I’ve got a number of longer posts to make about conversations I had at Gen Con with David Wesely and Ross Maker about the early history of the Blackmoor campaign, but here’s a quick one from Ross:
At conventions, Dave [Arneson] would have a room where there was a rope hanging from the ceiling with a sign saying: “Do Not Pull This Rope or a 16 Ton Weight Will Smash You.” You can probably guess where that came from! And even though the sign told you exactly what would happen when you pulled the rope, someone always would. Usually it was the most annoying munchkin in the group, and everyone would breathe a sigh of relief and keep going.
Nice to know that gamers making Monty Python jokes are participating in the oldest of old-school traditions! (See also the wizard named Tim in Jaquays’ “Borshak’s Lair”.)
Charlatan
Eric Minton
maldoor
Greengoat
David Wellington
James Nostack
tavisallison
The Mule Abides 
Now I’ve got to update Castle of the Mad Archmage again…
So funny! :)
No, no, it’s just too silly.
Not literally a 16 Ton Weight falls on them, rather 16 Tons of… herring? Small silvery fish fall in gouts and crush the party standing there. (But where were the herring stored? A fishly bag of holding?) By the time they return with new characters, the rotting fish have attracted swarms of monsters…
Or… how much volume is 16 tons worth of gold? Killing them with their heart’s desire is always fun, but there might not be enough width to kill everybody.
I misread the article, so my next adventure will feature a sixteen-ton wight.