True Realm FAQ
What the heck is True Realm? Sounds kinda weird.
Well, we prefer “unique” and “cool”, but yes - there is nothing quite like it. Basically, True Realm is an indoor “gamer theme park” where a tavern and back alley ss the backdrop for many immersive “True” gaming events based on the Dungeons and Dragons game. Gamers can spend the whole weekend inside True Realm playing events while completely loosing themselves in the medieval fantasy environment.
What does the town of Marion, Illinois have to offer? Are there any restaurants to eat at?
Marion is the nearby town where all the official True Realm hotels are located. Marion, Illinois is a typical Interstate town that has lots of national restaurant chains and national retailers. CLICK HERE to see a crude map that shows the location of these offerings (in red letters) in relation to the location of the official hotels (in green letters).
So what is the actually event going to look like?
True Realm will be housed inside a 30,000 sq. ft. cavernous warehouse, and it will be divided up into the Dungeons and the City. The Dungeons will fill about 22,000 sq. ft. and it will be the area where all the True Dungeon events are held. The City will be a 8,000 sq. ft. medieval tavern and back alley.
Where and when is the event?
True Realm is a “gamer theme park” that is open only two days a year. The next one is open Friday and Saturday, April 3-4, 2009 from 9:30am to 11:00pm each day. The event takes place in a huge warehouse in southern Illinois - just 6 miles off of Interstate 57 (exit 58) in Herrin, Illinois. Below is the address and a link to a Google map where you can type in your address to see the best route to True Realm. The map now shows the route from the official True Realm hotels.
Total Quality Warehouse
2401 West Herrin Road
Herrin, IL 62948
What True Dungeon adventures are you having there?
True Dungeon: Director’s Cut - This event is the module we ran at Gen Con Indy 2008 - only improved a great deal with more new rooms, many multiple paths, new encounter twists, more intense effects and challenges and new surprises. This is the coolest TD event ever. The module has also been altered a great deal so that it will be a lot of fun to play even if you have played before. Don’t count on knowledge gained at Gen Con Indy to help you necessarily - it might even hurt you! Both normal and NIGHTMARE XP is available for this event, but this event equates to the Gen Con Indy 2008 module. For instance, if you have played the event at Gen Con Indy 2008 at the normal challenge rating, then you can only get more XP (up to 1,350) by doing this event on NIGHTMARE setting. We do not recommend this event for those less than 16 years of age, as this dungeon will have more intense effects, physical challenges, scares and interaction with NPCs.
Start times are from 10:00am until 10:00pm on Friday and Saturday with an adventure starting every 12 minutes.
True Dungeon: Retro - Due to popular request, we have taken the first-ever TD module from 2003 and we have updated and expanded it for your enjoyment at True Realm. With all new sets and props - plus a few new surprises all players who venture into this module will have a great time. This is your chance to play the adventure that started it all - as only about 300 players can say now. Normal and NIGHTMARE XP is available for this event. It is considered a separate event from 2003, so XP earned in 2003 won’t affect the XP earned at this event.
Start times are from 10:00am until 10:00pm on Friday and Saturday with an adventure starting every 12 minutes.
What True Dungeon Mini-Events are you have there?
True Raid: This is our first ever TD mini-adventure that is a one-hour, ticketed event where a team of 4 common street thugs must break into a temple and steal a magic chalice guarded by many traps and detection devices. This event is very light on rules and it is more focused on instant fun of physical challenges and group problem solving. The event can be enjoyed by total newcomers and TD veterans. Many of the TD concepts will be introduced in a limited fashion, and no outside tokens are allowed. Groups who pass the various challenges (think of sneaking by the Giant or getting the key in the dome type things) will receive a cool “Rogues’ Guild” button to proudly display. The cost of the event is $19, and on the second Saturday of sales (Oct. 25th), whole groups of 4 tickets will go on sale. Individual tickets will then go on sale the next week (Nov. 1st) at the same $19 price. No XP is awarded for this event…only fun (and a button!). We are offering this adventure on Normal and NIGHTMARE settings where your rewarded for completing the theft is a cool NIGHTMARE Rogues’ Guild button. Start time are from 10:00am until 10:00pm on Friday and Saturday with an adventure starting every 12 minutes.
True Grind: A party of eight normal TD characters will assault a three-story tower that has a nasty monster on every level - and the party must see if they can reach the top by the end of the 30-minute hack-fest. This is a true test to see if your group has what it takes to take on True Grind and be victorious. Again, two cool victory buttons will be awarded for completing this test of melee mettle - on both normal and NIGHTMARE level. NOTE: The only healing that is allowed are spells (not scolls), the Paladin’s Lay on Hands and the +1 Broadsword of Life Stealing. No XP is awarded for this event…only a chance to show the world your group has what it takes to take on True Grind and win. The cost of the event is $10 per person, and on the second Saturday (Oct. 25th) of sales, whole groups of 8 tickets will go on sale. Individual tickets will then go on sale the next week (Nov. 1st) at the same $10 price. Start time are from 10:00am until 10:00pm on Friday and Saturday with a bloodfest starting every 30 minutes.
Will there be food and drink - or even alcohol?
We will have an Inn that serves snacks and drink - as well as provide a location for some awesome open gaming. The exact menu is still not determined at this time, but we hope to provided snack type food. We will also have a Tavern that will serve non-adult drinks — BUT NO ALCOHOL is allowed on the warehouse premises. This is the company policy of the warehouse.
How much does it cost? Do I have to buy a badge?
There is no “badge” to purchase - all you need do is purchase the event tickets for the events you want to attend.
True Dungeon:Director’s Cut: $49 (or $39 if bought in a group of 8 tickets - buy 6 get 2 free!) for the two hour event
True Dungeon: Retro: $49 (or $39 if bought in a group of 8 tickets - buy 6 get 2 free!) for the two hour event
True Grind (mini-event) : $10 for the :30 minute event
True Raid (mini-event) : $19 for the one hour event
What are the VIP Tickets all about?
For the first week of ticket sales which starts Oct. 18th, players can only buy tickets for the two big dungeon adventures - and they can only buy them at a VIP price of $89 each. But for this $89 you get a good value for your money:
The benefits of buying VIP tickets include:
(1) EXTRA set of 2009 Treasure Tokens - $10 value
(1) TD:DC Tshirt (up to 3XL) - $20 value
(4) $5 TD Silver coins to be spent at event (store, food, drinks, etc.) - $20 value
The cost for each VIP ticket is $89. In addition to the above benefits, you will be the first to receive special discount links to the official True Realm hotels where you can make reservations for $74/night. The hotels feature free hot breakfast, free evening adult beverages, free high-speed Internet, free parking, pool, etc. These links will be emailed to you immediately after you purchase your tickets.
NOTE: VIP Tickets can only be purchased in whole groups of 8-player slots - so you must buy out the entire slot of 8 tickets to buy any of the VIP tickets for that time.
When do tickets go on sale online?
Starting at 11:55am on Saturday, October 18th, we are only selling whole 8-player slots of VIP tickets. This sale will end at 11:55am on Friday, October 24th. After that time, VIP tickets will no longer be available to purchase. Each “1″ slot you purchase is made up of 8 VIP tickets. You must buy out an entire VIP slot of 8 tickets. With this purchase you are buying an entire group of 8 VIP tickets that make up one whole time slot in the True Dungeon: Director’s Cut OR the True Dungeon: Retro event. To insure against a big sellout at this high price, we are only putting 40% of the available slots up for sale on Oct. 18th.
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At 11:55am on Saturday, October 25th, and until 11:55am on Friday, October 31st, we will start selling whole 8-player slots of normal (non-VIP priced) event tickets at the price of $39/ticket - or $312 per slot. There is also a $0.98/ticket fee ($7.80 for the whole slot) added on by the Eventbrite website that provides the ticketing service. These whole slots will also include all unsold ticket slots from the previous VIP week - so they will be converted to non-VIP status. This is $10 off per ticket (normally $49) but we are offering this discount as a way of saying thanks for organizing yourselves into 8-player groups. Another way to look at it: Buy 6 - get 2 free!
Also at this time we will start to sell whole slots of both TD mini-events - True Grind and True Raid. The True Grind price for a full slot of 8 tickets will be $80, and the True Raid price for a full slot of 4 tickets will be $76.
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At 11:55am on Saturday, November 1st, we will start selling INDIVIDUAL tickets to any left over slots of the two True Dungeon adventures at a rate of $49 per ticket. There is also a $0.99/ticket fee added on by the Eventbrite website that provides the ticketing service. We will also sell any remaining mini-event tickets at this time for the price offered the previous week. These tickets will remain online until they are sold or until March 1st.
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What form of payment works for your online ticketing system?
Our ticketing system will accept Paypal, Google Checkout and any credit card. Credit cards are processed at the Paypal website, but you don’t need to have a PayPal account to do this. We just use PayPal to process our credit cards. We have been doing this with our TD store for a few years and it works great.
What about the actual tickets? How do I get those?
Approximately two months after your ticket purchase you will receive (via USPS registered mail) the tickets you purchased in the form of “concert” type tickets. There are no refunds for any tickets, but you are allowed to resell the tickets to other parties. Please be sure to bring your tickets to the event. They are your only proof that you can enjoy the event. At this time you will also receive vouchers for all your VIP goodies (VIP goodies being free tshirt, tokens, silver pieces) that can be turned in at True Realm.
Do you allow people to get refunds on tickets?
Sorry, but no. In order to make this ticket pricing idea work, we cannot make refunds. You will be sent “concert-type” tickets via registered USPS mail in approximately one month after buying your tickets. There are no refunds of tickets unless the event is canceled for some reason, but you are allowed to re-sell your tickets to whomever you wish if you cannot attend the event. Be sure to treat your received event ticket like gold. WE CANNOT REPLACE ANY LOST TICKETS!
Can I fly into an airport near True Realm?
Yes, so long as you make St. Louis, MO (STL) your airport to fly into the area. From there you can board a commuter flight with Great Lakes Airlines to the Williamson County Regional Airport for just $89 round trip. There are several flights a day, and if you fly into STL with one of their major partners your luggage will automatically be placed on the commuter flight. A list of participating airlines is HERE. Since the Williamson County Regional Airport is a small airport, it is very easy to get into and out of the security system. The airport is only about one mile from the hotels, and 7 miles from the event space. You can also see more Travel info HERE.
What about lodging for the event?
We have secured a great rate of $74/night at three nice local hotels in Marion, Illinois (exit 54B - Interstate 57). After you purchase your event tickets, you will immediately receive an email with special weblinks and phone numbers where you can make your $74/night reservation. If you click on the map below you will see the location of the hotels - and the route to True Realm.
Is there anything for my non-gaming spouse and family to do while I am at True Realm?
Yes. Southern Illinois is blessed with many scenic National and State recreation areas. Also, there is a very nice Wine Trail - as well as a Dungeons and Dragons themed children’s park. Click here for more information.
Tell me about volunteering for True Realm? Why should I do it?
True Realm only exists because of a great group of dedicated gamers who work very hard to make it happen. True Realm is the culmination of over five years of concerted effort to make the finest gaming experience in the world. However, it takes over 100 volunteers to make True Realm happen, and we are always looking for more friends to join our group. We have a wide array of positions from DM & NPC to Coach & Admin. Those who wish to volunteer five hours one day and 10 hours another day receive many great benefits.
- Free ticket to one of the True Dungeon adventures
- Free True Realm Tshirt
- Free spot in a four-person hotel room at a nice local hotel
- Free food and drink at the event
- A chance to make friends with some very cool people!
If you are interested, please email Dave Radtke at volunteer@truedungeon.com
What is the warehouse like that True Realm is located in?
Well, it is an old factory that has been converted into a warehouse - so its outside appearance is neither clean or medieval. But once you are inside the True Realm gate, you won’t mind the Spartan outside. The high celings and concrete floor make for an excellent setting for our City and Dungeons. There is ample free parking at the event, and it is located on the outskirts of a small town named Herrin, Illinois.
Is there any place to eat nearby - besides inside True Realm.
Yes, but they are all a car drive away. There is a main road going down the city of Herrin (Rt. 148) that has many national fastfood chains - as well as many “Mom and Pop” locations. There is even an actual Maid-Rite restaurant on that strip as well. Herrin also has a Wal-Mart and Kroger groceries store on Rt. 148.
Is there any place else to stay besides the three official hotels in Marion, IL?
Yes, there are even less expensive hotels in Marion, as well as B&B’s and nice cabins to rent. To see a listing of these accommodations, please click here.
I have more questions. How do I get them answered?
Feel free to write jeff<at>truedungeon.com with any questions you might have about True Realm, or you can visit our Forum. It is a very active Forum with many nice and helpful gamers. You can also visit a sub-section of the Forum to find other players to fill out your 8-person team. To see this Forum, please click here.
Why do I have to buy 8 tickets for True Dungeon: Director’s Cut or True Dungeon: Retro at a time?! I only need three tickets to True Dungeon: Retro for my friends and I!
You don’t have to buy all 8 tickets (or a full time slot) if you wait until November 1st to buy your tickets. On October 18th full slots of 8-player tickets are going on sale at the VIP price ($89 each), and on October 25th, full slots of 8-player tickets are going on sale at $39 each. On November 1st, any left over event tickets are going on sale individually for $49 each. We are offering the tickets in groups at first for several reasons, but the main ones are these two. 1) It keeps costs down by making the administrating of the event much easier 2) It encourages players to meet their team members well before the event.
How do I find other players to fill out my 8-person slot?
You can try to recruit some local friends to come along, or you can visit our special Forum section to get hooked up with other True Realm players. Click here to go there.
Can I bring my spouse or kids in just to look around?
Sorry, due to space limitations, only those people with event tickets for that day can enter True Realm. Perhaps next year we will have a method to do this.
Is photography allowed in True Realm?
Yes and no. We really encourage people to take lots of photos and videos of their fun times inside the City space, but no photography, video or audio recording is allowed inside the gaming events. We want the gaming experience to be as good as possible for everyone.
What the heck are these tokens I read so much about?
True Dungeon Treasure Tokens were conceived as a cool way to bring a quintessential part of any Dungeons and Dragons game into True Realm. Basically, these heavy poker-chip type tokens have a single printed side that describes some kind of treasure a player could find in an adventure. The types of treasure range from jewelry, basic equipment, weapons, armor, potions, scrolls and even magic rings and amulets. Some of the more rare aforementioned items are magical - and they have great power inside the various True Realm adventures. Some tokens are even “Ultra Rare” and they are coveted by many players for their rarity and power. There is quite a large and active community of token collectors that you can visit on our Forums by clicking here. More information about the tokens can be found here. The tokens can be found as treasure in the various True Realm adventures, and they can also be purchased at our official website here.
What are the True Dungeon adventures like?
The game is like a giant, walk-through interactive Dungeons and Dragons adventure. There are puzzles to solve, treasure to collect, traps to disarm, and monsters to overcome. The sets and props make the event very immersive - and the two hours you spend in your True Dungeon adventure will be intense and a great deal of fun. For more information, you can click here.
Do you have any rule books for the True Dungeon adventures?
The game has been designed so it can be enjoyed without having to read a rule book first. However, for those who want to know more about the game, we have a few Guides that you can download for free.