We dropped by Lodge Con this weekend, for their 5th year anniversary event. We've honestly been meaning to check out this convention for a few years, and we're glad that we were finally able to make it down there for some tabletop gaming. This is a smaller convention held at the fair grounds in Peotone, IL, about an hour's drive south of Chicago. This year's attendance is expected to be around 500 people throughout the day. It's free to come by and walk through the vendor halls, but a badge for gaming will run you only about $15 for one day, $20 for 2 days. Booking in advance online for this convention will typically get you $5 off of your badge, so plan accordingly.
For those just there to check out the vendor hall, there was a good variety and something for most people into geeky things. Of course, there was a selection of gaming minis and RPG books, as well as gaming accessories, such as dice bags and trays. In addition, there were vendors selling comic books, Funko Pops, and crafts. As well, there were authors such as comic producer Sun Brothers, and a cosplay and prop display from HDC Fabrication and MidWesteros Cosplay Group. As well, there was a chance to meet some local podcasters and authors.
Gamers, of course, have a lot of options at this event. The Starfinder and Pathfinder societies, as well as the D&D Adventurer's League were there running tabletop role-playing games, with morning, afternoon, and evening slots on Saturday, and morning and afternoon slots for Sunday for games running several hours each. For those who like war gaming, there was an amazing Warhammer: Age of Sigmar tournament going on, with beautifully painted armies and some amazing terrain. There were about a dozen tables of epic Warhamer battles going on throughout the day, and it was definitely quite a site. I must say, that being a long-time Warhammer fan, I was shocked to see that there was no Warhammer 40K going on at all. There is, however, a sign-up before the event, and next year the Warhamer 40k players will have a chance to step it up and claim this con for the Emperor!
On top of all of that, there was plenty of board-gaming to be done at no additional charge. The folks from Critical Grind were there with their gaming library of hundreds of titles, which included popular favorites, such as Boss Monster, Asension, Zombicide, and many others. It was a great opportunity to play games that you want to try, or that you don't own a copy of. I spent much of my afternoon playing some classics, like Splendor and Pandemic--and had a great time. The board gaming library was amazing and that alone makes this a great for families to go and spend the day trying out new games.
Just note, that this is a good convention to bring cash to. The snack bar was cash-only, and the standard sort of thing that you'd expect to see at a small convention. I was able to grab a cheese burger, apple, and coffee for under $5, which kept me gaming all afternoon. As long as the weather holds out, I think I'll go back next year.
