An annual gathering of nerdy friends
How To Attend
All the logistics necessary to have yourself a good time!
Event Information
Location
Camp Nerdly takes place at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, VA. It’s about 35 miles south of Washington, D.C. and isn’t a far drive for most of the East Coast:
From Washington, DC: 45 minutes
From Philadelphia, PA: 3 hours, 30 minutes
From Durham, NC: 4 hours
From New York City: 4 hours, 15 minutes
The easiest way to get there is to take I-95 to exit 152B to merge onto VA-234 N/Dumfries Rd toward Manassas. Continue for about 2 1/2 miles and make a left on Pleasant Rd, and then follow the signs from there!
YOU CANNOT ACCESS THE CAMPGROUND FROM INSIDE THE PARK. DISREGARD ANY DIRECTIONS USING SCENIC ROAD!!
Timing
Camp Nerdly will happen from May 23-27, 2024.
Camp will officially open at 2pm Friday May 24th.
Staff will be at the camp from 4:00 Thursday May 23th for setup and logisitcs. Early arrivals are on their own for food and activities until Friday evening. Plan accordingly.
Camp will close out no later than noon on Monday May 27th.
Meals
Meals are included as part of your registration fee! All meals will include allergen-free options for attendees who have informed us of their dietary needs. If you have any dietary restrictions, please let us know ASAP.
Snacks, peanut butter sandwiches, and cheese sandwiches will be available to all campers at all times. We will endeavor to keep coffee and hot water available all day long; however, remember that Camp Nerdly is a community effort: if there is none left, please make some!
Event Schedule
Preparation Checklist
Camp Nerdly has several event policies that are designed to protect the mental and physical well-being of all attendees. To that end, all attendees must agree to these policies in order to participate. If you are preparing for your very first Camp Nerdly, please make sure to give these a read!
We understand that registering for Camp Nerdly can be overwhelming: there are so many things to do, pack, and prepare for! Luckily for you, some of our veterans have created this checklist of things to take care of. (Links on this list will open pages in a new tab.)
READ CAMP NERDLY’S POLICIES
All attendees must agree to and abide by these policies, so read them before you register.
REGISTER
Fill out the registration form. It’s a bit lengthy, but it will cut back on the amount of paperwork you’ll have to fill out on-site – which means more time for FUN! (Do you need assistance to attend? Please contact us.)
PLAN YOUR TRAVEL
Use the above map for door-to-parking lot directions straight to camp. If you registered for a ride share, our Ride Share Coordinator will follow up with you directly. If you need help arranging travel, either logistically or financially, please contact us.
SELECT A CHORE
Each camper will have a chore to do – it’s part of the Nerdly Code! The list of chores and chore sign-up can be found here.
CHOOSE YOUR LODGING
Make sure you have a bed! Which cabin will you be sleeping in, and who will you be sharing it with? (If you are a parent, please choose a bed for yourself, as well as for each child.) Cabin sign-up can be found here.
CHECK OUT THE MENU
If you have food restrictions, make sure to read the meal list. If you have a dietary restriction, allergy, or other concern that is not already addressed on our meals page be sure to let us know!
ORDER YOUR T-SHIRT
Each year, one of our campers comes up with a new design. Every design is unique – no two designs look alike. And the more shirts we order, the cheaper they get! Order your shirt here.
PREPARE AN ACTIVITY
Since Camp Nerdly is a gathering of friends – and not a traditional gaming convention – we ask that each attendee prepare some kind of activity to share with others. Your activity can be a board game, an RPG, an art project, a physical activity, a read-aloud… or anything else you can think of that you think other campers might enjoy!
PACK YOUR BAGS
Not sure what kinds of items you’ll need at camp? We’ve prepared this checklist of useful items so that you can be fully prepared on arrival.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? COMPLIMENTS? GET IN TOUCH!
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if there is anything we have not covered here.
At the Camp: How it Works
PITCH SESSIONS
Before each gaming block, anyone who has a game or event they want to run will gather in the Main Hall to give us a brief explanation of the game. This usually includes the premise, whether it’s silly or serious, any age restrictions, the maximum amount of players, trigger warnings, and any other important information. Our Chief Owlbear will designate a Pitch Master to get everyone’s attention and let you all know that the pitch session is starting. Since not all people pitching have loud voices, it’s important that all campers quiet down to hear the pitch sessions. And hey — you might hear about an exciting game that you didn’t previously know about!
Sometimes people pitch games and don’t get players. That’s okay! It’s even expected. There are always more pitches than we need, and it’s an embarrassment of riches, as they say. Don’t feel bad if no one swings at your pitch. Try again later if you want, or just go play in the other games. Putting your game on the schedule will give people an opportunity to be excited for your activity before we get to camp.
Sometimes, folks come to Camp Nerdly with a game they want to run and have already filled the spots in advance. While we like games to be open for everyone, we understand that sometimes excitement takes over before everyone gets there. If your game is already full, please don’t pitch it. We don’t want anyone to feel left out of something they would have been interested in.
WHAT GAMES ARE ON THE SCHEDULE?
As always, Camp Nerdly will have a mix of scheduled activities (based on Applications we receive) and spur-of-the-moment stuff. If you definitely want to see something on the schedule, offer it up! Or reach out through the Discord forum, Facebook , or Twitter and find someone willing to bring and/or run it.
We will stitch together a schedule of activities in the middle of April (about a month before camp). That schedule will be available online, and also posted at the camp for anyone to browse. But of course, there will be plenty of people bringing stuff, and ad-hoc activities as usual. That’s what pitch sessions are for!
HOW DO SCHEDULED GAMES WORK WITH PITCH SESSIONS?
We’ll run through a reminder of the games and activities on the schedule first, and then “pitch” anything spur of the moment. The goal is to find something for everyone to do.
WHO CAN PITCH GAMES?
All campers will have the chance to propose an activity during pitch sessions. Feel free to connect with potential campers through the Discord forums, the Facebook page , on Twitter , or any method you like in order to gauge interest or request something you want to see.