DECEMBER 13 - 15, 2024
DECEMBER 13 - 15, 2024A 3-Day Immersive Horror RPG Experience
The Dead of Winter Horror Invitational is a weekend of horror tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) played in a haunted boutique gold rush era hotel in the Sierra Nevada of California. Intentionally chosen to create an immersive experience and give people visual reminders of the theme, people are required to stay at the venue in order to build camaraderie and inspire them to invest in the tone of the event.
Dead of Winter (as it is lovingly referred to as) is a small, curated, invitation-only affair with a maximum number of 36 participants. While I put some organizational trappings around it, at its heart it’s really just a get-together of friends who enjoy horror-themed TTRPGs.
To be invited to this event you must have played at least one TTRPG with the organizer (Matt Steele) either in person or online.
Details
We get underway on Friday evening with an informal gathering in the Milton Room on the ground floor. People hang out and catch up with folks or meet new Players for the first time. There are no games on Friday night — it’s a social event to connect people who may not know each other well, so that by the time they’re sitting around a table, they’ve already spent some time together.
There are two 6-hour game sessions on Saturday and Sunday with six games in each session. All games need to accommodate 5 Players. A handful of folks typically head home after the first Sunday session. As a result, the Sunday night session can have less than 5 Players in a game.
Traditionally, many folks gather on Monday for breakfast at local landmark Sweetie Pie’s, though this isn’t an official part of the event.
Game Master Info
I put out a call to GMs to submit games several months prior to the event. Each submission is reviewed so I can make sure that Players have the info they need to make informed choices. Once I have all of the games in hand, GMs are able to register.
All games are horror themed with a variety from horror-comedy to deeply-emotional existential horror and everything in between. The goal is to give Players options that suit their tastes and to allow GMs to offer the type of horror game they want to run.
Unlike standard game conventions, I’m unable to comp admission for GMs. I use the funds from both GMs and Players to pay for the venue. GMs are earlier in line to request games - see Game Requests below.
If you’re a Dead of Winter 2024 GM, you’ll be able to register in early September.
PLAYER INFO
Once I have the game lineup on the website, I invite Players to review what’s on offer. A few days later, I open the floodgates for Player registration. It’s first come, first in, until the Player slots are filled. After it fills up, folks can get on a wait list.
Dead of Winter 2024 is in development. Once it’s sold out, the button below will have instructions for getting on the wait list.
Game PREFERENCES
Once everyone has registered, I start a rolling process of asking everyone for their preferred games in each session. I go in order of registration in batches so it’s easy to track. Because GMs register after their games are submitted, they’re usually in the early game request batches.
I ask everyone to rank the games in each session from 1-6 based on which ones they want to play. I then hand curate who goes into which game. This lets me optimize for fun and play style and match Players with GMs and games they may not know well.
2024 SCHEDULE
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Friday, December 13
The Hangtown Hangout
Attendance Mandatory
6pm - ???
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Saturday, December 14
2 Game Sessions
11am - 5pm
7pm - 1am -
Sunday, December 15
2 Game Sessions
11am - 5pm
7pm - 1am
LOCATIONCARY HOUSE HOTEL
Dead of Winter takes place in the Historic Cary House Hotel in Placerville, CA., just over 40 miles east of Sacramento. The “Jewel of Placerville” sits in the heart of Northern California wine and gold country on the way to Lake Tahoe. For most of the year, it’s a calm and quiet sanctuary among the Sierra foothills. We occupy about 80% or more of the hotel during Dead of Winter.
Frequently on the list of most haunted hotels in California, this rustic gold rush era hotel contains period pieces and antiques dating back to 1857 — which really gets folks into the spirit of the event. It’s located on Main Street giving folks easy access to restaurants, breweries, and coffee shops.
I get a group rate for everyone. Folks are reminded to ask for the Dead of Winter group rate when they register, which they are able to do after I receive their event registration. I’ll let attendees know when it’s time to register at the hotel.
AREA INFO
Some Places to Eat & Drink
within Walking Distance
Buttercup Pantry
222 Main St.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The Original Mels Diner
232 Main St.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Main Street Tap House
209 Main St.
Lunch, Dinner
Placerville Public House
305 Main St.
Lunch, Dinner
Placerville Cafe/Pachamama Coffee
312 Main St.
Breakfast, Lunch
Franny’s Farm Table
311 Main St.
Lunch, Dinner
Heyday Cafe
325 Main St.
Lunch
Sourdough & Co.
385 Main St.
Lunch, Dinner
Powell’s Steamer Co & Pub
425 Main St.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cuppa Coffee & More
442 Main St.
Breakfast, Lunch
Old Town Grill
444 Main St.
Lunch
Brick’s Eats & Drinks
482 Main St.
Lunch, Dinner
Sweetie Pies
577 Main St.
Breakfast, Lunch
OTHER Area Activities
Some folks bring their non-gamer family members who are off doing other things during Dead of Winter. Placerville is just below the snow line and even though it drops below freezing at night, it’s usually warm enough to do other things in town or nearby including wine tasting and antiquing. Some highlights I’ve heard about include:
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Toogood Cellars
304 Main St.
Beside the Historic Cary House Hotel -
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Antiques & Vintage
Various Shops
432, 448, 460, & 462 Main St. -
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El Dorado Wine Trails
Go to the Visit El Dorado website.
