All Year I Dream About Gaming Conventions

In this episode, Ben and Quarex march you through many of the gaming conventions you need to know about in January, February, March and April, including (but not limited to because of character constraints): Midwinter Gaming Convention in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, from January 9-12 (link)Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo in Oaks, PA from January 16-19 (link)Ohayocon in Dayton OH from January 31-February 2 (link)CascadeCon in Bellingham, WA from Jan 30 - February 2 (link)Niagara Boardgaming Weekend in Grimsby, ON, from January 23-26 (link) CanCon in Canberra, AUS, from January 25-27 (link)Rocket City Gamefest in Huntsville, AL from Feb 2-4 (link)Winter Fantasy in Fort Wayne, IN from February 5-9 (link)Williamsburg Muster in Williamsburg, VA from February 16-18 (link)Gamers of Winter in Harrisburg PA from February 15-17 (link)Dreamation in Morristown PA from February 20-23 (link)Evercon in Wausau, WI from February 28-March 2 (link)Games with Trains is at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore MD on March 1 (link)Gameface Con in Baltimore, MD from March 8-9 (link)Cleveland ConCoction in Cleveland, OH from March 8-10 (link)Gary Con in Lake Geneva WI, from March 20-23 (link)Adepticon in Milwaukee WI from March 26-31 (link)Alamo City Game Convention in San Antonio, TX from Mar 28-30 (link)Break Out Con in Toronto, ON from March 14-16 (link)LepreCon in Dublin, IE, from March 22-24 (link)RathaCon in Athens, OH on April 13 (link) Raven Con in Richmond, VA from April 25-27 (link)Final Three Con, in NOVA from April 25-27 (link) You won't want to miss them!

On this episode, Ben recaps his experience at Sunday of PAX Unplugged 2024. On this episode, we're talking about (some of) the games Ben played: Ziggurat, a board game from Mindware (link)Butterfly Garden, an elevated reprint from Capstone Games (link)Galaxy Fighters by Gamey (link), coming to Kickstarter in March The Black Mold of Claus Manor, written by Mike Martens and distributed by Plus One Exp (link)We're also talking about the events Ben didn't attend, as well as the controversy pre- and post-show. Ben even grades what he did right and wrong, and why he's gotta go all three days next year. You might even hear the rarest of all things: an apology? (Ben might suggest you get in line, or maybe find another game to play.)

It's smack dab at the beginning of the holiday season in December, and only one convention is bold enough to hold itself out for attendance: PAX Unplugged 2024 (link) from December 6-8 in famously sunny Philadelphia, PA. On this episode, your hosts Quarex and Ben discuss:What press badges meanThe Venn diagram between line cons and gaming conventionsBadges and hotelsParking through SpotHero (link), which is not an affiliate linkPlaces to eatUsing the PAX Nav app (link to Google Play and the App Store)Signing up for events, especially with groups like Indie Games on Demand (link) and Lurking Fear (link)Exhibitors to check outGames to demoThe 3 Ps: Paint & Take, the Puzzle Room, and PAX UprisingThe concert that everyone's excited aboutAnd the 4th P: Pinny Arcade! (link)And as promised, here's the link to the Sprites and Dice Guide to PAX Unplugged 2024 (link) and the very late breaking PAX Unplugged Quickstart Guide (link).If you're even thinking about attending PAX Unplugged this year, you won't want to miss this.

On this episode, Ben and Quarex meet up in a spooky Midwest town like Eerie, IN or Normal, IL and give thanks for the bounty of podcasting, conventions, family, and of course dreamers.

On this episode, Ben and Quarex talk about the conventions they attended this fall that don't rhyme with Namevole John. This includes: Vintage Computer Festival Midwest in Schaumburg, WI (link) Flat Con in Bloomington-Normal, IL (link)Save Against Fear (link), organized by the Bodhana Group (link)Let us know on social media what convention you've attended since Gamehole Con!

On this episode, we are elated to talk with Mike Boozer about the Gen Con VIG Program. The Gen Con Very Important Gamer Program (link) is a way to supercharge your Gen Con experience. While the badge is pricey, we talk with Mike about all the ways that the VIG Badge and VIG Companion badges provide bang for your buck. Tickets are limited each year, and you'll want to email VIG@gencon.com between November 15 and December 15 to throw your name in the ring.

While at Gamehole Con 2024, our Alternate Social Media Aimee recorded about 10 interviews. These five recordings are curated from the following exhibitors: Michelle from Crafted, a girl-powered, coffee-fueled decor designer…with a laser and questionable power tools (link)Susan from Delvingwood, who durable, affordable, gaming gear for roleplayers, wargamers, and board gamers (link)Jason from Drink the Paint, a creative dynamo with a dark sense of humor (link) Jim from Dyna Maps, who merges old-school style and simplicity with modern materials and design to create a Dynamic Mapping System (link) Joshua from Lone Colossus Games, a a tabletop games company focused on creating TTRPG supplements and systems (link) Check them out, even away from the convention!

With the help of alternate social media intern, Aimee, your hosts recap their experience at Gamehole Con 2024 in autumnal Madison, WI. This episode is jammed pack with commentary about the games, the vendors, and you guessed it — the dreamers that made Gamehole such a blast to attend. Unless you were stuck in Maryland, and also have to fill out the episode summary. And you're not known to be exceedingly bitter about missing things like this.

On Saturday, August 3, Ben and Quarex recorded a live episode from Meeting Room 12 of Lucas Oil Stadium, where we were joined by many dreamers who bought tickets (or handed us generics). This is the first half of that episode, where we discuss Gen Con 2024 in the moment — the second half of the episode lives exclusively in the hearts and minds of those in attendance. Enjoy this episode while Quarex and our growing team of social media interns recover from Gamehole Con.