Game Night Getaway
SKU:
$1,250.00
$0.00 - $1,250.00
per item
I'm Dan Wells--a bestselling author, podcaster, YouTuber, and professional Gamemaster. From July 24-29, 2023, I'm renting a vacation house and filling it with games and food. Let’s play!
*Please read ALL of the description below before buying your ticket to this event.
*Please read ALL of the description below before buying your ticket to this event.
About the Event
I go to a lot of conferences, and I’ve been running writing retreats for ten years, and I always take games…and then we don’t have much time to play, because there are always more important things to do. So now I want to start a retreat where games are the whole point! Somewhere we can play an RPG one-shot that lasts five or six hours instead of two. Somewhere we can do a short campaign with a session every night. Somewhere we can play a seven-hour boardgame like Fire in the Lake or Gloomhaven or Twilight Imperium. Somewhere I can haul out my giant deluxe Kickstarter edition of Zombicide or Massive Darkness or Rising Sun, and cover an entire table with minis. Somewhere, in other words, where games are the MOST important thing to do.
So here’s the deal: I’ve rented the house, and it’s awesome. It’s a large vacation/family reunion home in Salt Lake City, Utah--just a 20 minute drive from the Salt Lake City international airport. It has twenty-four beds, tons of tables and couches and sitting rooms, and a giant kitchen with multiple fridges, ovens, stoves, and coffee makers. I’ve hired my friend Donna, who caters food for events, to stay onsite and make food for us all week. We will have all the time, space, and snacks that we could possibly want—all we need now is you. People who want to play games, people who want to run games, people who want to hang out together and have fun. I am not teaching classes, creating content, or providing any kind of programming: just games. I’ll run some games, you’ll run some games, and we’ll all play together all week long.
Dates and Times
Check in for the event will be Monday, July 24, 2023 between 9 am and 12 pm. Lunch will be at noon and then games will begin!
*If you need to arrive earlier because you fly in on Sunday, July 23rd, you may check in as early as 6 pm on the 23rd. We don't want you to have to get a hotel the night before. No meals will be provided for dinner on the 23rd or breakfast on the 24th.
Check out will be Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 10 am.
If you need to arrive on a later day or leave on an earlier day, you may do what works for your schedule, but pricing will remain the same.
Tickets and Pricing
A ticket gets you two things: registration for the retreat (which includes food for the week), and a bed in the house. Bigger beds cost more money.
King Bed: $1,250
Queen Bed: $1,150
Twin Bed: $1,050
Trundle Bed: $950
No Bed: $650
“No Bed” tickets require one of two situations:
1) You are sharing a bed with someone else. This person must have purchased a regular ticket for a
queen or king bed. There is a limit of two people per bed.
2) You are staying off-site and commuting to the event. Please note that unless you live nearby,
this is not likely to be cost-effective; we are trying to keep our prices cheaper than you would
get at a hotel. Please also note that there is limited parking, and if you drive yourself you might
need to leave your car in a nearby park, and walk or shuttle to the event. We will have a driver
on-site to give these kind of rides as necessary.
If you buy a “No Bed” ticket, we will contact you directly to work out the details of your specific
situation.
COVID Policy
Every attendee, upon arrival, must show proof of vaccination AND a negative Covid test no more than
48 hours old. Masks will not be required; you can wear one if you want, but we’re sharing a house for a week so I don’t know how effective a mask would actually be. While on site, if you start to feel sick you will need to take a Covid test (provided for you); if you test positive, we will quarantine you from the other guests and work with you on the best next steps, which might include moving you offsite. In general: be responsible and respectful, be aware of the risks you are taking, and be prepared for the consequences if something goes wrong.
Harassment Policy
Everyone will treat everyone else with respect and humanity. We will not enumerate a list of all the things you should and shouldn’t do, just be mature and kind and don’t make anyone uncomfortable. If you feel uncomfortable about a situation or person, please talk to Dan and he will work to resolve the situation. If someone ruins the experience for others, and refuses to change their behavior when Dan talks to them about it, he’ll kick them out and not feel bad. Games are only fun when everyone is having fun, so let’s make sure everyone has fun.
Hygiene Policy
Everyone needs to shower AT LEAST every other day, and use deodorant every day. Dan's been to GenCon too many times; we know what this house will smell like if we don’t stay clean. This will all be on the honor system.
Refund Policy
If you cancel before June 21, 2023, you can get a full refund. If you cancel before July 5, 2023, you can get a half refund. No refunds will be offered after July 5, 2023.
FAQ
How do the beds and rooms work?
The house has twenty-four beds of varying sizes. Two of them are private, and have already been
claimed for me and for our caterer, Donna. ALL of the others are in shared rooms, with two or three beds each. The beds available are 6 King, 5 Queen, 8 Twin, and 3 Trundle beds. As part of your registration, you will have the opportunity to request a specific roommate, or to give specific details about what shared situation might make you most comfortable. We will discuss these requests with you privately through email.
What kind of games will we play?
Whatever you bring. Dan has a ton of his own RPGs, boardgames, card games, and so on, including
one or more draft cubes for Magic, but please bring games of your own. A favorite game you want to
share? A game you love, but can never get on the table? A game you designed and want people to try? Bring them all.
If I come to this event, will I get to play a game with Dan?
Dan will do his very best to play games with everyone who wants to, but we guarantee nothing. Come for the fifty-thousand other games you’ll play all week, not for the handful of games you might play with Dan.
What amenities does the house have?
Aside from the bedrooms, the kitchen, and the gaming spaces, there are also nine bathrooms, two laundry rooms, a pool table, a ping pong table, a hot tub, a huge yard, a covered porch with outdoor tables, an outdoor grill, multiple outdoor firepits, and two kitchenettes with extra fridges.
Can I bring my own snacks or food?
We will have food and snacks for the week, and Donna is excellent at accommodating for allergy and dietary needs. But if there's something that you really want to bring--for example, if you can't live without a full 12-pack of Coke Zero--you are welcome to bring it. We will have a driver on-site to make grocery runs as necessary. For allergy purposes, please do not bring anything with peanuts in it.
Will there be alcohol?
This is a dry event, so no alcohol will be allowed on the property.
Can I smoke?
This property has an absolutely NO smoking/vaping/e-cigarettes policy.
How will we organize everything?
When you register, we will take your email address and invite you to a Discord server. JOIN THE
DISCORD SERVER. That’s where we’ll be planning, scheduling, sharing updates, and more. If you’re not on the server, you’ll miss a lot of vital information.
Where is the event?
A big house in Salt Lake City. We’re not sharing the address publicly; we’ll let you know in an email after you register.
Transportation from the airport?
This is not provided by the event, but the venue was chosen in part because it is easily accessible. The best means of transportation will probably be Uber or Lyft for about $30. You can arrange with someone in the Discord to share an Uber if you arrive at the airport around the same time.
Can I bring my kid?
No small children will be allowed at the event. You must be at least 16 years old to attend. 16-17 year old attendees must be accompanied by a responsible adult who also has a ticket to the event. You must be at least 18 years old to attend the event on your own.
Can my friend come for just one night?
That’s a feature we might add for future events, but this year the answer is no. We want to see how the baseline event functions before we get too fancy with it.
I go to a lot of conferences, and I’ve been running writing retreats for ten years, and I always take games…and then we don’t have much time to play, because there are always more important things to do. So now I want to start a retreat where games are the whole point! Somewhere we can play an RPG one-shot that lasts five or six hours instead of two. Somewhere we can do a short campaign with a session every night. Somewhere we can play a seven-hour boardgame like Fire in the Lake or Gloomhaven or Twilight Imperium. Somewhere I can haul out my giant deluxe Kickstarter edition of Zombicide or Massive Darkness or Rising Sun, and cover an entire table with minis. Somewhere, in other words, where games are the MOST important thing to do.
So here’s the deal: I’ve rented the house, and it’s awesome. It’s a large vacation/family reunion home in Salt Lake City, Utah--just a 20 minute drive from the Salt Lake City international airport. It has twenty-four beds, tons of tables and couches and sitting rooms, and a giant kitchen with multiple fridges, ovens, stoves, and coffee makers. I’ve hired my friend Donna, who caters food for events, to stay onsite and make food for us all week. We will have all the time, space, and snacks that we could possibly want—all we need now is you. People who want to play games, people who want to run games, people who want to hang out together and have fun. I am not teaching classes, creating content, or providing any kind of programming: just games. I’ll run some games, you’ll run some games, and we’ll all play together all week long.
Dates and Times
Check in for the event will be Monday, July 24, 2023 between 9 am and 12 pm. Lunch will be at noon and then games will begin!
*If you need to arrive earlier because you fly in on Sunday, July 23rd, you may check in as early as 6 pm on the 23rd. We don't want you to have to get a hotel the night before. No meals will be provided for dinner on the 23rd or breakfast on the 24th.
Check out will be Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 10 am.
If you need to arrive on a later day or leave on an earlier day, you may do what works for your schedule, but pricing will remain the same.
Tickets and Pricing
A ticket gets you two things: registration for the retreat (which includes food for the week), and a bed in the house. Bigger beds cost more money.
King Bed: $1,250
Queen Bed: $1,150
Twin Bed: $1,050
Trundle Bed: $950
No Bed: $650
“No Bed” tickets require one of two situations:
1) You are sharing a bed with someone else. This person must have purchased a regular ticket for a
queen or king bed. There is a limit of two people per bed.
2) You are staying off-site and commuting to the event. Please note that unless you live nearby,
this is not likely to be cost-effective; we are trying to keep our prices cheaper than you would
get at a hotel. Please also note that there is limited parking, and if you drive yourself you might
need to leave your car in a nearby park, and walk or shuttle to the event. We will have a driver
on-site to give these kind of rides as necessary.
If you buy a “No Bed” ticket, we will contact you directly to work out the details of your specific
situation.
COVID Policy
Every attendee, upon arrival, must show proof of vaccination AND a negative Covid test no more than
48 hours old. Masks will not be required; you can wear one if you want, but we’re sharing a house for a week so I don’t know how effective a mask would actually be. While on site, if you start to feel sick you will need to take a Covid test (provided for you); if you test positive, we will quarantine you from the other guests and work with you on the best next steps, which might include moving you offsite. In general: be responsible and respectful, be aware of the risks you are taking, and be prepared for the consequences if something goes wrong.
Harassment Policy
Everyone will treat everyone else with respect and humanity. We will not enumerate a list of all the things you should and shouldn’t do, just be mature and kind and don’t make anyone uncomfortable. If you feel uncomfortable about a situation or person, please talk to Dan and he will work to resolve the situation. If someone ruins the experience for others, and refuses to change their behavior when Dan talks to them about it, he’ll kick them out and not feel bad. Games are only fun when everyone is having fun, so let’s make sure everyone has fun.
Hygiene Policy
Everyone needs to shower AT LEAST every other day, and use deodorant every day. Dan's been to GenCon too many times; we know what this house will smell like if we don’t stay clean. This will all be on the honor system.
Refund Policy
If you cancel before June 21, 2023, you can get a full refund. If you cancel before July 5, 2023, you can get a half refund. No refunds will be offered after July 5, 2023.
FAQ
How do the beds and rooms work?
The house has twenty-four beds of varying sizes. Two of them are private, and have already been
claimed for me and for our caterer, Donna. ALL of the others are in shared rooms, with two or three beds each. The beds available are 6 King, 5 Queen, 8 Twin, and 3 Trundle beds. As part of your registration, you will have the opportunity to request a specific roommate, or to give specific details about what shared situation might make you most comfortable. We will discuss these requests with you privately through email.
What kind of games will we play?
Whatever you bring. Dan has a ton of his own RPGs, boardgames, card games, and so on, including
one or more draft cubes for Magic, but please bring games of your own. A favorite game you want to
share? A game you love, but can never get on the table? A game you designed and want people to try? Bring them all.
If I come to this event, will I get to play a game with Dan?
Dan will do his very best to play games with everyone who wants to, but we guarantee nothing. Come for the fifty-thousand other games you’ll play all week, not for the handful of games you might play with Dan.
What amenities does the house have?
Aside from the bedrooms, the kitchen, and the gaming spaces, there are also nine bathrooms, two laundry rooms, a pool table, a ping pong table, a hot tub, a huge yard, a covered porch with outdoor tables, an outdoor grill, multiple outdoor firepits, and two kitchenettes with extra fridges.
Can I bring my own snacks or food?
We will have food and snacks for the week, and Donna is excellent at accommodating for allergy and dietary needs. But if there's something that you really want to bring--for example, if you can't live without a full 12-pack of Coke Zero--you are welcome to bring it. We will have a driver on-site to make grocery runs as necessary. For allergy purposes, please do not bring anything with peanuts in it.
Will there be alcohol?
This is a dry event, so no alcohol will be allowed on the property.
Can I smoke?
This property has an absolutely NO smoking/vaping/e-cigarettes policy.
How will we organize everything?
When you register, we will take your email address and invite you to a Discord server. JOIN THE
DISCORD SERVER. That’s where we’ll be planning, scheduling, sharing updates, and more. If you’re not on the server, you’ll miss a lot of vital information.
Where is the event?
A big house in Salt Lake City. We’re not sharing the address publicly; we’ll let you know in an email after you register.
Transportation from the airport?
This is not provided by the event, but the venue was chosen in part because it is easily accessible. The best means of transportation will probably be Uber or Lyft for about $30. You can arrange with someone in the Discord to share an Uber if you arrive at the airport around the same time.
Can I bring my kid?
No small children will be allowed at the event. You must be at least 16 years old to attend. 16-17 year old attendees must be accompanied by a responsible adult who also has a ticket to the event. You must be at least 18 years old to attend the event on your own.
Can my friend come for just one night?
That’s a feature we might add for future events, but this year the answer is no. We want to see how the baseline event functions before we get too fancy with it.