Ziggurat Con
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| Ziggurat Con | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Gaming, Anime |
| Location | Camp Adder |
| Country |  Iraq |
| First held | 2007 |
| Organizer | United States Army |
| Attendance | 30 +/- |
Ziggurat Con was a role playing game convention held on June 10, 2007. It was remarkable for being the only known role-playing convention held in a war zone[1].The con was held on the grounds of the Ali Airbase and Camp Adder in Iraq, both housing large numbers of United States Armed Forces personnel. It was named after a ziggurat from the ancient city of Ur that is on the base grounds[2]. Admission was free to all U.S.-allied military personnel and civilian contractors posted in Iraq.
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[edit] History
Ziggurat Con was as a soldier-run event.[3]The convention was organized by active duty military service personnel deployed to Iraq by the United States Armed Forces, and by contractors to the United States government. It was originally scheduled for June 9, but was moved to the 10th to help preserve operational security.[citation needed]
Part of the base's Community Activity Center hosted the convention. The Memorial Theater showed anime, the ping pong room and mini-theater held pen-and-paper role-playing games, and console role-playing games were held in the console gaming room at the MWR Activity Center. The convention's first organizer was Convention Chair SPC David Amberson. SPC Amberson is also looking forward to leaving the military in March 2009, and joining a company in the gaming industry.[citation needed] SPC Amberson is looking for someone who will take the reins and hold a second Ziggurat Con, and has a couple of prospects already.
SPC Amberson has noted that a distinct lack of morale was plaguing the troops stationed in Iraq, this is especially true after the 3 month extension that troops first heard about over the news, or from family members back in the states as long as two weeks prior to hearing it from their own chain of command.[citation needed] To help combat this low morale, he organized the friends he played Dungeons & Dragons with regularly and scheduled a convention to give games, dice, and other goodies to the troops he is stationed with.
As there are no stores near the base where these games can be bought, Ziggurat Con is dependent upon private sponsorship and internet orders. Game manufacturers and private individuals donated supplies, including rule books and dice. A number of groups have formed in the United States to collect and ship gaming supplies for the convention. Operation Dice Drop in Oregon is one such group.[4] The ultimate goal of the Con was to give every coalition service member, and civilian contractor in attendance at least one item to take home and keep.[citation needed] This has been achieved quite easily, and many soldiers even took boxes of goodies with them to their individual living areas.[citation needed] SPC Amberson has been interviewed for blogs and websites in Israel and all over the US, by Dragon, and on "The Victoria Taft Show" as broadcast from KPAM 680 AM Radio out of Portland, Oregon.[citation needed]
