2023 Iron DM

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It shall begin ... September 2023

The tradition continues ...
The new traditions shall begin ...
The 2023 event beckons you!

Iron DM is an annual celebration of the elusive blend of dedication, knowledge, creativity and chutzpah required to present and execute an unforgettable tabletop role playing game adventure. It is an event to gather and honor the dungeon masters, game masters, judges, referees, and whatever other names are worn by those who give their time to make games happen.

Since its first manifestation on this site in 2007, Iron DM has been a contest with one participant taking the "Iron DM" crown and holding the title until the next annual competition. The event continues as a competition-style format, but the goal of Iron DM extends to inspiring, supporting, and building the community of DM-players on this site and throughout the gaming community.

Much like Iron Chef challenges contestants to create fancy recipes out of random ingredients, this competition challenges you to craft enthralling items, encounters, adventures, and perhaps even a setting, using unique ingredient lists. Imagine writing epic adventures that captivate and enthrall, using only a wooden rabbit, an upside-down prince, a lavender mist, and a wrong turn.

The event welcomes submissions from all game systems and formats. Indeed, choosing the right system and being able to balance the pros and cons of using a familiar system as opposed to using a more obscure system is part of the contest strategy itself.

Like our gaming community, the flavor and tone of Iron DM changes over the years. It responds to community-wide trends and groundbreaking innovations from within the contest. Please consider joining this year's event to help us grow the community and perhaps even raise the bar and define the standards for next year's gathering.