The idea of the contest is to ask readers to create one dungeon level in an edition-less format (ex: you can name monsters but you don’t provide stats for them) using the template and submit it for the contest. We’d judge the entries based on criteria such as ‘most evocative setting’, ‘Funniest entry’, ‘Most creative use of a Trap” and so on. Once we’ve named winners, we’ll be compiling a FREE PDF of the winners/runner-ups and releasing it to the community at large.

The contest runs from April 14 through midnight on May 14.

Go here to see all of the details.

It is a shared gamer-geek dream that someday there would be a “theme park” just for medieval fantasy gamers – and it is finally here!  Due to the overwhelming response from volunteers and players regarding the “True Dungeon: Director’s Cut” event, we have greatly expanded the scope of the event to create a medieval fantasy cityscape loaded with cool gaming events.  Not only will the “theme park” be DOUBLE the size of the Gen Con Indy True Dungeon event, but there will be TWO unique True Dungeon modules offered as well as many cool TD mini-events.  You can spend two full days completely immersed in “True Realm” while living out your “True Gamer” dreams!  As one volunteer succinctly phrased it:  “It is like Disneyland for gamers!”

True Realm will be housed inside a 40,000 sq. ft. cavernous warehouse, and it will be divided up into the Dungeons and the City.  The Dungeons will take up about 28,000 sq. ft. and it will be the area where all the True Dungeon events are held.  The City will be a 12,000 sq. ft. detailed medieval fantasy cityscape complete with cool, high-quality facades and lighting.

The FAQ is here. Eight player VIP tickets go on sale at 11:55 a.m. on Saturday, October 18. Regular eight player tickets go on sale on October 25. Individual tickets go on sale on November 1.

Oh, if only Herrin was not so far away.

In the spirit of continuing on, however, I point you in the direction of Woot!’s 15 Gary Gygax Jokes We Better Not Catch You Making.

I am particularly fond of:

5. “In the next town, you meet a stranger named Barry Bygax.”

11. “Lorraine Williams is behind this somehow, I just know it.”

13. “When I heard, I cried 2d10 tears.”

Farewell Gary.

Update: Wil Wheaton has some fond memories of his first D&D set to commemorate Gary’s passing. Wil makes a great point when he says:

Of all the things I do that make me a geek, nothing brings me as much joy as gaming. It all started with the D&D Basic Set, and today it takes an entire room in my house to contain all of my books, boxes, and dice.

I think we all understand what Wil is saying.

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/16/2334255

See, I don’t have to go to GenCon to hear the news about ubergeekdom.

When President Bush ordered troops to Iraq, he probably never imagined that he would be ultimately be responsible for what very well could be the very first D&D convention/game day ever held in a war zone. Ziggurat Con, being held June 9 from 1200 to 2100 hours at Camp Adder/Tallil Airbase, is open to all allied military personnel and civilian contractors in Iraq.