The 3rd AD&D Master Tournament The Search for the Armadillo
Amulet, was held during the period of September to January, and the
results became final at the Winter Fantasy convention held in Lake
Geneva, Wis., on Jan. 5-6.

The tournament was a little different from most D&D tournaments.
It was played as a 1-on-1 event; the contestants played individually
in the scenario. Each player used an identical character and had access
to a wide variety of magic items. Then, the player was sent on a mission
to locate a strange object called the Armadillo Amulet, which was
hidden in the castle of an EHP.

Scoring was handled in a unique manner. The scenario was set up
so that the players had an unlimited choice of many magic items.
Selection of many powerful items would theoretically make the character
able to complete the mission easily, so, unbeknownst to the
players, points were scored against them for the value of the magic items
they selected. This had the effect of rewarding players who relied on
their native abilities, and penalized those who relied on large amounts of
magic to get through.

The scoring was handled in a negative manner, with the lowest score
winning. In addition to receiving points for magic items selected, the
players were given points for those items they failed to return intact, and
they scored points for the amount of Time they used. The players were
then credited for any treasure they brought back. Of course, failure to
find the Amulet was penalized heavily.