In the first two parts of this three-part series, I talked about how the pandemic induced rescheduling of a number of tabletop RPG conventions to September through October, 2021. With the first article, I talked about the moves and why they were made. In the second article, I looked at the impacts of those moves. In this piece, I look at some of those conventions that are not coming back for 2021, how these moves and the pandemic impact my plans, and speculate on the 2022 convention season.
- UK Games Expo (Birmingham, United Kingdom) – July 30th to August 1st , 2021
- Dragon Con (Atlanta, Georgia) – September 2nd through September 6th, 2021
- Gen Con (Indianapolis, Indiana) – September 16th through the 19th, 2021
- Origins Game Fair (Columbus, Ohio) – September 30th through October 3rd, 2021
- Internationale Spieltage SPIEL ‘21 (Essen, Germany) – October 14th to the 17th, 2021
- Con on the Cob (Richfield, Ohio) – October 14th to the 17th, 2021
- Gamehole Con (Madison, Wisconsin) – October 21st through 24th, 2021
- MACE 2021 (Charlotte, North Carolina) – November 12th through the 14th
- PAX Unplugged (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) – December 10th to the 12th, 2021
- MomoCon (Winterfest by MomoCon) (Atlanta, Georgia) – December 18th and 19th, 2021
TO CON OR NOT TO CON?
There are a number of debates about whether one should attend a convention in 2021 or not. After the loss of life that we’ve seen due to the pandemic, it’s a valid consideration. These are important and valid discussions. As with the other pieces I’ve written, I’m not trying to dictate your decision on attending or not, just discuss what is happening. Conventions are taking the opportunity to introduce a variety of safety precautions to ensure public safety. Gen Con specifically sent out a survey to get feedback from attendees on what they’d like to see before deciding to move forward. For most of the conventions, health and safety are on their minds.
TOO LATE TO CON IN 2021?
We’re in the second quarter of 2021 which means some conventions have already missed their window and will not be back until 2022. For some of those conventions, they’ve managed an online con to keep their brand on the minds of their fans. For others, the lack of conventions has left them with bills and no income.
Gary Con in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin choose to host a virtual convention from March 25th through the 28th. This helped to keep their name out there, keep “their” weekend, and helped fans that were hurt by the sudden cancellation of the 2020 show (an important effort to slow the pandemic in its early days in the United States). The online convention went off and it’s easy to assume that the convention will be back in March/April of 2022.
MidSouthCon in Memphis, Tennessee normally happens during mid-March, but they’ve decided to post-pone until 2022. Like all of the conventions featured here, they hope to return stronger than ever.
For others, the situation continues to evolve. As an example, when I started researching this series, JordanCon in Atlanta, Georgia seemed unlikely to host an in-person gathering in 2021. JordanCon is “a Science Fiction/Fantasy literature convention founded in honor of Robert Jordan, author of the Wheel of Time”. Along with writing, art, and fandom, it has a growing gaming presence that I’ve discussed here and here.
Their pre-pandemic dates were April 23rd to the 25th, but those dates, or any on 2021, seemed unlikely. By “unlikely,” I mean they started a campaign to cover their 2021 costs through a charity GoFundMe that’s offering rewards for future attendees.
“[W]e find ourselves in a situation where our operating costs are much higher than they’ve ever been. Like many organizations, especially non-profits, we’re worried about the future. JordanCon doesn’t make money. We’ve always focused on using the funds we receive to make the convention fantastic, and more importantly, to support charities such as the Mayo Clinic. Because of that, we don’t have an emergency fund.”
However, they changed their minds and hosted a physical convention in 2021. The rescheduled dates were July 16th to the 18th. Despite the crisis, JordanCon hosted an online RPG adventure writing contest and shared the results during the in-person convention. (On a personal note, my adventure, “My Heart My Goddess” took second place.)
Not every convention has decided their 2021 plans yet. Con on the Cob in Richfield, Ohio normally runs in November, but as of this writing has not declared their intentions for this year. Like other conventions, they may return to their normal dates in 2021, they may post-pone until 2022, or they may do an off-cycle convention to keep the brand alive before returning to their normal date range.
PULLING UP MY CALENDAR
On July 17th, I went to Meeple Madness in metro Atlanta to participate in the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Magic: The Gathering Prerelease, the first public games of the newest set of MtG. This was my return to post-pandemic gaming events outside of meeting with a few friends in their home. I did this event for a mix of reasons: Forgotten Realms’ RPG origins, reacquainting myself with Magic: The Gathering, and to test out what the new normal geek hangout is like. Overall, it was a return to the world of 2019 with a little more personal space. The event encouraged me to push ahead with my conventioning plans.
To that end, when I first started writing this series, it was April and I figured if I attended any convention in 2021, it’d be Origins Game Fair for two reasons: It’s been pushed back allowing more time for vaccinations to address the pandemic, and the location, the Greater Columbus Convention Center, is so much larger than the convention itself allowing for greater social distancing. Not trying to cast any convention in a negative light, but many of the conventions I’ve been to are bursting at the seams with fans flooding the convention halls causing many to reach capacity. Not so with Origins. It has room to grow and with a pandemic on, that’s an advantage that makes the convention more tempting. I’ve put in for my media badge to attend and report on that show. After that, I’m planning to attend MACE in November to try out that show and, hopefully, test out my luck with a dealer’s table. These steps represent risks, but, like many, I’m eager to move forward at some point. I also may pop in for a day of Dragon Con depending on my day job’s workload.
- Dragon Con (Atlanta, Georgia) – September 2nd through September 6th, 2021
- Origins Game Fair (Columbus, Ohio) – September 30th through October 3rd, 2021
- MACE 2021 (Charlotte, North Carolina) – November 12th through the 14th
THE FUTURE
In 2022, I hope that COVID will be in the rear view and conventions can return to their normal date range. But, for 2021, every individual that is interested in tabletop gaming conventions has a choice to make: Attend or not? There’s no perfect answer here. Should you attend? Should you wait until 2022? It has an impact on you, your community, the convention, and the industry. It’s an individual’s call and not something this article can address. Instead, it’s worth looking at the calendar, at the options, and making the right choice for you. Regardless of that choice, I hope everyone has a safe 2021.
You can read part one here and part two here.
Disclosure: While I pay for my travel, hotel, and food, certain conventions discussed in this article provide complimentary entry to their cons because I register as a member of the press/media.
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