The first time people hear an explanation of D&D they always try to put it into the context of traditional games like RISK or Monopoly. This usually breaks down about the time I explain that after you make your character, you just go on adventures.

"But- How..." they stammer, as their brain tries to roll to get out of Jail, "But- But- How do you win?"

"You don't," I tell them, waiting for the inevitable follow-up.

"But- But- But-" they say as their brain realizes it's not in Jail, not on Free Parking, nowhere near Marvin Gardens and, in fact, is probably not even on the board. "But- But- But- How does it end!?

I smile in a way that I think is enigmatic but is probably just smug and annoying.

"It doesn't," I say.

No better proof of that can be found than in our most recent NIGHT of ADVENTURE!

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It's been a while.

One of the guys in the group went off on a trip to New York, the DM went to a Halloween party and got rufied, and the rest of us got hooked on a little game called Colossal Arena.

(Hint: Never bet on the Amazon. She's getting whacked in round one.)

So, after a month of delays, plane tickets, and one rufie hangover, we come to the campaign finale of the NIGHT of ADVENTURE!

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Two casting directors, a producer, an actor, a stand-up comic, a video game geek, and a philosophy professor go into a conference room...

...to play Dungeons & Dragons.

Yeah, the punchline practically writes itself.

It's not just a joke, it's a NIGHT of ADVENTURE!

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Sometimes imagination is a wonderful thing.

It can paint unseen vistas, conjure up exotic worlds ripe for exploration, and weave intricate, deeply-moving stories that speak to the core of the human condition.

This is not one of those times.

No, this is a time for A NIGHT of ADVENTURE!

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When we last left our heroes, they had ransacked the Hidden Fortress of the Pirate Slavers, emancipated two goblins from a life of slavery to a more fulfilling life of goblin indentured servitude, and found a magic lamp that might just hold the cure to baldness and chronically under-sized feet.

That's right, we put the "er..." in "hero!"

It's time for another NIGHT OF ADVENTURE!

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Six adventurers.
Two DMs.
One hot summer night in Hollywood.

After a week off for Gen Con, it's time break out the dice, dust off the rulebooks, and set sail for another NIGHT OF ADVENTURE.

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Friday night, 9:30pm, opening round of the NASCRAG tournament.

The young man in front of me has zeroed in on the two most important words on his character sheet: "STINKY BUGBEAR." It's not written in all-caps, but he clearly sees it in all-caps.

STINKY BUGBEAR.

It is both an instruction and a challenge. And he has decided to grab it with both hands and wrestle it into submission.

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As usual I have some choice stories from Gen Con, but I'm currently enjoying a nice little break from my working vacation, hanging with my friends Erik & Elee.

So instead of the bullet list breakdown, let's recap the long weekend in photos shall we?

Get out your gem of true seeing, polish that iridescent ioun stone, and set your deflector shields to maximum geekitude...

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I've been attending GEN CON since I was a teenager.

Each year as I pack for four days of Maximum Nerd Overload I face the same challenge: Which geeky t-shirt do I wear?

The options, as we shall see, are daunting....

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