Comic Relief and Wizards of the Coast have launched a national prize draw offering six players the chance to win a curated Dungeons & Dragons experience set inside the grounds of Kynren, the massive outdoor storytelling venue in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. The charity initiative, which marks the latest collaboration in a partnership that has raised over £200,000 since 2021, aims to raise vital funds to combat poverty and systemic injustice across the United Kingdom and internationally.
Running until late June, the prize draw gives entrants the chance to win a multi-day adventure centred around the brand-new daytime attraction, The Storied Lands, alongside a bespoke roleplaying games session staged at the venue’s iconic Knights’ Round Table. The winning group of six will be guided by a professional Dungeon Master through an adventure tailored to the historic surroundings, supported by a full package of travel, themed dining, and accommodation at the nearby 12th-century Walworth Castle.
To understand the backdrop of this campaign, one must look at what Kynren actually represents. Produced by the charitable organisation 11Arches, originally established by philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer as part of a major cultural regeneration scheme for Bishop Auckland, the main evening show, Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, is a 90-minute open-air performance tracing 2,000 years of British history. Staged across a 7.5-acre arena, the spectacle relies on a massive cast and crew of over 1,000 local volunteers, incorporating pyrotechnics, water stunts, and live animals to bring historical myths to life.
The prize explicitly highlights The Storied Lands, a highly anticipated daytime theme park extension debuting on the site this summer. Unlike conventional amusement parks focused on mechanical rides, this attraction functions as a live-action show park. The itinerary for the winners guarantees priority seating for five new theatrical performances, including The Legend of the Wear, which dramatises the local North East myth of the Lambton Worm, and Land of the Vikings, a multi-sensory combat display set within a reconstructed Norse settlement.
Wizards of the Coast has a history of using high-profile charity events to engage the community, having previously hosted livestreamed celebrity games for Comic Relief featuring prominent British comedians. By embedding an actual tabletop session into a physical environment built around historical reenactment, this specific campaign highlights a growing overlap between traditional desktop hobbies and large-scale experiential entertainment.
According to official terms, the draw is open exclusively to UK residents aged 18 and over. Online entries are priced at £10 and will officially close on Sunday 21 June at 23:59, while free postal entries will be accepted until Friday 26 June. The complete prize includes a three-course “Time Travellers’ Feast” with live entertainment, a dedicated “Dungeon Feast” at Walworth Castle, and premium VIP behind-the-scenes access across two full days.
