Family D&D

Dave

My favorite part about Dungeons & Dragons is that it offers an open world for kids to use their imagination to solve problems, away from screens or other distractions. Georgia and I look forward to the weekly game and often spend time beforehand strategizing about how to defeat the bad guys and buff up our characters.

The Griffons Den games are always well organized and fun, with expert use of maps, mini figures, sound effects, and excellent role playing to keep the players engaged. Derek has a deep, practical knowledge of the rules with several decades of experience running games. He knows how to create a challenging and fun experience for all levels.

These games are especially well suited for beginners with a lot of opportunities to learn the ropes as the adventures get more difficult. This allows the kids to learn valuable critical thinking skills, practical applications of statistics, and lots of practice with arithmetic. We look forward to playing for years to come!

Georgia

The reason why I love D&D is because you get to play it with your friends. You get to create a character and have that character take risks, knowing that even if your character dies you can just make another character or you can get them revived. It's also really fun how the game never really ends. You can defeat monsters and move on to new areas. Once you finish, there will always be an adventure ahead. And the adventures get harder once your character levels up and you get better at D&D. Something that's also fun about D&D is all the hands-on things like how Derek does sound effects and can pull up pictures and do descriptions of the monsters and different characters. It's a game with infinite possibilities, so you can do anything that you want in the world.

Barry

Dungeons & Dragons has given our son Hux something that really engages his creative mind. He now spends hours paging through the manuals, tweaking his character, and learning new spells. It's all done with books and pencils, which has created a nice non-screen space in our home.

For me, it's also been a way to reconnect with my own love of RPGs from when I was younger. Sharing that with Hux has been something I've really enjoyed, and it's become a great connection point for the two of us. His confidence has grown so much. He's even started DMing his own game at home and we've loved every second of the adventure he's put together.

Being part of Derek's space at The Griffons Den has completed the experience for us. We've been going for about eight months now and we call it "the big game." Derek is a fantastic guide and DM, great with kids (and the dads too), and has a real talent for keeping everyone engaged even when the story slows down a bit.

We plan on staying with the big game for a long time.

Andrew

My step kids and I started D&D a few months ago and it's done wonders for our relationship. It's become the high point of our week. The atmosphere is friendly and collaborative; there's a lot to learn and we have a great time working together to remember spells and all the intricate rules of the game. Derek is a master Dungeon Master, patient and entertaining. I highly recommend entering the Griffons Den.

Emric

Derek's storytelling is awesome. The details and time he puts into them are pretty incredible.

Elodie

I like when he does the voices for all the characters. It's really funny. He's very organized

Steve

I really enjoy our weekly sessions of D&D at the Griffon's Den. We have lots of fun and I get to connect with my daughter over something we both enjoy. I didn't know how to play or what to expect when we first started but Derek has made it easy to learn everything from creating a character to game mechanics. Derek is a great DM who makes the whole experience something we look forward to each week.

Nancy

Our son is neurodiverse and we struggled for many years to find an activity that 'fits'. Wednesday nights are now the high point of our week. Derek is able to keep the kids focussed and engaged. Isaac's love of the whole genre has sparked his creativity. He regularly builds and paints models. We often find him cutting up pieces of cardboard, using hot glue, toothpicks or finding remnants of broken toys to create something new. We have a collection of everything from a wizards workshop to a battlefield! He has introduced the game to neighbourhood kids and incorporates his creations whenever they play. His love for D&D has given him a pathway to interact with others in a positive way.

Isaac

I think that Dungeons & Dragons is a great way to spend time. I also think that Derek is a great Dungeon Master, even though I wish he would incorporate some homebrewing. Right now in the campaign we are doing the Curse of Strahd adventure. I have had fun at pretty much every session of D&D I have attended, although Ravenloft is a bit depressing. The DM also has an amazing minis collection including a massive Tiamat mini. Derek is also a nice person in general.

Conrad

Griffons Den family D&D nights have been a fantastic activity for imaginary adventures. Derek does a great job of balancing the need to keep the kids focused on the task at hand with the patience to let them get off topic enough to expand their knowledge and understanding. He encourages them to research, problem solve, and strategize while suggesting resources and possibilities. All in all, the nights have been a wonderful chance to escape in a well organized and run game while still working on developing skills.

Laura

My son is neurodiverse and has learning challenges that make the intricate rules of the game difficult to retain and follow. When he joined a class of kids-only D&D at another location, he was quickly overwhelmed and lasted only a few sessions. Then he declared he never wanted to play again. I was certain D&D would be something he would enjoy, perfect for his creative mind, and his dramatic flair, we just needed to find the right fit.

We are so grateful we found Griffon's Den. Derek has a knack for keeping everyone involved and engaged, in a truly collaborate atmosphere, and is extremely patient when answering even the most obvious of questions from me, a newcomer to RPGs. He has encouraged my son's independence and problem-solving skills (and reminded me to step back when I'm "helping" too much!). After five years of home-schooling my son is returning to school, and we have cut back on extracurriculars. We've only kept the couple that matter to him the most, and D&D at Griffon's Den was top of his list.