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Lucca Comics & Games Dedicated Dungeon to D&D Creators

At the opening of Lucca Comics & Games 2024, organizers properly dedicated an Italian dungeon to the creators of Dungeons & Dragons



Article Summary

  • Lucca Comics & Games 2024 kicks off by dedicating an ancient dungeon to Dungeons & Dragons creators.
  • Guests can play D&D in the real San Paolino dungeon, celebrating the game's 50th anniversary in historic style.
  • A chocolate Red Dragon by Damiano Carrara is on display, mesmerizing visitors with its intricate design.
  • D&D luminaries and local dignitaries unveil a plaque immortalizing Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

The opening of Lucca Comics & Games 2024 started with proper dedication, as organizers properly dedicated a real-world dungeon to the creators of Dungeons & Dragons. Believe me, when we say real-world dungeons, it's the real deal, from the 15th Century as they properly dedicated the San Paolino bastion that has been a part of the city for centuries. We were greeted with this custom decoration outside the event, as they wanted to highlight the dedication as part of the game's 50th Anniversary.

Lucca Comics & Games Dedicated Dungeon to D&D Creators
Credit: Gavin Sheehan

We briefly walked around the place, which they will be using this week as part of the festivities to play D&D in a real dungeon, much the same way people fork over thousands of dollars to play the game in a castle with guest DMs. This place had about as much charm as you would expect from a place where they used to keep people imprisoned and possibly tortured. You can tell that parts of this place are used to give people tours and historical reference and significance when it comes to the city of Lucca. A lot fo the setup they had for the place for the D&D games looked pretty dope, as we're going to take part in one tomorrow.

The dungeon also had a special exhibit, as they had a Red Dragon on display that was made entirely out of chocolate. The dragon was created by Damiano Carrara, who took the time to completely make everything you see on that podium out of chocolate. This is one of the more intricate designs we've seen in person, and its pretty clear from the smell in the room that this entire this is pure chocolate. Kudos on the work done, which they also had playing on a monitor near the display so you could see the weeks-long process to craft this beast.

The event itself was a bit crowded, as one can expect for a dungeon, but they had a number of people there as representation. Including the mayor of Lucca, as well as several dignitaries and armed services officials, which you can see in the image below. They also had Event Director Emanuele Vietina, the Lead Rules Designer of Dungeons & Dragons Jeremy Crawford, and Luke Gygax, the son of co-creator Gary Gygax, as part of the presentation.

This plaque, which you can see above, will now stand in the dungeon moving forward for all to see, as Dave Arneson and Gygax have been immortalized in Italy for visitors to see. Which now means there's a new landmark for any traveling D&D players to make a pilgrimage to.


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Gavin SheehanAbout Gavin Sheehan

Gavin is the current Games Editor for Bleeding Cool. He has been a lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling. He can also teach you how to play Star Trek chess, be your Mercy on Overwatch, recommend random cool music, and goes rogue in D&D. He also enjoys hundreds of other geeky things that can't be covered in a single paragraph. Follow @TheGavinSheehan on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Bluesky, Threads, and Hive, for random pictures and musings.
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