From Valentine’s Day through President’s Day, the Santa Clara Marriott hosted DunDraCon: a four-day convention dedicated to all things gaming. From board games to LARPing to tabletop RPGs, the convention boasted games from sunrise to sunset (and well beyond sunset, too) and drew gamers from across California.
So, let’s look at DunDraCon 48 and see how the convention went.
Gaming
Naturally, tabletop games were DunDraCon’s biggest draw. The convention had multiple open gaming rooms of varying sizes, which were packed throughout the weekend with attendees playing board games. Those who didn’t bring their own could borrow one from an expansive board game library or find a table with a “players wanted” sign set up.
DunDraCon also featured a room for large-scale miniatures games, featuring massive diorama displays and sets. The boards were filled with painted miniatures, engaged in battles and skirmishes across the massive tables.
The Protospiel Room remained a popular attraction, giving game designers a chance to show off their creations. Attendees could stop by and playtest games in progress and provide feedback, or get a sneak preview of games to come.
And for the younger gamers, there was a Kids’ Room, where they could play friendly, casual games with other children.
Attendees could also sign up for scheduled games, typically RPGs or larger board games. While these sign-ups were primarily online, attendees could also try to sign up for any with seats available at the con. Each game was held in its own room in the hotel, ensuring the players would have control over the space and noise levels.
As far as role-playing games went, DunDraCon had a schedule of LARPS alongside their TTRPGs. These hosted large amounts of players, who engaged in games of storytelling that covered everything from vampires to dealing with fae to Star Wars. Like the other games, players could sign up for these in advance, and even the largest of games had hefty wait lists.
In short: DunDraCon lived up to its reputation as a convention packed full of games and activities.
Pathfinder Society
The last few years of DunDraCon saw a surprising lack of organized play for RPGs, with both Pathfinder Society and D&D Adventurers League absent. This year, Pathfinder Society made its return, with a room dedicated to adventures in Golarion, along with Starfinder Society’s sci-fi quests.
The Pathfinder Society room had multiple tables playing games across the weekend, covering players and characters of all levels. The local organizer even had Paizo gift cards to distribute to players, along with rewards for GMs running games. On Saturday night, Pathfinder players gathered for a large multi-table quest, where characters between levels 1-8 could contribute to their overall success.
Shopping
What did attendees do when they weren’t playing games? Buy more games, of course. DunDraCon’s dealer’s hall had several vendor and artist booths, selling games, gaming accessories, artwork, handcrafted goods, and more. These included local stores and independent artists, so there was a nice variety of options on display.
Admittedly, the dealer’s hall wasn’t quite as busy as previous years, as the back row was surprisingly empty. However, that didn’t diminish the options that were still there.
Attendees could also buy pre-loved games in a few ways. First, there was an auction, where buyers could bid on rare finds. Then, on Monday morning, the bazaar allowed attendees to sell their old games and accessories or buy them at a discount.
For those looking to spend nothing, the Freecycle table was always full of old games, books, and puzzles attendees were looking to pass on to new homes.
Panels, Seminars, and More
DunDraCon had no shortage of panels and seminars to enjoy. They covered a wide range of topics, from wargaming to GM advice to diversity and inclusion in tabletop gaming, presented by experienced hosts who could bring their knowledge and advice to attendees. Anyone looking to sit down for a bit and enjoy the seminars could be sure to leave with some new knowledge and skills to share.
Additionally, the Anime Room was busy throughout the weekend, screening a fine selection of anime. Of course, there were plenty of fantasy series, such as this season’s “The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World” isekai and the self-explanatory “I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time.” But it also included some classics and more recent non-fantasy series, such as a comparison of the classic and revived “Ranma 1/2” anime.
For those interested in weapon demonstrations, medieval crafts, or just whacking friends with foam weapons, DunDraCon also hosted both Amtgard and the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). They had a room where attendees could check out their gear, do a bit of leather crafting, and learn about the organizations, along with the occasional demonstration.
Miniature Painting
The Miniature Painting Room has been a staple at DunDraCon, and it was as active as ever this year. Experienced and enthusiastic miniature painters staffed the room, providing free miniatures, paints, brushes, and advice for anyone who wanted to sit down and paint a mini for their games.
Throughout the weekend, painters of all ages and experience levels came by to grab a mini, paint, and relax. The staffers there were friendly and happy to help, provide positive and constructive feedback, and chat with convention attendees.
Saturday and Sunday also had all-day mini painting contests. Anyone could paint a miniature and enter it in the contest in either the beginner or advanced category, and the votes were tallied through a combination of online and in-person voting. Winners would receive little 3D-printed dragon trophies (along with bragging rights) making it a fun, low-stakes competition that saw some incredibly impressive miniatures.
Attendees could also earn tiny dragon trophies by painting a meeple, with the only criteria for winning being to impress the staffers. As a result, the weekend saw many tiny meeples painted with creative and inventive designs.
Venue & Food
DunDraCon was held at the Santa Clara Marriott, as it has been for the past several years. It’s a convenient location with plentiful parking (which attendees could get discounted with validation) and plenty of rooms for all the games.
This year, DunDraCon had a golf cart shuttle to transport people from the farthest ends of the hotel to the main convention. This was a nice added amenity for those who could catch one, especially for the elderly, disabled, or just those with a lot of heavy games to carry.
The hotel had a fair share of food options, including a bar and a convention menu, although the convention food’s quality varied throughout the weekend. For those willing to walk a few blocks, there were more meal options available across the street, including places for bagels, Mexican food, and Japanese curry. The In-n-Out, a short drive or a moderate walk away, was also quite packed throughout the weekend.
Overall
DunDraCon has remained a staple of the Northern California gaming scene for nearly 50 years (give or take a pandemic year or two) and for good reason. With all the game rooms, gaming options, and shopping available, attendees could spend the whole weekend there and never grow bored.
Were there some areas for improvement? Sure, there always are; food quality is a concern at basically any convention, for instance, but those are minor issues that didn’t detract from the convention itself.
For tabletop gamers and gaming enthusiasts, DunDraCon remains a great way to enjoy a weekend full of games and entertainment.
