I love game conventions. There’s something inspiring, something electric about seeing games being played, meeting new gamers, and catching up with old gamer friends. Around May each year, I start getting antsy. “Summer is coming,” I mutter — because to me, summer has always been the season of game conventions.
This year is no exception. Here’s a quick list of where you’ll find me, convention-wise, between now and autumn.
- Space City Con (August 2-4) This will be my first visit to this Houston-based convention, but it looks to be an absolute blast. This is a full-blown sci-fi con, with special guests from dozens of geek franchises. And oh yes, there will be gaming. As for me, I’ll be running demos of the new RPG, Anointed, during the show. If you see me, stop by, say hi, and give the game a whirl.
- GenCon (August 15-18) The mother of all game conventions, GenCon is the Mecca of gaming, to which every gamer should make at least one pilgrimage. I’ve been blessed to be able to attend, first as a gamer, and then as a professional, virtually every year for the past two decades. This year, I’ll be attending as a guest of Dark Skull Studios, and running more demos of Anointed for anyone who makes eye contact with me.
- Tacticon (August 29-September 2). I’ve been a regular at this Denver convention (as well as its February sister show, Ghengis Con) for a number of years. I’ll be back this year running multiple sessions of Karthador, my upcoming swashbuckling science fiction RPG. The game itself is scheduled to be available from Reality Blurs at GenCon, so I might even have hard copies for people to pass around and fondle.
I don’t really like summer. It’s too hot, too sunny, too full of joggers for my taste. But when the calendar flips to the blistering season, I still get a little thrill. The conventions are coming, and I can’t wait.
