The Wargamer and Kalypso Media have paired-up to host a contest, offering someone within our community an experience they will never forget!

The winner of this contest will be flown to the next Kalypso Media press event in San Francisco, which is taking place on September 11th. The press event will be held within Bourbon & Branch, a new age "speakeasy" (an establishment that allowed the consumption of alcohol during Prohibition). In this ambiance the winner will get priority to exclusive information for their upcoming release Omerta: City of Gangsters,  a strategy/simulation game set during the 20's/Prohibition (hence the venue) from the developer & publisher of Tropico 3 and Tropico 4. They will also get access to exclusive information about Jagged Alliance: Crossfire, the expansion for Jagged Alliance: Back in Action. The winner will be able to play both Omerta: City of Gangsters and Jagged Alliance: Crossfire at this event. In addition to this once in a life time experience, the winner will also receive a copy of Legends of Pegasus on PC and Port Royale 3: Pirates & Merchants on Xbox 360.

In addition to this (as if the above isn't enough already), the winner will get a chance to sit down and have lunch with Mario Kroll, the founder of The Wargamer (wargamer.com) and Vice President of Kalypso Media, on September 10th at a renowned lunch spot in the San Francisco area. Here, they will have a chance to ask any questions Wargamer-related, especially concerning its early and crucial years. The winner will then be flown home.

Following this, the winner will then write about their experience with the opportunity of having it published on The Wargamer and the Kalypso Media's own social media channel.

To participate in this contest one must submit a short article (200 words minimum/500 words maximum) about their favorite Kalypso Media gaming experience. Whether it was an epic shootout in Jagged Alliance or a formidable metropolis in Tropico, we'd like you to tell us about it to get a chance at this once in a lifetime experience.

How to Participate:

To participate in this contest one must submit a short article (200 words minimum/500 words maximum) about their favorite Kalypso Media gaming experience with any Kalypso Media game. Whether it was an epic shootout in Jagged Alliance or a formidable metropolis in Tropico, we'd like you to tell us about it to get a chance at this once in a lifetime experience. Submissions must be accompanied by the real name of the participant and the country in which they reside. All submissions must be sent to editor@wargamer.com Submissions that don't meet these guidelines, or are not submitted to the above email address, will not be considered for the contest. Deadline for submissions is August 31st 10pm PST.

Participants Must Be:

-Age 21 or older

Prize Details:

Date: September 10th - 12th, 2012

Place: San Francisco

The winner will be flown to San Francisco on the 10th. They will have all fundamental expenses paid during their visit (transportation, hotel, and food). The first day will feature  a lunch with Mario Kroll at an nice lunch spot. On the 11th the winner will take part in a press event at Bourbon & Branch held for the upcoming Kalypso Media games. At this event they will get exclusive information about, and be able to play, these upcoming titles. They will also receive a copy of Legends of Pegasus on PC and Port Royale 3: Pirates & Merchants on Xbox 360. The winner will then be flown back on the 12th. 

The winner will then have the opportunity to write about their whole experience to be published on The Wargamer's frontpage and Kalypso Media's social media channel.

How Winners Will be Chosen:

Curtis Szmana, Editor-in-Chief of The Wargamer, will carefully decide the winner according to several key factors. Winners will be chosen according to their focus on the subject matter, their creativity in portraying their experience, and their ability to express themselves in written form.Grammar and writing skills will be of secondary importance.

***All participant info and their submission will be kept confidential. However, the winner's real name and winning article submission will be made public. They will be given prior notice.***

-Curtis Szmania

Editor-in-Chief

The Wargamer

Sounds like a cool contest, I have one question though:

What is the deadline for submissions?

Originally Posted By roman2440 (17 AUG 2012 6:25pm)

Sounds like a cool contest, I have one question though:

 

What is the deadline for submissions?

Deadline for submissions is August 31st 10pm PST.

The deadline has passed. The winner will be determined shortly.

The winner of The Wargamer and Kalypso Media contest is Scott Servant.

I found his submission to be imaginative, broad and ambitious within reason, a play with words in some areas, humorous at times but realistic when necessary, and adhering to the guidelines I had posted. Although his opinions of the products did not influence my decision, his passion for gaming, and how he expressed that, did.

If I had to take one excerpt from his piece that I enjoyed the most, it has to be this bit:

"While my islanders lived in blissful happiness I installed a mandatory retirement, by death! As each new citizen was born, an older citizen was gunned down to make room for the new generation. I laughed to myself, as the people worshiped me as their elected leader, and not one person objected to my form of rule. They all agreed that my way was the right way to keep the island in its pristine state by re-electing me in landslides time after time. This went on for many years as their daily lives moved forward to that one day, a bullet with their name on it found them. Some times playing a tyrant in disguise is just good old fashion fun."

The realism, humor, and truthfulness of the dictatorial-style gameplay of Tropico shines through in the above paragraph.

The full, un-edited version of his submission can be seen below:

"I think my most fond memory, are the first ones. Playing a new Kaylpso title has always been an enjoyable experience. I love that the company thinks outside the box, and instead of rehashing the latest top game, they take chances and make something unique that stretch the imaginations of the players.

Building fantastic cities in “Grand Ages Rome” as I learned what not to do was almost often more fun than being successful. Watching as the people rioted in the streets and my lovely but perhaps not so well planned city burned to the ground. Hindsight might of helped avoid that, but robbed me of the “oh crap” moment that was more memorable than a simple win.

Experiencing the unique game play of “ Dungeons” was another. Thinking outside the box and attracting heroes to your dungeon, and then letting them enjoy it to make full use of their souls to increase my power, verse just killing everything that enters was a interesting change of pace. The idea that happy heroes, made me more powerful was a unique take on the dungeon builder and game play in general

If I had to pick just one experience that tops them all, I think it would go back to when I first found the company and played the first title I had bought from them. It was a rebirth of the classic island builder “Tropico”, a game that I truly enjoyed for years. You always are a bit hesitant to see a new publisher take on an old classic and remake it for the next generation. As I played the game I found the new avatar, speeches, and game play they added very enjoyable. It was a refreshing re-take on the title.

I fondly remember playing one of the early campaign missions, “St. Helena” I believe was the name. The goal was to turn a tiny religious island into a great tourism Mecca. The island was really quite small, and when the population kept growing I needed to take some measures. Instead of destroying the look and feel of my quaint little village and turning it into a bustling city, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

While my islanders lived in blissful happiness I installed a mandatory retirement, by death! As each new citizen was born, an older citizen was gunned down to make room for the new generation. I laughed to myself, as the people worshiped me as their elected leader, and not one person objected to my form of rule. They all agreed that my way was the right way to keep the island in its pristine state by re-electing me in landslides time after time. This went on for many years as their daily lives moved forward to that one day, a bullet with their name on it found them. Some times playing a tyrant in disguise is just good old fashion fun.

Viva La’ Tropico!"

Congratulations Scott Servant!