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All Year I Dream About Gaming Conventions
The podcast you didn't know you needed about Gen Con, Origins, PAX Unplugged, the Gygax Convention Industrial Complex, and beyond.
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182. Episode 182: Special Guests and Creators at PAGE 3
28:19||Ep. 182Starting this Thursday, January 15, you can attend PAGE 3 in the Philly suburbs! To get you ready, we're talking with a special guest and a creator who will be at this year's show.First up, we have Mike Shea a/k/a The Lazy Dungeon a/k/a Sly Flourish, who is one of the special guest at PAGE 3 this year. Visit his website!Shop at his bookstore!Listen to his podcast after this one!Join his social media of the future... a mailing list!Next, we have Wythe from Stillfleet Studio, vendor of fine games that use their Grit System, like: The titular Stillfleet Blister CrittersDanse MacabreListen to their podcast Why We Roll, where Wythe and Chris have in-depth conversations with professional game designers with a focus on contemporary indie TTRPGs. At PAGE 3, Stillfleet is running games with tickets available that you can find at the following link.
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181. Episode 181: Gen Con Event Submissions in 2026
26:16||Ep. 181On this episode, Quarex and Ben tell you everything you wanted to know about running events at Gen Con but were too afraid to ask. Key links include: Gen Con Events Page: https://www.gencon.com/events Gen Con EO/GM Portal: https://www.gencon.com/host/eo-gm New GM Page: https://www.gencon.com/gen-con-indy/newgm Gen Con Event Host Policy: https://files.gencon.com/genconeventhostpolicy.pdf And if you want to interact with your hosts, why not join our Discord server?
180. Episode 180: Previewing PAGE 3
18:25||Ep. 180On this episode, Quarex and Ben are getting you ready for the third annual Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo, known to all as PAGE 3! Both your hosts will be in attendance, elevating this show to such rarified air as Gen Con and Origins. These are the things getting them excited: Down the Dark Stairway Shadowdark Mega-EventPAGE Charity AuctionDraw Steel with one of its creatorsSecrets of Glass Shard Beach for the kids on bikes at heartWardens of the Eastern Marches events, mostly sold out Try the new Trinamyk RPG How to Play Doomtown on SundayHow Gaming Cons Have Changed Over the Last 60 Years by that Matt ShoemakerThe Good in Games World Premier Documentary Cosplaying your Character with Brett KingDefining the Star Wars Universe with Bill SlavicsekHistory of Palladium Books with Kevin Simebieda and Friends Yeet Vs. Appendix N... and many, many more! But first, a short tribute to the Curmudgeon in the Cellar himself, Tim Kask... somehow taken from us still too soon at 75. But second, listen in to find Quarex in Maryland this week!
179. Episode 179: A Dessert Course of Interviews (BGG Con)
16:35||Ep. 179On this episode, Ben T. Barackus talks with the following vendors at BGG Con using his real life press badge: Steve Jackson Games, makers of Purrfect Potions, Car Wars, and just about any flavor of Munchkin that a brand is willing to license BGG Store, the online storefront for Board Game Geek and fine purveyors of the BGG GeekUp Bit SetsJames S. Cole, publisher of Zombie: Survivor Infection... and many more! We want to thank our many dreamers, new and old, for a wonderful and record breaking new year, and you can expect more hard hitting convention in 2026.
178. Episode 178: A Feast of RPG Interviews (PAX Unplugged)
27:57||Ep. 178On this special Boxing Day release, our dreamers get five more interviews with creators in the indie RPG design space who came to PAX Unplugged!Brian Liberge, designer of fine RPGs like Last Kiss, an RPG where you play teens facing the end of the worldTiger Wizard, the head mage of Exalted Funeral, publisher of punk rock and doom metal RPGs like Mausritter, Land of Eem, and the only Monty Python game you'll want to play Metal Steve of The Metal Steve, who was playtesting his forthcoming game Band on Tour with the help of a deck of cards!Ryland Garnett, designer of Food & Evil, the food truck RPG game coming to Backerkit in February through past exhibit hall guest of the pod Goosepoop GamesStephen from AED Publishing, who was showing off the quickstart guide for The 5th Conspiracy RPG, an urban fantasy where everything people believe in is real because of your attention.Like Ben's train from BWI before PAX Unplugged.... you won't want to miss it!
177. Episode 177: An Appetizer of Expo Hall Interviews (PAX Unplugged)
28:10||Ep. 177On this episode, our dreamers can unwrap an early Xmas gift — five interviews, hung with care from the All Year I Dream About Gaming Conventions' chimney. In each gift box, you can listen to the following creators in the board game and miniatures space:Christopher from the always amazing Capstone Games, who just released the weird Wild West wrestling game Rowdy PartnersMike from Rock Manor Games, publishers of the award winning Set a Watch, who are now bringing Spanish language games to the English marketAnjuli from My Mini Factory, who not only provides a marketplace for creators to design the , but was showing off the prototype for the box set of Fighting Fantasy by Sir Ian LivingstoneHermes from Boken Games, who was showing off their prototype of Song of the Wildkin miniatures game at the Addax Games boothJames from Druid City Games, who was showing off the Off with their Heads roll and reveal, Tidal Waves 2 board game and RPGs, Wonderlands War, and Madcala
176. Episode 176: Nerd Xmas in December (Gen Con)
20:39||Ep. 176Just in time to get excited for Gen Con 2026 event and badge season! Listen in as Aimee of the Pod, Aimee interviews Rachel, Bethany, Drake, Jayden & Lily, NotThatDrake, and Vino Veritas from around the Indiana Convention Center! As an added bonus: We have gone back and rehabilitated some of our interview with Munchkin Champion of the Pod, Diana. No promises at the sound quality, but it's an improvement on Episode 147 and provides some background on how one might win a world championship at Gen Con.