PAX Unplugged 2025 is this weekend! Which you probably already know, on account of clicking on this article while you’re on your way  there or already in Philly. Alas, I won’t be there this time around. I hear tell some other Cannibal Halflings will be there, though, and I don’t have to be present to Know Things Worth Your Time. Let’s go over some games for you to buy, some games for you to play, and some interesting events to check out.

CHG Featured Games

We’ve looked at a lot of games over the years, and plenty of them can be found at Unplugged! Of course, a fair number of them can be found in one place, IPR’s Booth 3701:

• Ace Adventure and the Flying Royal Flush
• Agon (2e)
• Deathmatch Island
• HOME – Mech x Kaiju Mapmaking RPG
• I Have the High Ground
• Improv for Gamers (2e)
• The Ink That Bleeds
• The Librarian’s Apprentice
• Lost Among The Starlit Wreckage (self-promo)
• No-Tell Motel
• Ryuutama: Natural Fantasy Roleplay
• Stewpot: Tales From A Fantasy Tavern
• Thirsty Sword Lesbians
• Tiny Tome (1&2)
• Under Hollow Hills
• World Ending Game

For standalone booths, here are a few:

Gila RPGs at Booths 3958 and 3960

Mythworks at 4242

Need Games at Booth 4142

Plus One Exp at Booth 4143

Possible Worlds Games at Booth 3758

Rowan Rook and Decard at Booth 3262

There are probably many more besides – I won’t be stumbling across any this time – so keep a sharp eye out!

Games on Demand

Want to play indie games? At a convention? You’ll find no better place than Games on Demand, this year found back in Rooms 106 & 107. Running the entire length of the convention, there are tables being seated to start a game at the top of pretty much every hour.

As is the tradition with the East Coast PAXi branch of Games on Demand, there is no registration or fee required. Most GMs will offer two games for their time slot, and the players that sit down with them will determine which game is being run on a first-come-first-serve basis. Interestingly, this is the first time that GoD is offering 2, 3, 4, and 5 hour games as opposed to just 2 and 4 hour games, so there’s a bit more flexibility than usual for fitting a game into your busy con schedule.

You can check out the full menu, with all of the GMs and when they’re running what, here.

GoD is also hosting the RPG Designer Meet and Greet again this year, at 10 and 11 am on Saturday 11/22. See below for the list and specific time slots for designers you won’t be able to find at a booth otherwise!

SCIRE

Here’s something interesting, a megagame. Unlike the last time a megagame got mentioned around here with The Helios Conspiracy, (which sadly doesn’t seem to have survived the pandemic), SCIRE is based on an existing TTRPG. Specifically, it is adapting CBR+PNK from publisher Mythworks (who also publish games like Wildsea and Koriko).

The Self Contained Industrial Residential Environment is “a Weird, Dungeon-Horror Megacity game where players assume the roles of residents and corporations during a lockdown triggered by a bizarre event. The incident stems from a bad batch of SYRUP (Synthetic Rich Universal Protein), which causes a fungal outbreak that contaminates the air. 60 players separated into 6 groups explore the transformed SCIRE to prevent a looming doomsday scenario.”

This megagame was first run at GenCon this year with 30 players, and Unplugged’s version will be an expanded one with 60! Each table will have a dedicated GM and represent a district of SCIRE, with the players in each district gradually gaining the ability to travel between them. Here’s a quick overview of the GenCon experience:

This is something I really would have liked to check out myself – so go find out more about it and report back! The game runs from 2-6pm tomorrow, 11/21, in Rm 102.  There are still some of the 60 tickets available as of this writing, which cost $55.

Indie Games Night Market

Something I missed last year, the Indie Games Night Market is now officially annual in nature, hosted for the second time by New Mill industries. This is something you’ll want to check out if you like being on the frontier of indie games, checking out stuff you just won’t find anywhere else.

“The event will feature 30 designers with small tables, selling games that would otherwise have had no channel for purchase. The intention was to feature games that have not been signed by publishers, had no intention to go on Kickstarter, and may otherwise not be available. This is meant to be an outlet for interesting ideas that may not have wide appeal.”

Click the link to see what’s available this year! The Night Market will be open for business on Saturday 11/22 from 7-10pm, and can be found within the Autographing Area (Queue Hall).

Hopefully I’ll see you back at Unplugged ’26, but this year: play some games, have a good con, and safe travels!