We here at Desert Bus would like to extend a thank you to one of our continuing food sponsors.

The Six Mile Pub has been a Victoria institution for over a century. Holding the title of British Columbia’s oldest pub, Six Mile has endeavoured to use as many locally sourced ingredients in order to bring the flavour of Victoria to bear.

Six Mile has provided us with some great food throughout the run and we (and our appetites) are very thankful for the support.

RPG Art Contest!

We here at Desert Bus are big fans of RPGs and we know you are too! For Cam’s next Art Challenge, he has asked you to send us an illustration of your favourite RPG character! (Pro tip: Cam recommends “strong visual storytelling”!)

The options here are endless: this can be a character of your own creation or not, from any kind of RPG imaginable! (video game, pen-and-paper, board game, etc.!)

To enter, simply email contests@desertbus.org with your submission before 9:30am Pacific!! Use the subject line “RPG Art Contest” and MAKE SURE to include your screen name too!

The winning entry will win our fantastical Fantasy Lot! The Fantasy Lot includes a Dawnbreaker Necklace, a Dragon Dice Bag, a Googly Eye Die, a copy of Citadels multi-player strategy game, a Hero Vault in Oak wood, and a set of Tiny Titans dragons!! Follow this link for more details!

During Cam’s shift, we challenged the community to develop their concept for an alternative history story. Here’s the winning entry, by TacitusVigil:

We imagined history as a fixed path; “what was” is what was always meant to be. How could it be otherwise? Historians used counterfactuals to examine history to an extent (at least before The Device), but such musings absent of evidence were frowned upon by academics. Alternate history novels used to dive into the most overused questions…what if the Nazis won World War II? What if the South won the American Civil War? What if the White House wasn’t destroyed during the 9/11 attacks? After the Quantum Entanglement Device (the Q.E.D., or “The Device” as it’s usually referred) was invented ten years ago, all those “What ifs” were confirmed for us. At first it was deeply profound, gazing into The Device to see the road less traveled. Of course, The Device isn’t a time machine, so we’re limited to one-way real-time images into those worlds. Historians were thrilled to study worlds that look so similar, yet are so different…

…then the politicians weaponized the Device, pointing to select dystopic timelines where their opponents are in power (that infinite realities exist meant nothing to them). And when people started seeing what it would be like if they never had kids, or they married that other person, etc, well…we look back fondly when mere reality TV could “ruin” our lives. Now we ask “why do anything if your choices mean nothing”? Our world is now obsessed with “What if” and nobody cares about what is. The old saying is true…ignorance is bliss.

Do you like playing Magic: The Gathering? If so, you’ll want to check out this donation drive, where we’ll be giving away the Welcome to Zendikar lot. Donate $11.11 (or multiples thereof) for a chance to win. We’ll run this donation drive until 7:00 AM PST.

We are extremely excited to welcome Hipster Whale as a sponsor for Desert Bus this year! Hipster Whale is the studio behind the breakaway mobile hit Crossy Road. Formed by Andy Sum and Matt Hall with art by Ben Weatherhall, their flagship title has taken both the App and Google Play stores by storm. This is also the title that took most of the Desert Bus 8 crew by surprise storm last year! Think Frogger crossed with a host of wonderful characters and you have the infinite playability of Crossy Road.

We are super thankful for their support this year!

Ready to adventure into the land of Tamriel? Our next giveaway is for the Imperial Edition of Elder Scrolls Online. Donate $6.03 (or multiples thereof) for a chance to win. We’ll run this donation drive until 5:50 AM PST. Here’s a description of what’s in this edition:

Explore the mysteries of Tamriel like never before with the Imperial Edition of Elder Scrolls Online for PC! Venture alone or with friends in this MMO set roughly 1000 years before the coming of the Dragonborn. How will you shape your destiny?

In addition to the game, the Imperial Edition includes:
– 12″ Molag Bal Statue 
– The Improved Emperor’s Guide to Tamriel 
– 21 x 26″ Physical Map of Tamriel 
– Limited Edition Steel Case Packaging 

As well as the following exclusive collection of digital content:
– Play as an Imperial
– White Imperial Horse 
– Mudcrab Vanity Pet 
– Rings of Mara 

Our first challenge of Cam’s shift is inspired by our giveaway prize: two signed books from the Caesar Americanus series, the second of which hasn’t been released yet. For a chance to win these books, we’d like to hear your best alternative history story.

Send your submissions (no greater than 250 words) to contests@desertbus.org with “Alternate History” in the subject line. You’ll have until 6:00 AM PST to submit your entries. Also, be sure to include the name or handle you’d like us to use on air should your submission win.

During Fugi’s shift, we challenged the community to develop creative works related to Fugi’s favorite game, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Here’s the winning entry, by Eskar:

And here’s our runner-up entries:

Check out the rest of the community’s submissions after the jump…

We’re running a donation drive for an official Desert Bus 9 t-shirt! Donate $5.01 (or multiples thereof) for a chance to win. We’ll run this donation drive until shortly after 4:00 AM PST.