Game Consistency: "Now Offering D&D for Kids" vs This is What We Do

By Jamie

Parents have asked my colleagues and I about the differences between Goblets & Goblins run games and the games/clubs run by their town, school or library. This question even extends to "why not join an online game run by Company X that says they now offer it". There are a multitude of factors that can come to play in a decision, like cost and availability, but the one that matters most to the parents we speak with is consistency.

Organized, high quality programs for kids (and adults) is what we do. This is bread and butter stuff, not a side project. As a result, we have excellent and dedicated administrators who ensure that from block to block (block is our term for 6 week groupings of weekly games) as many elements remain the same. If you started Jan 1 in Tuesday Group B (teens) with Tyrnan, when months of enjoyment has been had and your child still wants to keep playing, Tyrnan will still be there. He loves running games on Tuesdays. Maybe it is a fondness for alliterations? The fact that kids can count on our spaces and staff being available can make a huge difference. We exist in a marketplace where a lot of people, somewhat correctly, say that "oh we can offer that!", and then they will offer kids groups. But when they realize that proper program administration is no simple task, they will, and often do, give up on these offerings and the kids who were enjoying them bear the brunt of it. This phenomenon is definitely not exclusive to physical, in person games, we see it online as well. Online can be even worse because many Dungeon Masters are just trying out their skills and tolerance for running games professionally for others. I will never knock anyone for attempts at entrepreneurism because trying new things and making a go of it are wonderfully admirable qualities, however, this stuff is hard to do well! I can't do it all by myself. Certainly not for the number of kids and locations we serve. But even on a micro level, many of the people that have the talent for service delivery and delighting the crowd often need help with the administrative piece, which is where our organization skills make all the difference in quality and consistency of experience. The other side is less fun and games. Literally, because when the games end, the kiddos get upset. I know I don't like it when the music stops and I was still up for dancing. Many of our regular customers tell us that the ability to count on continuous fun is a large part of why they keep coming back. I completely understand this. I have two boys myself and I care deeply about them continuing to do a thing that is both beneficial for development of real skills and that they enjoy. If you are thinking your child may benefit from our programs, reach out, we are happy to dive even further into how our consistent D&D games benefit so so many teens and tweens.