Boccob's Blessed Blog

This been quite the week for convention updates! Here are the details for three major Midwestern cons: Gen Con, Origins, and Gamehole Con. I will be at each of these cons representing Limitless Adventures & Cheatin’ Fair Games. I hope to see you there!

Gen Con 2021 Moved to September

According to an update on Gencon.com, on March 17th, 2021:

Today, we’re announcing that we are postponing Gen Con 2021 as originally planned for August 5-8 in Indianapolis and announcing plans for a hybrid slate of concurrent in-person and online experiences, including the rescheduled Indy convention, this September 16-19, 2021. We believe this is the best approach both to meet the many challenges of the moment and to explore possibilities for the future.

By offering a flexible range of opportunities to participate, we hope to safely include the largest number of people in the Gen Con experience this year and adapt to conditions as they are in September: in-person at Gen Con in Indianapolis with capped attendance and a modified format, from home through Gen Con Online events and livestreaming, and at local game stores through Pop-Up Gen Con retail activations.

With the rollout of effective vaccines, we look forward to an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and an eventual return to normal convention conditions, but the timeline is far from certain. In consultation with public health experts and local partners, with community feedback in mind, and with cautious optimism, we are moving forward with planning while maintaining the ability to shift course as needed to meet the requirements of changing conditions.

Convention planning happens on a long timeline, and we appreciate your continued patience as we tread these murky waters. By postponing our dates and expanding our approach, we hope to provide you with the best experience we can this year. With so many pieces in motion, we aren’t yet announcing dates for badge, hotel, and event registration, but we will announce those decisions soon as we advance to the next stages of planning.

Origins Game Fair 2021 (Sept. 30 – Oct. 3)

According to originsgamefair.com:

Based on the hopeful news that COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed and reports from the CDC that community events and conventions should be able to resume later this year, we have made the decision to move this year’s Origins Game Fair from our usual June weekend to September 30 – October 3, 2021. 

Safety is our primary concern, and we believe holding Origins later in the year provides the best path forward to have an in-person event this year.

We are working with other game convention organizers to develop guidelines for safe events, including, but not limited to:

* Requiring Face Masks

*Temperature Checks

*Hand Sanitizing Stations

In the interim, we encourage everyone to help fight the pandemic by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, washing your hands, and getting the vaccine when you are able. Together we can work towards returning back to normal.

We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation and will provide updates as we get closer to the event.  Exhibitor and sponsorship information will be available on February 16. If you have any questions, please email registration@gama.org. 

Gamehole Con (Oct. 21 – 24)

From the Gamehole Con newsletter sent on March 15th, 2021:

Hello Gamers!

As we emerge from the deep freeze that is the upper Midwest this time of year, we are becoming increasingly optimistic about the prospects of having our show this fall. Our dates for this fall are October 21-24. We are told by Public Health and by Dane County that it is expected to see all Covid related restrictions removed by late summer, should the vaccine rollout continue at its current pace and we not see any major setbacks due to a new CV variant/strain.

So, with this cautious optimism in hand, we have assembled a schedule of dates to lead us up to Gamehole Con in October. The first significant date is the opening of the Housing Portal. This will take place at noon central time on April 1st. Remember, all rooms are fully refundable for any reason, which of course includes if we are forced to cancel for Covid reasons.

The second important date is the opening of Event Submission on May 1st. To make our comeback, getting great games in from you all is crucial. So please, begin thinking about some games that you would like to run for our fantastic attendees.

We are in the process of selling the remaining few Dealer Hall booths that we still have available and inviting Special Guests.

Finally, we want to make this perfectly clear: We will not hold a show if it is unsafe for us to do so. We will 100% rely on our local public health experts when it comes to having our show and under what circumstances.

Because this is a very fluid situation and we are talking about an event that is still many months away, we do not have firm policies set when it comes to Covid. We of course will keep you posted as we get closer to our show dates.

That is all for now. We hope that you all have a great early spring, and until we speak again, great gaming!

Gamehole Con 2021 Schedule:

• Housing Portal Opens – April 1st at noon CDT
• Event Submissions Open – May 1st noon CDT
• VIG Renewals Open – June 15th noon CDT
• Main Registration Opens – July 1st noon CDT
• VIG Event Registration Opens – August 15th noon CDT
• General Event Registration Opens – September 1st noon CDT
• Pre-registration and Event Submission Closes – October 1st
• Gamehole Con! – Oct. 21st – Oct. 24th