July 13, 2001 to December 21, 2012

Morton's List: The End to Boredom was released to the public on Friday, July 13th, 2001 at Psychopathic Records' 2nd Annual Gathering of the Juggalos event, in Toledo, Ohio, selling over 1,000 copies the first weekend. These spread across the Midwest and beyond, spawning playing groups (Inner Circles), fan web sites and numerous tattoos. Launched in tandem, MortonsList.com enabled players, to document their Quest experiences for others to enjoy. These stories were frequently inspiring, hilarious & bizarre, and chronicled the powerful transformative effect of what appeared to be just a simple game.

Encouraged by initial success, Morton's List quickly encountered the first resistance to its revolutionary message. The game was banned from appearing at GenCon Game Fair (then in Milwaukee, Wisconsin), the largest gaming convention in the US, and a mecca for gamers of all kinds. Recently purchased by Hasbro, GenCon officials cited an obscure policy restricting games promoting “real magic.” This was enacted following religious extremist concerns about Wizards of the Coast's collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering. Years later, GenCon would come to embrace Morton's List, allowing it's nearly 40,000 attendees to enjoy Quests and tournaments.

In the fall of 2001 Morton's List was accepted by Hot Topic, a hugely popular mall clothing and accessory store catering to alternative teens, including Juggalos. Over 1,000 copies sold in a few short weeks before a fateful parental complaint. In the wake of the September 11th attacks rampant paranoia caused Hot Topic to reconsider their liability and remove the game from stores.

Undaunted, Rob, Nathan and Jesse finished the manuscript for 360 Degrees of the Inner Circle: A Morton's List Supplement. Published in 2002, it provided players with additional Tables, and meta rules to add layers of meaning and accomplishment to the game. It also revealed the existence of the Karmic Order of Twilight Lords, a private council that travels the world, experiencing the fullness of human activities across all cultures, and planting seeds of Random Reality in challenging and diverse settings. The Twilight Lords continually seek deeper understand of the true nature of chance, and the greater freedom, creativity, and confidence that embracing it bestows.

Soon, internal changes at Psychopathic Records lead to Nathan and Jesse assuming control of Dark Carnival Games, a financial restructuring, and shift to growing the online fan base and supporting emerging Inner Circle in the US and Europe. Many influential Morton's List players were united for the first time at The Karmic Gathering: OctoberList, held in Livonia, Michigan on Friday, October 13, 2006.

The success of this first all-Morton's List event inspired subsequent Karmic Gatherings in Tennessee, Miami, and a legendary excursion to Quest in the Alaskan wilderness. In the subsequent six years, Nathan and Jesse brought Morton's List to festivals and conventions around the country, including Burning Man, GenCon, The Gathering of the Juggalos, Origins Game Fair, and countless other gaming and anime conventions.