Gaming

Dragon Con Board Games gets a new home in AmericasMart Building One on floor two. We will be offering non-stop board gaming for $10 for the entire weekend!

Members can select from the Dragon Con board games library of over 400 games and play their skills versus the best that the con has to offer. We have a large selection of games from Cool Mini or Not, Fantasy Flight Games, Fireside Games, Mayfair Games, and Steve Jackson Games.

The Dragon Con library has games that are competitive as well as cooperative—chase horrors through the streets of Arkham, Massachusetts in Arkham Asylum; build
the most prosperous city in France with Carcassonne; figure out who the traitor is in Battlestar Galactica, Shadows Over Camelot, or The Resistance; win a world war in Risk or Diplomacy; race the streets of Monaco in Formula De; or make and end friendships over Settlers of Catan or Ticket to Ride. New tournaments featuring King of Tokyo and King of New York will be featured.

The board games area is also great for learning how to play and perfect strategies of games you may be thinking of purchasing for your home library. The Dragon Con board games library offers you an opportunity to try before you buy and our community can help you figure out how to play even the most obscure of games.

Catan Studios and Dragon Con will hold a qualifying event for the Catan Championship.

There will be independent game developers demonstrating games that are being released through Kickstarter, as well as indie cards and games. This is an opportunity to see the next big board game in its early stages.

We also offer game tournaments and will once again have a Star Fleet Battles/Federation Commander tournament where both the newest and best captains can compete and learn to play.

If you love racing games, don’t miss our PitchCar racing tournament! PitchCar is a dexterity game where large, wooden, puzzle-like pieces are used to construct a race track that looks very similar to a slot car track when finished. But instead of using electrons, players use finger-flicks to send small pucks around the track.

And finally…Board Games, in cooperation with Video Gaming, will have a team trivia competition with all proceeds benefitting Dragon Con’s official charity.

This year, Campaign Gaming will be offering 6 signature campaign offerings, 4 of which have been extremely successful in years past – Catalyst Lab’s ShadowRun Missions (SRM/CMP), Paizo’s Pathfinder Society (PFS) and Starfinder Society (SFS), and WotC’s D&D Adventurers League (DDAL). In addition, we are going to be offering 2 new campaigns to Dragon Con – Modiphius’ Star Trek Adventures and Paradigm’s Living Arcanis 5E. At present, we do not have a firm commitment on the specific events that will be offered, as release schedules for events have not been finalized by the various companies that offer Campaign style gaming. When current release schedules are available (ensuring the ability to provide the newest event scenarios, while being able to guarantee these scenarios will be received in a timely fashion for the show), we will update the Gaming Registration website (https://gaming.dragoncon.org/) . All event scheduling should also be available for the final Gaming Guide and Dragon Con 2018 app.

Campaign Information

D&D Adventurers League (DDAL) events uses the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Rules. For all D&D Adventurers League Events, participation requires membership in the RPGA/DCI and a character created using the Character Creation Guidelines available from the following website: https://www.dndadventurersleague.org. Please refer to this website for additional information.

D&D OnDemand, under the DDAL umbrella, are scheduled 2-hour events for those who are wanting an introduction to D&D Adventurers League, or even just to 5th Edition D&D, or just have a couple hours to kill.  These events are geared towards new characters and new players.  Pre-generated characters, basic rules, dice, and pencils will be provided for those who wish to just show up and play.  The D&D OnDemand events will even cater to replay, as the available content varies from slot to slot.  All that is required is 2 Generic Tickets, which can be purchased at Gaming Registration. These events will run every 2 hours from 9am to 9pm Friday/Saturday/Sunday and 9am to 3pm Monday.

D&D Experience, under the DDAL umbrella, is a multi-slot event that takes place over the course of the convention. You will keep the same great DM and players for the entire series of adventures. Your one ticket covers all the listed slots of your track. We are offering 2 different tracks this year, with each track having 2 different slot offerings.  These events will be played in a smaller room away from the main DDAL gaming area.  These are very limited in quantity to ensure the very best gaming experience, and are priced accordingly.

Pathfinder Society (PFS) uses Paizo’s Pathfinder Rules. For all Pathfinder Society Events, participation requires membership in Paizo’s Organized Play system and a character created using the Character Creation Guidelines available from the following website,https://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety. Please refer to this website for additional information.

PFS Quests, under the Pathfinder Society umbrella, we will be offering walk-up 1(ish) hour mini-events for those who want to just drop by and play a little Pathfinder based D&D (please note that this is not 5th Edition, but the Pathfinder 2E ruleset which is newly released at GenCon 2018).  There are 6 1(ish) hour events available, so you can always play for longer if you want.  Each 1(ish) hour event requires 1 Generic Ticket, which can be purchased at Gaming Registration.

Starfinder Society (SFS) uses Paizo’s Starfinder Rules. For all Starfinder Society Events, participation requires membership in Paizo’s Organized Play system and a character created using the Character Creation Guidelines available from the following website,https://paizo.com/starfinderSociety. Please refer to this website for additional information.

SFS Quests, under the Starfinder Society umbrella, we will be offering walk-up 1(ish) hour mini-events for those who want to just drop by and play a little Starfinder based D&D (please note that this is not 5th Edition, but the Starfinder ruleset which was based on Pathfinder 1E).  There are 5 1(ish) hour events available, so you can always play for longer if you want.  Each 1(ish) hour event requires 1 Generic Ticket, which can be purchased at Gaming Registration.

ShadowRun Missions (SRM or CMP) uses Shadowrun 5th Edition Rules. For all Shadowrun Missions Events, participation requires a character created for Shadowrun 5ed using the rules found at https://www.shadowruntabletop.com/missions/. Please refer to this website for additional information.

Star Trek Adventures Living Campaign (STA) uses the Star Trek Adventures Rules.  For all Star Trek Adventures Living Campaign Events, participation requires a character created for Star Trek Adventures using the rules found at https://www.modiphius.com/livingcampaign.html. Please refer to this website for additional information.

Living Arcanis (LA) uses Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Rules with modifications by Paradigm Concepts. For all Living Arcanis Events, participation requires a character created for Living Arcanis 5e using the character creation guidelines found on the following website: http://www.paradigmcampaigns.com/DefaultLivA.aspx . Please refer there for more information.

Dragon Con is partnering with Sunmesa Events (sunmesaevents.com) to present an extensive roster of Magic: The Gathering events, including 24 hour League, All Con available eight player drafts Modern Horizons Sealed, Commander, Brawl, and other popular formats. 

In 2019, Dragon Con and Sunmesa are celebrating 10 years in partnership!  In recognition of this anniversary, Sunmesa Events is presenting an unparalleled collection of Magic: The Gathering art and promotion with the Godard Poster Collection. This one of a kind offering includes framed museum style posters from Magic: The Gathering’s history. The collection has never been publicly displayed and will celebrate MTG’s 25 years of history. The exhibit is free with your convention membership. If you a fan of Magic: The Gathering art, you will not want to miss this!

All Weekend long, many MTG events will be offered!  Don’t miss any of the following events available 24 hours a day:

•     MTG Drafts On Demand
•     MTG Convention League, pay once, play all weekend.
•     Free play Commander for 96 hours of the Gaming Hall

Daily events you don’t want to miss! (Thursday through Sunday)

•     Ascension Tournaments
•     Dominion Tournaments
•     Hero Realms Tournaments
•     MTG Sealed Tournaments
•     Star Realms Tournaments

And our specially Featured MTG Events

•     Throwback Thursday Draft Events Featuring Draft Formats from across MTG’s 25 years
•     Foiled Again on Friday
•     Modern Horizons Sealed on Saturday
•     Three Chaos Drafts Featuring Legends Booster Packs
•     Last Chance MTG Sealed on Monday

Many additional events being run as well

•     Lord of the Rings TCG: Check out our Cube Draft of one of the most popular licensed games ever.
•     Ascension: Sunmesa is sponsoring multiple tournaments for the Ascension deck building game
•     Dominion: Another popular deck building game, features up to 24 player events

This year, available for the first time, you can pre-register for may of the Sunmesa Game on-line and secure your spot before they are all gone!  Just head over to gaming.dragoncon.org and search for your favorite card game and pre-register now!

Additionally, Dragon Con is excited to present a series of stand alone card games presented by Rose Tatu Productions.   

Card based games may be fast and fun or they can be complex and full of strategy.  Rose Tatu Productions will be teaching many stand-alone games that are played; mostly, just with cards.  The cards will tell you what they can do, but you decide how best to play each one. Come by and learn games such as Century Spice Road, Fields of Green, 7 Wonders, Dixit, Arkham Horror LCG, and more. Set learning/Demo times can be found in the Dragon Con App, or online in the Dragon Con Gaming guide. We will do our best to accommodate everyone on a first come first serve basis, however it is best to stop by and reserve a learning spot.   We are also providing table space for Dead Collectable Card Games. Do you miss sailing the 7 Seas, dodging 10,000 bullets in Shadow Fist, Finding the Truth in the X-Files? Stop by Friday and Saturday and sign up. Then Bring out Your Dead card games to play with others on Sunday from 2PM – 9PM. 

And many more of your favorite classics, such as Star Trek CCG, Star Wars CCG, other card games and maybe a few new games being demo-ed for the first time every publicly.

The LAN Gaming and eTournaments will feature a variety of tournaments as seen below.

Streamed tournaments will be broadcast via https://twitch.tv/uglnow and https://www.twitch.tv/typohousegames

Friday:
12pm: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (System: Nintendo Switch)
4pm: SoulCalibur 6 (System: PS4)
6pm: Smash Ultimate Doubles (Cap of 32 teams)
8pm: Mortal Kombat 11

Saturday:
12pm: Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
1pm: League of Legends
2pm: Smash Ultimate Singles Pools to Top 32 (Cap of 128 players)
4pm: Clash Royale
8pm: Dragonball FighterZ

Sunday:
12pm: Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2
12pm: Hearthstone
2pm: Smash Ultimate Singles Top 32
4pm: BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle
6pm: Overwatch
8pm: Tekken 7

Online Preregistration is open now at https://smash.gg/dragoncon2019.

This year, LARPs is pleased to offer events from our returning fan-favorite productions as well as some exciting games that will be making their Dragon Con debut. For those LARP games that run continually throughout the year, we will have “display-only” tables staffed and ready to answer your questions. As the schedule is finalized, we will update the gaming registration website (gaming.dragoncon.org).  We look forward to presenting many different opportunities in a variety of styles & formats for everyone, from the novice to the experienced LARPer – even a few for those curious about LARPs. We invite you to step away from the game table and live the part.  

Be sure to follow us on Facebook (Dragon Con Live Action Role Playing – LARP Games) for updates!  For more information, contact us at larps@dragoncon.org. All event scheduling will also be available in the final Gaming Guide and Dragon Con app.

We’re the biggest little thing happening all weekend. Come and join us for table top gaming featuring your favorite pint-sized superheroes, mechs, aliens, and fantasy characters. Offering not just tournament style gaming, we also have demos running all weekend long to give anyone a taste of the games offered in our area.  Stop by and check us out. Our schedule is available through gaming.dragoncon.org.

Sybil had only 12 personalities. Come game with us and you have over 100. We are looking for more players and more game masters. Check the gaming website gaming.dragoncon.org for more information.

Curious about non-campaign RPGs? A role-playing game (RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. The original form, sometimes called the tabletop RPG, is conducted through discussion, with an arranger called a game master (GM) who usually decides on the rules and setting to be used and acts as referee, while each of the other players plays the role of a single character.

Non-campaign means that a player will be using a new character for each game, usually created by the GM.

Every year Dragon Con looks to expand their gaming options.  Why not think about joining that expansion?  Besides being a player, we are always looking for more game masters to run games.  Instead of playing someone else’s game why not create your own, to show others your
version of a world you created. For more information about the table top roleplaying options and all of gaming, check out the gaming registration website at gaming.dragoncon.org.  There make sure to get added to the gaming mailing list to get notification when the site is ready for event submission and later for when event tickets are available for purchase.  If you have any questions about the Non-Campaign Roleplaying options you can contact us at noncampaignrpgs@dragoncon.org.

As one of our oldest tracks, Table Top Gaming is the track for any game which traces its ancestry back to pen and paper RPGs. For that reason, we not only cover RPGs, but board games, live-action role-playing games, and card games, as well as gamer culture in general. In recent years, our track has grown dramatically, with video games becoming their own track as well. Some of the industry’s greatest designers have graced our halls and we look forward to having them again. Why has our track grown? That’s easy…because gaming has undergone a dramatic change in the past decade. Indie games, Kickstarter, the explosion of board games, and the mainstreaming of geek culture have completely transformed gaming culture. So, come join the revolution!

For more info check out our Facebook page!

The Video Gaming track has programming for fans of video games who are looking to meet like minded folks as well as programming for those who want a peek behind the curtain to see how video games are made.  Members of the Video Gaming industry representing studios such as Blizzard, Sony Online Entertainment, Bioware, and Epic Games will share their insights with our fans as well as provide entertaining stories from behind the scenes of your favorite games.

The Video Gaming track features fan events and costume contests for games like World of Warcraft as well as behind the scenes looks at games such as Dragon Age and Mass Effect. We also take a look at the year’s hot game industry issues — new hardware launches, new business models, and social concerns like discrimination in online gaming communities.

The Video Gaming track is also proud to present the annual Heroes and Villains Ball each year.

Check out our video gaming page!