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How lax intellectual property rules created a nerd culture phenomenon This year marks the 50th anniversary of the original edition of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), the granddaddy of tabletop role-playing games and one of the urtexts of nerd culture. The golden anniversary could hardly have come at a better time; over the past decade, the game has undergone an unexpected renaissance, reaching levels of cultural saturation and sales that exceed even its 1980s heyday. Critical Role, a live-play D&D podcast, sold out London's 12,000-seat Wembley Arena last October. Even a passingly good Dungeons & Dragons movie helped mark the game's...

More than 100 dodecahedrons have now been found in northwestern Europe, but archaeologists still don't know what they were used for.Amateur archaeologists in England have unearthed a stunning Roman dodecahedron — a mysterious class of objects that has baffled experts for centuries.The dodecahedron — a 12-sided metal shell about the size of a grapefruit — was found this past summer during a dig in a farmer's field near the Lincolnshire village of Norton Disney, located about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southeast of Sheffield.A previous geophysical survey, which had detected underground areas where the Earth's magnetic field had been disturbed, had...

What can cause/typically will cause that message? Thanks.

My answer. Pass a mass mask law and force people to stay home, until they are willing to do whatever you want to do. Like, take a vaccine you just happen to be profiting off of.

Channeling Energy causes an explosion that affects all creatures of a type (living or undead) within 30 feet centered on the cleric. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage for every two cleric levels beyond the first (2d6 at 3rd level, 3d6 at 5th level, etc.). Creatures that take damage from channeled energy take a Will Saving Roll to cut the damage in half. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + half the cleric level + the cleric's Charisma modifier. Creatures healed by channeled energy...

For the past two years, Canada has been quietly working to establish small military outposts in places such as the Caribbean, East Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia. Now newly released Department of Defence documents show these operational support hubs are part of a plan to deploy the military on more overseas missions — including combat and security — than under previous governments. The revelation touches on a debate about the future role of the military in the aftermath of major combat operations in Afghanistan and Libya, and amid belt-tightening across the federal government. A directive, signed by Gen. Natynczyk and...

MILWAUKEE (AP) - The man who co-created the game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon is dead. Gary Gygax (GEYE'-gaks) died this morning at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee. His wife, Gail Gygax, says he had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm. Gygax and co-creator Dave Arneson developed the role-playing game in 1974 and it went on to become 1 of the best-selling games ever. Dungeons & Dragons is considered the grandfather of fantasy role-playing games and has influenced video games, books, movies and...

Tracking DND's missing millions Court documents outline trio's alleged scheme to cash in on bogus contracts Glen McGregor and James Bagnall The Ottawa Citizen Saturday, February 04, 2006 Two Ottawa businessmen charged earlier this week with defrauding the Department of National Defence of more than $100 million fooled everyone for a time through an elaborate billing scheme, according to court documents filed by Hewlett Packard Canada, the company at the centre of the contracting scandal. In the statement of claim filed in a civil lawsuit by HP in December, the company describes how former DND contracts manager Paul Champagne...

GREEN RONIN TO PUBLISH TESTAMENT CAMPAIGN SETTING Biblical Era to Come to Life for d20 Fans January 16, 2003—SEATTLE, WA: This April Green Ronin delves into the past with Testament: Roleplaying in the Biblical Era. Part history, part mythology, Testament is the d20 System campaign setting that's both instantly familiar and yet unlike any game world you have ever experienced. "I conceived this product as an alternative to the current crop of fantasy worlds," says Green Ronin President Chris Pramas. "Really, how many more vaguely Tolkien-esque fantasy settings do we need?" Veteran RPG and computer game designer Scott Bennie...