All Year I Dream About Gaming Conventions

On this episode, Ben and Quarex interview Josh Berling, who is the other TOVA auctioneer for the Gen Con Live Auction ( link ), as well as the magician behind the Valhalla charity auction on Saturday night in the Indiana Convention Center. Josh weaves tales about his first auction experience in Milwaukee, his favorite auction memories throughout the years, and why you'll want to be in the audience...

With Origins coming up this month, Quarex and Ben help you prepare for all the fun you can have at the 50th anniversary show. Highlights include: Tournament of Pieces ( link ) Paint and Take ( link ) Origins Special Guests ( link ) Attend trade day ( link ) Game Based Education Therapy Conference ( link ) And don't forget: Watch Quarex play “Heart of Darkness” with Origins special guest Andrew E.C...

Ahead of a summer of massive Rushmore conventions, Ben and Quarex sit down to discuss whether and how to best bring kids to gaming conventions. Replete with real world advice from the preeminent podcasters on the topic, we're not joking when we say you won't want to miss this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While your hosts Quarex and Ben are gearing up for the 50th Anniversary of Origins next month, there are still plenty of things our dreamers want to know about Gen Con. We're talking shoes, shots, bags, and lockers. We're talking about our wish lists and dreams for the exhibit hall. We're talking thieves of yore and the shuttering of the forums. Most importantly -- we're talking the likelihood of...

On this episode, Quarex and Ben talk with Joe Smiddie-Brush, the blood drive chair of the Heinlein Society, who has partnered with Gen Con to arrange for the blood drive, which is entering its 19th year at the convention! Wow!!! Important links: The Heinlein Society Gen Con Blood Drive The Blood Drive's partner, Dscryb , who coordinates much of the swag for donors Donate blood with last year's Gen...

On this episode, Ben and Quarex share their tips and tricks on how to do Gen Con without spending too much money. Topics include travel options to Indy, lodging in and around the situation, food/drink/alcohol, free badges, low cost/now cost events and seminars, and things to do around the city. Even if you're not the most frugal attendee, you might be able to glean some insights from the combined...

On this episode, Ben and Quarex review the conventions we attended thus far in 2025... other than Gary Con, Adepticon, and Awesome Con. Congress of Gamers Winter War GamiCon Dreamation Gameface Con MoComCon Unpub Fest Kobold Con C2E2 Chaosium Con Final 3 Con Did you attend any conventions during this time that we didn't cover? You can send us a Dreamer Dispatch at the following link ! Hosted on Ac...

On this episode, Quarex and Ben talk with Matt from the Lurking Fears GM Group! Matt regales us with his tales of starting and maintaining one of the best GM in all Conventionry. Lurking Fear website ( link ) Publishers they work with ( link ) Sign up to be a GM! ( link ) You can also catch a game with them at Origins Game Fair ( link to Tabletop Events ) and even Gen Con! Hosted on Acast. See aca...

On a day where the fourth might have been with us, the Gen Con event catalog definitely joined in all its Midichlorian glory. When you can find all the events on the official page ( link ) or the Gen Con 2025 Event DB page ( link ), your hosts Quarex and Ben picked out some events you'll want to check out: The Necromancer's Curse for Fabula Ultima ( link ) Deathwise5E, the Thousand Dollar experien...

On this episode, your hosts Quarex and Ben discuss the latest phenomenon in gaming conventions -- con cruises! We discuss the why, the whether, and the cruises you can book, including: JoCo Cruise Dice Tower Cruise D3/B3 at Sea Congress of Gamers Cruise Session ... and more! And don't forget that after over a decade of promising, Real ID is taking effect in May ! You won't want to miss it, especia...

On this episode, we talk about the conventions you want to know about between May 1 and September 2, including:   Buckeye Game Fest, Midwest Games Fest, Farmageddon, Congress of Gamers Spring Session, Shirecon, Dungeon Con, PAX East, Geekway to the West, OrakCon, Game Market (Chiba City, Japan), Thy Geekdom Con, Fargo CoreCon Halfoween, Balticon, StrategiCon Gamex, Rooks Con, LinCon, Chu...

In the furious vortex of March and April conventions, Quarex and Ben carved out some time in the recording schedule to discuss how you can convince your friends to join you at gaming conventions. Whether your reasons are selfish, altruistic, or somewhere in between — listen in to learn how to convince your friends and family into entering the lifestyle of gaming conventions. Hosted on Acast. See a...

On this episode, your hosts Quarex and Ben talk about their time at Adepticon (Milwaukee, WI) and Awesome Con (Washington DC) as members of the gaming media. We also introduce the Dreamer Dispatch, where if you tell us about your time at a convention, we may read your dreams on a future episode of the show. Drop your Dreamer Dispatches at the following link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

The 50th anniversary of Origins Game Fair starts June 18, 2025... which is so much sooner than you think! Your hosts Quarex and Ben walk you through everything you need to know now to make the convention the great time it can be, including: Badges Hotels Event Schedule Spectacles like the Film Festival Events on Stage Special Guests And don't forget our just early enough recommendations for events...

On this episode, Quarex regales your other host Ben with all the things he missed by not attending Gary Con XXVI. But first: have you ever wondered what the Gygax Convention Industrial Complex is? Your hosts grapple to define a term of their own making without being hoisted by their own petard. Referenced conventions include: North Texas RPG Con ( link ) Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo ( link ) CNY...

On this episode, Quarex and Ben release the interviews you want to hear from Gary Con and Gameface Con. Michael of Night Noon Games ( link ), whose successfully funded a zine on Shadowdark monster conversions that you can still make a late pledge for Dave from Smuggler's Coffee ( link ), a coffee shop in Dyer, IN that's best known for nerdy grounds (and their Malort barrel aged coffee) Laura from...

On March 20-23, the Gygax Convention Industrial Complex is returning to its roots for the 17th Gary Con! Much like Waldo, Quarex is able to be found at the convention, and of course your hosts are talking everything Gary Con in a digestible 20 minute dose. If you're going, don't forget to check out: The charity auction ( link ) Tales of the Valiant with Chris Hays ( link ) Katacombs and Kidventure...

The Gamehole Con housing portal opens up on March 15. If you want to attend, this is the first step to the Gamehole Con of your dreams! More information on the Gamehole Con website ( link ), and we review the broader administrative schedule you need to know. You won't want to miss it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, your hosts Quarex and Ben sit down with James Winfield, the organizer of 1d4 Con, which you can attend from March 28-30 in Charles Town, WV slash Harper's Ferry, MD. In this episode, we discuss: The now defunct 1d4 Cast, which is still available through Podchaser and other platforms ( link ) 1d4 Con, past and present ( link ) The upcoming events at 1d4 Con 2025 ( link to Tabletop...

Last week, Wizards of the Coast released their plans for Gen Con 2025—this time, actually on time: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1914-d-d-at-gen-con-2025-update While Baldman Games claims ( link ) that the move doesn't mean they are running games on the field of Lucas Oil Stadium, Quarex and Ben can't envision how this can't mean anything but a WOTC Oil Stadium for 2025. Accordingly, your hosts...

The episode title says it all. For many dreamers, hopes of a downtown room came crashing down on Sunday afternoon. Standing amidst the wreckage of these shattered dreams, your hosts Quarex and Ben speculate about better days ahead — as well as possible ways that Gen Con might improve the lottery situation. In the meantime, listen in for tips on how to: Watch the housing portal with the help of Gen...

Well hopefully you got a good hotel, but if you did not then we just want you to remember DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE! There are always more hotels added! More opportunities to get a space to stay! More ways to attend THE BEST CONVENTION IN THE WORLD Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarex and Ben were so lucky to have had the opportunity to interview the the illustrious Kelsey Dionne, who wrote a little RPG you might have heard of called Shadowdark . On this, the final episode in our three part interview, your hosts learn from Kelsey all the conventions she's going to be attending this year, including: Gary Con Origins Game Fair Gen Con .... and many more! And if you listen...

Quarex and Ben were so lucky to have had the opportunity to interview the the illustrious Kelsey Dionne, who wrote a little RPG you might have heard of called Shadowdark . On this, the middle episode of our three part interview, your hosts dig into the Shadowdark RPG — along with the 3rd party support that Kelsey encourages. The Arcane Library: https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/ Shadowdark: https:/...

Quarex and Ben were so lucky to have had the opportunity to interview the the illustrious Kelsey Dionne, who wrote a little RPG you might have heard of called Shadowdark . On this, the first episode in our three part interview, your hosts get to know Kelsey, who was kind enough to pull the curtain back on the game experiences and the GMs that shaped her game. Kelsey Dionne on RPG Geek: https://rpg...