Operation Dice Drop for Zigggurat Con in Iraq

LandGator wrote with some information about the upcoming Ziggurat Con. Their catch phrase: "Where RPG isn't just a Rocket Propelled Grenade." This very special tabletop gaming event will be held on June 9th of this year ... at Camp Adder /Talil Airbase in Iraq. For nine hours on that day, gamers currently deployed to Iraq will be able to forget about the conflict by rolling dice and playing games. The con organizers are looking for willing folks to donate games and dice to the soldiers, as well as a little recognition for the d20-rolleres in harms way this year. "The Con's historical landmark 'mascot' -- the Ziggurat -- can be found on the post, and hails from the ancient city of Ur. Nearby is the house where it is believed that Abraham (a large figure in the Bible, the Koran and the Torah) was born. Cool digs for a Con -- if not for the fact that there's a war going on. [Convention organizer David] Amberson, however, emphasized the need for soldiers to relax and kick back with enjoyable activities from time to time."

...and the winner...

[Wonko the Sane]

of the "Most Incomprehensible Headline" Award goes to...

lemme be the first...

[ushering05401]

to offer a fukyeah on this one. I was and continue to be very polarised against this war, but had the chance to meet a soldier on leave while at a friend's house a couple of months back (unusual company for my rather rabidly anti-military friends).

The guy was in a combat group that had lost a good number of soldiers while being deployed in some heavy fighting. This guy carried a gun and shot at baddies and all the rest.

But under it all he was just a geek who had needed money and a way out of his tiny dead end town... so joined the military in peace time to get some technical training. He experienced guilt and remorse over things that had happened. He questioned the reason he was there. He was going back so that 'someone else didn't have to go in his place.'

I for one will be looking for my old dice set to send... it's not like i use 'em.

Regards.

p.s. this guy had actually recieved fairly comprehensive networking training in the services, so he actually had made a good peace-time decision to improve his lot in life. Remember they aren't all rabid psychopaths.

Re:lemme be the first...

[Anonymous Coward]

Wars are crazy and psychopathic.
Not everyone makes it out ok mentally.

Unlike what some would have you believe, the casualties are not anywhere near as bad as Vietnam or Korea or WW2 or WW1.

I know a guy who was in vietnam, he lost 70 some odd percent of the guys in his platoon on the second day there. Then they promote him to just under the leader, cause everyone was pretty much dead. There goes the innocent 17 year old farm kid trying to get off the farm.

Go insult people who deserve it.

Re:Nice Gesture

[Watson Ladd]

If countries that harbor terrorists [wikipedia.org], invade [wikipedia.org] democracies [wikipedia.org] for picking [wikipedia.org] leaders whose policies they oppose [wikipedia.org], and support vicious dictators(too many to list) deserve invasion to restore democracy, then America is at the top of the list. Considering that 60% percent of the people who voted for Bush considered that "moral values" meant social justice or reducing greed (Chomsky, Noam Failed States) I seriously do not see anything wrong with such an action, other then the fact that Americans should be doing it themselves.