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The classic cove art from a Dungeons & Dragons boxed set inspired author Jon Collins-Black to create ...
[+] a real life treure hunt featuring five treasure chest scattered around the United States Dungeons & Dragons adventures often include the search for treasure. It might be an item pivotal to the plot or a magic item that can make a character feel more powerful. It can also just be about bringing home many, many gold pieces to build a castle for the heroes to call home.
There’s Treasure Inside , the new book from author Jon Collins-Black, offers a chance for adventurers of every age to participate in a real life search for treasure. He’s hidden five chests around the United States and hidden clues to each inside the book. “I make the case in my book that we are all treasure hunters,” said Collins-Black.
“Everyone of us searches daily for those things we believe most valuable. That might be money, a certain career, a type of relationship, or an experience or memory that we cherish or want to create. And at our very core, each of us wants to love, be loved, have purpose, and feel like we have some control over our lives.
These are fundamental treasures that all of us share. They are universal threads that weave the fabric of our humanity.” Dungeons & Dragons In The Bible Belt The concept of a treasure hunt came to the author at an early age.
He found D&D at a local bookstore and it fired up his imagination to create puzzles, riddles and other classic dungeon challenges. While Dungeons & Dragons is best played with friends, sometimes it can be useful for kids who just want to use it for their own imaginations. “I am a lover of puzzles, games, and adventures,” said Collins-Black.
“I grew up in a very rural part of North Carolina. My father was a minister and we lived much of my childhood about six miles outside of the small town where he preached. So, when I wasn’t in school, I spent a lot of time by myself.
Some of this time I spent in the woods. Some of the time I played basketball in our gravel driveway. And other times I spent reading.
Waldenbooks was my favorite store, and it was while perusing those bookshelves that I noticed Dungeons & Dragons . Of course, the basic set editions were too expensive for my parents to buy for me. But eventually I got a job doing landscaping, and I was able to make my own purchases.
Not many kids played D&D in my small town, as it was frowned upon by many adults in the Bible Belt. Nonetheless, I enjoyed creating solo adventures for myself.” Samsung’s Update Decision—Bad News For Millions Of Galaxy S24 And S23 Owners Gmail 2FA Cyber Attacks—Open Another Account Before It’s Too Late Trump Vs.
Harris 2024 Polls: Harris Up By Razor-Thin 1 Point In Final Forbes/HarrisX Survey A Return To Dungeons & Dragons The resurgence of the game’s popularities has caused a lot of new players curious to try Dungeons & Dragons. But it’s also brought a lot of old players back into the fold. Many groups are comprised of a mix of people eager to learn how to play and ones rediscovering the joys of the game.
“Ironically, it was decades later in my 40s that I was introduced to friends in Los Angeles that were serious gamers,” said Collins-Black. “With these awesome people, I got to finally live out my childhood love of gaming as an adult. It has been a lot of fun.
Now, once a year, my wife and I host a gaming weekend at our home. This year will be our third annual event at our home, with over 25 people playing games for three days. As for the treasure items I acquired, my original aesthetic vision for the treasure was certainly influenced by D&D dragons’ hoards.
And of course, D&D quests are, at their core, treasure hunts. So for any gaming fans out there, this is a chance to take your adventuring spirit out into nature to search for real world fortunes.” Treasures Worthy of Dragons During the early stages of pandemic lockdown many people took up projects to pass the time.
For most of it, it was a chance to learn to cook or to pick up a language or an instrument. For Collins-Black, it was a chance to figure out the logistics of how to bring this dream to life for There’s Treasure Inside . “I took that opportunity to consider what projects I might want to work on next,” said Collins-Black.
“There were two things that really excited me. First, I wanted to start a children’s publishing company. Thus Marble Press was born, a collaboration between me and my friend Susan Szecsi.
The second idea that burned in my heart was to create a national treasure hunt on a scale never seen before. I was in a really unique situation to create a treasure hunt like this. I was blessed to have the financial resources, the time and the desire to put it all together.
And yet, I grossly underestimated the amount of time, effort, and energy creating an adventure of this scale would take. I initially thought I could do it all in eighteen months. Nearly five years later, my book is almost out, and the hunt is finally ready to begin” The author sourced everything you might encounter on a Dungeons & Dragons treasure table.
Items like rare and precious gems, a golden chalice, gold coins, other precious metals, jeweled necklaces and even a Tiffany Glass vase. Then, like a real life Dungeon Master, he hid these items across the United States by himself. “I think the most unexpected challenge was simply that hiding five treasure boxes in five locations across the country is exponentially harder than hiding just one,” said Collins-Black.
“I hid five treasures because I wanted everyone to feel like there might be at least one treasure in close proximity to them. When I first had the idea for hiding five treasures instead of one, it sounded like a great one in my head! But the execution of that idea was certainly more difficult than I understood at the time.” Now he hopes people everywhere will take joy in finding the things he’s hidden.
Like any Dungeon Masters, the true joy is watching the players piece together the puzzles and clues to find the truth. But there’s also an excitement in not knowing how the story will exactly end either. “I will take some time to enjoy this treasure hunt,” said Collins-Black.
“The amazing thing is that I have spent nearly five years creating this hunt, and now as it gets unleashed into the real world. I have no idea how the story of this adventure will unfold. It will be written in real time, over weeks, months, or years.
I hope and expect to learn from the experiences of those that search for the treasures I’ve hidden.”.
