Questions
What people ask before they book.
If your question isn't here, email hello@academyofdungeoneering.com and ask.
About playing
- Do we need to have played before?
- No. Nobody needs to have played a tabletop role-playing game before. Characters are ready-made, and the game master handles the rules.
- Will anyone have to act?
- No. Players say what their character does. Voices are optional.
- What if someone isn't comfortable with part of the story?
- Before play starts, the table agrees what stays out of the story. During play, anyone can skip a scene without giving a reason.
- What happens if a character dies?
- We discuss the approach before we play. For horror games in particular, we agree whether character death is part of the experience and what it would mean for the player, including whether they might finish playing before the rest of the group.
- How scary is the horror?
- Spooky rather than gory: it's a ghost story. Before play, the table agrees what stays out, and anyone can skip a scene.
- Is this Dungeons & Dragons?
- It can be. We run Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games, where players describe what their characters do and dice help decide how it turns out. The games
- Is anyone being assessed?
- Not as individuals. The game master watches how the team works together and says so before play starts. The write-up describes the team, never named people. Our promises
The session
- How long is it?
- Three hours: fifteen minutes of Session Zero, an hour and fifty minutes of story, a ten-minute break and a forty-five-minute debrief.
- How many people can play?
- Up to six at one table. Larger teams book one session per table.
- In person or online?
- Either. We can come to your office or chosen venue in Cambridge or London, with travel included. You can also play online by video call. In-person sessions elsewhere are available by arrangement, with an additional travel fee agreed before booking.
- Can you arrange a venue?
- Yes. We can arrange a suitable space for an additional fee. We'll agree the venue and arrangement costs with you before you book.
- What do we need to bring?
- Nothing. Characters are ready-made, and every player gets their own dice.
- Do we keep the dice?
- Yes. Every player gets a set of dice to keep. If you play online, they arrive in the post before the session.
- What story will we play?
- For a team session, you choose a quest (a heist, a rescue or a negotiation) and a world (fantasy, science fiction or horror). For a standalone adventure, you can also choose the game itself. Nobody needs to know the story beforehand. The quests and worlds · The games
Afterwards
- What do we get?
- A one-page write-up within two working days: the story, the moments that mattered, and the team's own commitments in their own words. See an example
- Who sees the write-up?
- The team reads it first. After that, it's yours to share with whoever signed off the budget.
- Can we carry on playing afterwards?
- Yes. We can help your group establish a campaign, run the first session and hand it over to a GM from your own group. You can identify that person before we begin or choose them after the first session. Further GM coaching can be booked separately. Start a campaign
- Can it be used in performance reviews?
- No. Nothing from a session is for hiring, promotion or performance decisions.
Booking and paying
- What does it cost?
- A team-development session is £750 per table of up to six, covering the session, the debrief, the write-up and everyone's dice. Standalone adventures and campaign launches are priced when you tell us what you need.
- Does online cost less?
- The team-development session is £750 per table online or in person in Cambridge or London. Both include the facilitated adventure, debrief, write-up and everyone's dice. Online players receive their dice in the post before the session. Additional travel outside Cambridge and London, or a venue we arrange, is quoted separately.
- Can we book a pilot?
- Pilot team-development sessions are available at £250 per table by agreement, with Cambridge teams prioritised. In return for the reduced price, we ask for honest feedback, a written testimonial and permission to name your team, and we agree any public quotation or case study with you before publication. Pilot sessions include a 20-minute follow-up conversation two or three weeks later, so we can find out what proved useful afterwards.
- How do we book?
- Email hello@academyofdungeoneering.com with your group size, two or three possible dates, the kind of session you want and where you'd like to play. Tell us whether you have an office or venue available, would like us to arrange a space or prefer an online session. We'll agree the complete price before you book.
- Who sends the invoice?
- Mark Calleja, trading as The Academy of Dungeoneering.
- I need to convince my manager. Can you help?
- Yes. There's a page with the case in five lines and a note you can send. For the person booking
Book a table
Pull up a chair.
Email us with your group size, two or three possible dates, and whether you'd like to play in person or online.
For in-person sessions, tell us the location and whether you have a venue or would like us to arrange one. Travel is included in Cambridge and London. Additional travel and venue costs are agreed before booking.
hello@academyofdungeoneering.com
Explore the games · Start a campaign
Need to convince someone first? Here's a note you can send
