Games in Shifnal to honour Gary

After starting at noon on Saturday, the Black Country Role Playing Society played tabletop games through the night, finishing at noon the following day.

Named the Gazathon, participants played three eight-hour role-playing sessions – played back to back throughout the weekend – which included games like Dungeons & Dragons and Shadowrun.

Recurring

Members came up with the idea to honour Gary Price, who died last year after battling bowel cancer.

The club now wants to make it an recurring memorial fundraiser.

Games normally last a few hours but the members took part and acted out their roles for a straight 24 hours.

They were raising money for Macmillan Cancer Care, who supported Gary and wife Lora through his illness.

Organiser Hugh Blackwood said: “As a group, we were devastated to lose Gary, but knew we all had to do something positive and constructive as a tribute to our incredible friendship. Now we’ve finished we’re absolutely shattered. Everyone who took part is incredibly tired but we’ve played the three games and it went really well.

"We’ve had people come from as far as London and some members actually stayed up for about 36 hours to take part, so we’ve all been up for a long time concentrating and playing.

“The most important thing is that we’ve brought people together to remember a good friend.

“We had a collection bucket going around and players could donate different amounts of money to slightly alter the rules of certain dice throws.”

Fantastic

Gary’s widow Lora Price said of the event: “It’s absolutely fantastic and reflects the person Gary was.

“All these guys doing this in his name reflects on how much he meant to them.”

The Gazathon was supplied with food from the Hundred House in Norton, and beer from the Blind Monkey Brewery.

The group will continue raising funds until March 6, a year since Gary died.

To donate online, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/blackcountrygazathon