No hard data here, but from what I read and the people I talk to, the 4th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons has brought a fair number of former players back to the game. Wizards appears to recognize this and is offering further encouragement in the form of 6 free trips to Gen Con 2009 for one fortunate former gaming group. The Never Split the Party Contest will provide convention passes, travel, and 4 days and 3 nights of Indianapolis accommodations to a group of gaming buddies that separated years ago and can convince the judges with their answers to such questions as:

• How did you meet?
• Did you have any fun “house rules”?
• What was your favorite game night tradition?
• When was the last time you played together?
• Why did you split up?
• Why should WotC reunite your game group at Gen Con?

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Cuba is a Euro-type board game of resource management, similar in style to that other Caribbean island game but a little less intense and more forgiving. The El Presidente expansion adds a lot more stuff, including additional buildings, characters, laws, and ships. It also includes an add-on section to the board, where special rules come in to play each turn as the President stops in to visit the character not chosen by the players.

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Qatar: One mans stabs his manager to death at a Carrom game. (source)

Chicago, IL: Group of teens arrested for playing craps for cash (all of them admitted to it; learn your rights, kids). (source)

Memphis, TN: Man charged with second-degree murder for slaying over a card game. (source)

Honolulu, HI: News coverage of illegal card gaming in Chinatown. You are encouraged to report any sightings of this ongoing problem to the police. (source)

Not criminal: Mesa, AZ: Search for missing 85 yo woman who failed to show up for a card game. (source) Found 2 days later. (source)

NY, NY: Accused prison chaplain Rabbi forced to resign for favoring Jewish inmates by bringing them kosher food, dice and card games, videos and phone calls, and even arranging for an in-jail bar mitzvah. (source) I don’t get the problem here.

St Andrew, Jamaica: 5 shot, 1 killed, while playing dominoes (what else?) in a shop. (source)

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