Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Solar.
Thomas, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Back at the end of 2020, my friends and I would play our Dungeons & Dragons campaign sessions at someone’s house which meant whoever is hosting has to clean, prep food, get space for the table and beers. So I offered up the idea to our group “why don’t we play on a neutral ground? My brewery, Castle Church, has a lot of space to play. Plus there are food trucks rotating on site, and obviously all the beer styles to choose from”. It was a quick unanimous yes from everyone. As we played our sessions at the brewery, regular day guests would walk by and in awe ask “you’re allowed to play Dungeons & Dragons at a brewery?!”. There was this shock in their tone and I would explain that yeah, as long as you pay for beer to increase taproom sales…you can almost do anything in a brewery with permission of course.
That’s officially when the idea went off in my head. Why not create a specific time & date when all D&D players could come to drink beer, talk with each other, and even create a raffle to get the names of local small businesses advertised. There are definitely shops around that offer a space to play D&D, but nothing quite like this with beer, food, and raffle prizes. We donate our raffle money to the Critical Role Foundation, so it doesn’t get much more thematic than that. The goal was to bring together two really positive communities in my life, D&D and craft beer. Thus coining the name, Dungeons n Drafts.
We started out for people who had their own group of players to reserve a table to play. After our first Dungeons n Drafts event at Castle Church, I started receiving a ton of interest from folks who wanted to learn how to play or people who didn’t have a group anymore because of people moving away or just not committing. I was missing out on a large community of folks who wanted to just be a character for a few hours or learn this highly popular game in a comfortable setting. So that’s when we began assembling an incredible team of DMs (Dungeon Masters) to run these one shot adventure tables for individuals. They’re already so talented from their storytelling to the literal craft of painting miniatures to bring their story to life. They make the characters for their players and take them on a journey that is both challenging for experienced players but also welcoming to the newer people.
We were able to grow on our own with a strong team of DMs and positive word of mouth. Castle Church was our home base, playing there once a month. Then we were recommended to create a presence on Instagram, to get our name further into the area. I personally don’t interact much on my own account, but for the sake of this endeavor that means so much to me, I wanted to learn how to authentically establish a following on Instagram. Through the summer of 2021 we grew so much we started selling out our events and eventually attracting the attention of other breweries in Orlando! The dream started to take shape and have a foundation, now was the opportunity to really bring this event to all parts of Orlando.
By the end of 2021, we had gone to two new breweries, Oviedo and Deviant Wolfe, as well as our consistent once a month day at Castle Church. Then an abrupt and unthinkable hurdle occurred when Castle Church closed right before the year ended. A lot of uncertainty and confusion murmured as people didn’t know what would happen to Dungeons n Drafts. But with strong momentum in the community, we had an influx of Orlando breweries reach out asking to host us. To create a solid message to our audience that we aren’t going anywhere, I booked us for the first 3 months of 2022. Big Storm, Hourglass, 3 Odd Guys, Toll Road plus return trips to Oviedo and Deviant Wolfe meant we were healthy and in business. Then by a stroke of luck, the building that was Castle Church rebranded with new ownership into Brewlando! Everything started turning back around for Dungeons n Drafts. We had our home back by going once a month to Brewlando and we had even more Orlando breweries reaching out to us that we began booking dates through this summer.
So here we are, still growing and supporting the community that does an unbelievable job at supporting us. Dungeons n Drafts isn’t going away, in fact the plans are now to go out further. We will create DnD Chapters in other major cities like Tampa, Asheville, Philadelphia. Craft beer and Dungeons & Dragons fans are an incredibly positive and inclusive group of people who accept all genders, races, and sexuality. I’m so lucky to be part of this journey and be part of both worlds in hopes that I can create an epic world for all.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The Dungeons n Drafts formula to make it work at a brewery or venue that serves beer is pretty specific. Unlike other events that can happen on any night at any time of the week we need certain ingredients to make it work:
– the taproom has to be slow aka not a lot of noise at the bar, near the tables. The DMs and players are trying to tell a story with each other and having to yell on top of each other can take you right out of the moment.
– we aim for a weekend afternoon play time. Many of our audience works the typical “banker” hours Monday – Friday 9-5 so their free time is limited and mostly on the weekend. Trying to get a taproom/space that not only will be chill but on a weekend makes this a bit more challenging than meets the eye.
– tables and chairs…another “more challenging than meets the eye” situation is that we put 6 players + 1 DM at a table so that’s a pretty sizable table we need. Not only that, but the tables need to have room for a map at the center, drinks, dice, food, miniatures and even more items. Talk about some specific requirements!
For as much as this is all challenging to pull off…all breweries have been wonderfully accommodating to these “demands”. Not only do they kindly work with us on these specifics needs, but they all donate brewery swag, 4 packs, and/or gift cards to their establishment so the DnD crowd can win some prizes from the brewery! Plus all the players and DMs get a beer special to motivate them to drink more beer and increase the taproom sales.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
From driving safari trucks across the magical Savanna, wielding a chainsaw during the most horrific nights in October, to getting slimed and sliming contestants on a popular game show across the Caribbean on a cruise ship…I’m known for being a jack of all trades. I was a performer throughout my teens and into adulthood. There is this rush of happiness when you can physically see the audience applauding at the end of a show. It was the ultimate “job well done” feeling. I also learned to joust and train in Medieval combat, to run with the Raptors for a meet & greet photo op with families, and toss beads out during Mardi Gras. Performing was really all I was known for throughout most of my adulthood. I had a constant drive to learn more skill sets throughout those years.
But after 10 plus years of performing, I needed stability. No more auditions, rejections, contracts, or general uncertainty of how long will I be at a job. I had fallen in love with my now wife and her daughter who I met when she was just 3 years old. I didn’t want to be away at a gig anymore, I wanted to be home for dinner. Little victories like that mean a lot to me. So I changed career paths and went with something else that makes me and everyone happy…craft beer. I had always been a fan of craft beer because I grew up around it with my mom and family. I was ready to learn a new skill set! Who knows, maybe I’d be a decent brewer one day. So I started as a barback at Castle Church and offered to help with everything I could. From learning to barend, learning sales, and washing kegs. I wanted to do it all and train to be great at it. To be dependable. Then the biggest opportunity came when I started training as a Cellarman, basically the squire of the brewhouse. Lots of training and shadowing the brewers. I was soaking up all the knowledge I could because this year I became a full time Brewer! I am only a couple of months into this new position so I know I need to keep training, keep my head down, and study to be half as amazing as the Orlando community of brewers.
At the end of the day I’m most proud of my family. Not to sound super cheesy, but they’re so kind and loving. They’re my motivation and drive to always do better than the day before. I love my wife Dez, and my two children Myla (8 years old) and Oliver (1 year old). They are an incredible team of love, joy, and positive vibes. Friends and family know I tend to be hard on myself, especially when I let people down…but they do an unreal job of making me feel better and making me believe in myself again.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I loved the phrase “you gotta risk it, to get the biscuit”. It’s a real eye-roller, but if it’s a calculated risk then I’ll always vote to go for it. You never want to be stuck in a what if feeling. That sort of “should of, could of” situation that sits in your gut. I’ve absolutely taken many major risks in my lifetime and have seen both positive and negative outcomes.
It will come with the territory if you risk it or not, something good or bad will happen because it’s just plain unavoidable. All you can do is learn and grow from it so the next day, you do better. Not only doing better for yourself, but the people around you too.
Pricing:
- $15 per person at a one shot adventure table. We provide you with beer specials, a character sheet, a 3-4 hour adventure, and an opportunity to win something from our raffle!
- $50 to reserve a table for you and your friends to play your own campaign. This is specifically for groups that have their own DM and players. You still get beer specials and the raffle!
Contact Info:
- Email: thomas@dungeonsndrafts.com
- Website: dungeonsndrafts.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/dungeons.n.drafts/
- Facebook: facebook.com/dungeonsndrafts/
- Other: linktr.ee/dungeonsndrafts
Image Credits
KimberlySuitsLewis Photography
