Boy, have the D&D folks at Wizards of the Coast have gone contest-happy, or what?
Their latest competition lets fans design a set of Dungeons & Dragons-themed sneakers with a chance to win $1,000 and gamer swag.
 Archive for the 'Dungeons & Dragons' TagAt least one D&D piracy case headed to mediationJune 19th, 2009, 11:33 pm by Jayson PetersAn Associated Press story reveals more details about the recent Dungeons & Dragons lawsuits than you can shake a Rod of Lordly Might at. One of the defendants is bravely questing forth to represent himself in a copyright infringement suit filed by Wizards of the Coast, which is basically Hasbro — one of the largest toymakers in the world. His case appears to be headed for mediation, so he may yet make his saving throw vs. scary corporate lawyers. Reforge the Fellowship for Gen Con Indy 2009June 19th, 2009, 12:37 am by Jayson Peters
Itching to get back together with the rogues who helped you conquer the Tomb of Horrors or Castle Ravenloft back in the day? Wizards of the Coast is holding another contest for D&D fans, this time to reunite a group of adventurers that has been separated over the years. Up to six friends can win a free trip in August to the biggest gaming convention of them all, Gen Con in Indianapolis. Read the rest of this entry » Free RPG Day is June 20June 15th, 2009, 2:34 pm by Jayson Peters
This Saturday, June 20, is Free RPG Day, and gamers across the globe will be able to grab brand-new material for a variety of pen-and-paper roleplaying games — no overstock, retail-priced or dead product here. The goal is to get gamers inspired to play a new RPG, which can create sales through local game stores. In the Valley, Gamer’s Inn in Mesa is listed as a participating retailer. Sponsors include Wizards of the Coast, which contributed a Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition adventure module and Dungeon Tile; Paizo, which contributed a D&D 3rd Edition-compatible Pathfinder Bonus Bestiary (pictured); and Q-Workshop, which contributed unique gold dice. Many others are involved, and you can see what their contributions are at the Free RPG Day Sponsors page. Is ‘Dragonlance’ poised for an epic RPG comeback?June 15th, 2009, 12:01 am by Jayson Peters
Wizards of the Coast is holding an essay contest to find the “ultimate Dragonlance fan,” who will win a full ride to Gen Con this August in Indianapolis plus an autographed copy of the forthcoming Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman novel Dragons of the Hourglass Mage — and the promotion may be a big clue to the next campaign setting for its Dungeons & Dragons game. Speculation has swelled online recently about which classic D&D property would be turned into the next campaign setting for the latest edition of the pen-and-paper roleplaying game. An announcement of the shared world for 2010 is almost certain to come at Gen Con. Will it be Krynn, world of magical moons, accursed Death Knights, mischievous Kender and legendary Dragonlances? Free bonus with $15 Wizards of the Coast gaming purchaseJune 12th, 2009, 4:47 pm by Jayson PetersSpend $15 or more on Wizards of the Coast products from one of these stores this weekend, and you get to take home one of four promotional items (i.e., stuff WOTC has too much of on their shelves). Read the rest of this entry » ‘D&D Online’ becomes a free MMOJune 9th, 2009, 11:17 pm by Jayson Peters
Dungeons & Dragons Online is getting a new upgrade this summer — along with a new business model. The “Eberron Unlimited” expansion pack raises the online roleplaying game’s level cap to 20, introduces a new character class and makes subscriptions optional with unlimited free play. Read the rest of this entry » D&D Delve Nights to be discontinued, retooledJune 5th, 2009, 10:42 pm by Jayson PetersWizards of the Coast is ending its D&D Delve Night organized gaming sessions after gathering feedback from those involved. The company says this month’s offering will be the last one for a while, and that a new program will take its place eventually. Read the rest of this entry » D&D Insider raising subscription pricesMay 24th, 2009, 8:18 pm by Jayson PetersThe bad news for D&D Insider subscribers is that the cost is going up. The good news is that there’s still time to renew at the current price and get on board for cheap if you haven’t already joined. Read the rest of this entry » It’s time again for Worldwide D&D Game Day (already?)May 20th, 2009, 12:40 pm by Jayson Peters
Wizards’ official site is also celebrating the occasion with an article looking back at the history of the MM2 cover boy, “the monkey-headed, tentacle-armed Prince of Demons himself — Demogorgon.” Because two-heads are better than one, right? If you miss it, or just can’t get enough, the next Game Day event will be in September, when Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 launches. See also: D&D intro rules, adventure module now free to downloadApril 29th, 2009, 12:01 am by Jayson Peters
Keep on the Shadowfell, a 71-page adventure module for first-level characters, was released in 2008 just before the three core rulebooks debuted — so it also contained a 27-page booklet of “quick-start rules” to get new players started in the roleplaying game. The suggested retail price is $29.95. The scenario and the rules booklet are now free to download as two separate PDFs in what the company is calling “D&D Test Drive.” The announcement also reiterates that the Character Builder software remains free to download and use to create characters of levels 1-3. This, of course, is an attempt to entice people to subscribe to Wizards’ D&D Insider online service, which includes access to articles from the online Dragon and Dungeon magazines as well as the use of online tools to enhance the game. D&D co-creator Dave Arneson dies at age 61April 8th, 2009, 10:21 pm by Jayson Peters
The blog Grognardia, which has been in communication with Arneson’s family, reports that the game designer, teacher and entrepreneur died peacefully April 7 surrounded by his family. Arneson was a miniatures wargaming enthusiast in college. He and Gygax met at a gaming convention and wrote up the custom rules they had created to combine their hobby with fantasy roleplaying. When no publisher would bite, Arneson and Gygax created TSR and the rest was history. Gygax, his friend and onetime business partner (though their relationship was later strained), died in March 2008. UPDATED with official D&D tribute Source: SCI FI Wire D&D parent co. pulls legal PDFs off market, starts flame warApril 6th, 2009, 10:58 pm by Jayson Peters
Enter RandomCon: A new gaming convention rolls into townMarch 25th, 2009, 9:34 pm by Jayson Peters
Organizers are looking for dungeon masters and people who can run miniature wargames, board games and card games. Memberships cost $20 through April, and $25 after that at the door. Fact check: Lorraine Williams destroyed, not created, TSRMarch 18th, 2009, 10:45 pm by Jayson Peters[UPDATED: The Web page in question has been corrected so that it no longer says Lorraine Williams created TSR.]
Lorraine Williams is a name reviled by many Dungeons & Dragons fans. One reason is that she sold TSR, the original company that produced the tabletop roleplaying game, to Wizards of the Coast, the makers of the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering. Wizards still produces the game and last year launched its 4th Edition, but many people say D&D hasn’t been the same since the sale. More than 10 years earlier, Williams had gained control of TSR through a hostile takeover that forced D&D creator Gary Gygax out of the company. Another black mark against Williams: She supposedly looked down on gamers and even banned the playing of games withing the company’s walls, forcing designers to conduct underground playtests, if any, on products released under her tenure. So, even though Williams was a financial planner who got TSR out of debt and generating profit, gamers have many reasons to hate her. And here’s another: Buck Rogers and gohero.com. Read the rest of this entry »
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If it seems like Wizards of the Coast was just holding Worldwide D&D Game Day events to celebrate a Dungeons & Dragons book launch, you’re right –
Less than a month after 
Dave Arneson, who created the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game with Gary Gygax in 1974, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 61.
Today the game company Wizards of the Coast filed three 
There’s a new gaming convention on the horizon: 
