
LEVELS
EXPERIENCE
Details
Weekly / Wed, 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM (UTC)
$30 / Session
Ages 11 to 12
0 / 4 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Somewhere out past the rocks stands a tower belonging to a wizard named Esmis Mer. He retreated into it ten years ago and nobody has seen him since. The party sails out to find him. Getting in turns out to be the easy part. Esmis Mer's tower does not work the way a building is supposed to work. Doors lead somewhere other than where they should. Things are the wrong size for the spaces they're in. Every room in here is a physical situation with something out of place in it. Every object is a riddle, but none of them have just one right answer. The fun is working out what is actually going on with something, and then using it creatively. The tower is also occupied. There's a pink cat with an attitude problem. There's a very large, very friendly sea creature who wants to play fetch. There's a flock of nervous pigeon-rats. And there's an eight-inch armadillo who is eager to please visitors. Almost all of them can be talked to. Several will help, if the party is decent to them. That matters, because this is a puzzle adventure first. There is combat and it can be dangerous, but nearly every fight in this tower is optional or avoidable if the party thinks before drawing steel. Players who like Portal, Zelda dungeons, escape rooms, or building tricky structures in Minecraft will love this adventure! The whole thing runs about five or six weeks: one session to meet each other, agree how we play together, and get a small taste of what is coming, then four or five hours of tower. I'll send instructions so every player can build their own physical model of the tower before we start. Having something you can turn in your hands helps with reasoning through some of the puzzles, and it makes the place feel real in a way a map on a screen doesn't.
More details
Ages 11 to 12
The party will be made up of only kids ages 11 to 12, led by a vetted professional Dungeon Master. This game will be recorded for quality & safety purposes and saved securely for 90 days. To review the content allowed in this age band see our FAQ.
Plot & setting
The party sails to a wizard's tower to investigate where he has been and finds that the building does not obey ordinary rules. The goal is to find the missing wizard and the way out. Threats include giant insects and spiders, a territorial cat, magical hazards, long falls, and the risk of flooding. Most encounters can be resolved by talking, sneaking, trading, or solving the puzzle instead of fighting, and several of the tower's residents become allies if the party is kind to them.
Education
Game style
Schedule
Weekly on Wednesday
1 hour
0 sessions
Once 3 players have joined, cuddlegutz (Sofia) will start posting upcoming sessions and they'll show up right here. Join now to save your spot, and we'll send you a heads up when everything's set.
Meet the Dungeon Master
cuddlegutz (Sofia)
5.0
(8)
2 years on Young Heroes
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Beginner Friendly, Creativity
About me
Hi, I'm Sofia (she/they). I've played TTRPGs for over 20 years and GMed various systems throughout that time. I run one-shots and campaigns of D&D, Root: The RPG, Avatar Legends, and other systems when opportunities arise. I'm a former teacher, run all age games at my local shop, and have run lots of games with my own kiddos. I'm skilled in supporting LGBT and neurodiverse youth, and I love teaching games to new players!
View more →Reviews from parents (8)
Reviews from parents and guardians
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Before Session 0: - Create a free D&D Beyond account - Install Zoom and test your camera and microphone - Nothing to read. No books to buy. I provide all game content. Every session: - A device that can run Zoom and a browser tab at the same time. A laptop or desktop is much easier than a phone or tablet. - Somewhere reasonably quiet where you can talk out loud without feeling self-conscious or being distracted. This game involves speaking in character, and players who can't talk freely have a worse time. - Scrap paper/notebook and a pencil for writing down clues, sketches, and working out puzzles. - Water and a snack.
What cuddlegutz (Sofia) brings to the table
I taught for over ten years, and I run games the way I ran classrooms: everyone gets airtime, nobody gets talked over, and we treat each other respectfully. What that looks like at the table: - Maps, tokens, monster stats, and all book content, provided through D&D Beyond. Players need nothing but a free account. - Ready-to-play characters, six to choose from, each with a background that gives them their own reason to be here and their own thing to notice. - Hints that arrive in the game world rather than from me. Several of the tower's residents know things and will tell you if you treat them well. Nobody gets stuck for an hour because they missed one detail. - Voices for the tower's residents, who are the best part of this adventure and who I play as characters rather than obstacles. - No single player can solve this alone. I deliberately split information and skills needed so that everyone is holding a piece. - Rule of Cool over rules-as-written when a player describes something genuinely clever, but consistent rulings so nobody is guessing what works. - Previous session recaps at the start of each session so nobody has to remember everything.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Webcam
Platforms used
D&D Beyond
D&D Beyond is the official digital companion platform for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. It offers character building and management tools, content collection, navigation, and organization, and a suite of virtual tabletop tools like encounter builders, and maps in both 2D and 3D.
Zoom
Zoom is a videoconferencing software used for video and telecommunications around the world by businesses, governments, and of course, RPG groups! It's a simple, functional, and ubiquitous program for reliable video chat.
D&D Beyond Maps
D&D Beyond Maps is the official virtual tabletop of Dungeons & Dragons 5e. It integrates users' content from D&D Beyond to allow players to create and run encounters. It's currently in beta testing.
Safety
StartPlaying is committed to providing a safe and fun space for kids to break into roleplaying games with our team of professional Dungeon Masters.
Vetted Dungeon Masters
We review every Dungeon Master's application and require background checks for them to work with kids.
Reviews from parents
We require Dungeon Masters to submit at least 3 reviews from previous games they have run.
Recorded sessions
We record kids' sessions for safety and review. You can access recordings for up to 90 days after the session has run.
Identity Verification
Your Dungeon Master will verify each player's identity at the start of each session before letting you into the call.
Secure Payments
All payments are done through Stripe, one of the most secure payment processors in the world.
Dedicated Trust & Safety
Our team works to ensure that every player has a welcoming, safe, and fun experience. We are ready to assist if needed.
How cuddlegutz (Sofia) creates a safe table
Lines and veils (people's boundaries on topics that make the game not fun for them) are set in advance (either in SPG message or during Session 0) and I send the list to parents afterward so you know exactly what I've agreed to keep off the table. Nobody has to explain why. A no is a no. During play I use X, N, and O cards. Players can type X along with something that's a problem for them in the Zoom chat at any time, including privately to me, and the scene changes with no debate and no attention drawn. We take a break at the midpoint of every session, and players can also take breaks as they need without repercussion. I also run debriefs at the ends of sessions, so we can praise each other for cool moments, talk through any tough feelings that came up, and share things we hope for in future sessions. On character death: I never kill a character without the player's agreement. There is always a way out: a rescue, a resurrection, a cost paid instead. Danger is real and I telegraph it clearly, but a player who isn't ready to lose a character will not lose one. If that's a worry for your kid, it's handled.
Safety tools used
Additional tables
0 available
Frequently asked questions
$30.00
/ Session