Join My Tables at 2025 GameHole Con!
GameHole Con 12 takes place Oct. 16th – Oct. 19th, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. This heralded convention has a wide range of excellent RPGs, seminars, and events. I’m extremely thankful to be a guest at this convention, joining an incredible guest list.
(As I captured in video here, conventions aren’t cheap and they aren’t always the best option for creators. But, if you can afford conventions financially, GameHole is a great option!)
I would love to see you at the con! You can find all of my events here, or click on the specific games and events noted below:
Learn While Dying – Exploration Approaches in the Lands of Great Peril! (2 hrs)
Building on the Trap session I ran last year (see the next event), I am running a new version focused on exploration. The concept is to teach exploration approaches and design through play! Up to 12 players can join this game, and we will take turns with players playing characters attempting to navigate the wilderness. The goal is for you to have fun in a group environment and also come away with ideas on exploration design for your games or creations.
Feeling a bit… lost when it comes to choosing exploration rules for your games? Has it been too long since you bled out in the wilderness? Solve both of these problems in this combination seminar and game! Participants will team up, two players for each character, deciding how to traverse a dangerous wilderness. Designer Teos “I once was lost, but now I’m found” Abadia will pull back the curtain to discuss exploration rules as we use them. Gear up to consider everything from a loose narrative approach to tight procedural hexploration and alternatives in between, how to handle encounters and damaging scenarios, assigning skill difficulties, weather, getting lost, indoor options, and above all… how to have fun with exploration! Time will be available at the end to have an open discussion and answer questions. This event uses the D&D 5E rules, but the lessons apply to other RPGs and Teos is prepared to discuss other systems.
Learn While Dying – Trap Design in the Dungeon of Doom! (2 hrs)
This was a wild idea I had last year, which turned out to be so great I am running it one last time. The concept is to teach trap design through play! Up to 12 players can join this game, and we will take turns with players playing rogues attempting to best a trap-filled corridor taken from the Dungeon of Doom adventure (for which I was the primary designer). We will use the Dwarven Forge terrain and have fun as the traps are sprung or bested… but also discuss the design approach taken and how to make traps fun in general. The goal is for you to have fun in a group environment and also come away with ideas on trap design for your games or creations.
Need better traps for your games? Has it been too long since you bled? Solve both of these problems in this combination seminar and game! Participants will team up, two players for each pregenerated character, deciding how to traverse the infamous “Gauntlet” trap-filled room from Dungeon of Doom, the free adventure from Dwarven Forge. Lead designer Teos Abadia will pull back the curtain and discuss the trap design after each segment of the gauntlet is surpassed. Learn how to make engaging traps, how to assign damage and DCs, how to resolve checks and deal with perception and other skills, and how to make traps interesting and fun. Dwarven Forge terrain will be utilized. Time will be available at the end to have an open discussion and answer questions. This event uses the D&D 5E rules, but the lessons apply to other RPGs and Teos is prepared to discuss other systems.
Mastering Dungeons Live! (1 hr)
Shawn Merwin and I will record our podcast show live! We will discuss a topic with help from our audience.
Join Teos and Shawn as they record an episode of Mastering Dungeons live. Hear the news, get your questions answered, and hear more about game design and the game industry!
The Beautiful Mess of 5E (1 hr)
I join Shawn Merwin, Mike Shea, and Mike Mearls to discuss what it means for D&D to have such a myriad of creators and companies contributing to the game.
While 5E began with the 2014 release of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, 5E has now expanded into several fully stand-alone systems with thousands of compatible supplements including two compatible versions of D&D: 2014 and 2024. Join our panelists as we discuss the “beautiful mess” of 5E where we GMs can piece together the best components from hundreds of products to build the exact version of 5E we want to run at our table.
Writing Games for Convention Play (1 hr)
I am a huge fan of convention play! This panel will discuss approaches to create a great experience at a convention. Note: this takes place at the Sheraton, a short walk from the convention center.
Convention games must deliver complete experiences in a short amount of time, surrounded by loud noises and bright lights. Learn tips and tricks for how to pace your convention and one-shot games and how to design your games for convention play.
Freelancing 201: Progressing your Tabletop Career (1 hr)
The path to success in tabletop keeps changing, but I look forward to discussing some tips that stand the test of time.
You’ve got your foot in the door and have a few credits under your belt. Now what? A panel of professionals in the TTRPG industry discuss how to identify career goals and how to focus your efforts to help you reach the next level!
Running Games for Kids (1 hr)
I join Crystal Mazur, Sarah Babe, Jefferson Dunlap, and Nancy Hutchins as we share our tips for running awesome sessions for kids.
Are you an adult looking for advice on introducing RPGs to the kids in your life? Are you a GM wanting to learn how to run games for kids at conventions? Come join our panel and gain some insight on making RPGs accessible for kids.
Building the Table: Incorporating Props, Terrain, Music, and Song into Games (1 hr)
Come see how Tommy Gofton, Sarah Babe, Stefan Pokorny, Ed Stark, and I create engaging games with the help of terrain, music, props, and more!
In today’s nerdy digital age, the realm of streaming and podcasting has opened up a plethora of opportunities for gamers to carve out successful careers or just have fun along the way. Whether it’s through live streaming on platforms like Twitch and Youtube or hosting a podcast on Spotify, there are numerous ways to make a living as a content creator. This panel explores innovative and outside-of-the-box methods to thrive in our gaming industry, providing insights on how long it might take to succeed, along with useful tips and tricks. It’s not all about ad revenue.
Other Events
I am looking forward to the PoC Event and I’ll be around the con every day. If you are attending, please say hi – and please remind me of your name – my memory for names is the worst!
If you haven’t made plans yet, here is the GameHole Con attendance page. I hope to see you there!
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