SoCon Board Game Convention

SCHEDULE

Registration for sessions ends April 23rd or as each one fills.

Friday

10:00AM – Event opens – Welcome!

2:00PM – Underwater Cities

3:00PM – Azul (American Sign Language)

5:00-5:30PM – First Time Con Attendees

6:00PM-9:00PM – Dungeons & Dragons (American Sign Language)

Midnight – Event closes

Saturday

8:00AM – Event opens

10:00-10:30AM – First Time Con Attendees

10:30-11:00AM – New to Gaming Lingo

3:00PM – Prize Drawing

4:00PM – Codenames Pictures (American Sign Language)

7:00PM – Wingspan (American Sign Language)

Midnight – Event closes

Sunday

8:00AM – Event opens

10:00AM – Ticket to Ride (American Sign Language)

10:00AM-12:00PM Blood on the Clocktower

12:00PM-2:00PM Blood on the Clocktower

1:00PM-4:00PM – Dungeons & Dragons (American Sign Language)

1:00PM – Wingspan 

2:00PM-4:00PM Blood on the Clocktower

4:00PM-6:00PM Blood on the Clocktower

8:00PM – Event concludes. It’s been grand!

SESSION CANCELLATIONS

Need to cancel participation in a session? Just use the Contact form below and tell us which session, your name and email address. We appreciate you opening up a seat for someone else!

Experiences

GAME PLAY

Playing games is what SoCon is all about. Feel free to bring some of your favorite games or a new one you’ve been wanting to get to the table. Better yet, check out the extensive SoCon Game Library and enjoy some of the latest games on the market!

Need more players for a game? Grab a “Need Players” sign and invite others to game with you. There are ample opportunities for solo attendees to join others for some fun play. Want to schedule a specific game and allow others to sign up to join you? Event scheduling will be available via the site soon.

TEACHERS & LEARNERS

We welcome people of all experience levels.  If you’ve not attended a board game conference before, we recommend one of our First Time Con Attendee Sessions. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have. 

Haven’t played that game before? That’s OK! In fact, a weekend event like this is the perfect time to try out games you’ve never played before and decide whether you want to add them to your game library. If the folks at your table are trying a game for the first time, don’t hesitate to put out one of our “Teacher Needed” signs. Others are happy to help.

If you know a game well, you might respond to a “Teacher Needed” sign. The extent to which you want to engage is up to you, but know that your assistance will be much appreciated!

PRIZE DRAWING

All attendees with weekend passes to SoCon will automatically be entered into  drawings to win hot new games. Enjoy your chance to win games such as: Wingspan, Underwater Cities, Azul, Space Base, Wayfinders, Azul Summer Pavilion and more.

Drawing will take place at 3 PM on Saturday, April 25, 2020. Participants must be present to win. No participant may win the drawing more than one time. Additional entries are not available for purchase. 

Exhibitors

COMING SOON

We’re pleased to bring you exhibitors with some products that we’re excited to share with our fellow gamers! We’ll soon have an exhibitor list posted for you with a description of their wares.

Azul (American Sign Language)

Friday, 3:00PM

Dan Mansfield (of Hands On Board Games – see his great Youtube channel!) will be teaching beginners this Moorish art inspired game in American Sign Language. In Azul, players compete as artisans decorating the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora. By carefully drafting the correct quantity and style of tiles, the most clever of artisans plan ahead to maximize the beauty of their work (not to mention their scores!) while ensuring they waste no supplies in the process. 

8 seats available

Blood on the Clocktower

Sunday, 10:00AM, 12 noon, 2:00PM, 4:00PM

Jeff will teach and facilitate this bluffing game for players on opposing teams of Good and Evil, overseen by a Storyteller player who conducts the action and makes crucial decisions.

During a ‘day’ phase players socialize openly and whisper privately to trade knowledge or spread lies, culminating in a player’s execution if a majority suspects them of being Evil. Of a ‘night’ time, players close their eyes and are woken one at a time by the Storyteller to gather information, spread mischief, or kill.

The Storyteller uses the game’s intricate playing pieces to guide each game, leaving others free to play without a table or board. Players stay in the thick of the action to the very end even if their characters are killed, haunting Ravenswood Bluff as ghosts trying to win from beyond the grave.

If you arrive late to a game, you can enter after it’s started as a powerful Traveller character with unusual talents and questionable allegiances. Each character comes with their own special ability and no two players in a game are ever the same character.

Minimum of 7, maximum of 13 players per session

Codenames Pictures (American Sign Language)

Saturday, 4:00PM

Dan Mansfield (of Hands On Board Games – see his great Youtube channel!) will be teaching beginners this team-based game in American Sign Language. Two rival spymasters know the agent in each location. They deliver coded messages telling their field operatives where to go for clandestine meetings. Who contacts all of their agents first? Dan will teach people who use ASL how to play the game as master spies! 

10 seats available

Dungeons & Dragons (American Sign Language)

Session 1: Friday, 6:00PM-9:00PM
Session 2: Sunday, 1:00PM-4:00PM

Come join dungeon master Ando Ferguson for an engaging game of Dungeons & Dragons in American Sign Language! Learn how to play the role-playing game that has captivated millions of players worldwide for more than 45 years! Dungeons & Dragons is a game in which players take on the roles of warriors, wizards, elves, and other fantasy characters to adventure in a shared world full of intrigue, excitement, and memorable moments. No experience is necessary, as Ando will teach people who use ASL how to play the game and guide them on an adventure. All ages are welcome. 

6 seats available per session

First Time Con Attendees

Session 1: Friday, 5:00PM-5:30PM
Session 2: Saturday, 10:00AM-10:30AM

If this is your first time at a board game convention, join us for an overview of how to get the most out of a board game convention and how to navigate the SoCon experience. We’ll let you know how things work and give you tips to get started. It’s a nice way to meet some of the other first timers and make some new friends!  

Bring your questions – we’re here to help! 

No need to pre-register.

New to Gaming Lingo

Saturday, 10:30-11:00AM

Meeple? Roll and write? Engine building? Card drafting? What ARE all these terms? We’ll translate board game terminology into plain English and discuss what kind of games fit into each category.

No need to pre-register.

Ticket to Ride (American Sign Language)

Sunday, 10:00AM

Dan Mansfield (of Hands On Board Games – see his great Youtube channel!) will be teaching beginners Ticket to Ride in American Sign Language. It’s a cross-country train adventure in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America. The longer the routes, the more points – with additional points from connecting two specific cities, and to the player who builds the longest continuous railway.

10 seats available

Underwater Cities

Friday, 2:00PM (approximately 5 hours)

What happens when you bring together the most powerful brains in the world (you and your fellow gamers!), brains nominated due to the overpopulation of Earth to establish the best and most livable underwater areas possible? Sara Hall will help you and your fellow marine planners develop underwater metropolises by constructing kelp farms, desalination plants, laboratories, and tunnels that connect them.  

8 seats available

Wingspan (American Sign Language)

Saturday, 7:00PM

Dan Mansfield (of Hands On Board Games – see his great Youtube channel!) will be teaching Wingspan in American Sign Language to bird enthusiasts who are seeking to discover and attract the best birds to their network of wildlife preserves. (No, you don’t need to be a real birding expert!) Each bird extends a chain of powerful combinations in one of your habitats, each of which focuses on gaining food tokens,  laying eggs and strategically playing unique bird cards. The winner is the player with the most points after 4 rounds.

10 seats available