On this special Boxing Day release, our dreamers get five more interviews with creators in the indie RPG design space who came to PAX Unplugged!Brian Liberge, designer of fine RPGs like Last Kiss, an RPG where you play teens facing the end of the worldTiger Wizard, the head mage of Exalted Funeral, publisher of punk rock and doom metal RPGs like Mausritter, Land of Eem, and the only Monty Python game you'll want to play Metal Steve of The Metal Steve, who was playtesting his forthcoming game Band on Tour with the help of a deck of cards!Ryland Garnett, designer of Food & Evil, the food truck RPG game coming to Backerkit in February through past exhibit hall guest of the pod Goosepoop GamesStephen from AED Publishing, who was showing off the quickstart guide for The 5th Conspiracy RPG, an urban fantasy where everything people believe in is real because of your attention.Like Ben's train from BWI before PAX Unplugged.... you won't want to miss it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode, our dreamers can unwrap an early Xmas gift — five interviews, hung with care from the All Year I Dream About Gaming Conventions' chimney. In each gift box, you can listen to the following creators in the board game and miniatures space:Christopher from the always amazing Capstone Games, who just released the weird Wild West wrestling game Rowdy PartnersMike from Rock Manor Games, publishers of the award winning Set a Watch, who are now bringing Spanish language games to the English marketAnjuli from My Mini Factory, who not only provides a marketplace for creators to design the , but was showing off the prototype for the box set of Fighting Fantasy by Sir Ian LivingstoneHermes from Boken Games, who was showing off their prototype of Song of the Wildkin miniatures game at the Addax Games boothJames from Druid City Games, who was showing off the Off with their Heads roll and reveal, Tidal Waves 2 board game and RPGs, Wonderlands War, and Madcala Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Just in time to get excited for Gen Con 2026 event and badge season! Listen in as Aimee of the Pod, Aimee interviews Rachel, Bethany, Drake, Jayden & Lily, NotThatDrake, and Vino Veritas from around the Indiana Convention Center! As an added bonus: We have gone back and rehabilitated some of our interview with Munchkin Champion of the Pod, Diana. No promises at the sound quality, but it's an improvement on Episode 147 and provides some background on how one might win a world championship at Gen Con. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode, Quarex and Ben review a gaming convention we didn't attend: BGG CON in Dallas, TX! The flagship convention from the Board Game Geek team, this is perhaps the largest and most preeminent of the gameslibrarycons in the US. It also happened on the same weekend as PAX Unplugged, meaning that we weren't able to make the convention. One of your own was in attendance, and he helped us cover it as a member of the media! We're so grateful that dreamer Ben T. Barrackus could join us so we could add BGG Con to our coverage roster.Don't forget to send in your Dreamer Dispatches using this Google Form and maybe you can also be our far flung press corps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On our second longest episode to date, Quarex and Ben provide you with all the conventions you'll want to check out during the first third of 2026, including:Super MAG Fest, Winter WGG Con, Windy City Skirmish, Geekway Mini, Tundracon, Midwinter Gaming Con, SnowCon, AdamCon, PAGE 3, Chattanooga Rail Gaming Challenge, RiverCityCon, Star City Games Con, VerminCon, Winter Offensive, Winterfest Wargaming XXVIII, CaptainCon, Winter War, Aggie Con, Winter Fantasy, Cold Wars, CapriCon, Atlanta Game Fest, TantrumCon, Chuck-A-Thon, Games with Trains, Decepta Con, DunDraCon, Polar Vortex, Genghis Con, Escape Winter Con, Total ConFusion, Dreamation, PrezCon Winter Nationals, GAD-CON, Hoop and Stick Con, Marmalade Dog, Intercon, GAMA EXPO, Granite Game Summit, Blerd Con, Buckeye Game Fest, Dice Tower West, Kenny Con, Unpub Fest, Atlanta Scifi and Fantasy Expo, Awesome Con, Gary Con, Ground Zero Games East Coast Convention XXVIII, Adepticon, PAX East, NerdFest, Friends Across the Board, Circle DC, Chaosium Con, D8 Summit Charity Gaming Convention, TAG Con, OSR Con, Who’s Yer Con, Final 3 Con, Warhammer Spring Retreat, Raven Con, Midwest Gaming Classic, Final Boss Con, Dave Con, and Congress of Gamers Spring Session. Internationally, you can attend Unboxed Game Fest 2.0 (Ahmedabad, India), Warpcon (Cork, Ireland), Breakout Con (Toronto, Canada), Luxcon (Luxembourg), Calgary Expo (Calgary, Canada), and Mega XP (Mexico City, Mexico).As promised, you can read the DunDraCon History at this following link: https://www.dundracon.com/DDC_History.php Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We hope our dreamers have enjoyed their Thanksgiving as much as we did! On this episode, we review Ben's time at PAX Unplugged 2025 in beautiful, marathon-ridden Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! Pick up a Button Shy Game! (link)Lead into game night with Super Show: Super Lucha! (link)ARTOVISION's excellent shadowboxes! (link)Get notified when Chicken Fried Dice goes live on Kickstarter! (link)Back Mystic Curling Club on Kickstarter! (link)And for real, go and listen to some Mountain Goats, y'all hear? You can start out with Tallahassee or The Sunset Tree for some of the classics. You don't have to be a ex-pro wrestler to enjoy Beat the Champ, and you don't have to play D&D to rock out to In League With Dragons. They just put out a new record that you could also check out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Saturday of Gen Con, Quarex and Ben recorded a live episode of our podcast in the presence of nearly 30 dreamers! As we recover from PAX Unplugged, we are releasing most of the episode from the Lucas Oil Media Room 10 for those who missed out. And if you want to know more about Quarex's fudge, you really gotta come to these magical events! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode, Quarex and Ben provide all the late and late-breaking news from PAX Unplugged 2025, such as: Philadelphia Marathon Road ClosuresSpecial Guests from Sit Down & Shut UpOops All Himbos (and Quarex Impersonator) Jay FosterAEW Wrasslers at the 9th Level Games BoothTwilight Imperium Tournament for Those Who Make Great DecisionsAEG Big Game NightBetter Boothing: Making the Most Out of Your First Con TableAlbi Ceska Repubika at Booth 2701Button Shy Games at Booth 3442Love, Career & Magic at Booth 3143Our Brilliant Ruin: The Tie In You'll Tie Into Your Game TableMaybe Don't Sign "The Agreement" from Table Tapas Games?The Page That Finally Updated: Pinny Arcade!Rumblings of a Trinket TradeFirst Look Showcase at PAX UnpluggedAnd if you're at PAX Unplugged and want to meet up with your other host Ben, why don't you reach out through social media or email? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this very off-cycle episode, your hosts are reviewing some important deadlines you'll want to pay attention to (and soon), like: Gen Con VIG Badge Applications are open! Get them in before your chance closes on December 1! Origins Game Fair has already opened up its event submissions for June 2026, while badges and hotels go up for sale in the coming weeks! We'll return tomorrow with our regularly scheduled PAX Unplugged previewsode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode, we're joined by three creators doing cool stuff in and around the expo hall at PAX Unplugged 2025! Not only have they designed Garbage & Glory, Wrastlevania, and Boom Patrol, Nicole Amato is also the games outreach coordinator at Kickstarter. They're attending the convention in their official capacity, and you might even find some time to meet and show the next great game! Stephen from Roll for Combat comes on to talk about the company's current lines for 5E, Pathfinder, and Shadowdark, as well as all the new things coming in 2026! Go say hello at booth 4057, or sign up to play their Shadowdark adventures with Lurking Fears using their Warhorn page!He's a professional wrestler! He's a professional wrestling commentator! He's a professional wrestling game designer with SRG Universe! The one and only Triple L... Loudmouth Leo Larynx comes onto to talk about the latest expansion to the #1 card game Supershow the Game... SUPER LUCHA! Check them out at booth 2547, or find their full slate of Supershow the Game tournaments, drafts, and learn to plays. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this very special episode of All Year I Dream About Gaming Convention, your hosts dig into some of the details you'll need to know about the overlap and overlay of PAX Unplugged and the Philadelphia Marathon, such as: Saturday's 8k run (link)Saturday's half marathon (link) Sunday's children's races (link)Sunday's whole hog marathon that goes right past the convention center (link) The road closures owing to the 35,000 runner marathon taking place during PAX Unplugged (link)Because gosh darn it, someone has to. (And please email paxquestions@reedexpo.com to get better information from the Reed Pop Unplugged people.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
PAX Unplugged, the last of the 2025 Rushmore conventions, is being held in Philadelphia, PA from November 21-23 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Not only will your other host Ben be in attendance for all three days, we have recorded our 1 Day Badges before they sell out! Spot Hero for parking in Center City The hotel block, which is sold out but still open Pre-registration events, outside the PAX NAV app The many, many, many convention features New Mill Industries' Indie Games Night MarketReserve a mobility scooter through Scoot Around, Mobility on Wheels, and Cloud of GoodsAnd don't forget to put in for a medical pass by emailing paxquestions@reedexpo.com between Friday, November 7 and the start of the convention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode, Quarex and Ben are strangely silent while Aimee of the Pod, Aimee, handles the interviews in the Gamehole dealer hall! Listen in for interviews with: Matt with ChaosiumScott from Trinamyk John and Bri from Bright Bard GamesJordan from Goosepoop GamesRichard from Monster TilesAnd for our supporters on KoFi, check out our interview with Erica from Broken Brain Games! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode, your hosts are joined by Aimee of the Pod Aimee to talk about our time spent at Gamehole Con XII. But also! Quarex and Ben review the newest member of the Street Team, inconveniently named Ben! You won't want to miss it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this very special episode of All Year I Dream About Gaming Conventions, Quarex and Ben delay the dealer hall interviews to bring you an interview with Ron and Phil from PAGE: the Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo. Held this year from January 15-18 in sunny Oaks, PA.They've got everything you'd want from an RPG con:Over 1000 events in their growing event catalogOver 100 special guests who will actually interact with and run games for youAn earnest diversity initiative that is trying to bridge the gap between the convention and gaming communitiesA big old exhibit hall featuring publishers of all sizesA charity auction to benefit the Gamer Assistance Program that helps game designers in needIt's our professional podcasting opinion that if you like RPGs and you're not going to PAGE 3, you're gonna regret it.Don't forget: when you go to get your PAGE 3 badge, put in the coupon code DREAMERS to save $10 off your four day badge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This is our previewsode for Gamehole Con 2025... the XII-ening. On this episode, we get you ready for everything you need to know... and the things you don't know you need to know. Mentioned in the episode: The first Wardens of the Eastern Marches adventure (link)The rising phoenix of RPEX (link)The Dragonbane tourney, The Sinking Tower (link)Castles and Crusades for Kids (link)Badge Quest with Ron from PAGE (link)Portland Oregon Trail (link)Playing in Someone Else's Sandbox (link)The Beautiful Mess of 5E (link)You Should Write a Book about RPGs (link)Adventuring in Parenting: Raising the Next Generation of Gamers (link)Munchkin: Design Issues, Expansions and Imagery with That Steve Jackson (link)And don't forget the auction! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode, your hosts Ben and Quarex get a chance to speak with Madison area illustrator, game designer, and charity biker John Kovalic! In addition to being the artist of the long-running comic strip Dork Tower, John has illustrated Apples to Apples, Munchkin, Kobolds Ate My Baby, and Chez Geek. For the last several years, John and... let's face it, this is really his crew of friends who run Dorkstock, which is a celebration of all things that John loves with gaming. But also: you can attend Game Con Junction at the fabulous Marriott East in sluggery Louisville, KY from October 31 to November 2 this year! This charity con is run by Dukes of Highland and Nerd Louisville, and it has a lot of great events you can still sign up for! Check it out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Everything you wanted to know about applying to exhibit at Gen Con but you were too afraid to ask! (Or read.) Gen Con Exhibitor PageNew Exhibitor ApplicationAppendix A: Exhibitor Rules and RegulationsFern ExpoTable covers and podiums"Let Them Eat Thomas Paine" taken from Dillinger Four's "Versus God" album (link). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode, your hosts Quarex and Ben held court for a crowd of attentive dreamers on the 2nd floor of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. You've heard our after action episodes (128-131), now here what it was like in the heat of the moment! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode, we're talking with Lyla Fujiwara (link) and Ethan Yen (link), who are both amazing game designer in their own rights. However, Ethan and Lyla are the driving forces behind the POC Industry Dinner and related seminar events! Over the course of a half hour, they help explain the impetus behind the dinner, what they're doing in year 2, and where they envision the POC Dinner expanding in future years. And you're a convention organizers who is looking to foster this kind of offering, they're totally worth reaching out to! Check out their events at Gamehole Con this year: Game Design for You https://www.gameholecon.com/events/event/28632 Project Communication 101 https://www.gameholecon.com/events/event/28634 Narrative Storytelling in Nonlinear Systems https://www.gameholecon.com/events/event/25909 Freelancing 201: Progressing your Tabletop Career https://www.gameholecon.com/events/event/28633 Writing Games for Convention Play https://www.gameholecon.com/events/event/28636 Let's Get Physical https://www.gameholecon.com/events/event/28631And don't forget their games! chainXlinkPrequelFetch My Blade Estate of PlayMusical: the Karaoke Musical TTRPGStonewalkers adventure path for the Cosmere TTRPG Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.