Gateway 2010
Labor Day
Weekend
Sep 3 - Sep 6

Orccon 2011
Presidents Day
Weekend
Feb 18 - Feb 21

Gamex 2011
Memorial Day
Weekend
May 27 - May 30

2nd Annual Rio Grande Games Design Qualifier

Due to last year's success of the first Rio Grande Games Design competition, Jay Tummelson of Rio Grande Games is once again giving new designers a chance to get their game published by the premier eurogame publisher in the US. Strategicon's Gateway, in association with SoCalPlaytesting group, has again been selected to host the Western qualifier ahead of the main competition at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair Nov. 20 - 21, 2010. This regional qualifier will be held on Sunday, September 5th at Gateway 2010. Strategicon has put together a Blue Ribbon panel of industry professionals, including Special Guests Tom Lehmann, Andrew Looney and Kristin Looney, to judge the best designs. The winner of this regional contest will compete at the finals at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair. Each finalist will have the right to a 30 minute one-on-one presentation with Jay Tummelson. Last year, Jay was so impressed with the entries that he picked not one but four games to publish!

Attn: Game Designers: The entry deadline is August 21, 2010. Go to http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/SoCalPlayTesting/ for more details (you will have to register with the group which is free). At the SoCalPlayTesting site you can download an entry form, get directions as to where to send it and read additional information about the competition. Entry is limited so sign up today!

Attn: Gamers: Come join us at Gateway and be one of the first to play what may be Rio Grande Games next big hit. In addition to our esteemed panel of official judges, we need some extra players to fill out the games. This is also a great way to support our local game designers in this competition.

Historical Miniatures Gaming Society / Pacific Southwest (HMGS/PSW) Mini-Wars

Gateway will host the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society / Pacific Southwest (HMGS/PSW) Mini-Wars fall convention this year with a wide range of historical miniatures games. In honor of the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Steven Reid and Gary Archer will present "Royal Air Force to the Rescue" a "Check Your 6" WWII airpower game. These popular rules are easy to pick up and give the player the feel of plane to plane combat in the middle of the last century. Up to 12 people can play and the suggested age group is 13 and up. The game starts at 10:00am on Saturday. If you like your history from a more ancient time, how about knights and longbow men meeting on the muddy fields of France? Dave Maupin and Greg Kildare will present "Agincourt, the Band of Brothers". Who has not thrilled at the famous lines from Shakespeare, "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;"? This is the battle that has inspired men and women for centuries. The rules are Piquet: Band of Brothers and the event can have as many as 6 attendees on Saturday morning at 10:00am. There will be HMGS/PSW events all convention long. Make sure and check the Gateway website for additional games.

View the event listings.

Pandemic - The Mass Outbreak Event

WANTED: A FEW GOOD SCIENTISTS

Humanity is under siege. Four extremely virulent and highly-contagious diseases have erupted all around the globe. There are no known cures. The UN has convened an emergency meeting of scientists, politicians, and businesses to discover and manufacture cures for Mankind. But...

SOMETHING STRANGE IS GOING ON...

• Why have chefs been invited to this conference? Are these rumors of "native" cures true?
• Who is this mysterious Lady Godiva Cadbury, that everyone has heard of, but no one has seen? Is she secretly a Bio-Terrorist?
• Why has Javier Q'akineetit II, representative of a terrorist front organization, been invited?
• Will the rich "North" nations share their technology with the underdeveloped "South" nations?
• What about those rumors of illegal drugs mixed into relief shipments?
• Why has Inspector Clueful suddenly disappeared without a trace?
• Why are the prices of various foodstuff skyrocketing?
• And, if foods are so important, why are shares of Uranium being traded?
• Will a new world order, or at least a new UN, emerge from this crisis?
• Will humanity survive?

FIND OUT AT....

PANDEMIC - The MASS OUTBREAK EVENT
Designed by Tom Lehmann and Trisha Lantznester
WHEN: Saturday, September 4th, 2pm to 6pm must be present the whole time
WHERE: "Top of the Radisson" Penthouse Event Space
WHO: No live-action role-playing (LARP) experience needed! (Must be 12 years or older to play)
WHAT: 60 roles available! Scientists, Gov't Officials, etc. Experience with Pandemic helpful but not necessary

BE THERE, OR BE A CORPSE!

View Pandemic LARP and other Pandemic listings.

Laughing Moon Chronicles

Join author Todd VanHooser, the Laughing Moon Girls, and their team as they demo Adventures Under the Laughing Moon...a tabletop role-playing game based on author Todd VanHooser's fantasy series, The Laughing Moon Chronicles. In this latest adventure, a 'reiner' has left behind a trail of barren magical artifacts and ruined sorcerers in his quest to reclaim the powers of a lost era.

View the event listings.

Happy Jacks RPG Podcast

Happy Jacks RPG pod cast crew will be at Gateway on Saturday September 4th. They will be running role playing games and recording a pod cast in front of a live audience. If you are already a listen, you know what to expect from these irreverent role players. If you have never listened to their pod cast, join these long time gamers for an enjoyable role playing experience and find out how you can contribute to their goal of 2000 listeners.

Rock Band

Come on, get your rock on! Rock Band tournament is back! Saturday Night here at Gateway, we're looking for the best band we can find! Come rock our heart out and show us your true rock star potential!

View the event listings.

Looney-a-thon

Looney Labs' Back To The Future Card Game

View the event listing.

Massive Race For the Galaxy Tournament

View the Race for the Galaxy listings.

Ex-illis

Ex-illis is coming back from Quebec, Canada.
One of the hottest new games introduced last year at Gencon 2009. Ex-illis, a 28mm fantasy miniature game, complete with large screen touch-screens, software, and cool demo tables.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/47475/ex-illis

http://ex-illis.com/

View the Ex-illis events listing.

David Woolcott Memorial Acquire Tournament

The classic Sid Sackson game! This event is sponsored by friends of D ave Woolcott and Strategicon. Special prize augmented by friends of Dave Woolcott.

View the event listing.

Mega Dominion Tournament

The 2009 Spiel Des Jahres winner is still incredibly popular and Strategicon is again running a MEGA tournament for the $100 First Prize! Also, $35 for 2nd, $15 for 3rd, and $5 4th. Join us early Monday morning for one of the biggest tournaments of the weekend! The first round will use the standard "Beginner 10" set of cards. Subsequent rounds will use a random mix of cards but all tables will use the same mix.

View the Dominion listings.

Miniature Boot Camp

GAMEX is hosting a number of miniature game demos this convention. Many of the hottest and newest will be showcased in the hallway in front of the Dealers room. Daily from 10am-6pm Saturday and Sunday!

Highlighted games this convention will be:

• Malifaux
• Anima
• WARMACHINE/HORDES
• Ex Illis
• Firestorm Armada
• Uncharted Seas

Come by for some short and quick demonstrations of these miniature games. Miniatures are provided.

Wargame Boot Camp

Want to learn a new war game or an old war game that you've been meaning to play for a decade or more? Orccon hosts another War Game Boot Camp where we teach old and new games to those who want to learn.

Scheduled demos every two hours from 10am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday with each offering raffle tickets to participants for the games we are raffling off.

View the War Games Boot Camp schedule.