This fall, clergy and people of faith will join together again for an epic 3 days and nights learning, resting, and playing Dungeons & Dragons. With a mix of gaming, learning, and rest, this retreat will allow you to explore the connections between life, faith, and the world’s greatest roleplaying game.
Holy Rollers: Be Not Afraid will explore faith & gaming practices, how to overcome barriers to joy, and how to take hold of your own story. We will enjoy emergent gameplay through a West Marches style experience.
The 2024 Holy Rollers Retreat will be held Oct 21-24 at the ARC Retreat Community, about an hour north of the Twin Cities. In a homelike atmosphere, ARC offers 90 acres of pristine wetlands and woodlands within a majestic white pine forest. Trails explore the surrounding forest and wetlands.
ROLL INITIATIVE!
Each day will afford hours of Dungeons & Dragons play, with daily game sessions run by seasoned DMs. The whole experience will be that of a collective West Marches campaign. This unique campaign structure will have some distinctive characteristics.
- Play sessions, their frequency, and their length, will be determined individually by each party, within the time constraints of the retreat.
- Players will form parties out of a player pool of up to 20 players.
- The plot(s) will develop through emergent gameplay. That is, the players will decide where to go and what to do, venturing out to explore a vast and dangerous expanse of uncharted wilderness.
The West Marches were first devised by Ben Robbins around 2000 in a now-famous series of blog posts. Since then, there have been thousands of West Marches games run based off of Robbins’ original idea. The structure of our gaming will also be guided by Izirion’s Enchiridion of the West Marches, which further expounds and develops this unique style of gameplay.
GAIN EXPERIENCE.
Within each day, opportunities will be offered to go dig deeper into the many barriers to joy and flourishing and how we can collectively overcome them. We are also excited to announce our special guest teacher for this year – Trin Peterson. Trin is a D&D player as well as a Jewish spiritual guide, coach, writer, storyteller, and Torah and Bible teacher. She connects people with the power of story to facilitate community transformation.
TAKE A LONG REST.
The ARC Retreat Community offers a quiet place to slow down the pace of life, restore balance, and grow on your spiritual journey. Enjoy healthy and delicious meals prepared and served from the ARC kitchen. Cozy up by the fireplace, gather around the bonfire, or strap on your hiking shoes and explore the 90 acres of pristine wetlands and woodlands within a majestic white pine forest, located in Stanchfield, MN, about an hour north of the MSP Airport.
Retreat participants will have their choice of lodging.
Single or Double Room in the Lodge
- 11 single rooms and 3 double rooms available
- Guest rooms are private with shared bathrooms
- Linens and towels are provided
- Close to the action, most retreat activities will happen throughout the many spaces of the Lodge
The Hermitage:
- a single-person dwelling in the woods
- a bright, lofty room with a kitchenette and screened-in porch.
- ideal for those desiring more solitude.
- bay window faces through the trees toward Little Stanchfield Lake, which is visible in the winter.
- heat and electricity
- water is provided in jugs
- Nearby outhouse, with showers and bathrooms in the Lodge also available for “hermit” use
Register by Pentecost on May 19th for Early Bird rates!
Registration closes September 15th, or when we reach capacity.
The Holy Rollers Retreat affirms the sacredness of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. We affirm the sacredness of all those who have experienced exclusion because of race, ability, age, or culture. We affirm the sacredness of those who wrestle with addiction, physical or mental health, imprisonment, socio-economic circumstances, or anything that too often divides us. The leaders and DMs of the Holy Rollers Retreat are committed to welcoming and celebrating all people, and strive to make antiracist choices and work toward racial equity in all areas of our lives. All people, inclusive of age, race, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, family structure, ability or disability, are invited into the sacred space of this retreat not only as players and learners but also as storytellers, leaders, and people with vast experiences to share.
Roll for Joy 