24-hour Marathon D&D Session to Raise Funds for Charity [Archive] - Wizards Community

24-hour Marathon D&D Session to Raise Funds for Charity [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
bonelock
05-03-07, 01:19 PM 24-hour Marathon D&D Session to Raise Funds for Charity

Halifax, Nova Scotia

On July 7-8, 2007 six intrepid players and two cruel and sadistic DM's will turn back the clock and venture into the Demonweb Pits. What makes this incursion against the demon god of the drow special is that it will be done in one, non-stop, 24-hour period!

The six players, all members of the Gelatinous Dudes, Gamers for Good society, http://www.gelatinousdudes.com/ will pay an entry fee for the honor of putting themselves in harm's way.

Each player will select a local charity to play for. Three times during the game the players, and dungeon masters, will vote for who is doing the best job. Votes will be based on roleplaying, teamwork and contribution to achieving goals. Whoever has the most votes at the end will be declared victor. All the entry fees and any outside donations will go to that charity.

Periodic updates on game day will be posted to the Gelatinous Dudes forums http://www.gelatinousdudes.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=39&sid=eef043f57ed50c5e4ac7a1198387d245 so everyone can keep track of the action.

About the Gelatinous Dudes

The Dudes were formed when a bunch of gamers, who had met through a local Halifax, Nova Scotia hobby shop, banded together with a passion for gaming, and decided to try to give back to the community while having fun at the same time.
Toran_A_Sunder
05-03-07, 01:25 PM Dude. You guys rock.

Go social bettermeant through constuctive gaming! (or something like that)
Valdaran
05-03-07, 01:32 PM Sounds like a good idea.

But 24 hours? I don't envy you guys ;)

Hope it goes well and a lot of money is raised.
bonelock
05-03-07, 01:37 PM Thanks for the kinds words! This is our first shot at a gaming marathon for charity but our monthly food bank donation bin is usually full of close to 100 pounds of food! We also raised enough money by running our own selaed event to sponsor a needy family with Christmas dinner and presents.
bonelock
05-03-07, 01:42 PM Sounds like a good idea.

But 24 hours? I don't envy you guys ;)

Hope it goes well and a lot of money is raised.

True I think the final couple hours will be gritty indeed. When we asked one potential 'dude if he was interested, his response was: "I don't do 24-hour anything anymore" :D

Edit: anyone interested in characters and party composition can check out http://www.gelatinousdudes.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=39
Thrushfeather
05-03-07, 02:36 PM Yeah, I ran a 14 hour session once, a word for the DM's. Youur players will "Hit the wall" no matter how much Mountian Dew they have had. My level 7 party couldn't figure out how to cross a 20' wide pool of acid. They spent an hour and a half wondering how to get across. This sound like a great thing, but man your players are gonna be thrashed afterwords.
Ariath Ska'Vhor
05-03-07, 04:42 PM I'd kill for a session that long...Though as an outsider who requires no sleep, my friends would probably all die before the 24 hours is up. Envy.
Orcdoubleax
05-03-07, 06:05 PM Yeah, I ran a 14 hour session once, a word for the DM's. Youur players will "Hit the wall" no matter how much Mountian Dew they have had. My level 7 party couldn't figure out how to cross a 20' wide pool of acid. They spent an hour and a half wondering how to get across. This sound like a great thing, but man your players are gonna be thrashed afterwords.

Honestly I think caffien is the enemy here. It works great for a 7-10 hour session, but in a 24 game you will be crashing from it and be more tired then if you were just drinking water,
razorboy
05-03-07, 06:17 PM Wow, good luck! It's great that you're using a hobby to help the community. :) 24 hours does sound particularly sadistic however, the longest session I was ever in was 12-13 hours and it was exhausting in every sense.
Orcdoubleax
05-03-07, 09:10 PM Wow, good luck! It's great that you're using a hobby to help the community. :) 24 hours does sound particularly sadistic however, the longest session I was ever in was 12-13 hours and it was exhausting in every sense.

Several of the players play in two Sunday campaigns that go 8-9 regularly.
hopefully this has build up some stamina. I must say I do have some fears of how we are going to be functioning at 3:45 Sunday morning.
Holy_Beholder
05-03-07, 09:40 PM My record is 6 hours, my average is 2-4. 24 hours is INSANE.
seldom_seen
05-03-07, 10:45 PM Awesome idea, both for the time limit, and for the donations to charity!
I wish I could attend. Keep the rest of us posted as to the results, and let the boards know which charities have been chosen. We can at least contibute after the fact, in lieu of being there!
BunnyPuncher
05-04-07, 09:59 AM We are a bit crazy....

Thanks for the kind words guys... If we survive this year, we're going to try to do something a bit more "public" (web wise) next year.

I'm thinking about gaining 20lbs so I have more cushion on my ass.

I'm also devising a few strategies...

Have plenty of 4 litre water jugs on hand for everyone (dehydration is the primary cause of fatigue)

Avoid simple carbohydrates (aka pizza) - it will be all protien and fat for me. Carbs cause blood sugar levels to spike which results in fatigue.

If / When we take breaks, I'm going for a quick walk around the block.

I'll start drinking coffee at hour 12 and rum and diet cokes at hour 18 :P

I'll also start piling in junk food at this point for the temporary "fix" - mars bars and such
SlanderPanic
05-04-07, 10:15 AM Ladies and gentlemen, I salute you and I am inspired by you.

Good luck with your marathon!
pres_man
05-04-07, 10:42 AM May you have the endurance of a warforge. If you survive, we shall make a new type, The Gameforged.
BunnyPuncher
07-04-07, 02:04 PM Hey folks,

Just letting you know this is still happening and we have secured approx $500 in pledges from players (& our 2 DMs), friends, family and business. We have three more days to try to get more moolah too!

So, assuming we survive (us, not our PCs) this should be a rip roaring success.

Thanks!
cjhobbitbane
07-04-07, 02:55 PM dude sweet, you found a way to game, AND help people, now to cure world hunger via WoW...
Edymnion
07-04-07, 07:19 PM But 24 hours? I don't envy you guys ;) Nah, its fine. I remember doing that many times when I was still in high school. My record was 36 hours straight, caught 4-5 hours of sleep, and then did another 20 or so hours.

Sure, we weren't exactly LUCID by the end, but we did it, and had a lot of fun doing so.

Long as they take a break every once in a while to get up and move, maybe play some basketball, it'll be fine.
Holy_Beholder
07-05-07, 01:20 AM How exactly is this raising funds, I mean, I have a hard time seeing a "we will donate money so you can play D&D for 24 hours straight" line of thought. Also, Edymnion, thats just insane.
ZaratheMad
07-05-07, 04:17 AM Thats a great Idea.... I think it should be emulated... do you mind coppy cat games?
BunnyPuncher
07-05-07, 06:31 AM How exactly is this raising funds, I mean, I have a hard time seeing a "we will donate money so you can play D&D for 24 hours straight" line of thought. Also, Edymnion, thats just insane.

The six players and two DMs are dropping in $20 (each) right away.

Each Player picks a charity he is playing for.

Other people pledge money who aren't playing.

During the game the participants vote as to who is doing the best job of RP (I think every for hours) and the Player with the most votes at the end has the collected money go to his chosen charity.

Since our friends, family and our board members etc. "get us", they have no problem giving.

Oh to be ten years younger :)
BunnyPuncher
07-05-07, 06:31 AM Thats a great Idea.... I think it should be emulated... do you mind coppy cat games?

Nope :) We encourage them!
ZaratheMad
07-05-07, 06:36 AM :)
Doom_Linnorm
07-05-07, 07:09 AM Thumbs up, great idea, total support.
Other then that I don't think I need to say anything :D
Except maybe:
"Take that you anti-RP people, we even give to charity!"
BunnyPuncher
07-08-07, 01:58 PM Well, we survived (both as a party and as players.)

Gameforged we be.

I'm too tired to tally up the total.

Thanks for the well wishes.

I am way too old for this kind of thing lol.
BunnyPuncher
07-11-07, 03:13 PM Looks like we raised $530!!!!
SlanderPanic
07-11-07, 04:02 PM For which charity? We demand pictures and first-hand accounts!
zhaunil
07-12-07, 08:17 AM Reminds me when "The World's Largest Dungeon" came out I had to pick it up and we had a little over a 24 hour run with 15 people trying to play it. Lots of fond memories of the guy that played the paladin wandering off alone, finding an ogre, and running screaming through the hallway always taking the left turn. Rest of the groups heard the noise, went to see what it was and everyone say and watched the paladin run the same circle about 4 times trying to get away from the ogre...

Too much caffiene and too little sleep makes for good sessions.
Oorlof
07-12-07, 08:26 AM Bonelock, Bunnypuncher, mad props to you and your fellow gamers for pulling this off. I've done a couple of 24-hour marathons (not-for-charity, sadly) and I know it's really gruelling. Go Gameforged!
bonelock
07-12-07, 09:24 AM Gift from Gamers, a First for Local Charity

Halifax, Nova Scotia

This past July weekend a group of Halifax gamers who call themselves the Gelatinous Dudes, Gamers for Good, embarked on their biggest charity project to date. Six gamers, and two game masters, locked themselves in a room and played for 24 straight hours. The event netted close to six hundred dollars for a local charitable organization. Players raised funds through generous pledges of friends, family and employers. Each player also donated a an amount for the privledge of playing for the charity of choice.

Both in terms of time and dollar value this was most ambitious undertaking, for the Gelatinous Dudes. The previous was providing Christmas presents and dinner for a needy family.

Each player involved in the game selected a charity to champion. All the players voted among themselves on who did the best job during the game. The player who received the most votes was declared the winner and that player’s charity received all the money raised.

A local charitable organization, Adsum for Women and Children, was notified that they would be the recipient of the donation earlier this week. Adsum is an organization that supports women and children who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Sheri Lecker, Executive Director of Adsum, was pleased and surprised at the donation. Replying “this is fantastic!! We are constantly blown away by the varied base of supporters in the community.” Ms. lecker further said that while Adsum house receives support from a variety of sources, the Dudes donation was the first ever from gamers. Adsum house praised the dude’s efforts: “you all deserve our thanks for contributing to work in the community.”

While gamers are infamous in popular media for pulling long sessions at the table, it becomes difficult to do when you add children, jobs and spouses into the mix. When asked, how they stayed awake the players responded that the knowledge the were gaming for a good cause and, with a smile, strong coffee helped them get through it.

This event, the first of its kind, will not be the last for the dudes. When asked, one of the game masters, and organizers of the event, said that while everyone was pretty tired after playing non-stop for 24 hours, all agreed that it was a good time and was sure that the event would become an annual one.

Adsum for Women & Children is a charitable, community based organization located in Halifax, Nova Scotia that supports women and children who are homeless or at risk of becoming so.

The Gelatinous Dudes is a group of Halifax table top gaming enthusiasts. Who not only share a love for gaming, but a passion to be a positive force in the community.

-30-
bonelock
07-12-07, 09:26 AM bunnypuncher was the winner and crowned D&D Ironman. His charity of choice is Adsum for Women and Children. After total tally and donations still trickling in looks like closer to $600 was raised. Wow!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
bonelock 05-03-07, 01:19 PM	24-hour Marathon D&D Session to Raise Funds for Charity Halifax, Nova Scotia On July 7-8, 2007 six intrepid players and two cruel and sadistic DM's will turn back the clock and venture into the Demonweb Pits. What makes this incursion against the demon god of the drow special is that it will be done in one, non-stop, 24-hour period! The six players, all members of the Gelatinous Dudes, Gamers for Good society, http://www.gelatinousdudes.com/ will pay an entry fee for the honor of putting themselves in harm's way. Each player will select a local charity to play for. Three times during the game the players, and dungeon masters, will vote for who is doing the best job. Votes will be based on roleplaying, teamwork and contribution to achieving goals. Whoever has the most votes at the end will be declared victor. All the entry fees and any outside donations will go to that charity. Periodic updates on game day will be posted to the Gelatinous Dudes forums http://www.gelatinousdudes.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=39&sid=eef043f57ed50c5e4ac7a1198387d245 so everyone can keep track of the action. About the Gelatinous Dudes The Dudes were formed when a bunch of gamers, who had met through a local Halifax, Nova Scotia hobby shop, banded together with a passion for gaming, and decided to try to give back to the community while having fun at the same time.
Toran_A_Sunder 05-03-07, 01:25 PM	Dude. You guys rock. Go social bettermeant through constuctive gaming! (or something like that)
Valdaran 05-03-07, 01:32 PM	Sounds like a good idea. But 24 hours? I don't envy you guys ;) Hope it goes well and a lot of money is raised.
bonelock 05-03-07, 01:37 PM	Thanks for the kinds words! This is our first shot at a gaming marathon for charity but our monthly food bank donation bin is usually full of close to 100 pounds of food! We also raised enough money by running our own selaed event to sponsor a needy family with Christmas dinner and presents.
bonelock 05-03-07, 01:42 PM	Sounds like a good idea. But 24 hours? I don't envy you guys ;) Hope it goes well and a lot of money is raised. True I think the final couple hours will be gritty indeed. When we asked one potential 'dude if he was interested, his response was: "I don't do 24-hour anything anymore" :D Edit: anyone interested in characters and party composition can check out http://www.gelatinousdudes.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=39
Thrushfeather 05-03-07, 02:36 PM	Yeah, I ran a 14 hour session once, a word for the DM's. Youur players will "Hit the wall" no matter how much Mountian Dew they have had. My level 7 party couldn't figure out how to cross a 20' wide pool of acid. They spent an hour and a half wondering how to get across. This sound like a great thing, but man your players are gonna be thrashed afterwords.
Ariath Ska'Vhor 05-03-07, 04:42 PM	I'd kill for a session that long...Though as an outsider who requires no sleep, my friends would probably all die before the 24 hours is up. Envy.
Orcdoubleax 05-03-07, 06:05 PM	Yeah, I ran a 14 hour session once, a word for the DM's. Youur players will "Hit the wall" no matter how much Mountian Dew they have had. My level 7 party couldn't figure out how to cross a 20' wide pool of acid. They spent an hour and a half wondering how to get across. This sound like a great thing, but man your players are gonna be thrashed afterwords. Honestly I think caffien is the enemy here. It works great for a 7-10 hour session, but in a 24 game you will be crashing from it and be more tired then if you were just drinking water,
razorboy 05-03-07, 06:17 PM	Wow, good luck! It's great that you're using a hobby to help the community. :) 24 hours does sound particularly sadistic however, the longest session I was ever in was 12-13 hours and it was exhausting in every sense.
Orcdoubleax 05-03-07, 09:10 PM	Wow, good luck! It's great that you're using a hobby to help the community. :) 24 hours does sound particularly sadistic however, the longest session I was ever in was 12-13 hours and it was exhausting in every sense. Several of the players play in two Sunday campaigns that go 8-9 regularly. hopefully this has build up some stamina. I must say I do have some fears of how we are going to be functioning at 3:45 Sunday morning.
Holy_Beholder 05-03-07, 09:40 PM	My record is 6 hours, my average is 2-4. 24 hours is INSANE.
seldom_seen 05-03-07, 10:45 PM	Awesome idea, both for the time limit, and for the donations to charity! I wish I could attend. Keep the rest of us posted as to the results, and let the boards know which charities have been chosen. We can at least contibute after the fact, in lieu of being there!
BunnyPuncher 05-04-07, 09:59 AM	We are a bit crazy.... Thanks for the kind words guys... If we survive this year, we're going to try to do something a bit more "public" (web wise) next year. I'm thinking about gaining 20lbs so I have more cushion on my ass. I'm also devising a few strategies... Have plenty of 4 litre water jugs on hand for everyone (dehydration is the primary cause of fatigue) Avoid simple carbohydrates (aka pizza) - it will be all protien and fat for me. Carbs cause blood sugar levels to spike which results in fatigue. If / When we take breaks, I'm going for a quick walk around the block. I'll start drinking coffee at hour 12 and rum and diet cokes at hour 18 :P I'll also start piling in junk food at this point for the temporary "fix" - mars bars and such
SlanderPanic 05-04-07, 10:15 AM	Ladies and gentlemen, I salute you and I am inspired by you. Good luck with your marathon!
pres_man 05-04-07, 10:42 AM	May you have the endurance of a warforge. If you survive, we shall make a new type, The Gameforged.
BunnyPuncher 07-04-07, 02:04 PM	Hey folks, Just letting you know this is still happening and we have secured approx $500 in pledges from players (& our 2 DMs), friends, family and business. We have three more days to try to get more moolah too! So, assuming we survive (us, not our PCs) this should be a rip roaring success. Thanks!
cjhobbitbane 07-04-07, 02:55 PM	dude sweet, you found a way to game, AND help people, now to cure world hunger via WoW...
Edymnion 07-04-07, 07:19 PM	But 24 hours? I don't envy you guys ;) Nah, its fine. I remember doing that many times when I was still in high school. My record was 36 hours straight, caught 4-5 hours of sleep, and then did another 20 or so hours. Sure, we weren't exactly LUCID by the end, but we did it, and had a lot of fun doing so. Long as they take a break every once in a while to get up and move, maybe play some basketball, it'll be fine.
Holy_Beholder 07-05-07, 01:20 AM	How exactly is this raising funds, I mean, I have a hard time seeing a "we will donate money so you can play D&D for 24 hours straight" line of thought. Also, Edymnion, thats just insane.
ZaratheMad 07-05-07, 04:17 AM	Thats a great Idea.... I think it should be emulated... do you mind coppy cat games?
BunnyPuncher 07-05-07, 06:31 AM	How exactly is this raising funds, I mean, I have a hard time seeing a "we will donate money so you can play D&D for 24 hours straight" line of thought. Also, Edymnion, thats just insane. The six players and two DMs are dropping in $20 (each) right away. Each Player picks a charity he is playing for. Other people pledge money who aren't playing. During the game the participants vote as to who is doing the best job of RP (I think every for hours) and the Player with the most votes at the end has the collected money go to his chosen charity. Since our friends, family and our board members etc. "get us", they have no problem giving. Oh to be ten years younger :)
BunnyPuncher 07-05-07, 06:31 AM	Thats a great Idea.... I think it should be emulated... do you mind coppy cat games? Nope :) We encourage them!
ZaratheMad 07-05-07, 06:36 AM	:)
Doom_Linnorm 07-05-07, 07:09 AM	Thumbs up, great idea, total support. Other then that I don't think I need to say anything :D Except maybe: "Take that you anti-RP people, we even give to charity!"
BunnyPuncher 07-08-07, 01:58 PM	Well, we survived (both as a party and as players.) Gameforged we be. I'm too tired to tally up the total. Thanks for the well wishes. I am way too old for this kind of thing lol.
BunnyPuncher 07-11-07, 03:13 PM	Looks like we raised $530!!!!
SlanderPanic 07-11-07, 04:02 PM	For which charity? We demand pictures and first-hand accounts!
zhaunil 07-12-07, 08:17 AM	Reminds me when "The World's Largest Dungeon" came out I had to pick it up and we had a little over a 24 hour run with 15 people trying to play it. Lots of fond memories of the guy that played the paladin wandering off alone, finding an ogre, and running screaming through the hallway always taking the left turn. Rest of the groups heard the noise, went to see what it was and everyone say and watched the paladin run the same circle about 4 times trying to get away from the ogre... Too much caffiene and too little sleep makes for good sessions.
Oorlof 07-12-07, 08:26 AM	Bonelock, Bunnypuncher, mad props to you and your fellow gamers for pulling this off. I've done a couple of 24-hour marathons (not-for-charity, sadly) and I know it's really gruelling. Go Gameforged!
bonelock 07-12-07, 09:24 AM	Gift from Gamers, a First for Local Charity Halifax, Nova Scotia This past July weekend a group of Halifax gamers who call themselves the Gelatinous Dudes, Gamers for Good, embarked on their biggest charity project to date. Six gamers, and two game masters, locked themselves in a room and played for 24 straight hours. The event netted close to six hundred dollars for a local charitable organization. Players raised funds through generous pledges of friends, family and employers. Each player also donated a an amount for the privledge of playing for the charity of choice. Both in terms of time and dollar value this was most ambitious undertaking, for the Gelatinous Dudes. The previous was providing Christmas presents and dinner for a needy family. Each player involved in the game selected a charity to champion. All the players voted among themselves on who did the best job during the game. The player who received the most votes was declared the winner and that player’s charity received all the money raised. A local charitable organization, Adsum for Women and Children, was notified that they would be the recipient of the donation earlier this week. Adsum is an organization that supports women and children who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Sheri Lecker, Executive Director of Adsum, was pleased and surprised at the donation. Replying “this is fantastic!! We are constantly blown away by the varied base of supporters in the community.” Ms. lecker further said that while Adsum house receives support from a variety of sources, the Dudes donation was the first ever from gamers. Adsum house praised the dude’s efforts: “you all deserve our thanks for contributing to work in the community.” While gamers are infamous in popular media for pulling long sessions at the table, it becomes difficult to do when you add children, jobs and spouses into the mix. When asked, how they stayed awake the players responded that the knowledge the were gaming for a good cause and, with a smile, strong coffee helped them get through it. This event, the first of its kind, will not be the last for the dudes. When asked, one of the game masters, and organizers of the event, said that while everyone was pretty tired after playing non-stop for 24 hours, all agreed that it was a good time and was sure that the event would become an annual one. Adsum for Women & Children is a charitable, community based organization located in Halifax, Nova Scotia that supports women and children who are homeless or at risk of becoming so. The Gelatinous Dudes is a group of Halifax table top gaming enthusiasts. Who not only share a love for gaming, but a passion to be a positive force in the community. -30-
bonelock 07-12-07, 09:26 AM	bunnypuncher was the winner and crowned D&D Ironman. His charity of choice is Adsum for Women and Children. After total tally and donations still trickling in looks like closer to $600 was raised. Wow!