Just because PAX East isn’t a 100% tabletop-dedicated convention doesn’t mean I’m going to stop treating it like one. Well, mostly. I did check out some “video” games while at the con, but that will be more of a CHG aperitif. Let’s get to the main course first so that I can share the games that caught my eye this past weekend with you: dead gods, burning forests, nighttime escapes and knives in the back, things upon things, and glittering glass!
Tag Archives: Convention
A Brief PAX Unplugged 2024 Retrospective
I haven’t been able to attend every PAX Unplugged, but I was there at the start and as the convention circuit has grown back I’ve actually managed to chain a few of them together. In addition to noting as many familiar faces and games as I could manage for a middle-of-the-night article, I wanted to write about some of my own experiences now that the 2024 iteration is over to highlight a few things. Also, Aaron has been doing five-year retrospectives about Crowdfunding Carnival for a while now, so why not do a seven-year con one of my own?
PAX Unplugged: A Local’s Guide (2023 Update)
Ho adventuring gamers! We are on the eve of PAX Unplugged in downtown Philadelphia. After a few years of plague I have managed to shove a fist through the loose grave I was buried in and make my way last year. There were some changes, and what advance information I have suggests that things will be mostly the same. A few years ago I did a primer on attending, as I happen to live in the general area. For the most part, things in general remain the same but there are a few key differences in getting there from when I tried to dispense wisdom back in…2019? Oof.
Without further ado, this is the wisdom and knowledge I have gained.
Continue reading PAX Unplugged: A Local’s Guide (2023 Update)
A Return to PAX Unplugged (2022 Quick Recap)
PAX Unplugged returned to Philadelphia this year, marking the fifth time the convention has taken place. I was fortunate enough to attend this year, making it the third year I’ve managed to go. Before I begin, I want to take a moment to thank the organizers for a few things: One, for continuing to choose Philadelphia as the site. I think that the area and community are an excellent fit with abundant transportation, housing, and food for a bunch of tabletop nerds, along with a city that prides itself on inclusivity. Philadelphia has gotten some bad press as of late, but I never felt anything but safe and welcome as I walked through, to, and from the event space. Second, I want to thank them for the amount of logistics and cat wrangling it takes to get a group of tabletop gamers to do anything. My GMing has increased since my last visit to the convention, and with it so has my appreciation for the work that it takes to get this rolling each year. This year, the team made sure that getting through the door was about as pain free as possible despite requiring proof of vaccination along with the necessary ticketing and security checks for entry. So I absolutely want this convention to keep going.
Continue reading A Return to PAX Unplugged (2022 Quick Recap)PAX Unplugged: A Local’s Guide
Ho adventuring gamers! We are on the eve of PAX Unplugged in downtown Philadelphia, and two of us fellow Cannibal Halflings will be lurking about. It seems that event organizers have failed to learn their lesson, and allowed Seamus (2017) and I (2018) to return for our second years in attendance. While both Seamus and I are excited, I have the advantage of actually living in the area for the last five years. It has been helpful for planning on my end, and it’s time to turn over some of those nuggets of wisdom to you dear readers to act as your man on the ground in advance to the upcoming invasion of gamers into the heart of a major American city. Hopefully these tips will help make your experience more enjoyable!
Adventure Log / Con Report: Level One Wonk’s First Arisia
Last weekend, I went to my first science fiction convention ever. I know, I know, hard to believe coming from someone writing on a gaming blog. Nevertheless, Arisia 2019 was my first sci-fi con, and it certainly won’t be my last.
Continue reading Adventure Log / Con Report: Level One Wonk’s First Arisia
Con Report: PAX Unplugged
Welcome readers! Please forgive this slightly late and exhaustion fueled entry. Upon occasion, I burrow away from the gaming table and out into the world at large, and when I heard that PAX Unplugged would be returning to Philadelphia, I couldn’t help but ensure that I made the trip. Continue reading Con Report: PAX Unplugged
A PAX Unplugged Review
I was fortunate enough to attend the inaugural PAX Unplugged with my wife this past weekend, and while I (quite wisely, we needed a vacation darn it) wasn’t attending in any sort of official CHG capacity I was still viewing the convention as a whole with a critic’s eye. So what worked, what didn’t, and would going yourself next year be worth it?
Cannibal Halfling Gaming 