Ziggurat Con: The First Gaming Convention in Iraq
American Soldiers Import Something Uniquely American
Convention Details
Ziggurat Con (the first, and hopefully only, annual) will be held on June 9 from noon til 9 pm at Camp Adder/Tallil Airbase in Iraq, and is free to all allied civilian contractors and military personnel based in Iraq. Not only is it the first gaming convention to be held in Iraq, it's the first gaming convention ever held in a war zone.
The military's MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) is preparing a site for the gamers to play. Dozens of gamers, game retailers, and others associated with the gaming world are sending donations of gaming supplies, dice, and prize material to the gaming convention, but more are needed. Anime and other movies popular with gamers are also needed, as one room is being set up specifically for viewing films - a longstanding tradition at gaming conventions.
Donations For Ziggurat Con
All donations can be sent to an APO address found at the end of this article. Shipping items can be expensive, so be prepared for that; the American Red Cross can answer any questions you may have about what is and what is not allowable to send to gamers. Amazon.com will ship to military addresses as well.
Planned games are: Babylon 5; the RPG, Cyberpunk 2020, D&D, D&D RPGA, GURPS, Historic Miniatures Battles, Magic: The Gathering Tournament, MechWarrior Miniatures, Rifts, Shadowrun, Starship Troopers, Vampire: TM and Werewolf:TG, and XCrawl. Don't feel that you have to limit yourself to these games, however; the organizers have stated that they would be happy to get any additional games, and especially new games and other items of gamer interest (like comics or books) that can be used as prizes. Since most of the guys have computers or access to computers, PDF versions of books are acceptable as well - and cost a lot less to ship.
Among the current donors: Dork Towers and Out of the Box games are sending plenty of supplies, and the publishers of Knights of the Dinner Table will be sending plenty of comics as well. Pandemonium Books, the popular gaming store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is sending a large shipment, and are accepting donations through Paypal to make that shipment even larger.
Published by Jamie K. Wilson
Jamie K. Wilson is the wife of a US sailor and mother of two teen boys, one Marine, and two beautiful baby girls. The family hails from Louisville, Kentucky originally. View profile
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- This year, the first ever gaming convention held in a war zone will take place in Iraq.
- The soldiers holding the convention are in need of supply and prize donations.
6 Comments
Post a CommentVery cool and nice to see the support for this event. More people need to know what's being done for troop morale.
I'm glad to see that the gaming community is responding to the troops in Iraq. I think that it will be a big moral boost for them if they can attend, something to remind them of home. Thanks for the great article
This is really great, thanks for letting us know.
How nice. Thanks for sharing.
I bet that was nice for them, to have something to like that to do. They should have a Halo tournament. The guys would love that; I know Corey's squadron would!
Unbelievable. But I guess they have to do something when they're off duty.