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A Different Kind Of PAX

pax_unplugged_logoDuring PAX South, a new PAX focused solely on tabletop gaming was announced in the ever-growing lineup. PAX Unplugged will be taking place in downtown Philadelphia, PA at the Pennsylvania Convention Center November 17th-19th of this year. Badges have yet to go on sale but are set for Spring.

If you’ve been to a PAX in recent years, you’ve seen the tabletop areas rapidly grow in size and popularity thanks to the current resurgence tabletop gaming is experiencing. The mainstream giants of Magic: the Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons sit next to indie darlings like Munchkin, Dungeon World, and the Burning Wheel with games you probably haven’t even heard of yet peppered between them all. You can find all of it and the table space to give them a try if you have the time. You can even chat with creators and talk to them about the games they’ve made. More and more panels have been dedicated to tabletop gaming and game design as well. Not to mention panels like Adam Koebel’s Office Hours giving GMing advice and others like live Critical Role, RollPlay, and Acquisitions, Inc. It was only natural that this aspect of gaming would even get its own PAX.

PAX Unplugged isn’t the only convention of its kind though. There’s GenCon in Indianapolis, IN at the Indiana Convention Center August 17th-20th that will be celebrating its 50th year and competes with it for size. It’s the largest and longest-running con in the tabletop gaming arena. On the flipside, Go Play NW is a much smaller con in Seattle, WA at Seattle University July 8th-10th.  It focuses more on fostering growth and camaraderie in tabletop gaming as a non-profit and gives space for creators who want to test their story-based games. Dozens of others definitely exist worldwide but few can compare in scope to an offering from Penny Arcade and Reed Pop while providing a basis for a community . Head over to the official PAX Unplugged site to subscribe and keep up to date or follow PAX on Twitter.