AcadeCon is your chance for role-playing and board games all weekend

If you have always wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons-style role-playing games, this weekend you will have the perfect opportunity. AcadeCon, Dayton’s largest tabletop gaming event, starts Friday at the Dayton Convention Center and runs all weekend long.

There will be plenty of things to do at AcadeCon, from scheduled role-playing sessions, where players can pick up a pre-made character and get playing, to open board gaming, panel lectures and entertainment offerings.

AcadeCon is named after The RPG Academy, an award-winning podcast that teaches people how to play RPGs and discusses popular issues in the hobby. Through the years, the hosts of The RPG Academy, who refer to themselves as “faculty,” have made friends with lots of other popular RPG podcasters. Many of these podcasters will be at AcadeCon running games and hosting events.

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Gaming Galore

In addition to role-playing games, AcadeCon has expanded this year to include a whole second room for open gaming. Con-goers can bring their own games to play, or play one of the dozens of games in the AcadeCon library.

“We tried to include some of the hottest tabletop games out right now in our open gaming library,” says Michael Ross, co-founder of The RPG Academy and AcadeCon.

In the unpublished game area, you can be among the first to try out brand new games by local designers. These games are in various stages of production, ranging from simple pen-and-paper prototypes to games that are ready to go to print.

If digital games are your thing, the starship bridge simulator, Artemis, allows players to control a spaceship similar to the Starship Enterprise. It will be set up at AcadeCon. Teams of up to seven players can take control of the ship and attempt challenging missions in deep space.

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Specialty Shopping

If you need a break from gaming, AcadeCon will have several vendors to shop from. Ranging from handmade pop culture and fantasy goods to books and games, there will be shopping to suit all sorts of tastes. Dayton’s Bell, Book, and Comic will have a large booth set up to sell games, comic books and toys.

Cool Guests

Special guests this year include gaming industry heavyweights like novelist and game designer Richard Baker, who has been involved with D&D since 1991. Many special guests from the RPG podcast world will also be represented. Hosts of the podcasts One Shot, Dungeon Masters Block and You Meet in a Tavern will all be at AcadeCon. Local author Andrew Seiple, whose book Threadbare got a shout-out on The View last summer, also will be at the convention.

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Informative Discussions

This year’s AcadeCon panel discussions aim to guide new and seasoned role-players who wish to step up their game. Talks this year will take the mystery out of character creation, building suspense, how to run a game, worldbuilding and more. There are also talks scheduled about getting into the RPG industry, self-publishing and designing your own game system. If you’re trying to homebrew your own game, you will not want to miss AcadeCon.

Live Shows

Con-goers will also be treated to a variety of live entertainment festivities. Many of the RPG podcasts at the convention will be recording live play-through sessions, where spectators can sit back and take in a game in action. Geek Wars will host a live nerdy trivia event.

Badges for AcadeCon are on sale now, and if you just want to check it out or aren’t sure you can make the entire weekend, entry after 5 p.m. on Friday is only $5. All who attend will be entered into drawings for door prizes. You won’t want to miss this special gaming weekend of adventure.

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WANT TO GO?

What: AcadeCon 2018

Where: Dayton Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth Street, Dayton

When: Friday, November 9, 9 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Saturday, November 10, 9 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Sunday, November 11, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

More info: https://acadecon.com/

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