Rev. Katie of Galileo says, “Our church has a couple of missional priorities that we hold dear: we do justice for LGBTQ+ folx, and we celebrate neurodiversity. We’re worried about our neighbors who are isolated and lonely, sometimes because they don’t feel safe and welcome anywhere. We’re eager to build community using a game that brings out the best in people. Our church practices joy as resistance to all the powers that want to tear us apart and make us feel alone! And we want all our neighbors to come play!”

Galileo Church began QueerQuest with a seed grant from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Fundraising efforts are ongoing as it’s not cheap to pay our dungeon masters fairly, supply snacks for all our players, and keep our equipment up to date. We apply for grants, invite corporate sponsorship, and welcome individual donations to keep QueerQuest free to our players.

DMs and Innkeepers (volunteer hosts) arrive about an hour before game time. Players are welcome a half-hour early to get snacks and hang out. Players settle in at their campaign table and the fun begins! Then it’s three hours of laughing, snacking, sword-wielding, spell-casting, and dragon-slaying, all for the sake of making friends in a safe, inclusive environment.

Most players with QueerQuest join a ten-session campaign (over 5 months), meeting twice a month with the same players and DM. Friendships form and begin to flourish outside the game nights. When a new season begins, a Session Zero gathering gives every player the chance to choose a new campaign and meet new friends.

Discord is a communication app that is free of advertising and does not use an algorithm to govern participation. QueerQuest has a server (like a house) with many channels (like rooms in the house) for different kinds of text communication. Our adult players (16 years and up) are invited to the QueerQuest Discord to keep up with QQ news, talk about their campaigns and characters, and share their lives.