Crits and Castles 4: Fete of the Courts
October 9-11, 2026
Castle Newman, Bellville, TX
Presented by Emberglow Gaming
Crits and Castles an immersive multi-table D&D one-shot experience, where Twenty Two DnD tables will participate in an interrelated set of quests that will determine the fate of the two great powers of the Feywild!
We are delighted to invite you back to the ramparts of the citadel for the fourth Crits and Castles Event! 122 players will participate in an epic story to determine the fate of the two great courts of the Fey: Winter and Summer!
Join us on one day, (or two! or all three!), and shape the revels of the party to end all parties!
THE EVENT
Come join us for one, two, or all three days of CnC4 revelry!
FRIDAY - Bardic Circle! Join us for an evening of campfire songs, food, and evening revels! 45 seats, and a chance to share songs, stories, and performances, with special guests and hilarity for all!
FEATURING: Duology Music, Crescent Moon, Bartelius Flaximere, and many more!
SATURDAY - The revels await! 3 pre-game hours of shows, demonstrations, tavern games, board games, food and fantasy merchants, and scavenger hunts! (Some of which will contribute to your DnD story!)Then...
An epic DnD one-shot Feywild experience, featuring TWELVE tables, and FIFTEEN special guests.
(Lunch, dinner, snacks, coffee, and hijinx included in your ticket price!)
SUNDAY - The afterparty...it got complicated! A tied-in Feywild story about what happens the day after the party, when the hangover is worse than you thought...
Another epic DnD one-shot experience, independent but related to Saturday, featuring another TEN tables and special guests.
(Lunch, dinner, snacks, coffee, and hijinx once again included in your ticket price!)
SPECIAL GUESTS
We've invited a veritable Cornucopia of Special Guests to CnC4! Featuring (in no particular order):
Sellsword Arts - Megan, David, and Clark
Duelists of the finest order, makers of delightfully entertaining instagram clips, and collectors of all manner of stabby metal things. Also part of the cast of the popular live-play vidcast, MinMaxed!
Mateo - Tater the Bard (@tater_the_bard)
Game Master for the popular live-play vidcast, MinMaxed. Has retained his sanity throughout by means of a dark deal with the Elder Gods...
Instructor Bensei (@instructor_bensei)
Meteor Hammer wielder, internet badass, and all-round delightful human being.
Lindsay and Taylor - Duology Music (@duologymusichouse)
Phenomenal fantasy musicians and composer, and recent partners with (amongst others) Darrington Press for the release of Daggerheart! (Yes, THAT Daggerheart!)
Will Henry - Willigan's Island (@thewilligansisland)
GM Extraordinaire, and speaker of amusing things on the internet! Not to be trifled with...or near...
Morgan - Heroes of Evermore (@heroes_of_evermore)
Inimitable Game Master for the long-running DnD live-play series, Heroes of Evermore. Moonlights as dispenser of good vibes and encouraging remarks...
Elijah - House Of Strand
(@houseofstrand)
Aggressively whimsical barbarian strong-man of Instagram fame! Will frolic on demand!
Steven Jackson - Guest GM (Internet Dark Horse)
Non-internet personality (yes, they exist!). Weaver of complex webs of intrigue and hilarity.
THE STORY
From time immemorial, the great Sybaris Fete has sat at the center of the Fey Realm, and been a neutral ground for Summer and Winter Courts alike. It is a mighty carnival that stretches for miles, where anyone could lose themselves if they wished...
And of course, where there are revels, there is intrigue in the dark corners... Where the Fey Courts celebrate their differences publicly, the boundary lines of the fey tug and shift in interesting ways, and the laws that make it neutral ground are...'porous'...
Our adventure starts at a crossroads just before the Jubilee time at the Sybaris Fete. Bacchus, the master of ceremonies, has demanded revelry from each of the courts in the form of a party, to curry his favor.
The issue at hand is that both Queen Titania and Mother Morana have sworn they would not raise a hand against each other. Though fey are always finding wonder in word play, and though ‘they’ may not be able to foil each other's party, they are more than able to ‘request’ adventurers from another plane to ensure their party is the one powerful enough to leak into the material realm.
You are one such adventurer. Either Winter or Summer have summoned you, with no regard for your opinion, and set you a task - the price for your passage home. There's a party to be planned, and it will be one for the history books!
So raise your chalice, (after you've checked it for poison). Tonight is a party you can't miss...
EVENT DETAILS
Where:
Castle Newman (1041 Old Hwy 36, Bellville, TX)
When:
Oct 9th to 11th, 2026
Schedule:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9TH
6:30pm-10:30pm - Bardic Circle! (45 seats available)
Cozy campfire vibes with performances, singalongs, s'mores, mead, and more!
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10TH
11:00AM - The Gates Are Open! Join us for pre-game revelries!
Scavenger Hunts, Board Games, Tavern Games, Shows, Demonstrations, Coffee, Merch, Food, and Much More!
12:00 Noon - Lunch! (Sandwich Platters, Snacks, etc!)
2:30 PM - The Grand Introduction!
We'll welcome you to Newman's Castle officially, Set the scene, and kick-off the DnD Shenanigans!
2:45 PM - The Adventurers Disperse, Let the Revels Begin!
Find your table, sit down, strap in!
5:15 PM - Dinner Break! (Provided in your Ticket Price!)
Food Options TBD! Shenanigans and Story Maneuvering Likely...
6:15 PM - The Stories Resume...
8:15 PM - Table Stories Conclude!
8:45 PM - The Great Gathering!
We'll gather everyone in the Great Hall, Hear tell of the exploits of our adventurers, and Roll the Stones of Reckoning, to determine which Feycourt carries the day! Huzzah!
9:15 PM - The Final Toast!
9:30 PM - 11:00 PM - Mix and Mingle if you're inclined!
11:15 PM - Gates Close.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11TH
11:00AM - The Gates Are Open! Join us for pre-game revelries!
Board Games, Tavern Games, Chill Time, Coffee, Merch, Food, and Much More!
12:30 PM - The Grand Introduction!
We'll welcome you to Newman's Castle officially, Set the scene, and kick-off the DnD Shenanigans!
12:45 PM - The Adventurers Disperse, Let the Revels Begin!
Find your table, sit down, strap in!
2:45 PM - Snack Break! (Provided in your Ticket Price!)
Food Options TBD! Shenanigans and Story Maneuvering Likely...
3:15 PM - The Stories Resume...
5:45 PM - Table Stories Conclude!
6:00 PM - The Great Gathering!
We'll gather everyone in the Great Hall, Hear tell of the exploits of our adventurers, and Roll the Stones of Reckoning, to determine the fate of the Feycourts!
6:30 PM - Dinner! (Provided in your Ticket Price!)
Food Options TBD! Performances and Merriment Likely...
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM - Mix and Mingle if you're inclined!
9:30 PM - Gates Close.
Minors Policy:
Minors 14 and older are absolutely allowed to attend as players, with a legal guardian present. The legal guardian need not buy a ticket to attend, but we do need to know ahead of time if that's the case! Please reach out via email (hello@emberglowgaming.com) if you need clarification here. Also, minors cannot attend without a ticket - please find childcare for your small humans :-)
Food and Drink:
FOOD AND DRING ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING SOON!
There will be a Cash Bar available hosted by Wildflyer Meadery, of Navasota, TX, serving a curated list of beers and meads for your enjoyment!
Merch:
MERCH ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING SOON!
TICKET PURCHASING
There are 122 total available seats at Crits and Castles 4, spread across 22 Table Experiences:
- 12 tables on Saturday, Oct 10th
- 10 tables on Sunday, Oct 11th.
There is also a Friday Night Bardic Circle available to those who purchase a Saturday or Sunday ticket, as a ticket add-on! (Limit 45 seats!)
Tickets will be made available at emberglowgaming.com. Ticket release date and time will be posted via the email list.
When you buy tickets, you'll buy for a specific table story that suits your interest,
You are welcome to purchase tickets for both days (or all three days) if you're inclined!
General Admission Tickets will be released Sept 3rd at 8pm. Please bookmark this page, as ticket purchase listings will be made available from our website, and direct linked here.
Returning Players
50 tickets will be released early to returning players. If you're a returning player you're already on this email list! You'll receive a notification of returning player ticket release date and time via email. (You are also welcome to sign up for the email list to receive event information and general ticket release times as well.)
Refunds
Refunds are available until 1 week before the event (Oct 2nd).
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us at hello@emberglowgaming.com!
THE STORY MECHANICS
How does each table contribute to the FINAL RECKONING?
INFORMATION COMING SOON!
TABLE STORIES - Saturday, October 10th
TABLE 1: Horsing Around
GM: Special Guest, Tater the Bard (MinMaxed)!
VIP TABLE: Level 8 Player Characters, Table Service Included!
Player Count: 6
Alignment: Summer Court
Bacchus has planned the most clever of japes! The Summer Court will steal away a visiting Centaur dignitary. Should such a flashy person be seen at their event, that would show that the Summer Court was truly pulling out all the stops. But Centaurs are not so easily swayed. You’ll have to infiltrate the centaur camp if you want even a chance to lay eyes upon them.
Theming: Infiltration, Persuasion, Horse-puns and Hijinx...
TABLE 2: Fool's Favor
GM: TBD!
VIP TABLE: Level 8 Player Characters, Table Service Included!
Player Count: 6
Alignment: Summer Court
The Fool is an enigmatic force within the Feyrealm. Some say the embodiment of chaos, others a friend to those who find themselves lost. While other adventurers are gathering food and drink or guarding the door, you are called by the allure of chaos - sent off by The Fool to muck up the party of the Winter Court as best you can. Set off a series of pranks to set the party back!
Theme: Home Alone Pranks!
TABLE 3: Calm, Cool, and Collected
GM: Special Guest, Morgan Dangerfield (Heroes of Evermore)
Player Count: 5
Alignment: Winter Court
A gala of this magnitude must have music befitting such a high brow audience. In the far reaches, in the icy lands of thre Court of Winter, there is a musician said to be able to turn your heart to solid ice. Mother Morana demands that this mysterious artist be brought to her before the party can begin.
Themes: Icy themes, sliding puzzles. Cold As Ice.
TABLE 4: Shrunken Sprites
GM: Special Guest, Will Henry (Willigan's Island)
Player Count: 5
Alignment: Summer Court
When your party gets turned around on what should be an easy job, you find yourself much smaller than you remember. Explore the Sybris Fete from the perspective of the truly smallest of party goers. In the nooks and crannies of the world, you might find more than you expect.
Themes: Big world, Creative Thinking in a small world, Mind-bending Puzzles, Honey I Shrunk the Kids!
TABLE 5: Centaur of Attention
GM: TBD!
VIP TABLE: Level 8 Player Characters, Table Service Included!
Player Count: 5
Alignment: Winter Court
Those scoundrels in the Summer Court have kidnapped the centaur dignitary. Well, two can play at this game. You will have to sneak into the Summer Court’s Party! Do your best to retrieve her and whisk them away to a much more suitable venue. Don’t get caught, lest you get turned to a double agent!
TABLE 6: A Notion For Potions
GM: Maggie
VIP TABLE: Level 8 Player Characters, Table Service Included!
Player Count: 5
Alignment: Winter Court
The Fool has entered The Winter Court seeking to pull off a heist using a series of potions to ensure that you slip past undetected. But not every potion is labeled and some could have WILD uses.
Themes: Chaotic Heist, Random Magic, Prison Break from the inside!
TABLE 7: TBD
GM: Carlo
Player Count: 7
Alignment: TBD!
DESCRIPTION FORTHCOMING!
TABLE 8: TBD
GM: Crystal
Player Count: 4
Alignment: TBD!
DESCRIPTION FORTHCOMING!
TABLE 9: Wild Hunt
GM: Simon
Player Count: 6
Alignment: Summer Court
The wilds of the Fey are no place for strangers. And yet, here they are–a group of adventurers, dragged into this otherworldly nightmare against their will, all thanks to the "employment" of Lord Auberon, a noble of the Summer Court. As the seasons begin to turn, he's handed the party a task: escort his elderly grandfather, Ifannid, to the Grand Soiree.
"A simple task," he said, looking down his nose at them, "for simple people."
But Ifannid has no desire to go anywhere. And once they're on the road, the old Fae sheepishly admits the truth–he may have... just possibly... offended the Erlking. Leader of the Wild Hunt. And now there's a debt to be paid.
His life, if you want to be specific.
Can your party get one crotchety old Fae to the party of the year in one piece? Or will they fall to the Wild Hunt–and spend eternity as his hounds, baying and snapping at the heels of his prey?
TABLE 10: TBD
GM: Chris
Player Count: 5
Alignment: TBD!
DESCRIPTION FORTHCOMING!
TABLE 11: TBD
GM: Parker
Player Count: 7
Alignment: TBD!
DESCRIPTION FORTHCOMING!
TABLE 12: Sate the Satyrs
GM: Tony
Player Count: 5
Alignment: Winter Court
When a band of roving satyrs begin to ransack the party stealing casks of wine and ruining early festivities, it is up to a group of muscle to bring some order to this place. Ransack the satyr’s camp and take back the supplies they stole!
Themes: Drunken Brawl, Murder Hobo Optional
TABLE STORIES - Sunday, October 11th
TABLE 1: Unicorn Coronation
GM: Simon
VIP TABLE: Level 8 Player Characters, Table Service Included!
Player Count: 6
A chance sighting of a unicorn with an enchanted circlet around their neck leads the adventurers down a winding path. Prepare to run into fey, fellow unicorn hunters, and many more colorful characters.
TABLE 2: Oh The Webs We Spin
GM: Parker
VIP TABLE: Level 8 Player Characters, Table Service Included!
Player Count: 6
Alignment: The Fey Tables!
Deep in the forests of the Fey the webspinners lay in wait. Your party has been entrusted with the magics of the fey and have become wardens for your arachnoid friends. Lay traps, prepare for battle, call on your web spinning allies in times of need.
TABLE 3: Treant Treaty
GM: Special Guest, Morgan Dangerfield (Heroes of Evermore)
Player Count: 5
In the Feyrealm even the trees can turn against you. Finding yourself in the thick of it with Treant’s hunting you after a clear misunderstanding. Work together to set things right and earn a chance to make your way home.
Themes: Giant Combat, classic sword and board D&D.
TABLE 4: Deal With The Dryads
GM: Special Guest, Will Henry (Willigan's Island)
Player Count: 5
Alignment: Summer Court
Dryads are known for their beauty and cruelty in equal measure. When the courts work together to besmirch your party’s good name to a group of dryads you find yourselves trapped in the Groves of the Four Seasons. You must convince each Arch Dryad you mean them no harm.
Themes: Seasonal Sensations, 4 act stages
TABLE 5: Weaver or Leave 'er
GM: Steven Jackson
Player Count: 5
When the party finds themselves lost in the dark of a dreary winter court, they find comfort in the warm home of a woman simply known as The Weaver. But not all is safe here; haunt around her home and discover the secrets of this creature before you find yourselves trapped.
Themes: Snowed in at a witch's house. Find a way to safely leave.
TABLE 6: All That Glitters
GM: Tony
Player Count: 5
Alignment: The Fey Tables!
Not all that made a run for it sought to simply leave. Others saw opportunity. With the matriarchs away from their palaces, intruders have begun to infiltrate the Summer Court’s palace. You work as a group of royal guards left behind to defend the castle. Apprehend the invaders, foil their plots to steal artifacts, and block off their escape through your queen’s portal home.
TABLE 7: Who Are You?
GM: Carlo
Player Count: 7
What if the person stopping you from getting home was yourself? The party faces down a team of doppelgangers and mimics that have taken on their appearances, and are off to wreck havoc in the Fey Realm. Chase them down and clear your name.
Themes: Cleaning up your own messes. Fighting with yourself.
TABLE 8: Lilypad Liaisons
GM: Crystal
Player Count: 4
The swampy marshes along the border of Winter and Summer play host to a most peculiar people. The Frogfolk of these boglands are not to be taken lightly as they have been known to drown wayward adventurers where they swarm. Tread carefully and look before you leap!
TABLE 9: Fungus Among Us
GM: Teal
Player Count: 7
Not everyone who ran stayed above-ground. Your crew dove into a nearby hole that led to a winding tunnel of mushroom folk. Travel the branching path ways and scrap with hungry beasts that lurk in the dark.
Themes: They Feydark, tight corridors, winding paths, underground labyrinths.
TABLE 10: All The Wild's A Stage
GM: Chris
Player Count: 5
Word was last night a sect of Summer Court fey are seeking to make a connecting portal back to your plane. Rumor is they wish to use it to invade and return with new spoils for the next party. Make your way to a nearby amphitheater post-haste before you miss your queue!
Themes: Enchanting Magics, Stage Work, Dramatic Heaviness.