Welcome to The Radius

The last of winter's bleak ice has turned into the first birds and green buds of spring. The warm rays of sun now accompany the Quests of Inner Circle, and while much has already happened, the balmy months ahead are truly the season for Morton's List.

April was a month of legendary and lasting impact as the Twilight Lords and Twilight Circle brought the Karmic Gathering: Within to the Center at Alcoa, Tennessee. One week later, PenguiCon 5.0. Two, count them, two, new Karmic Gatherings have been announced, one in Florida, the other in Alaska.

Wherever you look, Morton's List is detonating neutron blasts, vaporizing boredom and leaving only the pure flavor of random real life adventure. So don your goggles and fasten your wig strap as we bring you another issue of The Radius....

Morton is Within,

The Karmic Order of Twilight Lords

THIS is the Old School
2007 by Twilight Lord Nathaninja

Remember back in the day? When Friend #3 and Friend #11 did Unforgettable Stunt #3? Man, those were the days! Too bad Friend #3's always at Job #7 and Friend #11 got totally sucked into Relationship #7. Shit ain't like it used to be when everybody could just hang.

Sound familiar? It's easy and tempting to romanticize the past. Without a doubt things will never be the same. But that's good because it allows for the possibility that life can become better than ever before. When we go from being carefree kids to work-a-day adults it is easy, nearly unavoidable in fact, to become somewhat disillusioned. Karma crushing jobs that replace boredom with an endless cycle of chasing money - we're right to think there's something wrong with this. But is the answer to look backward, to make a Utopia out of childhood, teenage exploration - the old school?

No. Not if you want to ever move forward and beyond. In truth there is no time but the present. The past exists only in memory, the future in imagination. The only time we can act is right now, right here. It is not some arbitrary timeline that determines the flavor of our surroundings, but our own eyes, and how we perceive and interpret what we see and experience. Right now, this second, is the absolute best moment of someone's life, and the absolute worst for another's. This is someone's old school, another's new school, and yet another's pre-school. Everything springs to life, flowers and falls away. But we need not value one phase over another. Each can have the Karma and flavor of the old school if we allow it.

Consider Morton's List. For those involved since the beginning the old school could be considered to be 1993-1994. For the first ninjas exposed to the completed game July of 2001 it might be then until the disastrous events of Crows Day in 2003. For those just learning about it this year the old school is now.

This is the ultimate point. Morton's List is all about seeing things with new eyes, seeing and experiencing the adventure that exists all around us at all times, veiled by drab, mundane every day life. Or more accurately, veiled by our own mistaken perception of life as boring and empty. THIS, right now, is the old school. The mythical, magical Karmic time when every friend pulled every stunt, when all stories are made - for all who open themselves, their eyes their minds to it.

Let go of the past and embrace the Karma of the infinite present.


The Karmic Laws: One Inner Circle Member's Perspective
2007 by David, the One and Only

Governments are taken for granted, that is we assume they are necessary. But what if we are able to provide for ourselves? If viewed in broad terms, a government boiled down is essentially a service provider; it offers services to its customers in exchange for taxes. The problem is that service providers (governments) are taking advantage of their customers (citizens) in a variety of forms and constantly getting away with it. Why then do the customers not change service providers? (Why is there no competition amongst governments?)

Customers do not often change service providers because the service providers have a monopoly over contiguous territory. Any territory may have only one service provider at a time. In order to switch service providers one would have to switch geographic location. This requires spending money, time, finding new living arrangements, leaving social ties, and more.

In order to correct these problems with governments two steps may be taken, either remove a government's monopoly over territory (allow people to choose a service provider regardless of location) or reduce the cost of switching service providers. The second option enables people to easily change governments. If this were so governments that offer the most desirable services with the least amount of taxes would gain the most customers while governments that offer the opposite would loose their customer base. When the customer base leaves so too does the service provider and it is in this manner that ill-serving governments are dissolved. By placing governments in their own capitalistic game the good ones thrive and the poor die.

So, in terms of rights and responsibilities, the people should have the right to change governments as freely as possible. We were given the abilities of heaven, to do whatever we want (within the limits of physics), which includes the ability to create hell. Since anyone can think, say, or do as they like one should not infringe on another's ability to think, say, or do as they like. One person's set of laws for what they think is desirable is another's prescription for hell; thus we should all leave our prescriptions to ourselves (unless groups form which agree on certain sets of laws). If hell is being created, people should leave.

The individual should be responsible for him or herself first. Autonomy is of high priority. Once the individuals have secured their own needs they may do as they wish; however, the individual will be heavily inclined to assist society and others. By helping others we in turn potentially help ourselves in the future (which will soon be the present).

As an example, individuals will be inclined to donate surplus food into a public food storage area because when individuals fails to secure their own food they can rely on the storage. Though many say this is far fetched, all living bodies are screaming testaments to this idea. If the cells of our body were to all of a sudden switch from collaboration (this proposed structure of society) to competition (current structure of society), our bodies would fall apart within minutes. It is a fact that the health of the whole is dependant upon the sum of its parts. Why then would we ever want the parts fighting amongst each other for more resources? This structure is unacceptable for any living body yet we employ it and use it in the creature that is society. As a result we have the great disparity in the world that we do.

So, generally the individual has the right to say, think, and do freely so long as they allow others the same. They are responsible only for themselves, but being responsible for another is being responsible for oneself simultaneously. (The other isn't necessarily a person either, it could be an environment).


The Bookbinder
Your One-Stop Guide to All Things Custom in Morton's List
2007 by The Astonishing OddBall, 360� Rainbow Dragon/Yin of the Earth Adept

Part Three - Roughing It

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, Inner Circle! After a bit of an absence, The Astonishing OddBall is back with another thrilling installment of "The BookBinder!"

This month's issue will begin our creative processes - getting our hands dirty, so to speak - with the first in a three-part miniseries on one style of putting together your own Quest Journal. We'll be taking some of those tools we spent gathering up last month, and putting them to use to make our own hand-made Quest Journal. This will be an entirely by-hand method, using no computers at all, though we will cover the computer-assisted route in future installments of The BookBinder. You can take my ideas and follow along directly, or of course you can spin it off in any direction you'd like.

Our first installment will be an overview of designing a Quest Journal. The thought processes behind it all. Also, we'll begin right away by brainstorming, throwing ideas down on paper and roughing them out. The nice thing about this is you never know when an old idea might become very useful in the future.

First and foremost, you're going to need paper - and lots of it. So bust open that extra-white printer paper, and grab oh, say a pinch of it. This will essentially be our resources for the project. That and, of course, a good solid black pen. I'd suggest an ultra-fine Sharpie marker, as the ink is nice and rich so as to allow for good photocopying. Another great pen to use for this project would be a Pilot G2. These are by far my favorite pens on the market, and I use them exclusively for filling out my Quest Journal. The ink is nice, fluid, and bold. You rarely come across hiccups in the ink flow, and they're cheap. Lastly, you're going to want to keep a pencil, maybe an x-acto knife or scissors, some glue or tape, and a straight-edge ruler.

Essentially, the most important thing to remember in designing a Quest Journal is that planning it out will save your nuts. The more planning and pre-production you put into it, the better, and the happier you will be with it in the end. Trust me, I've gone back and re-designed my Quest Journal a number of times, and wish I would have just spent more time thinking about it in the first place so I wouldn't have had to re-write all my entries over and over.

To begin, we're simply going to draw up a few rectangles on the page, using the rough proportions of a standard sheet of paper. You can fold the paper into fourths to stay both economical and neat, or you can just slap 'em down however you like.

In each rectangle, we're going to flush out different layout styles. You can consider an open approach, where all the information is comfortably sharing the page, or you can go with a regimented boxed-out look as well. Columns and rows can work nicely, although it can end up looking too much like an office form in many cases. We're not too worried about artistic design here, we're just thinking about how we want our information laid out.

Another thing to think about at this point is how many different types of pages you're going to want. Of course, you'll have your standard Quest Log pages, and probably an Inner Circle Member Profile. But what about a contacts page for you to keep phone numbers and email addresses? You never know when you'll need a third person. Also, what about photo pages? Designing a template for pages on which to glue or tape photos is always a killer idea.

As you can see, I've come up with four distinctly different page styles. Because it's both classy and functional, we'll go with the first design, using a series of different-sized boxes to organize my information. This will be a congruent theme throughout the Journal. In mine, I will have a title page, Inner Circle Member Profile, a Contacts Page and Quest Logs. Mine will have one per each side of a sheet of paper, though you can probably fit up to four per page. Remember, however, to make sure you have enough room to write comfortably.

Now, I'm going to use another page divvied up the same way, to flush out exactly how I want each different page style to look. This becomes an important time to think about what information you want to list on your pages, and what you want to leave out, because now we're going to start using a bit more detail in our plans. Of course, there are the standards required by the official rules of the game for earning Degrees and Titles, however, you can group that information however you like, and you can also add other information to it as well. For example, I often put in areas to list where the Quest was rolled, where we traveled to, what the weather was like, and so on. Another cool idea is to leave an afterthoughts section, where after some time you can come back to this Journal entry and apply some hindsight. "Great Quest, but we should have done this instead�" or "Six weeks after the Quest, we found Steve's wallet in the back yard! Turns out Rob didn't steal it!"

Now that we have an idea as to what each page is going to look like, we'll begin penciling it out on actual proof pages. These will essentially become the master copies that we will take to the photocopier later. Make sure your hands are clean, as finger print smudges and such look horrible on photocopies.

Next month, we will begin the actual production stages, getting our pages to look just how we want them, and we will take them to press at our local copy shop. In the mean time, get your gears a-turnin' and see what you come up with for your rough drafts.

The Astonishing OddBall is a 360� Rainbow Dragon/Yin of the Earth Adept, also specializing in Morton's List. He hails from Oshkosh, WI where he lives with his girlfriend Sugar, a List of Life Adept specializing in Cosmic Law, his dog Boulder, and cat Karma. OddBall has been playing since 2002, and is co-founder of The Ninjas of the Crimson M, as well as The Sons of Pandora.


Pic of the Month

Each month The Radius showcases YOUR photos or artwork, whether taken or made for a Quest or inspired by Morton's List. One photo each month will be selected from among all the submissions for its exceptional flavor and Karma.

Image submissions are accepted via email and must be at least 400px wide, 72dpi, not larger than 3Mb, in RBG mode, and .jpg, .gif or .bmp format.

April 2007 Pic of the Month

TIP: To increase your chances of publication, please make sure to proofread and spell check before submitting. We edit all submissions for length and grammar, and are more likely to publish pieces that require less editing. Most written pieces should be 200-1000 words, with 500 being average. Photos or other images (using the format guidelines for Pic of the Month) that compliment your writing are encouraged and will increase your chances of acceptance. Submission instructions and the deadline for the next issue may be found here.

Someone is Always Finding Morton
2007 by Wattson

I was pretty hyped about getting to roll on Friday the 13th, especially being so far away from anywhere. I wish that I could have been back at Alcoa, TN with you guys [at The Karmic Gathering: Within] but it was kind of cool being here and being part of the big scene.

I had tried to recruit a few players from the other Americans and South Africans that we work with to no avail. Some folks just think the whole concept is too far out there for their liking. Even though most of the guys I am working with are younger than me, they are pretty well set in their ways and not open to something as vivid as Morton's List. They compared it to an RPG, but I tried to convince them it was a role paying game where you got to play yourself. Too heavy for them.

I changed my strategy to recruiting players from the local guys. I got two others to join in: Mr. Pombo who is from the local town of Cabinda, and Mr. Carvalho (car-VI-yo) who is from Luanda, about 200 miles south of here.

I donned my DCG shirt and sat next to the clock and waited for it to strike 7pm here. The sun had gone down - it sets at 6:30pm here all year long. I was surprised but happy to see that our first roll came up 22 which is Nightscape. We knew that it would only be 2pm in Knoxville so that added to the hype to be rolling half way around the world at the same moment.

Pombo was the table master but I read the leadoff to Nightscape. They agreed that it was good that we had a nighttime quest since it was now dark.

I was really surprised to see 22 come up for the second roll. I don't know what the odds are on a 30 sided die coming up with the same number in two consecutive rolls [editor's note: 1 in 900]. The Quest was Celestial Night. I liked this idea because I was interested in how the Southern sky would differ from up north. I found out that a lot of what I take for granted is not so obvious to other people from other cultures, and who's to say that I am/we are right?

Near our helicopter hangar is a small section of woods - I guess that you'd call it a jungle. We have monkeys and jackals and who knows what else roaming the woods at night. We didn't stray too far but we got a little bit out from the hangar where it was darker for a better view.

We had a slight moon outside but the bright object in the sky was Venus. Since we are near the equator Venus rises high in the sky here but it was close to setting. I was pointing out to the other guys that this was Venus and it is the closest planet to us. I showed them the difference between planets and stars (which twinkle and rotate around the poles) as compared to Venus and the moon.

The first thing that came up was Mr. Pombo's insistence that the planet Venus was not a planet at all - rather, it was a communication satellite. We debated about it for a while but there was and still is no question in his mind that it wasn't a satellite.

Another couple of guys, Rashid and Hajee, both Muslims from South Africa, heard us talking and came up to join the discussion. One of the guys questioned the whole earth rotates around the sun thing. He truly believed that we live in a geocentric universe, and that the sun and the moon and everything else rotates around us. I think that I did convince him that we do orbit the sun along with Venus, but that the moon orbits the earth.

He was more receptive to it, and stressed that one of the great miracles of Allah is that it is always sunrise and it is always sunset somewhere on the Earth. I learned that the Muslims make their prayer times based on sunrise and sunset, so therefore somewhere in the world someone is always praying to Allah.

I had never considered that idea and it's a pretty amazing concept. We didn't have a lot of stars to look at but I could make out Orion. This constellation is also high overhead here and not close to the horizon like it is at home. We cannot see the Big Dipper from here, and definitely not the North Star (Polaris). I haven't yet spotted the Southern Cross but I will be sure to let out a rebel yell when I do.

Peace and love from Malongo Camp in sunny Cabinda, Angola, West Coast (Atlantic Ocean side of Africa).

2007 Morton's List Tour de Chance

The 2007 Morton's List Tour de Chance is popping wigs like cartoon prairie dogs. Marmalade Dog 12, The Karmic Gathering: Within, PenguiCon 5.0 - all great successes and great Karma! The second third of 2007 is coming online as we speak and will feature a summer of Random Reality like you've never seen before!

Thanks to all those who have submitted or are working on events to become Tour de Chance dates. We are excited to announce another new date, a Sanctioned Chaotic event at Gryphon Games and Comics in Fort Collins, CO, May 17th, hosted by hard core Lister and Grand 13 Theory challenger, FengLong.

The invitation to submit events for the Tour de Chance is still open. Here again is how it works.

There are four CLASSES of Morton's List events:

Each event will be one of the four Classes and up to one of the two Types. Here is a list of all possible combinations:

• KARMIC GATHERING TOURNAMENT


• KARMIC GATHERING CHAOTIC


• OFFICIAL TOURNAMNET


• OFFICIAL CHAOTIC


• SANCTIONED TOURNAMENT


• SANCTIONED CHAOTIC


• RANDOM TOURNAMENT


• RANDOM CHAOTIC

In preparation for the overhaul of MortonsList.com, all Tour de Chance events are listed on MySpace/mortons_list.

A quick word about volunteering. Center wants YOU to volunteer! Not because it makes our lives easier, though it helps. But because together we can accomplish so much more. It's amazing what a difference just one volunteer at an event can make. We do what we do for the love of Karma. It's all non-profit. So come work along side us, and help us spread Karma to those who have not been touched by Morton. If you live near Mid-Ohio, Southern Illinois, Mid-Indiana, Northern Colorado, Southern Florida, Mid-Alaska or Northern Nevada talk to us. This is your chance to up your game and make the crucial leap from entertained to entertainer. Email Center today.

And now for the updates:


Questing at Gryphon Games and Comics - New Tour Date!

Hard core Inner Circle member and seeker of Morton, FengLong, who you may recall is attempting to complete The Grand 13 Theory challenge this year, is sharing his Karma with the world. Come Quest with a truly high level ninja and be inspired. He is a Karmic beacon in the strangely silent state of Colorado. So come out and enjoy a day of Karma and Quests that is sure to school you.

Email us to volunteer at Questing at Gryphon Games and Comics!

CONTACTS
www.gryphongamesandcomics.com

VENUE
256 Linden St, Fort Collins, Colorado

DATES
Tuesday, May 17th 2007

TIMES
4:00 pm - First Quest. After that is anyone's guess

COST
FREE



Questing at Green Brain Comics - New Tour Date!

Detroit based Inner Circle, The Empire of Nothing is taking it to the streets. Although not technically enrolled in the Morton's Minions program (whereby anyone can earn credit toward free games and merchandise by demoing Morton's List to new players), these long time Listers are official Minions none-the-less, working for the pure Karma of it. Using their local connections, they will be hosting their first public event at legendary Detroit area comic shop, Green Brain Comics. Come enjoy random reality with some of the highest Karma ninjas you'll ever meet. And don't forget, May 5th is Free Comic Book Day - so if you're local, you won't want to miss that benefit!

Email us to volunteer at Questing at Green Brain!

CONTACTS
www.GreenBrain.biz
Dan Merritt, owner
dan@greenbrain.biz

VENUE
13210 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, Michigan

DATES
Thursday, May 26th 2007

TIMES
1:00 pm - First Quest. After that is anyone's guess

COST
FREE


AdventureCon 6 - update

The Twilight Circle is gearing up for their first official totally independent Morton's List event at Tennessee's Largest Collector's Show. They promoted and organized The Karmic Gathering: Within to devastating success and are about to take AdventureCon 6 by storm! They'll be running tons of Morton's List Quests all weekend. New to the game or veteran it doesn't matter. Just come by and play.

They're making DVDs, they've got their own exhibitor booth, they'll be selling Morton's List dice, games and other flavor AND they've got a hot booth girl. These are professional Listers - their shit is tight.

A little about the area: Built in 2002, at the cost of nearly 95 million dollars, the Knoxville Convention Center is a state of the art convention facility. Located in downtown Knoxville, just minutes away from the University of Tennessee & Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the Knoxville Convention Center is easily accessible by car or air.

Celebrity Guests include: Billy Dee Williams (remember Colt 45? It works every time!), Martin Klebba (Pirates of the Caribbean), Walter Koenig (Chekov), Dave Prowse (Darth Vader), Jeremy Bulloch (OG Boba Fett), Ron Glass (Firefly/Serenity), Gigi Edgley (Farscape), Richard Kiel (James Bond's Jaws), April Stewart (South Park), Marcus Bagwell (wrestler Buff Bagwell), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Jimmy Hart (wrestling manager), Wayne Pygram (Farscape), Matthew Wood (Star Wars sound), Raven Mark Brooks (somebody fresh!), Richard Green (voice actor), Marc Wolfe (artist), Phil Noto (comic artist), Dave Nestler (artist), Billy Tan (artist) and Many More!

Email Mutant XIII to volunteer at AdventureCon!

CONTACTS
http://icp.meetup.com/753/calendar/5693608/
www.AdventureCon.com
1-800-605-1095 (toll free) - tickets and info

VENUE
Knoxville Convention Center
701 Henley Street, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
865-522-5669
865-329-0422 fax

DATES
Friday, Saturday & Sunday, June 1- 3, 2007

TIMES
11:00am Friday, all weekend

COST*
$30 for all days OR $12 (Fri) / $15 (Sat) / $12 (Sun)
Special VIP TICKETS are $150.00 and come with tons of freshness - details on the Adventure Con web site

*There is no additional fee to play in any or all of the Morton's List events!


ComFest - update

Part multi-stage concert, part hippie fest, part random art and entertainment, ComFest is a HUGE gathering and focus of all the flavor of Columbus, OH. By day there is food, street performers, and tons of groups and ninjas eager to tell you about their passions. By night the families seek cover and the young rule the streets. And did we mention that it's 100% LEGAL to go topless in Columbus? Join The Loyal Henchman of the Twilight Lords and Twilight Lord Nathaninja in Encircling (a guerilla style take-over) ComFest. Quests by day, parties by night, the Karma will flow freely - be apart of it.

Email The Loyal Henchman of the Twilight Lords to volunteer at Comfest!

CONTACTS
www.ComFest.com

VENUE
Goodale Park
Near 400 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215

DATES
Friday, Saturday & Sunday, June 22 - 24, 2007

TIMES
11am to midnight and beyond

COST
FREE

It's three times free to play in any or all of the Morton's List events


Origins International Games Expo 2007 - update

Another jam packed weekend of 13 Morton's List events: 12 Theme Quests and the 989th Ninja Clan Showdown - times available any day now. Come meet The Loyal Henchman of the Twilight Lords, who has agreed to spearhead this even, and partake in this massive 10,000+ person convention.

SPECIAL NOTICE: The Karmic Order of Twilight Lords has confirmed that it is sending representatives Nathaninja and R. Jesse to Japan for important meetings regarding the ninja clans. They will unfortunately not be able to attend Origins, but are looking into a satellite uplink with which to address those gathered for the Ninja Clan Showdown and give them a special message live from the Land of the Rising Sun. With two Twilight Lords out fo the country during this critical time, the need to volunteers is high. If you live near Columbus, Ohio or are willing to drive (or fly) in for a day or the weekend, contact Center right away. The Loyal Henchman of the Twilight Lords needs your assistance.

Email us to volunteer at Origins 2007!

CONTACTS
OFFICIAL Morton's List at Origins page
www.OriginsGames.org

VENUE
Greater Columbus Convention Center
400 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215
Tel: 614-827-2500 / 800-626-0241

DATES
Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, July 5 - 8, 2007

TIMES
QUESTS (1:45 hours each):

THU 8:00 PM
THU 10:00 PM

FRI 12:00 PM (Noon)
FRI 2:00 PM
FRI 4:00 PM
FRI 6:00 PM
FRI 8:00 PM
FRI 10:00 PM

SAT 12:00 PM (Noon)
SAT 2:00 PM
SAT 4:00 PM
SAT 6:00 PM
SAT 8:00 PM

SAT 10:00 PM - 989th Ninja Clan Showdown

SUN 12:00 PM (Noon)
SUN 2:00 PM

Thursday, Friday, Saturday:
Attendee Registration 7:00am - 10:00pm
Gift Shop 9:30am - 6:30pm
Scheduled Events 8:00am - 4:00am
Exhibit Hall open 10:00am - 6:00pm
Art Show 11:00am - 7:00pm*
*Art show open until 8pm Saturday

Friday only:
Origins Awards Entertainment 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Origins Awards Ceremony 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Origins Award Party 8:30pm - 10:00pm

Saturday only:
Guest of Honor Banquet 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Sunday:
Attendee Registration 7:00am - 4:00pm
Gift Shop 7:00am - 4:00pm
Scheduled Events 8:00am - 6:00pm
Exhibit Hall open 10:00am - 4:00pm
Art Show 11:00am - 5:00pm
Convention Closes 8:00pm

COST*
$60 for all days OR $25 (Thu) / $25 (Fri) / $25 (Sat) / $20 (Sun)

*There is NO FEE to play in any or all of the Morton's List events!


The Gathering of the Juggalos 2007 - update

Word is JUST about to drop, ninjas. So without risking letting any cats out of their bags, get ready to posse up and let us know you're ready to join the Morton's List Camp. Word has it there will be open camping this year, so we're calling all Listalos: let's join together and show everybody the meaning of Karma, Inner Circle style!

Email us to join the Morton's List Theme Camp at the Gathering of the Juggalos 2007!

CONTACTS
www.JuggaloGathering.com

VENUE
Southern Illinois

DATES
August 9-12?, Thursday through Sunday

TIMES
TBD - Usually near 24-hour programming. Morton's List events also TBD - looking to hold near 24/7 Quests and Random Reality games that can be played at all times.

COST
TBD - Camp sites are usually available for an additional fee

There is no additional fee to play in any or all of the Morton's List events!


GenCon 2007 - update

Stay tuned for event times. An ambitious schedule of 12 two-hour Quests and the 990th Ninja Clan Showdown has been submitted. As with most larger conventions, if you sign up to run events as a volunteer you get in free and may even qualify for a free hotel room if you run enough events.

Email us to volunteer at GenCon Indy 2007!

CONTACTS
OFFICIAL Morton's List at GenCon Indy page
www.GenCon.com/2007/indy
CustomerService@gencon.com

VENUE
Indiana Convention Center, 100 South Capitol Ave, Indianapolis, Indiana 46225
Tel: 317-262-3400

DATES
Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, August 16 - 19, 2007

TIMES
Near 24-hour programming and events

COST
Pre-registration (Sunday, February 11th, 3pm EST to Monday, July 9, 2007 3pm):
4-Day badge: $65
1-Day badge: $35

Onsite:
4-Day badge: $75
1-Day badge: $45

There is no additional fee to play in any or all of the Morton's List events!


Burning Man 2007 - update

The Karmic Order of Twilight Lords knows of nothing short of non-dual realization that has the potential of profound consciousness expansion of a combined Burning Man Morton's List experience. Either go or don't go, but know that if you go you will never be the same. Our crew is growing each month - take this chance to experience Burning Man the best possible way - with a theme camp of Karmic friends.

Email us to Join the Morton's List Random Reality Theme Camp at Burning Man 2007!

CONTACTS
OFFICIAL Morton's List Random Reality Theme Camp at Burning Man page
www.BurningMan.com
Burning Man Tickets
Burning Man Online Community

VENUE
Black Rock City (on the "playa" in the Black Rock Desert several hours north of Reno, NV)

DATES
Monday, August 27 - Monday, September 3, 2007

TIMES
Non-stop

COST
10,000 tickets: $250 (mail order only - cashiers check or money order) also available on the Internet
Unlimited tickets: $280 (online, mail order, walk-in, available through 08/24/07)

There is no additional fee to play in any or all of the Morton's List events!

The Karmic Gathering: ¡Devastacion! - New Event!

A Karmic Gathering, for those of you yet to attend one, is like the life-size version of the ceremony the Table Master performs before rolling the Boulder. They both summon and focus the Karma of the group. A Karmic Gathering before a Quest focuses on that hour period. Karmic Gathering events focus your Karma for months - until the next one. It is also a big get-together where people play Morton's List, attend seminars, make new friends, and revel in the highly Karmic spirit created only at this special time and place.

No sooner has one Karmic Gathering passed than another is announced. High level Inner Circle member, RamGog, legendary in Miami and far beyond for hosting the infamous Florida Mini-Gatherings, has agreed to promote and host The Karmic Gathering: ¡Devastacion! Drawing on a ground swelling of local Morton's List and Random Reality enthusiasm, and local zombie enthusiasts, this promises to be the largest and most devastating Karmic Gathering to date.

More information will be forecoming soon. Tickets are available now, many months in advance, so plan ahead and lock in your space today!

Email us to volunteer at The Karmic Gathering: ¡Devastacion!

CONTACTS
www.KarmicGathering.com

VENUE
Spring Hills Suites Marriott, 6700 NW 7th St, Miami, FL

DATES
Thursday - Saturday, December 13th-15th, 2007

TIMES
Thursday - pre-party
Friday & Saturday - noon to midnight plus The Thirteenth Hour afterparties

COST
$30 for the entire weekend, including food and events
Hotel and amusement park entertainment extra

More Events

With so many Morton's List Tour de Chance dates make sure not to overlook the many non-Tour events hosted by Inner Circle members all over.

The Karmic Gathering: AlasKarma - New Event!

This Karmic Gathering will be so legendary we had to give people more than one full year to prepare for it. So while not part of the 2007 Morton's List Tour de Chance, it is a keystone event of 2008 that is too momentous to keep under wraps any longer.

Not only is The Karmic Gathering: AlasKarma hosted by one of the coolest ninjas ever to seek Morton, none other than that disgruntled goat, Big Cheddar, but it will take place outdoors in Alaska, within a week of teh summer solstice - the perfect time to enjoy the warm weather. Words can barely begin to describe this unprecedented event, but we'll try.

It will include 3 days of Morton’s List under the midnight sun, Karmic trips to nearby natural wonders, and be the first outdoor Karmic Gathering. So get ready to camp in one of the world's most breaktaking settings. This is your chance to fulfill a life goal and do it with friends, with the Inner Circle.

Tickets and more information will be available soon! Start your planning today. Flying to Anchorage, Alaska is easier and cheaper than you think. The official travel agent will help you plan and make the journey as cheaply as possible through group bookings and discounts.

Prepare to Pioneer a Once in a Lifetime Experience.

Prepare to Journey to the Frontier of Random Reality.

Prepare to Be There.

Email us to volunteer at The Karmic Gathering: AlasKarma

CONTACTS
www.KarmicGathering.com

VENUE
A private ranch outside of Wasilla, Alaska. You will be shuttled there from the Anchorage airport.

DATES
The weekend of Friday, June 13th, 2008

TIMES
Noon to Midnight each day, plus The Thirteenth Hour after parties

COST
Only $123 for $45 entry ($15/day), 9 Karmic meals (Thursday dinner through Sunday dinner) and shuttle transport to and from the Anchorage airport

Meta-Event: Ninja Clan Showdown

With two Ninja Clan Showdowns under our belts (the 987th at Marmalade Dog 12 and 988th at PenguiCon 5.0), many have asked exactly what is going on. In our excitement to finally share this long sought after event with the world, The Karmic Order of Twilight Lords has been remiss in discussing exactly what it is all about.

The Ninja Clan Showdown as it exists today is the revival of a venerable competition held between the ninja clans of Japan. In our research into the Chinese part of the origins of Morton's List, we had to trace many texts, myths and rituals of modern day Japan back to their Chinese roots. (Descendents of the ninja clans must be credited for preserving much of this precious knowledge, especially clans Excellent Ghost and The Clan that Must Not be Named.) In doing so we discovered many startling secrets. Not the least of which was the history of Ninja Clan Showdown (roughly translated from the Japanese).

This event was held sporadically, whenever clans could meet. Perhaps once per year in times of relative peace, or several times in a single year during times of intense inter-clan power struggles. Originally the Showdown was a showcase of martial prowess. Over the centuries this degenerated into a death sport of sorts with many skilled ninja dying needlessly, reducing the power of all clans.

Although the year is lost to time, we believe that somewhere between the 313th and 391st Showdowns a radical shift took place. Around this time The Clan that Must Not be Named was importing sacred historical and philosophical texts from China, texts that related to the origins of Ninpo and the clans. From what we understand a Chinese scribe accompanied a certain text of extreme import. This text and its keeper were to have profound meaning for the future of the Showdown and the very clans themselves. For it was within this text that the clans found the key to their salvation: the use of chance to determine the Showdown challenge. This simple yet revolutionary idea ended the bloodshed, as all clans could agree on the randomly selected challenge.

The clans enjoyed many hundreds of years of highly competitive yet peaceful Showdowns, modifying the rules only slightly to adapt to changing environmental factors. Finally, due to reasons still unclear, around the time when ninja were disappearing from Japanese society, the final Showdown, the 986th, was held. Now ninja exist almost entirely in myth, and the clans are scattered to the wind, their decedents lucky to even recall their once grand heritage.

Enter a new age. Several years ago, The Karmic Order of Twilight Lords remotely petitioned surviving clan representatives for the rights to revive and host the Showdown. In late 2006 that petition was granted, with certain stipulations, for a period of one year. We are honored and proud to present for the first time outside of Japan: the Ninja Clan Showdown.

First, something about the clans. According to Showdown tradition (which certainly has its mythological influences) there are 13 clans, known as the Ascended Ninja Clans. All lesser clans trace their lineage and loyalties to one of these. Each clan has a unique color, In/Yo (Japanese for Yin Yang) symbol, Noh mask symbol (from the long ninja tradition in Japanese theater), and Japanese proverb to live by. Every clan is also associated with one of the five elements (earth, water, fire, wind or void), a favored weapon, and Juhakkei (ninja skill) major(s) and minor(s). Further, each clan employs its own brand of ninja tactics, and may have clan rivals and/or allies. Each clan is known for being the best at something and all are roughly balanced in their powers and abilities.

The 13 Ascended Ninja Clans (in Morton's List order):
Golden Cicada
Honorable Octopus
Firefly
Excellent Ghost
Invisible Tribe
Strong Favorite
Toad Magic
Leaping Monkey
Nine Dragons
Pure Pure
Precious Rat
Superior Scorpion
The Clan that Must Not be Named

Because there are few if any actual surviving clan members outside of Japan (and precious few within), participants in the Showdown pledge a clan. They are assigned a clan to pledge based on the order in which they join the Showdown, in accordance with the aforementioned rules and stipulations. Up to 169 pledges may participate in a Showdown. That's 13 pledges for each of the 13 clans. If pledges attend another Showdown (and keep their colored headband and name tag) they may automatically remain in their clan. Alternately, they may choose to pledge another clan.

Once all the pledges are assembled in their clans, a leader, or Jonin, is determined using simple traditional clan rules. The leader of the Showdown, or High Jonin (a Twilight Lord or appointed representative of the Order) then beckons clan members to come forth and draw scrolls, which contain Mutations and Quests from the modern day Morton's List. This is the closest working model we have to the original Chinese text.

From the selected options, each clan chooses a Mutation that it alone will perform and a Quest that the Jonin will put forth as a possible Showdown challenge. Each Jonin rolls the Morton Boulder to determine whose Quest will become the Showdown challenge. The winner becomes the Favored Jonin, who will act as arbiter during the challenge under the watchful eye of the High Jonin, who is the final judge. The Showdown winners' clan reigns as Most Honorable Clan until the next Showdown when they must defend their title.

The 987th Ninja Clan Showdown saw Clan Firefly defeat their arch rival, Clan Toad Magic, by the slimmest of margins in a competition to find perfect representations of the five senses. Although renowned in times past for their bowling prowess, Clan Firefly was no match for Clan Leaping Monkey at the 988th Ninja Clan Showdown. Though it was clear to all that Clan Toad Magic threw the game to give Leaping Monkey the win, in a surprise move by their Jonin, who was following a difficult Mutation to the letter.

What surprises will the 989th Ninja Clan Showdown hold? Come to Origins International Games Expo in Columbus, Ohio, the evening of Saturday, July 7th to find out. When you mix Morton's List with ninjas wigs get peeled!

What Went Down:
Whether you made it or missed it, the "What Went Down" report follows up on each event covered by The Radius.


Horde Online Quest (HOQ) #3 - March 25, The Internet

The Horde freaks it by providing all Listers with an Internet connection the opportunity to roll with the greatest players on Earth. More than that, it's a chance for anyone to play, regardless if you can find friends locally. All you need is the Internet and you've got access to the highest Karma friends you could want. So what goes on at HOQs? We constantly hear rumors, like going out to sample beers. Nothing but good word. Instead of reading about them, join the next one and add throw your Karma on the barbie!

The Karmic Gathering: Within - April 13-14, The Center, Alcoa, Tennessee

Back in October of 2006 it was announced that the second level of Morton's List had begun. This new level was heralded with unprecedented events, Quests, and a level of connectivity among the Inner Circle e'er'where e'er'day. Since that time six short months ago, we have seen the Inner Circle grow brighter and brighter, like a meteor streaking into the outer limits of the Van Allen belt, through the atmosphere, and hurling right toward the city of Alcoa, Tennessee.

On Friday, April the 13th, a Karmic blast washed over all those in attendance and the rumbling of Within engulfed reality and changed it forever. Entering the Karma Lock for the first time, one was immediately transported into a realm of Asian d�cor and mysticism. Dragon kites, gold and red wall hangings, foo dogs and the other guardians of luck were scattered about.

The event was hosted by The Twilight Circle, lead by Mutant XIII. Their tireless dedication to this event made it legendary for all present. Truly, the bar has been raised for all future Karmic Gatherings, and the seamless flow of events and incredible attention to detail made this event one for all time.

After the welcoming formalities, Twilight Lord Nathaninja stepped on the scene, clad in the traditional attire of the Karmic Order - silken, crimson tabard, black ninja suit and combat boots. Twilight Lord R. Jesse was delayed by unforeseen and mystical forces during the opening ceremonies, but the Inner Circle imbued the newest artifact, the giant Morton Boulder, with the essential energies it would need for the weekends' Quests.

Long time members of the Inner Circle came from far and wide, including such high level ninjas as The Empire of Nothing Inner Circle members OverBill, Cricket, and Trevor, Bubz the Troll (who won a prize for having traveled the farthest distance), as well as ninjas met for the first time, such as Hype and Skittlez. Batz, Noxious and the other ninjas from Tennessee were also fully representing. For those whose names have not been included, we apologize, as the ninjas and tactics were simply too numerous to fully detail here.

An especially noteworthy ninja appeared on Friday, no doubt summoned by the energies of Morton's List. Mutant was outside the Center when he noticed a ninja who was chilling and looking down, as though his Karma was dangerously low. Indeed, he was upset and bored. His name was Michael, and he was a helicopter repair ninja in the Army Reserve. While being in the military can be a drain on anyone's Karma, it seemed that his unit was missing but he was not with them, and he was stressing the whole situation.

Some ninjas would have given him a, "That sucks, dude, later," and let that be that. But Mutant, in the spirit of the highest ideals of Morton's List, invited him to join the Karmic Gathering. His boredom was ended and he brought his unique contributions to the Quests rolled on Friday.

Over the two days six Quests would be rolled. While the specifics are impossible to capture here, the entertainment experienced by those in attendance has meaning for those who rolled. The Quests took the Inner Circle into mock combat, and into nocturnal nature for hiking, the positive aspects of watching other people work, encryption, and the subtleties of game design.

Highlights: On the evening of Friday the 13th, the final Quest of the night was given a Quest within a Quest. One member of the Inner Circle was established as a "Secret Jason." At any point during the Quest, Jason could break out a foam hockey mask and plastic machete and kill other members of the Inner Circle, turning them to the side of the serial killer. After this was established, the Quest was rolled and revealed to be "Nature Hike." Thus, the stage was set for a night of terror and suspense.

At 11pm, the first day's Quests ended, segueing into a special video prepared by Mutant, in which the Inner Circle was sent on a scavenger hunt for pieces of dismembered dolls and tags. The video still causes some viewers to awaken in a cold sweat, haunted by visions of a menacing individual in a golden mask wielding garden tools. The darker, hidden tags were worth more points, while and entire bound and gagged doll was worth the most.

Saturday was clouded by rain, but special a Quest was rolled from the Crystal List, specially created for the event. Chants of "Positivity!" brought the shining light of goodness to the Quest, and the Mutation of Gold Fever brought the group to competitively watch people work. Only in Morton's List.

There was an experimental block of events, which transformed into a session of the Quest for Shangri-La board game. Of course the Twilight Lords made a stellar showing (as they helped create the game), but their character was killed in a surprise upset at the very end.

The I Ching Quest was also rolled, using the ancient, traditional divination technique of drawing yarrow stalks to reveal the Quest.

Of course, a delicious banquet and toast was held, acknowledging those who could not make it, those who were no longer with us, and those who have not yet joined the Inner Circle.

The Event concluded with a final Quest, titled simply "Within." Synchronistic, as is so often the case with Quests, it was Game Masters, and the Inner Circle presented incredible ideas for future games and reinterpretations of existing games, taking them into unexpected directions. Ideas which you will be seeing in future games featured at Karmic Gatherings.

At its simplest, the event was six Quests over two days with a hotel party and very little sleep. While a Karmic Gathering will inherently defy all expectoration, Within showed everyone that Morton is truly Within.

PenguiCon 5.0 - April 20-22, Troy, Michigan

PenguiCon 5.0 was blur of hard cider, rolling Boulders, ninjas and hard core late-nite nerdgasmic partying. Twilight Lord Nathaninja, graciously assisted by local Detroit Inner Circle, The Empire of Nothing (special thanks to Cricket, OverBill, Red, Trevor and potential member Guido), pulled off the ambitious 13-event Friday through Sunday plan. Twelve Quests (one beginning on each of the first 12 Tables of Morton's List), and the 988th Ninja Clan Showdown.

Beginning with Solar Rise on Friday and ending with Yin of the Earth on Sunday, it was a non-stop thrill ride. Of the many Quests, flavor and tactics both scheduled and spontaneous, both during and after hours, just a few of the highlights include:

Quest: Artistic Brush, Vision Quest Table. The Inner Circle used free condiments and foods available in the Con Suites to create works of art on paper plates. Simple name tags were fashioned for each, giving the piece's title, artist's name and selling price. These were then set out on a table in a high traffic area with a form asking people to vote for their favorite piece, and supplying contact information for purchasing, "Serious Inquiries Only, Please."

The table intrigued and confused many attendees, and lots of votes were recorded, with Roly Poly Pope's piece entitled "Drummer with Dancers" winning. OverBill sat next to the Table for a while, explaining that the art was created by people suffering from "ML" and all profits would be donated to help find a cure. When asked about this unheard of malady, he explained that it is a condition affecting how the brain perceives signals from the eyes.

Quest: The Hunted Hunter, Cosmic Law Table. Two new players just happened to have a trunk full of Nerf weapons. Rocket launchers, pistols, rifles, artillery - a frickin' arsenal ready to rock. It was on! The con turned into a battle ground as the stairways, elevators and balconies became hunting grounds. Stealth, tactics and blind luck blurred in an all-out game of kill or be killed.

Tactics: Free Beer. The almost unbelievable boast of PenguiCon was true: free beer all weekend. Hard cider and several microbrews on tap flowed and fueled the rampant partying Friday and Saturday nights. Girls lesboing out on a Trojan Horse, a Karaoke room party, a giant Penguin and other costumed freaks, Goth Bunnies, bands of roving ninjas hitting up the two Con Suites and every room party in between. The price of admission more than paid for itself after just one night of free drinks.

Other Quests included Nature Magic on Rainbow Dragon, For the Children on Yang of the Sky, Forked Tongue on Yin of the Earth, Sink or Swim on Mountain (where the Inner Circle decided to hold free witch testings at the pool), X-rated Games on Chaos, and much more flavor.

In short, PenguiCon 5.0 rocked so hard you can count on Morton's List being there next year, and this time we'll freak it even harder. How about a Random Reality Room Party? How about meta-Quests going on 24/7? It's on for 2008 - be there for PenguiCon 6.0.