Nostalgia frequently pays a visit to the Diablo communities and while it's sometimes more destructive than useful, now is your chance to benefit from it!
Image courtesy of EpicentrumDiablo
There is a HUGE chance you're among the millions of players who spent countless hours in the depths of the first Diablo game and there probably isn't a better way to trigger your memories and emotions than listening to one of the most emblematic themes in game history: Tristram's Tune!
Give it a try and share your story - the most vivid memory that surfaces in your mind while listening to the tune. As a reward for the best story, its author will receive one of the most exciting reads of our time: David Craddock's "Stay Awhile and Listen" coming out this fall! And that's not all! The best story will be included in the book! There will also be 5 runner-ups chosen, so make sure to check the rules below.
More information about the book that covers the development of Diablo 1 is coming very soon.
So sharpen your keyboards and show us what your gaming self is made of!
Here is a detailed and even more lyrical description (along with rules) of DiabloFans' and DM Press' contest!
DiabloFans Quote:
From the first strum of composer Matt Uelmen's twelve-string guitar, Diablo players setting foot in the beleaguered town of Tristram knew they were in for something special. Those opening chords, equal parts uplifting and hopeless, greeted players the first time they climbed back up to Tristram from the depths below the town, becoming as firmly ingrained in the minds of fans as the telltale ding of a ring hitting the cold stone floor of the dungeon.
DM Press invites you to think back to 1997 and the hours you spend listening to Tristram's haunting, melodic theme. What memories does it stir up in you? Do you think back to the first time you visited the virtual village? Did the music assure you that you could finally breathe a sigh of relief, patch up your wounds, and sort through the baubles you brought up from the depths? Maybe it encapsulates what Diablo meant to you during that particular phase of life.
To enter the "Tristram's Tune" contest, register an account on DiabloFans and submit an anecdote of up to 300 words describing the memories that Tristram's theme evokes in the comments section below.
All entries must be received before Saturday, August 24, 2013, at 12:01 am Pacific. Entry is limited to one story per participant. The winning entry will be published in the first volume of Stay Awhile and Listen, and the author of the winning entry will receive a free copy of the eBook on the Kindle, iTunes, or Nook eBook platform. Five runners-up will see their entries commemorated in the DM Press Hall of Heroes, an online gallery dedicated to the most campfire-worthy stories our readers have to offer. Please note that we will only consider stories from the first Diablo, not Diablo II or Diablo III.
RULES
* Contest open to registered DiabloFans users only and are subject to DiabloFans rules, eligibility, and guidelines.
* Stories cannot exceed 300 words. Stories from Diablo II or Diablo III will not be considered.
* Deadline: Entries must be submitted by Saturday, August 24, 2013, at 12:01 am Pacific.
* DiabloFans and DM Press editors will select a winner and five runners-up from all submitted entries. Winners and runners-up will be announced on August 26, 2013. The winner will receive one copy of Stay Awhile and Listen on the Nook, Kindle, or iTunes eBook platforms on the day of the book's release. Stay Awhile and Listen release date to be determined.
* DM Press reserves the right to publish any and all stories in printed and electronic editions of Stay Awhile and Listen, as well as promotional materials included not limited to websites and social media networks.
Hearthstone Beta Key Giveaway
If you weren't selected to join the Hearthstone Closed Beta Test, now is your chance to get in!
Our friends at HearthPwn.com are giving away Hearthstone Beta Keys.
To enter the giveaway, create a deck using HearthPwn's deckbuilder. After you've created your deck, show it off in this thread.
The giveaway will be closed on Saturday, August 17th at 11:59 PM EDT and winners will be chosen randomly.
For more information, be sure to check out the official rules here.
And if you're not hyped enough, have a look bellow for a small part of what you're missing:
Hearthstone Closed Beta Now Live
Originally Posted by (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Here’s a card we’ve been dying to play: The closed beta test for Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft has begun in the Americas region!
During the closed beta test, we’ll be inviting a range of duelers from our opt-in pool (along with folks from press and fansites) to try their hand at Hearthstone and let us know what they think. There’s no NDA during the beta, and we’d love to hear all about your epic victories, watch your live streamed matches, and see screenshots and videos sharing your experiences with the game. Please note that Hearthstone is still in development, and what you see and play in the beta test isn’t necessarily representative of what to expect in the final game.
Want to participate in beta testing Hearthstone? Read on!
How do I opt in to the closed beta test?
Once you’ve set up a Battle.net account, you can choose to opt in to our beta test from the Beta Profile page. You’ll need to download and run the System Check tool to attach your computer’s specifications to your beta profile. Once that’s complete it’s simply a matter of waiting for an invite.
You can also opt in through our website here.
How do I know if I’m selected?
We’ll send you an email letting you know if you’re selected. The email will contain a beta key—just follow the instructions inside to get started.
As always, please be aware of phishing attempts—falsified emails sent by unscrupulous individuals purporting to be from Blizzard, but their real goal is to steal your login credentials. For more information on how to identify these emails, please refer to our Battle.net Security site.
One easy way to ensure your invite is legit is to avoid clicking on links in any invite emails you receive. Instead, just log in to your Battle.net account and add the beta key from your invite email to your account.
How many players do you plan on inviting to the beta test?
The number of players we invite to the Hearthstone beta will be based on our testing needs. During the course of testing we’ll be inviting additional opt-ins as necessary in waves.
Is there an NDA?
There is no NDA for the Hearthstone beta test. Take screenshots, live-stream matches, record movies—whatever your heart desires! Please keep in mind that the game is still a work in progress, and we appreciate your understanding when you encounter bugs, graphical errors, or other issues. Help us create a better game for everyone to enjoy by reporting them here!
How long will the beta test last?
We have not determined an exact date for the end of the beta test. We’ll post a notice when the beta test is nearing completion.
Do I get to keep all my beta cards?
We are planning to wipe all player collections partway through the closed beta. We anticipate needing to rebalance some cards based on the feedback we get in the closed beta, and recognize that players may have made decisions on which cards to disenchant or craft based on information that’s changing. After we’ve completed that wave of balance testing and wiped cards, we do not anticipate needing to reset collections again.
Players who purchased card packs or Arena entry with real money prior to the collection wipe will be credited back with an equivalent amount of gold following the wipe, which can be used to re-purchase packs and/or Arena entry to re-establish their collection. These packs will not contain the same configuration of cards as the packs acquired previous to the collection reset.
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Posted Aug 16, 2013-
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Posted Aug 16, 2013-
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Posted Aug 18, 2013-
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Posted Aug 18, 2013-
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Posted Aug 18, 2013-
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Posted Aug 18, 2013Alright, so I was around 7 years old. This of course, was the whole time where there was one, chugging PC in the livingroom, with a dial-up connection, and you'd be lucky to get a half an hour in before Dad, or my sister had a turn on the computer coming up; there was no going over your half hour.
I played single player, I mean, if someone wanted on the phone-- yeah, no internet. So I had been playing the game for a few weeks, but due to the short turns I never really got far. I decided to try playing online, I mean, why not? I was level 14! I was a badass! I joined a game and we started working our way through the catacombs. It was fun! I couldn't believe you could have more than one person in the game! This was fantastic!
And better yet, my companion threw me some armor! Awww man! It changes the way you look?! Dude! I look so cool! This is awesome! My companion left and I continued down through. I made it to the caves! "This is so cool!" So I continued along and things started to get a little bit scary... And then it happened. I died. I dropped my chainmail armor. I was in a panic. And then the worst possible thing happened... Dad told me it was time to get off of the computer. "BUT I JUST NEED 2 MORE MINUTES I NEED TO GO GET MY ARMOR!" I exclaimed... it didn't matter. He pulled the cable out of the modem. I lost my connection. I cried for a solid hour... oddly enough, I play on hardcore all the time now.
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Posted Aug 18, 2013Perhaps that is a lot of the appeal of the first Diablo, it was a dangerous, mysterious world to explore. As with many players, our first 'epic' moment was when my brother opened the door to The Butcher, and the terrifying line of 'Ah, fresh meat!' roared out of our speakers. His Warrior got pummeled and quickly retreated out of The Butcher's gore-soaked chambers.
Our duel of death continued as my brother fought to stay alive while I peppered The Butcher with arrows. Our potion supply began to dwindle, and so too did our chances of victory. We almost had The Butcher slain when the inevitable happened - my brother died. My Rogue managed to finish him off, but the victory was a tad pyrhhic.
Unfortunately, it would be the first of many deaths we experienced as we descended towards Diablo...
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Posted Aug 19, 2013I can still recall my most treasured memory as though it happened yesterday. I was crouched on the balls of my feet in my chair. Diablo's chamber was in my sights. My eyes grew wide and I nearly fell out of my chair from how far forward I was leaning as his huge body came into view on the fire-and-pentagram riddled floor. My cursor flickered over The Dark Lord and I was barely able to hit him once before a single swipe of his claw brought me down to half health. Yelling out in determination and thankful that my huge two handed sword had a magical knock back I proceeded to kite and knock him back for fear of my life. Every few seconds I popped a Potion of Rejuvination and caleld upon the three great dragon heads out of the floor in attempts to kill him.
It was the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment that washed over me as Diablo fell before me and the ending cinematic began to play. The fact that I killed The Dark Lord and brought peace from The Burning Hells. After being introduced to Starcraft for the first time some time later, I've been a dedicated Blizzard fan ever since.
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Posted Aug 19, 2013Glued to our 15' CRT TV in a poky little lounge. I vividly recall the late nights and early mornings over many weekends and school holidays playing this game. It was intoxicating. The visceral game-play and an atmosphere of palpable darkness had me always at the edge.
The dusty town with those wary characters, and the music!!! I felt that sense of dread and yet compulsion to continue downwards towards the unknown depths below the town. Then to hear the sounds of the rattling skeletons, coming from the dark beyond my vision. The beady eyes of the creatures that seemed to crawl out from the cave walls. Always surrounded by terror and yet willing to keep fighting. I loved that game so much. My younger sisters would sometimes sit with me to watch on with beady eyes as I'd forge ahead through dark passages fending off ugly demonic creatures.
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Posted Aug 19, 2013i started a amazon because face who as a kid who didnt fantasize about shooting a bow and arrow . i played for about 2 hours then my mother came in told me go 2 bed literally almost came to tears i was hooked lol. so i ok'd her to death pretended to go to sleep proceded to sneak back on around 10pm when she fell asleep.
i then was glued to my monitor until i heard my mothers alarm go off i JUMPED out my chair into bed and pretended to sleep. ( thought i got away with it ) then my mom was like "you think im a dummy" SMACK right upside my head ... atleast turn the monitor off if your going to try to play behind my back lol.
so ya i then had to go threw a day of school with no sleep and i came home to no monitor in my room for 2 days
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Posted Aug 20, 2013-
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Posted Aug 21, 2013-
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Posted Aug 22, 2013Oh, I did venture down into the labyrinth at times. I've led many warriors, rogues and sorcerers to their certain doom in the depths below Tristram. Diablo was a harsh game and your hero started out as a brave but very vulnerable human, fighting endless hordes of demons and undead. Death - and the potential loss of your arsenal of weapons and armor - was a very real threat. Every time the howling, ghostly music swelled and my hero would note that the sanctity of the cathedral had been fouled, I'd get goose bumps.
My heroes battled bravely, but often they had to run for their life. Whenever the monsters were too numerous or all healing potions had been gulped down, I'd quickly cast a town portal and scamper through it. The first chord of Matt Uelmen's defining music always was a welcoming beacon of relief. Tristram was a desolate, nearly abandoned village where the cold wind howled trough the rickety shacks. But it was a safe haven. My safe haven.
I've only dared to take a handful of heroes into hell to confront the Lord of Terror. Sure, I defeated him, but I liked it better on the surface. Just staying a while and listening. Not to Deckard Cain, though. I was listening to Matt Uelmen.
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Posted Aug 22, 2013"The warmth of life has entered my tomb. Prepare yourself, mortal...to serve my master...for eternity...ha ha ha..."
Honestly, the impending battle was a hell of a lot more intense, too. The Butcher was one badass monster, but still, just one monster. When you headed into King Leoric's Tomb, you were faced with armies of skeletons, hordes of warriors, archers, and knights that had fallen and been turned into soldiers for the mad king. You could occasionally bottleneck them by standing in a doorway, but you’d be at it for hours with that strategy.
When you FINALLY made it through the battle, you were met with TONS of loot!! For one thing, if you were resourceful enough to knock over the crucified remains in the corners, you were treated to numerous LARGE CHESTS! Cha-ching! Also, the Butcher was guaranteed to drop his Cleaver, but that’s really only good for Warriors. Leoric dropped the Undead Crown...only 8 Armor...but 5% Life Steal! Awesome! I've had characters that made it to the end and never took that thing off.
The Butcher is an iconic figure in Diablo history for a lot of people, but for me, especially after playing Diablo 3, and now knowing that the Warrior who killed Diablo was Aidan Leoric, and all three human manifestations of Diablo were of the Leoric bloodline (Albrecht, Aidan, and Aidan’s daughter, Leah), the battle with the risen King Leoric is truly the core of what Diablo means…
Hordes of enemies, a wealth of loot, and the cold stench of death.
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Posted Aug 23, 2013-
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Posted Aug 24, 2013You could add a transcription, just to be sure ;-)