Saturday, July 1, 2017

CAR-PGa Newsletter July 2017

CAR-PGa NEWSLETTER

Vol. 26, No. 7
An international network of researchers into all aspects of role-playing games
July 2017

David Millians, Editor
Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA


ARTICLES

by W. A. Hawkes-Robinson

[Editor’s Note: we are trying something a little different with this article. Clicking on the link in the title above or typing www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbtma-4qUl8&t=3s into your browser will allow you to view the video. A complete transcript is below.]

Overview

Flow is a core component in Therapeutic Recreation (TR) / Recreation Therapy (RT). This video briefly touches on the key topics of Flow theory, including some video clips to illustrate the concepts in action. This is a very high-level overview, significantly limited in depth due to duration course requirements.

Script

[TITLING ONLY -  NO VOICE] [MUSIC BY SYNTHETIC ZEN]

This short video briefly summarizes the concepts of Concentration, Immersion, and Flow State, including examples from sports and Role-Playing Games (RPGs). See the end of the video for a complete list of references.

[HAWKE SPEAKING TO CAMERA]

Greetings. My name is Hawke Robinson, I am a student at Eastern Washington University, working on an interdisciplinary degree in Recreation Therapy, Music, Neuroscience & Research Psychology. This video was created in relation to a course assignment for the Psychology of Adjustment class taught by Professor Paul Spurgeon. I am registered with the Washington state Department of Health as a Recreational Therapist, and working toward the Therapeutic Recreation and Music Therapy national certifications, the CTRS & AMTA.
           
First some very short definitions in my own words:

• Attention is, "The degree to which an entity is able to process sensory stimuli, motor functions, or cognitions."
• Concentration is, "The degree to which an entity focuses upon a task and excludes irrelevant stimuli or cognitions."
• Immersion is, "The degree to which a participant's concentration leads to being engrossed in an activity."
• And Flow State is, "An optimal state of immersion that can lead to maximal performance by the participant." 

The Hungarian Psychologist Mihalyi Csíkszentmihályi is perhaps best known for the concept of "Flow". In 1975 he defined flow as "... the holistic sensation present when we act with total involvement." (p 136) Flow shares some distinctive features with "What Maslow has called 'peak experiences'.

The textbook, Psychology of Adjustment - The Search for Meaningful Balance, on page 218 states about flow that ..."Flow is the state of being in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in what is happening. It is characterized by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process."... ..."Furthermore, activities that are characterized by flow state should involve continuous learning where one always feels challenged to learn more. Thus, the true hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous delight and complete absorption."

This flow state can be experienced in sports, outdoors recreation, music, religious experiences, various hobbies, video games, tabletop games, live-action games, and even in the workplace.

Many sports aficionados call it being "in the zone". Here is a brief clip from basketball player, Kobe Bryant, a pupil of Michael Jordan, about this concept:

[SHORT VIDEO CLIP FROM KOBE BRYANT ABOUT BEING IN THE ZONE CLIP #1]

According to Jeanne Nakamura and Csíkszentmihályi (1975, pp 135-153), there are 6 key factors leading to a Flow experience: 

Number one, focused concentration in the moment, to an intense degree. Here is another short clip from Kobe Bryant about this concept:

[VIDEO CLIP EXAMPLE] [KOBE BRYANT CLIP #2]

Number two, Merging of action and awareness. Here is a third clip from Kobe Bryant on this concept:

[VIDEO CLIP EXAMPLE] [KOBE BRYANT CLIP #3]

Number three, reflective self-consciousness is suspended. Here is a clip from Zombie Orpheus Entertainment's The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, illustrating this concept.

[VIDEO CLIP EXAMPLE] [GAMERS CLIP SHE IS STAFF FIGHTING ON STAGE]

Number four, a strong sense of internal locus of control. Here is another clip from the same Gamers movie, illustrating this concept.

[VIDEO CLIP EXAMPLE] [COMBAT SCENE WITH HER WIPING OUT THE ORCS]

Number five, significant alteration of the experience of time. Here is another clip from the same Gamers movie, illustrating this concept with a tabletop role-playing game.

[VIDEO CLIP EXAMPLE] [PAST 2:00 AM CLIP]

Number six, Autotelic experience, aka, strong intrinsically rewarding experience (1975, pp 145-146). Csíkszentmihályi, described an autotelic activity as an "activity rewarding in and of itself, quite apart from its end product or any extrinsic good that might result from the activity." From Greek, autos equals self, and telos = goal.  Here is another clip from, The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, illustrating this concept.

[VIDEO CLIP EXAMPLE] [CLIP: I LIKE THE WAY YOU GAME, AND MAYBE ALSO AT END FROM CASS, I DON'T WANT IT TO END?] 

Though research indicates that role-playing games, appear to provide many potential benefits to participants, they provide an exceptional opportunity for interested participants to enjoy an autotelic activity with the possibility of a significant flow state experience, whether alone or participating in groups. Csíkszentmihályi said "In games, the rules define what the relevant stimuli are, and exclude everything else as irrelevant" (1975, p 140).

These six factors can happen to varying degrees by themselves, but for a true flow experience, according to the theory, all six factors should be experienced simultaneously. 

There are also three conditions in Flow Theory that are required to improve the likelihood of this optimal experience, and role-playing games are excellently suited to meeting these requirements:
Wikipedia:

1.     The activity provides a clear set of goals and measures of progress, helping to provide structure and direction for the participants. Most RPGs do this very clearly as part of the entire activity, they provide rulebooks with clearly defined rules, clear mechanisms to determine success or failure, character sheets for tracking progress, etc.
2.     Clear and immediate feedback, so that the participant(s) can adjust their actions as needed. RPG game system rules and play etiquette generally provide this throughout the activity.
3.     Balance between perceived challenge level and the participants perception of their own skill level, with confidence that though challenging, they can succeed. This can be tricky for game masters to find the right balance, since different players may be at different levels of ability, but when a gaming group is performing well [see Video #2 on Group Dynamics of RPG], then a variety of skill mastery and good group performance, can allow this to happen for all participants. Being out of balance could lead to a Total Party Kill (TPK), or bored players overcoming the adventure challenges too easily.

[SLIDE OF THESE]: Arguably the most important consideration for achieving a flow experience, is hitting the "sweet spot" of an ideal balance between the maximal Challenge Level of the activity, appropriate to the participants' Skill Level. Too much challenge and/or too low a skill level, will likely lead too much anxiety, while too low a challenge for the skill level could lead to boredom.



Role-playing Games, when all the variables are properly aligned, may be able to provide some of the more readily accessible and intense experiences of flow state, and this experience may, under the right circumstances, be simultaneously shared by the entire group, not just one individual.

[SCRIPT]

To summarize, the key to maximizing the potential of optimal performance through increased likelihood of flow experience, is to balance, among other variables: participant abilities and intrinsic motivations with challenge level and environmental variables so that the participant has an intense, distinctive experience leading them to perform at their maximum capacity.

For more information, see The RPG Research Project at www.rpgresearch.com.

[TEXT OVERLAY, NOT READ] Hawke: There are a number of other variables and components related to this topic that are beyond the time constraints and scope of this video. If you would like to learn more about Flow and the related topics, there is an excellent two volume set of Mihalyi Csíkszentmihályi's collected works published in 2014, The Systems Model of Creativity and Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology.

References

Moritsugu, J., Vera, E. M., Jacobs, J. H., Kennedy, M. (2017). Psychology of Adjustment, The Search for Meaningful Balance. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). The Systems Model of Creativity, The Collected Works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Berlin: Springer.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology, The Collected Works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Berlin: Springer.
                                   
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2004). Flow, the secret to happiness. Video, Ted Talk, www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.
                                                                                                                   
Vancil, M., Dobyn, B. (2008). The Gamers: Dorkness Rising. Seattle: Zombie Orpheus Entertainment.

Convention Report: Heroicon III May, 19 - 21, 2017 in Decatur, IL (Region II)
By Bob Bledsaw II

Recent Rain and flooding in the area took a toll on attendance, as many county highways and roads were closed. Even so, they had approximately 300 attendees, raising nearly $9,000.00. Less expenses, the con generated roughly $7,000 for charity and Games for Troops, Inc. Games for Troops provides games to servicemen in remote areas.

There were a total of 7 Game Vendors, of a total 18 vendors. Many of the vendors were craft related or independent artists, and some were non-game related. Buyers were predominantly local females, many with children. An Auction for rarer titles and donations was held.

Table-top games included D&D, miniatures, strategic wargames, and card games.

The organizers were very pleased with the turnout, considering the poor weather, and informed me that Heroicon will continue at least until 2019. As for future changes, they are considering a cosplay event as is now common at other cons. Heroicon is family friendly in a spacious convention hotel with plenty of room to grow. All above board; they promotes RPGs, and no offensive material was seen.

Convention Report: North Texas RPGcon (NTRPG) - Gravevine, TX (Region IV)
By Bob Bledsaw II

Attendance is held at a maximum of 300, and private guests. It works as a quiet place for industry leaders to meet and coalesce projects. This year was the first time at a new location, much nearer the main airport: an improvement. Fort Worth area location allows for both East and West Coast convenience. The location offers fine-dining and other dining establishments are nearby.

The con does some fundraising for charity and promotes innovation in RPG gaming. It also holds an prominent industry rare items auction.

This con is considered by many industry leaders as the Best Annual Convention for leaders to attend. It hosts more than 20 leading RPG game vendors and prominent artists of the field and awards special guests of the industry, authors, and game designers.

Table-top games included mostly D&D, science fiction, play-testing of new designs, and card games. Many games are afforded private rooms to assist play.

Buyers tended to be males age 25-35, serious hobbyists and well-versed in RPG play. Male to Female Player ratios at tables averaged 4 to 1.

NTRPG is Family Friendly, yet drinks are served in some areas. Everything is above board, and it promotes RPGs and the industry as a whole. It displays no offensive material.

Convention Report: Atlanta Sci-Fi & Fantasy Expo 2017
By Ted Skirvin

This convention was held on the first weekend of March. It is a free convention that takes place at North Dekalb Mall in the Eastern suburbs of Atlanta; various store locations within the mall are used for it. The mall is very old and run-down. Middle income and lower income households are in the immediate area near the mall. There is a store in the mall called Challenges Comics and Games. The owner of the store had organized this convention and this year was the third such. There are many empty storefronts in the mall so a large one was used as a gaming room. The food court was used as a dealer's room with around 25 vendors showing up. 

There were two tracks of discussion panels. One was in an African-American heritage store. The other one took place in the back gaming room at Challenges. I presented a panel on Saturday at 1 pm focused on an intro to RPGs for newbies. Another guy did a "GMing 101" panel at 5 pm the same day. At my panel, only three of the seven attendees were actually new to RPGs. At the end of my panel, I offered to go with the newbies to the gaming room and run them through a one-shot scenario. We did that, and they all seemed to enjoy it. The system I used is Weird Fantasy Role Playing/Lamentations of the Flame Princess. It's based on the B/X version of basic D&D.

As to demographics, the ethnic makeup was about 60% black and 40% white; I saw no others. The male/female ratio was about 90%/10%.

This con has been getting a little larger every year. And, it is getting better organized each time. I'll be back there next year. 

NEW MATERIAL

FROM DAVID MILLIANS

Dominus, Susan (2017 June 9) Exit the Dungeon Master. Tonys Rehearsal is Calling. www.nytimes.com/2017/06/09/theater/exit-the-dungeon-master-tonys-rehearsal-is-calling.html. Visiting playwright J.T. Rogers’ youthful game group.

Laskow, Sarah (2017 June 13) These Maps Reveal the Hidden Structure of ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Books. www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cyoa-choose-your-own-adventure-maps. Textual analysis in flow charts.

Liu Jue (2017 June 2) Wildest Fantasy. www.theworldofchinese.com/2017/06/wildest-fantasy. Current state of fantasy literature in China.

Sanderson, Chris (2017 May 18) Battlefield Bangkok. site.pelgranepress.com/index.php/battlefield-bangkok-from-dream-to-community. History and development of tabletop store and community in Thailand.

Whemeier, Tom (2017 June 1) Europe Meets China – How the Games Industry is Evolving. news.atomico.com/europe-meets-china. Investment in digital games.
                                                                   
FROM HAWKE ROBINSON

Robinson, Hawke (2017 May 25) Confirmed: Writing entire chapter for RPG for 4th edition textbook “Facilitation Techniques in Therapeutic Recreation. www.rpgresearch.com/blog/rpg-chapter-tr-facilitation-book. Great news from Hawke!

Robinson, Hawke (2017 June 14) Lilac City Comicon 2017, Sat, June 3. www.rpgresearch.com/Members/JWelker/lilac-city-comicon-2017-sat-jun-3. Accessibility issues and no games.

Robinson, Hawke (2017 June 21) Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, “No” to any of Wheelchair Friendly RPG Trailer or other helping services. www.rpgresearch.com/blog/wizards-tier-1-no-to-everything. WotC snubs Hawke’s requests for permission and support, and he’s looking for advice.
                                                                             
FROM MICHAEL TRESCA

Tresca, Michael (2017 May 19) Quora Answer: What made Dungeons & Dragons a classic?. www.quora.com/What-made-Dungeons-Dragons-a-classic/answer/Michael-Tresca?srid=XzH9. D&D and its influences today.

Tresca, Michael (2017 June 6) Quora Answer: Why do you play role-playing games? www.patreon.com/posts/quora-answer-why-11272004. Creativity and psychological flow.

CALENDAR

New listings this month were provided by Paul Cardwell and Lou Zocchi, and others are urged to submit information. If you attend a convention, be sure and check the conventions table and let us have a copy of the fliers (or at very least the when, what, where, and contact information) for upcoming conventions available there. CAR-PGa is international, so this includes anywhere in the world.

Dates, precise venue, contacts' URLs or phone numbers, and other information, where missing from this list, would be particularly appreciated.

"[LARP]" means only LARP events as many RPG cons include at least some LARP, as likewise applies to the mention of specific game systems. The same bracketed information applies as well to game systems when the con will have only those games present.

In an attempt to get more face-to-face meetings of the membership, we list who will be going to what convention, if they will tell us. Get this type of information in at least two months before the convention itself, so we can run it at least once. Support your local cons by helping in the staff. It is a good way to promote RPG, and you generally get in free for the brief time spent helping.

[Your humble editor will be at Dragon Con all weekend, running Runequest Glorantha games.]

A review of any attended convention afterwards for the Newsletter would be appreciated too. These reviews should include demographic data such as attendance, percentage male/female, white/ethnic minorities (or whatever is the majority/white/others), games in addition to tabletop RPG, and more subjective matters such as unusual events, quality of games and dealers' room, encouragement of new gamers, and whatever seems worth reporting. We need to work to restore CAR-PGa's reputation as the media's go-to on gamer demographics, especially since the media are still citing a study that cut off all those over 35 - at a time when that was the median age of gamers - it is closer to 40 now - which indicates we also need to work on recruiting younger players, although some increase in college age players at conventions has been noted.

Conventions are currently being compiled by archivist Paul Cardwell, 1127 Cedar, Bonham, TX 75418 or plcardwell@gmail.com, so send them there.

July 2017 
1-4: Anime Expo, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA; animeexpo.org
1-4: Westercon, Tempe Mission Hotel, Tempe, AZ; westercon70.org
5-9: Dexcon, Morristown Hyatt, Morristown, NJ; dexposure.com
5-9: Dice Tower Con, Caribe Royale, 8101 World Center Dr, Orlando, FL; eventbrite.com
6-9: Connecticon, Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford, CT; connecticon.org
6-9: Play On Con, Alabama 4-H Center, 892 4-H, Columbiana, AL; playoncon.com
7-8: Salt Lake Gaming Con, Southtown Expo Center, 9575 S State St, Sandy, UT: saltlakegamingcon.com
7-9: Anime Blues, Cook Convention Center, Memphis, TN; animeblues.com
7-9: Protospiel, Chelsea Comfort Inn, 1645 Commerce Par Dr, Chelsea, MI; protospiel.org
7-9: RTX, Austin Convention Center, 500 E Caesar Chavez, Austin, TX; rtxaustin.com
7-9: Anime Blues, Cook Convention Center, Memphis, TN; animeblues.com
12-23: Festival Ludique International de Parthenay, all over Parthenay; jeux-festival.com
14-16: BroCon, PESS Sports Hall, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick; brocon.info
7-9: Go Play NW, Champion Hall, Seattle University, Seattle, WA; goplaynw.org
12-16: Historicon, Fredericksburg Expo, 2371 Carl D. Silver Pkwy, Fredericksburg, VA; historicon.org  [wargaming] 
14-15: Con in the Castle, 65666 Bethel Rd, New Plymouth, OH; ravenwoodcastle.com
14-16: Con-gregate, Radisson Hotel, High Point, NC; con-gregate.com
14-16: Delta H Con, Marriott Westchase, 2900 Briarpark, Houston, TX; deltahcon.com
14-16: KantCon, Overland Park Convention Center, 6000 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS; kantcon.com
14-16: Kitsunecon, Ki Convention Center, 333 Main St, Green Bay, WI; kitsunecon.com
14-16: Quad Cities Anime-zing!, River Center, Davenport, IA; qcanime-zing.com
14-16: Tokyo in Tulsa, Tulsa Convention Center, Tulsa, OK; tokyointulsa.com
14-16: Wintercon, Fitzroy Pavillion, Canberra, ACT; cgs.asn.au
15: TolkienMoot, venue unsettled, Spokane, WA; tolkiernmoot.org
15-16: Berlin Brettspiel Con, Alte Münze, Molkenmarkt 2, Berlin; hunterundcron.de
17-19: Gam3rCon, New School of Architecture & Design, 1249 F St, San Diego, CA; gam3rcon.com
18-20: Flying Buffalo's T&T Con, Holiday Inn Express, 3131 N. Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ; flyingbuffalo.com
20-23: Amber Central, Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport, 2901 34th Ave. S, Bloomington, MN; ambercentral.com
20-23: Ambercon, Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport, 7901 34th Ave. S, Bloomington, MI; ambercon.com [Amber diceless only]
20-23: Comic-Con International, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA; comic-con.org
20-23: Geekycon, Crowne Plaza, St. Louis, MO; geeklycon.com
20-23: San Diego Comic-Com, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA; comic-con.org
21-23: Charcon, Clay Center, Arts & Sciences of West Virginia, Charleston, WV; charcon.org
21-23: Fan World, Niagara Falls Conference Center, Niagara Falls, NY and Crowne Plaza, Niagara Falls, ON; fanworld.us
21-23: Open Gaming Convention, Holiday Inn, Northeastern Blvd, Nashua, NH; ogc-con.com
22-23: Feencon, Stadthalle Bonn, Bad Godesberg, Bonn; feencon.de
22-23: PaizoCon, Aston Conference Centre, Birmingham, W. Mid; ukroleplayers.com
23-25: Border City Game Convention, Adventures in Learning, 7230 Gateway Blvd. E, El Paso, TX; bordercitygameconvention.com
25-30: DrachenFest, Auf dem Quast, Diemelstadt; drachenfest.info [boffer LARP]
27-30: Pulpfest, Doubletree, Pittsburgh, PA; pulpfest.com
28-29: Pure Speculation, Alberta Ave. Community Centre, 9210-118 Ave, Edmonton, AB; purespec.org
28-30: AnimeIowa, Coralville Marriott Hotel, 300 9th St, Coralville, IN; animeiowa.com
28-30: Conbravo!, Hamilton Convention Centre, 1 Summers Ln, Hamilton. ON; conbravo.com
28-30: Dakota Game Con, Swiftel Event Center, Brookings, SD; dakotagmecon.com
28-30: Fandomfest, Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, KY; fandomfest.com
28-30: Löwenherz Con und Spiele, Landheim der Sophienschule, Hamburg; diophant.de
28-30: Mechacon, Hayatt Regency Downtown, 601 Loyola Ave, New Orleans, LA; mechacon.com
28-30: Ropecon, Helsingin Messukeskuksessa, Helsinki, Finland; ropecon.fi
29: Ettin Con, Katoomba Leura Community Centre, 81-83 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW; ettincon.org
29: WyvaCon, Wythevile Community College, 1000 E Main St, Wytheville, VA; wyvacon.com
29-31: Tatsu-Con, Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, Buffalo, NY; ryu-kon.com

August 2017
4-6: Glitch Con, Springdale Holiday Inn, 1500 S 49th, Springdale, AR; glitchcon.com
4-6: Ohio Comic Con, Greater Columbus Convention Center, 500 N High St, Columbus, OH; wizardworld.com/home-ohio
5-6: UniCon Latvia, Eektrum Olympic Center, Grostonas St 6B, Riga, Latvia; unicon.lv
11-13: SpoCon, Downtown Doubletree, Spoane, WA, spocon.org
12-13: Geekout, New Mountain, 38 N French Broad, Asheville, NC; geekoutavl.org
12-13: ShaCon, Garrison Hotel, 635 Penistone Rd, Sheffield, SY; shacon.org.uk
12-15: Alter Paradox, Casa de la Uventud, Pamplona: umbrasdeparadox.es
16: Akua Con, Universal Lazer Family Fun Center, 15 1st St NW, Watertown, SD; 
17-20: GenCon Indy, Indiana Convention Center, 100 South Capitol Ave, Indianapolis, IN; gencon.com
17-20: NecronomiCon, Providence Biltmore, Providence, RI; necronimicon-providence.con.com [Lovecraft] 
18-20: AlderCon, Hale Scout Hut, Wings Rd, Farnham, Sury; avgas.me.uk
18-20: Geekfest, Mayborn Space Theater, Central Texas College, Killeen, TX; starsatnight.org/geekfest
18-20: Kitacon Quest, Warwick Arts Centre, Warwick University, Warwick; kitacon.org
18-20: Starfleet International Conference, Crowne Plaza New Orleans Airport, New Orleans, LA; ic2017.org
19-20: Pensacola Comic Con, Pensacola Interstate Conference Bldg, 6655 Mobile Hwy, Pensacola, FL; pensacolaparacon.com
24-27: PolCon, Lublinie, Poland; polcon.fandom.art.pl
24-27: Wizard World Comic Con Chicago, Stevens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Rd, Chicago, IL; wizardworld.com
25-27: Bubonicon, Albuquerque Marriott Uptown, 2101 Louisiana Blvd NE (at I-40), Albuquerque, NM; bubonicon.com
25-27: Couleecon, La Crosse Center, La Crosse, WI; Couleecon.com 
25-27: Dragonfire, Kramer Law Bldg, University of Capetown, Capetown, SA; dragonfire.uct.ac.za
25-27: Dragonflight, Bellevue Hilton, 300 112th Ave. SE, Bellevue, WA; dragonflight.org
25-27: Furry Migration, Hyatt Regency downtown, Minneapolis, MJN: furrymigration.org
26-27: Shadow Con, Northfields Community Centre, Northfields, West London; ukroleplayers.com
31-September 3: Alcon, DeMonfort University, Leicester, Leicestershire, UK; alcon.org.uk
31-September 3: Fan Expo Canada, Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON; fanexpocanada.com

September 2017
1-3: Meta Con, Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, 1300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN: metaconvention.com
1-4: Dragoncon, Hyatt Regency, 265 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA; dragoncon.org Your humble editor will be at Dragon Con all weekend, running Runequest Glorantha games.
1-4: Pacificon, Santa Clara Marriott, 2700 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara, CA; pacificongameexpo.com
1-4: PAX West, Washington State Convention Center, 800 Convention Place, Seattle, WA; west.paxsite.com
1-4: Strategicon Gateway, Hilton LAX, 5711 W Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA; strategicon.net
1-4: TCEP, Hampton Inn Washington/Dulles Airport, 22700 Holiday Park Dr, Sterling, VA; barkingmad.org
1-4: Tri-Con Fall, Marina Inn, South Sioux City, NE; tristategamers.org
8-10: Icon, Eshkol Pais, 4 Shprintzak St, Tel Aviv; iconfestival.org.il
8-10: Queen City Conquest, Buffalo Niaagra Convention Center, 153 Franklin St, Buffalo, NY; queencitycon.com
8-10: SIBCon, Vagabonds Hall, Butler, PA; circleofswords.com
8-10: Space Coast Nerd Fest, Space Coast Convention Center, Cocoa, FL; spacecoastnerdfest.org
8-10: Tracon, Tampere Hall, Tampere, Finland; tracon.fi
8-10: Tri-Con, Holiday Inn, 7101 US 41, Evansville, IN; tri-con.net
8-10: Wizard World Nashville, TN Music City Center, Nashville, TN; wizardworld.com/comiccon/nashville
9-10: TopCon, Agriculture Hall, Kansas Expocentre, Topeka, KS; topcon.us
9-10: WashingCon, Georgetown University Hotel, Washington, DC; washingcon.com
13-15: Tsubasacon, Big Sandy Arena, Huntington, WV; tsubasacon.org
15-17: Hub Con, Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, Hattisburg, MS; hubcitycomiccon.com
16: Concrete Cow, Old Bath House, 205 Stratford Rd, Wolverton, Milton Keynes; mk-rpg.org.uk
16: VersusCon, Aetna Fire Hall, University of Delaware, 400 Ogletown Rd, Newark, DE; versuscon.com
16-17: ConCentric Games, Burnside Community Centre, Adelaide, SA, Australia; con-centric.com.au
16-17: Memphis Comic Expo, Agricenter, 7777 Walnut Grove Rd, Memphis, TN; memphiscomicexpo.com
22-24: Edmonton Expo, Edmonton Centre, 7515 118 Ave, Edmonton, AB; edmontonexpo.com
22-24: Fallcon, Commonwealth Centre, 3961 52nd Ave. NE, Calgary, AB; fallcon.com
23: Meggacon, Commonwealth Commerce Center, Jackson, MI; meggacon.com
23-24: Field Marshal Gaming Convention, RCAFA Bldg, Oshawa, ON; theminiaturespage.com
23-24: Monster-Con, Wonderland of the Americas Mall, 4522 Fredericksburg Rd, San Antonio, TX; monstercon.com
23-24: World RPG Fest, Centro de Exposições, Curitiba, PR, Brasil; worldrpgfest.com.br
28-29: VCon, Sheraton Vancouver Guildford, Surrey, BC; vcon.ca
28-October 1: Anime Weekend Atlanta, Renaissance Waverley, Atlanta, GA; awa-con.com
28-October 1: Hurricon, International Palms Resort, Orlando, FL; hmgs-south.com [miniature wargaming]
28-October 1: Tacticon, Crowne Plaza Denver International Airport, Denver, CO; denvergamers.org
29-October 1: Archon, Gateway Center, Collinsville, MO; archonstl.org
29-October 1: Council of Five Nations, Proctors Conference Center, Schenectady, NY; swa-gaming.org
29-October 1: Icon, Cedar Rapids Marriott, 1200 Collins Rd, Cedar Rapids, IA; iowa-icon.com
29-October 1: Konsplosion, Fort Smith Convention Center, 55 S. 7th, Fort Smith, AR; konsplosion.com
29-October 1: Monsterama, Marriott Alpharetta, GA 400 & Windward Pkwy, Atlanta GA; monsteramacon.com
29-October 1: RinCon, Sheraton, 5151 Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ; rincongames.com
29-October 1: Scarefest, Lexington Convention Center, Lexington, KY; thescarefest.com
30-October 1: Geek Girl Con, Washington State Conference Center, 800 Pike, Seattle, WA; geekgirlcon.com
30-October 1: Schweinfurter Fantasy-Festival, Jugendhaus, Franz-Schubert-Str, Schweinfurt; fantasy-festival.de
30-October 1: Sydcon, St. Scholastica's College, Glebe, NSW; sydcon.info
30-October 2: MOAB, Sylvania Heights Community Club, Box Rd, Sylvania, NSW; [mostly wargame including fantasy] 

October 2017
4-8: NordlichtCon, Evangelischer Jugendhof Sachsenhain, Am Jugendhof 17, Verden an der Aller; nordlichtcon.de
5-8: New York Comic Con, Jacob Javetts Center, New York City, NY; newyorkcomiccon.com
6-7; Noble Con, West Richland Elementary, 320 E North Ave, Noble, Il: noblecon.weebly.com
6-8: Contraflow, New Orleans Airport Hilton, New Orleans, LA; contraflowscifi.org
6-8: Con-volution, San Ramon Marriott, 2600 Bishop Dr, San Ramon, CA; con-volution.com
6-8: Fan Nexus, Spokane Convention Center, Spokane, WA; fannex.us
6-8: Gaming Arts Media Expo, Springfield Expo Centre, Springfield, MO; springfieldgame.com
6-8: Great Falls Gaming Rendezvous, Holiday Inn, 1100 5th St S, Great Falls, MT; gfgr.org
6-8: Nuke-Con, Ramada Plaza, 3321 S 72nd St, Omaha, NE; nuke-con.com
6-8: OctoGones, l'Espace Tête d'Or, 103 boulevard Stalingrad, Lyon/Villeurbanne. France; octogones.org
6-8: Realms Con, Omni Corpus Christi, 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX; realmscon.com
6-8: SNAFUCon, JA Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave, Sparks, NV; snafucon.com
6-8: Southern Front, Holiday Inn, North Raleigh, NC; trianglesimsociety.org [miniature wargames] 
7-8: Furnace, Garrison Hotel, 635 Penistone Rd, Sheffield, S. Yorks; furnace.org.uk
7-8: SparrenCon, LUNA Sennestadt, Lindemannplatz 1, Bielefeld; sparrencon.de
11-15: Brasil Game Show, Expo Center Norte, São Paulo, SP; brasilgameshow.com.br
13-15: OddCon, Park Inn, Telford; oddconuk.org
13-15: XenoCon, CASI Event Center, 1035 W. Kimberly Rd, Davenport, IA; xenocon.org
13-15: Big Bad Con, Walnut Creek Marriott, 2355 N Main St, Walnut Creek, CA; bigbadcon.com[18+] 
13-15: Con-Stellation, Four Points, Huntsville Airport, 1000 Glenn Hearn Blvd SW, Huntsville, AL; www.con-stellation.org/constell/wiki/index.php?title=Con†Stellation_Main_Page
13-15: Gamer Fete, MS Coast Coliseum, 2350 Beach Blvd, Biloxi, MS; fearfest.com/gamer-fete
13-15: Viking-Con, Tårnby Gymnasiuum, Kastrup, Denmark; viking-con.dk
14-16: NEWGamepalooza, Gruenhagen Conference Center, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI; newgamepalooza.com
19-22: CastleCon, Best Western Plus, Oshawa, ON; castlecon.net
20-22: FlatCon, Interstate Center, 1106 Interstate Dr, Bloomington, IL; flatcon.com
20-22: GrandCon, DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, MI; grcomicon.com
20-22: Questcon, Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center, Mobile, AL; questr-con.com
20-22: ValleyCon, Baymont Inn, 3333 133th Ave. S, Fargo, ND; valleycon.com
20-23: Kraken, Schloss Neuhausen, Bradenburg, Germany; the-kraken.de
21: Greek Retreat, 38 The Priory, Queensway, Birmingham, W. Mid; ukroleplayers.com
21-22: Central City Comic Con, Yakima Valley Sundome, Yakima, WA; centralcitycomiccon.com
21-22: WasabiCon, Lexington Hotel Riverwalk, Jacksonville, FL; wasabicon.com
21-23: Milwaukee Summer Revel, Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield, 375 S. Moorland Rd, Brookfield, WI; coldiron.roseocon.net
26-29: Spiel, Messe Essen, Essen; merz-verlag.com
27-29: Atlanta Game Fest, Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta, 5750 Windward Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA; atlantagamefest.com
27-29: Central Canada Comic Con, Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, MB; c4con.org
27-29: Comikaze Expo, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA; comikaze.com
27-29: Hallowcon, Quality Inn, East Ridge, TN; hallocon.com [horror]
27-29: Kumoricon, Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR; kumoricon.org
27-29: Mile Hi Con, Hyatt Regency, 7800 E. Tufts Ave, Denver, CO; milehicon.org
27-29: Oklahoma City Comic Con, venue unannounced, Oklahoma City, OK; wizardworld.com/comiccon/OKC
27-30: Gaelcon, Ballbridge Hotel, Pembroke Rd, Dublin: gaelcon.com

© Copyright 2017 by the Committee for the Advancement of Role-Playing Games (CAR-PGa), ISSN 1071 7129. The CAR-PGa Newsletter is a monthly publication. For more information contact David Millians, Editor, Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA, phone (404) 808-1070, fax (404) 377-3491, e-mail millians.david@paideiaschool.org. Back issues are available. Contributions of material from the membership are urged, and the byline is responsible for content. Deadline is the last weekday of the month, email preferred. Permission is granted to copy anything in the Newsletter, provided we get a credit line in the publication copying it, and it doesn't have someone else's copyright on it. Information, including details on joining CAR-PGa, can be obtained on the Internet at car-pga.org.