Details for Gen Con Indy
2008
Greetings all
True Dungeon gamers!
First,
check out our preview event video by clicking on the link below. It is not
easy coming up with something that teases some of the cool stuff for this year
without giving too much away. After the video, check out the event details
below. And thank you for taking the time to read this LONG newsletter!
View
Video Click Here
True
Adventures, Ltd., producer of the smash-hit event “True Dungeon”, is pleased to
announce the details of its “True Dungeon” event at Gen Con Indy (August 14-17,
2008) in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The event, sponsored by Wizard of the
Coast, will once again feature two similar versions of the same adventure.
This
year’s event entitled “Hope for the Lost” will be offered in two
slightly different orientations. One adventure, labeled “Hope for the Lost (Combat)”
will offer players a more combat-oriented scenario. Its counterpart
entitled “Hope for the Lost (Puzzle)” will challenge players with more
puzzles than melee. Both of these adventures will be similar to each other in layout,
and only two out of seven encounter areas in each adventure will be different
than the other. Both adventures will offer puzzle and combat challenges, but
each will be slightly concentrated on either puzzles or combat.
The
event structure was new in 2007, and we are bringing it back due to popular demand.
It is important to note that double True Dungeon Experience Points will not be awarded
for playing both versions. If you play both versions, you will receive only
the amount of XP equal to the farthest room you reached in either version. The
same is true for NIGHTMARE players. You will receive only the amount of
XP equal to the farthest room you reached if you play both versions in NIGHTMARE
mode. The only opportunity to receive two XP totals would be to play the
adventure in both Normal and Nightmare mode.
True
Dungeon event ticket times that end in an even number will be the
puzzle-oriented adventures, while those that end in an odd number ticket time will
challenge players’ combat prowess to a great extent. Again, the ticket title
will also include the words “puzzle” or “combat” to inform players of which
version of “Hope for the Lost” they will be playing.
NIGHTMARE
Mode: We are no longer offering a
HARDCORE version of True Dungeon. It was too difficult to balance the game for
people without a lot of tokens. We are replacing it with an even harder mode
called NIGTHMARE – and it will be a very hard challenge to groups
without a fair amount of tokens. It can still be beat without a good
collection of TD tokens, but the players will have to be very good. Extra XP
is awarded for playing in this mode, and the whole group must vote unanimously
at the start of the event to enter in NIGHTMARE mode.
The Module: This is
the final installment of the 3-year story arc that involves Iuz’s plan to
conquer the city of Greyhawk. The story starts off at the exact spot where our
event ended last year – at the entrance to some ominous cave at the foot of a
plateau upon which rests an old monastery.
Having
carried a mysterious scroll tube given to you by a Drow spy throughout last
year’s adventure, you finally decide it is time to risk opening it. What
happens when you open the scroll tube will set you upon a path that may lead to
the ultimate demise of your group or the grand salvation of the city of Greyhawk. You will face many challenges. Some of them will be fearsome, some beautiful
and some perplexing in your quest to defeat the armies of Iuz the Old.
Improvements: We made
many great improvements last year that included better DM training, bigger
module, better sets, great sound, helpful player coaches, hit point counters,
personal neck lights, combat board lights, Party Cards, cool treasure tokens
and live-action monsters. We are continuing in 2008 to make the event even
better, and we are introducing for the first time the use of professional animatronic
props. Wait until you see what is inside that cave!
Some Changes: As you may
have guessed, it is not easy for the volunteers to put on True Dungeon every
year. Many of us work year round on the event, while more start working on
Monday of Gen Con Week just to get the event constructed in time for a Thursday
morning opening. By the time Thursday actually rolls around many of the
volunteers have already put in 20+ hours of work! We then have to run the
event roughly 18 hours a day until midnight on Saturday when we stay up until
4:00am to tear the event down.
As
you can imagine, some volunteers don’t come back! Some stick around for a few
years, but very few have the commitment to stick with us year after year.
After five years, we decided to ease up on the workload and to give the
volunteers more breaks (and more time away from True Dungeon) as well as end at
7:00pm on Saturday instead of midnight. This step is crucial to keeping the
volunteers fresh throughout the event’s run AND to keep them coming back each
year. Without the volunteers there would be no True Dungeon, so retention is a
huge concern. Of course, removing all of those tickets does have a BIG effect
on the event revenue we depend on to pay for the event.
As
a result, one of the changes we are making is having the 8th player
a permanent fixture of the event – whereas it was just an option last year.
Most groups whole-heartedly agreed to have an 8th player, so we think
the impact on player enjoyment will be minimal. If you wish to keep the core
7-player team you have been gaming with for years, you can purchase the 8th
ticket, turn it in at TD Event HQ and tell them you just want to run with 7
players. Your group won’t have to have that 8th person.
Even
with making this 8th player permanent, we still are a few hundred
tickets short of the total sold last year. As a result the price of the event
will go up $3.50 to $38.00 each. It is hoped that players won’t mind paying
the extra 10% this year so that we can recruit and retain the best volunteers –
as well as keep them fresh throughout Gen Con.
Awesome Treasure Tokens: The treasure tokens were
a HUGE hit last year and they continue to be popular with collectors. The
tokens are NOW ON SALE at our website. If you are unfamiliar with them here is
a little summary. They are now made of a very heavy composite material that
feels like metal, and they have a “gold piece” appearance on one side. The
other side boasts a cool full-color image of the treasure item, as well as
vital information about the object. The tokens now feature info about which
classes can use the item and how many hands it takes to wield. These tokens
are available to earn inside the adventure, at the Event Reg Desk, and they can
be purchased NOW in 10-packs for $10 HERE. Great token
specials are now available!
All
players get a free 10-pack of tokens at the start of their event. These can be
traded among players on a team to maximize the group’s survival rate.
UPDATE: The first batch of Treasure Tokens is almost
SOLD OUT. We will have more in stock in the summer, but now is your last
chance for a few months to start your 2008 token collection. We are having a
special “Golden Ticket” promotion right now where you can find a super-ultra
rare “Golden Ticket” token that is your admission into a very special running
of True Dungeon.
Videos
of the tokens in action can be found at the links below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maOzIDwaPCM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwLf9_1RtjE
Cool True
Dungeon Intro Story
One
of our volunteers (who just so happens to be an author) was kind enough to
write a nice introductory story involving this year’s adventure. You can read
the first six chapters by clicking on the link below. It provides some
background information – as well as perhaps some clues!
“Hope for the Lost”
Story CLICK HERE
How to Get
Tickets
The
event will cost $38.00 per ticket, and they can be purchased in advance
starting at 9:00am Pacific (11:00am Central) on Sunday, April
20th at www.gencon.com. Event tickets for
other events go on sale three hours AFTER that so you can get your TD tickets
first! You must have previously purchased a Gen Con badge in order to buy your
TD tickets.
Since
the event sells out very quickly, it is recommended that very interested
players log on the first day to purchase tickets. There are 8 players per
group (or timeslot), and one person may buy all 8 tickets at one time. If the
tickets are sold out when you check the website, please check back a few hours
later. Tickets are only held in shopping carts for two hours this year. A few
hundred tickets may become available around 11:00am PDT as they drop out of
shopping carts.
The
event lasts about two hours, and admission price includes a free bag of
treasure tokens ($10 value) and one free admission into the True Dungeon Tavern
($3 value).
Player’s
Guide to True Dungeon
You
can download a free PDF of our Player’s Guide by clicking HERE. The Guide
provides an overview of the character classes, class skills, spells and
combat. It is a must read for any serious TD player or anyone who is interested
in how TD works.
Other Events
True
Arena will be making a return with a few improvements, and it should be a lot
of fun for you combat oriented gamers. We are also sponsoring a True Dungeon
seminar called “True Dungeon 101” that will be a great introduction for new
players – as well as offer some helpful advice that even veteran players can
use. Check out the Gen Con event catalog for more info on these events.
True Dungeon
Podcast
Some
hardworking volunteers have put together a podcast about all things True
Dungeon. You can check it out HERE
and you can hear about how TD got its start, how TD works and other cool stuff.
The most recent podcast episodes feature an interview with the creator of True
Dungeon – Jeff Martin (me) and several of the TD Directors.
Want to
Volunteer?
We
still need some help in many areas of True Dungeon. If you are interesting in
being a part of the coolest bunch of gamers, please write volunteer@truedungeon.com. There
is also a podcast episode that talks about all the cool fun you can have
volunteering with the coolest gamers on the planet.
Conclusion
I am really excited about
this year as it is the conclusion to the cool 3-year story arc of Iuz’s
conquest of Greyhawk. It has been a lot of fun to bring the first two years to
you, and I cannot wait to spring the fun of 2008 on you. We have some amazing
things planned for your adventure - both in terms of new environments, monsters
and effects. It should be a fitting conclusion to a fun 3 years.
Finally, many thanks go
out to the great people who work on TD all year long. Some of these awesome
people include Warren Snider, Dave Radtke, Jeff Chandler, Tom Gowen, Brian
Kelley & Joyus Kelly, and many others who give great suggestions via email
or on our website.
See you in August!
Jeff Martin
Director
