🦕Dinosaur Racing Starts in 🏁 3...2...1 🚨 GO! 🗣️
⏱️You have less than an hour!🏃🏼♂️Prepare your dinosaur, get in line, and🥇WIN!🏆(Or, at least try not to fall flat on your face🥉).
TYPE
SYSTEM
LEVELS
EXPERIENCE
Details
Once / Thu, 11:30 PM - 12:45 AM (UTC)
Nov 5
$40 / Session
Ages 9 to 10
0 / 3 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
🏝️People come from all over to watch these Dinosaur Races and it is finally *your turn* to hit the track! 🦖Prepare your dino for the task, and you just might have a leg up against the others! 🙊Mess up, and, well, you'll see what happens🤕 🎲The dice determine the outcome of the race: if you're lucky, you'll take the lead! If you're not, watch out for those hecklers 😒 🏆🦕🏁 There is no combat in this adventure. We will take time "prepping" for the race (have you groomed your dinosaur? fed them a hearty breakfast? cleaned their feet and kept their scales pristine?), using dice rolls to decide how effective our efforts are. Once we're ready to line up (like jockeys on a horse), it'll be up to the dice to decide who is taking the lead! Each dinosaur has their own 'difficulty' level, and can go a different distance on a successful roll. What you did during prep might help put you a leg above the rest, too! This game blends one of the most beloved subjects (dinosaurs!) with one of the most challenging skills (flexible thinking, tolerating losing or the risk of loss, and coping when things are outside of your control). The goal here is to have fun, no matter the outcome, and to ensure every player feels successful (even if their dinosaur comes in last place!). 🏆🦕🏁 *Please note*, the stats for the dinosaurs are pre-written and may not reflect reality/scientific record. I mention, as sometimes dinosaur lovers really love their dinosaur facts and it is helpful to prep them ahead of time to not expect a perfect translation from a textbook. (Though, if something is extraodinarily outside of the realms of reality where the fastest dinosaur as-written is actually one of the slowest, I am happy to make modifications in the moment).
More details
Ages 9 to 10
The party will be made up of only kids ages 9 to 10, 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
We will spend approx. 25-minutes prepping our dinosaurs and approx. 25-minutes racing! Enemies: It is a competition, and a player may feel like the other characters are their enemy. However, it is not the focus of the story. Combat: There is none! Threats & Challenges: Losing, the risk of losing and not being able to control the outcome, and the discomfort that comes from leaving something to chance (the dice)
Education
Game style
Meet the Dungeon Master
Erika Kathryn
5.0
(3)
1 year on Young Heroes
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Beginner Friendly, Inclusive
About me
My name is Erika, and I specialize in small-group (3 players, max!) social skills focused gaming sessions. These games are not therapeutic services; rather, I create games with intentional conflict and modeled resolutions to support problem solving, compromising, and interpersonal skills. Choices are given along the way to allow players to direct where a story goes, but it is not open-ended -- by doing this, I ensure each situation that arises requires group coordination and teamwork. D&D provides a consequence free environment for individuals to try new things, work through the hard stuff, and foster connections with their peers. The goal isn't to win, but to tell an illustrative story along the way. It is incredibly important to me to provide these opportunities to children and teens alike, especially as it serves as a launching point for their own identity exploration and community connection. Offline, I provide social skills individual and group therapy to neurodiverse children and teens, including specialized therapeutic gaming cohorts, non-therapeutic facilitated teen D&D hang outs, and a week-long summer D&D program. I have presented at local, national, and international conferences on my most favorite topic of all: utilizing tabletop gaming to support social skills and emotional flexibility. I even have a workbook in development for other practitioners who want to incorporate D&D into their practice but aren’t sure where to start.
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Reviews from parents and guardians
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Prior to game start, you will need to have reliable access to the internet, to Zoom (with camera and microphone enabled), and to your character sheet (on dndbeyond.com). The Zoom link will be provided, as well as the DDB link for character selection. It is highly recommended to play in a room or area with minimal distractions, and to use headphones. Headphones mitigate sound quality and feedback issues. If you choose to play on a tablet or phone, you may have difficulty using both Zoom and your character sheet simultaneously. It is recommended to have the tablet set up in split-screen mode, or to use a computer/laptop instead. Have water and a snack close by! If you enjoy the comfort of a pillow or blanket or fidget item, keep them in reach, too. The game itself is 60-minutes long (with break time built in), but please note that the session is 75 minutes, to allow the first 15-minutes for troubleshooting any technical issues or concerns. As I let you into the Zoom call, I will confirm with each individual & their guardian that their camera and mic are working, that there is no audio feedback, and that they have pulled up the DDB character sheet successfully. It is sometimes nice to have paper and a pencil for note taking. However, that is a lot of items to juggle for a 9-10-year-old (especially if you add in their water, snack, favorite squishable, blanket, needoh, etc!). I will repeat noteworthy information and details (without making it obvious!) throughout game play.
What Erika Kathryn brings to the table
Character sheets and Dice Rolling will be ran through DDB. Audio and camera will be ran through Zoom. I will share my screen to show the game map via Zoom. I do not include music in my games -- this is to support individuals with auditory processing disorders or delays. Players at my table should not feel shy about asking someone to speak up, repeat themselves or rephrase their words. If you have specific concerns in this area, please message me on YoungHeroes and we can gameplan to ensure your child has a successful session.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Webcam
Headphones
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.
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 Erika Kathryn creates a safe table
Every player should feel welcomed, respected, and comfortable at my table. That means they feel safe that when mistakes happen, they will be met with support and not judgement or ridicule. Now, this doesn't mean that people might not ever get upset at my table, but it *does* mean that we will take the time to problem solve conflict rather than ignore it or the persons involved. Lines and Veils should be communicated by the guardian prior to game start, via direct messaging on YoungHeroes. This can be updated at any time (i.e., they came home from school upset about their favorite plush getting ruined on the playground, letting me know before game time is great so that way I can plan interactions to not exacerbate those feelings). Players can use the 'Raise Hand' button on Zoom to alert my attention during gameplay -- I review this tool at the start of each session, and when it is used I provide a brief check in (Do you need us to pause, repeat, or move past something?). Explanation is never required. Pause, we take a break. Repeat, I rephrase or reiterate what just happened in the game. Move Past, is viewed as a line and we end the scene there, moving forward in the story. Part of the end-of-game debrief includes Stars and Wishes, which is similar to the concept of 'Roses and Thorns'. Instead of focusing on something negative (Thorns), we focus on what we *wish* had happened instead. Even in oneshots, I take this feedback seriously.
Safety tools used
Additional tables
0 available
Frequently asked questions
$40.00
/ Session