PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT THOROUGHLY BEFORE APPLYING!
By submitting your application, you agree that you have read this Benefits & Responsibilities document in its entirety and are aware of all requirements you agree to meet.
Virtual True Dungeon – Cravenmoor: Through Fear & Fog
August 28th – August 30th, 2026
Virtual TD events are run with a combination of remote volunteers and on-site volunteers at our workshop and office in Carbondale, Illinois. Please consider carefully whether or not you are willing to travel to Carbondale and indicate this preference in your application.
Approximate event start times for Through Fear & Fog are listed below. Each individual volunteer’s schedule will depend on the position for which they are selected. For example, an NPC in Room 2 will have an earlier start time than someone in an Epilogue role.
Friday, August 28th – 5:00pm to 9:00pm Dungeon (Central) Time
Saturday, August 29th – 10:00am to 7:00pm Dungeon (Central) Time
Sunday, August 30th – 10:00am to 7:00pm Dungeon (Central) Time
FULL TIME
Full Time volunteers all work a full shift each day of the event. Additionally, there are two pre-event preparation and training sessions. The Adventure Playtest is open to all volunteers but is required for Virtual DMs and NPCs. The DM Tech Check is closed to everyone but DMs and DMs-in-Training, who are required to attend.
Please refer to this table for requirements by role:
|
ROLE
|
LOCATION
|
PLAYTEST
|
TECH CHECK
|
FRI
|
SAT
|
SUN
|
|
Virtual DM
|
Remote
|
Required
|
Required
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
|
NPC
|
On-Site
|
Required
|
n/a
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
|
Player Coach
|
Remote
|
Optional
|
n/a
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
|
Admin (Innkeeper & Epilogue)
|
Remote
|
Optional
|
n/a
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
|
Golem
|
On-Site
|
Optional
|
n/a
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
|
DM-in-Training
|
Remote
|
Required
|
Required
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
|
Admin-in-Training
|
Remote
|
Optional
|
n/a
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
Full Shift
|
The Adventure Playtest typically takes place about ten days before the event, but the date is variable. Because of the timing of this event, the current plan is to have the Adventure Playtest in JULY so it does not interfere with Gen Con. Our current preliminary playtest date is Monday, July 13, 2026.
Playtest details will be communicated to volunteers via email from volunteer@truedungeon.com.
The DM Tech Check takes place the night before the event starts (Thursday, August 27th, 2026) at 5:30pm Dungeon (Central) Time.
Upon successful completion of their scheduled shifts, Full Time volunteers will receive the following benefits:
- Stipend – Payable via check, Venmo, or a Funds Credit towards a future online token order. Stipends vary by role. For this event Full Time stipends are:
- Virtual DM - $500
- NPC - $450
- Player Coach - $400
- Admin (Innkeeper or Epilogue) - $350
- Golem - $450
- DM- and Admin-in-Training - $300
- Volunteer Exclusive Ultra-Rare token (Charm of Banewatch) OR 2x Volunteer Exclusive Rare tokens (Belt of Biting)
- Survivor pins from the event
- XP card from the event
- Participation token from the event
- 20 random treasure draws
PART TIME
Part Time volunteers work one or two days during the event. Part Time Virtual DMs are still required to attend both the Adventure Playtest and Tech Check as mentioned in the Full Time details above. Refer to the table below for Part Time requirements by role:
|
ROLE
|
LOCATION
|
PLAYTEST
|
TECH CHECK
|
EVENT DAYS
|
|
Virtual DM
|
Remote
|
Required
|
Required
|
Work 1 or 2 of the 3 event shifts
|
|
NPC
|
On-Site
|
Required
|
n/a
|
Work 1 or 2 of the 3 event shifts
|
|
Player Coach
|
Remote
|
Optional
|
n/a
|
Work 1 or 2 of the 3 event shifts
|
|
Admin (Innkeeper & Epilogue)
|
Remote
|
Optional
|
n/a
|
Work 1 or 2 of the 3 event shifts
|
|
Golem
|
On-Site
|
Optional
|
n/a
|
Work 1 or 2 of the 3 event shifts
|
|
DM-in-Training
|
UNAVAILABLE FOR PART TIME – DMs must be trained Full Time
|
|
Admin-in-Training
|
Remote
|
Optional
|
n/a
|
Work 1 or 2 of the 3 event shifts
|
The Adventure Playtest typically takes place about ten days before the event, but the date is variable. Because of the timing of this event, the current plan is to have the Adventure Playtest in JULY so it does not interfere with Gen Con. Our current preliminary playtest date is Monday, July 13, 2026. Playtest details will be communicated to volunteers via email from volunteer@truedungeon.com.
The DM Tech Check takes place the night before the event starts (Thursday, August 27th, 2026) at 5:30pm Dungeon (Central) Time.
Upon successful completion of their scheduled shifts, Full Time volunteers will receive the following benefits:
- Stipend – Payable via check, Venmo, or a Funds Credit towards a future online token order. Stipends vary by role. Part Time stipends differ depending on the shifts worked as some days have shorter shifts than others. Refer to the table below for this event’s Part Time stipends by role:
|
ROLE
|
FRIDAY
|
SATURDAY
|
SUNDAY
|
|
Virtual DM
|
$100
|
$200
|
$200
|
|
NPC
|
$90
|
$180
|
$180
|
|
Player Coach
|
$80
|
$160
|
$160
|
|
Admin (Innkeeper & Epilogue)
|
$70
|
$140
|
$140
|
|
Golem
|
$90
|
$180
|
$180
|
|
Admin-in-Training
|
$60
|
$120
|
$120
|
- Volunteer Exclusive Rare Token (Belt of Biting)
- Survivor pins from the event
- XP card from the event
- Participation token from the event
- 20 random treasure draws
MULTI-EVENT VOLUNTEERING PICK-YOUR-PURPLE BONUS
Volunteers who work multiple events are eligible for a bonus Ultra Rare token of their choice from the 2025 and 2026 Standard Pack Ultra Rare tokens. In order to earn this PYP, volunteers must successfully complete either 3 events as a Full Time volunteer, 9 total Part Time event shifts, or some combination of the two. Both Virtual and In-Person events are counted towards this.
TD HQ tracks volunteer shifts for this PYP bonus. You may inquire about your PYP status at any time by emailing volunteer@truedungeon.com.
Here are three examples of volunteers earning their PYP:
- Joe T. Vol works as a Full Time VDM for the January VTD, a Full Time Player Coach for the March VTD, and then volunteers Full Time as a Combat DM at Gen Con. After Gen Con he picks a Charm of Fickle Fate as his bonus token.
- Anna May Vol is unable to work Full Time around her other responsibilities. So, she works 1 shift for the January VTD, 2 shifts for the February VTD, 2 shifts for the March VTD, 2 shifts during Gen Con, and 2 shifts during Gamehole Con. After Gamehole Con she chooses to add a Bead of Greed to her collection.
- K.T. Vol has a chaotic schedule and has to work a combination of Part Time and Full Time for various events. They DM Full Time for the February VTD, work two shifts in Epilogue for the March VTD, work full time as an NPC at Ring Con, and then work a single shift as Innkeeper at Gamehole Con. After Gamehole Con they ask for a Belt of the Hunter for their Ranger build.
A NOTE ABOUT IN-TRAINING ROLES
Training remotely is a tricky process, and we try to give all of our volunteer trainees the best chance to succeed that we can. Admins-in-Training will learn both the Innkeeper and Epilogue roles. Our usual process is to go through the process and then have the trainee work with the players in a supervised environment during the event. Both of these jobs are fairly simple to train and can be done Part Time if needed.
Virtual DMs must be trained Full Time during an event weekend. After attending both the Adventure Playtest and DM Tech Check they spend their Friday shift getting programs installed and then getting familiar with all the different tools. They will spend the rest of the weekend observing other VDMs and working one-on-one with one of our experienced VDMs to make sure they understand the VTD DMing process. On Sunday, if both the trainee and the VDM they’ve been working with feel comfortable, they will DM for players in a supervised setting. Virtual DMs must go through an event as a VDM-in-Training before they can do an event as a VDM without supervision.
Player Coaches are one of our least-needed roles in VTD. They are trained individually on an as-needed basis.
