November is a time to be thankful. We are thankful every year for our excellent GMs! To show our gratitude, we try to have some cool perks for them which you can look at on our GM Rewards page!
In addition to our GMs, we’re also thankful for each and every one of our sponsors, exhibitors, partner hotels, volunteers, staff members, and attendees. Gary Con is one of the best gaming conventions ever because of all of you—we appreciate you all so very much!
GM Deadline Reminder
Keep submitting all your phenomenal events on TTE!! Event submissions are set to close on December 15, 2024—that’s less than a month away!
You don’t want a sad, submission-free page when mid-December gets here. Submit your events today so you don’t get caught out in the cold with zero events to run!
Have you already submitted events on TTE? Our Events Team can help you with all your event-related needs! Have to change your preferred times? Cancel a session? Modify number of players allowed at the table?
Send your event-related inquiries to [email protected] for the fastest access to support. Include your TTE-related contact info, as well as the event name(s) and number(s) to speed up the process.
Well, it’s not total silence—that would make gaming pretty tough—but our Events Team has plans to improve sound quality in some of our heavy gaming spaces. Ultimately, by adding some new tools, we should be able to reduce the loud ambient sound and improve the overall gaming experience.
Badge Up for Fun!
There are about 200 Silver Badges remaining!! Visit us on TTE to purchase your badge for Gary Con XVII March 20-23, 2025.
Pre-purchase your Gary Con XVII merch on TTE to sport your support while at Gary Con XVII March 20-23, 2025!
We plan to close GCXVII merch pre-ordering on December 1, 2024. So you’ll probably want to browse our wares before you finish submitting your events on TTE!
Grab your badge at Registration (5-8pm) on Wednesday, March 19, 2025—then join us for free pizza and beer upstairs in the Evergreen Hallway/Foyer for our welcome celebration! Remember to remind yourself by saving it to your calendar today!
Grab your badge at Registration (5-8pm) on Wednesday, March 19, 2025—then join us for free pizza and beer upstairs in the Evergreen Hallway/Foyer for our welcome celebration! Remember to remind yourself by saving it to your calendar today!
Shadowdark RPG: Everything You Want to Know
Grab some pizza and beer at the Pre-Con Welcome Party presented by The Arcane Library, then head to Swinghurst at 8pm for a special Pre-Con Event.
Join ENnie Award-winning creator of the Shadowdark RPG, Kelsey Dionne, for discussion about Shadowdark, her journey as a game designer, and the ongoing Kickstarter campaign for Cursed Scrolls 4-6!
October—what a great month for gaming and getting spooky. Are you using the eerie fall vibes to prepare for Gary Con XVII? We sure hope so! Read on for news and updates.
Badges of course!
Remember not to be a square—buy your badge so we can see you around! Currently, we have about 350 Silver Badges available, so visit us on TTE to purchase your badge for Gary Con XVII in March 2025.
Hoteling blocks are open, but not forever! Visit our Hotels page to look up the best way to reserve a room with our partners. The Lake Geneva Lodge is the most recent addition to our list of hotel partners.
Early bird GM event submission will end in a few short weeks on November 2! Conventions are a great place to test your GMing ideas, so please keep submitting all your obscure and unusual events on TTE!!
NOTE: TTE will remain open for submissions until December 15 or capacity is reached.
Tower of Gygax
If you missed our Tower of Gygax AD&D adventures for Founders & Legends last year, now is a great time to learn more!
In the 2024 trial run, players sat at the table with legends like Ed Greenwood, Erol Otus, and Skip Williams, as well as guest DMs like actor Todd Stashwick. The year 2025 looks to be even bigger with additional game times, more DMs, and new encounters!
Discover the ultimate ancient Egypt-inspired 5e supplement! The Kingdom of Keshanar is a fantastical reimagining of what ancient Egypt could have been in a TTRPG world where the magic, the gods, and the monsters are real.
Brought to you by an international crew of writers, game designers, artists, and historians, this campaign setting is even vetted by a PhD Egyptologist.
This is the last call to support an epic Shadowdark adventure in Luke Gygax’s World of Okkorim setting, where adventurers can delve beneath the city of Chentoufi in search of an ancient artifact.
September updates contained within, so read on for some cool things and useful links! Gary Con XVII is shaping up to be simply amazing!
F&L Baseball Jerseys!?
This very stylish, Founders & Legends Baseball Jersey is now available in the Gaxx Worx Shop!
“Crafted for both comfort and style, this premium baseball jersey is perfect for any D&D enthusiast…. Whether you’re attending a gaming convention, hosting a game night, or simply showing your love for D&D, this jersey is a must-have piece of memorabilia.”
Key Features:
Limited-edition design celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons.
Stylish black and gold color scheme with “Founders & Legends” and the number “50” prominently featured.
Includes the G20 logo on the left chest, representing Luke Gygax and Family.
Comfortable, premium-quality fabric with a classic button-up front.
Perfect for collectors, D&D fans, and anyone who wants to honor the game’s enduring legacy.
Available Sizes: S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL
Check out the Exclusive Founders & Legends 50th Anniversary Baseball Jersey by clicking the button below!
Due to the overwhelming demand from our frontline adventurers, we are developing Descent, round two of the Founders & Legends Tournament for Gary Con XVII in March 2025. This dubious fellow is planning something mystical and unusual—you can tell by the look on his face…
There are a few Hero of the Realm Badges still available, so make sure you visit the Gary Con TTE page if you want to join us for Descent.
We’re down to 450 silvers and games have been coming in from our beloved GMs and event hosts. If you don’t have your badge yet for GC XVII, go to TTE.
We have a great variety of events being run by both veteran and newcomer GMs. Our players appreciate them all and we try to reward them, too—check out the GM reward page. Event submission is open on TTE now until December 15, 2024—about 2.5 months from now.
Created by legendary game designers, Luke Gygax and Matt Everhart, Gaxx Worx is thrilled to bring you…
The “Wrath of the Sea Lich” is a reimagining of the hit series, the “Oculus of Senrahbah” originally created for 5e. Luke and Matt enlisted the help of notable designer Sersa Victory to reengineer the scenario for the critically acclaimedShadowdark system. Together, they have remastered the entire series, the encounters are rebalanced, and the entire work is reformatted to fit the Old School aesthetic of Shadowdark.
If you love adventuring with the Shadowdark system, sign up to back the “Wrath of the Sea Lich” project on KickStarter!
Haven’t booked your stay for Gary Con? Visit our website to consider staying with one of our Partner Hotels! Our webpage lists the preferred reservation methods and other info needed to get group rates for the convention in March.
Gary Con XVII will happen on March 20-23, 2025. Badge sales opened in July, so if you don’t have a badge yet, now is an excellent time to get one! Visit us on TTE to purchase your badge today. We have less than 625 Silver badges available, so make sure you don’t miss out in case we sell out again this year!
Attendees can submit events for Gary Con XVII! You must have purchased a badge to submit events through TTE. The more events that are submitted, the more badges we may be able to release for sale–so keep the events coming!!
Also, remember to check out our GM page to read about some of the perks you might be able to get for running events. GM Rewards are sponsored by The Roberts Family again this year!
If you’re not sure where to start you can review our Event Submission and Policies pages. Then visit TTE to submit an event! TTE will remain open for event submissions until our Events Team thinks we’re at capacity for games with the hours and table space available to us.
Hotel blocks and bookings are scheduled to open on Monday, September 9, 2024 at 10:00am Central Time. Please be aware of the date/time/time zone to plan appropriately. Please note that the convention venue, The Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, will likely fill up immediately.
We are still finalizing details with our partner hotels, but you may want to bookmark our Hotels page. Once we have finalized the details, this page should list the reservation methods and codes you may need to get group rates when booking your lodging for Gary Con in March.
We are no longer accepting exhibitor applications for Gary Con XVII in 2025. We are grateful to all who applied and hope you’ll do so again next year–we pick at least a few new vendors each year, so there’s always a chance your application may be selected. You can’t win if you don’t try!
The finalized list of our list of Gary Con XVII Exhibitors should be available soon!
Lost Works of Gygax Book Bundle!
Prepare for endless adventure with the Lost Works of Gygax–compatible with a myriad of systems! This TTRPG explorer’s kit on Humble Bundle contains rulebooks, sourcebooks, and campaign resources for Marmoreal Tomb, Gary Gygax’s Necropolis, and more!!
“Pay less to get fewer items, or pay extra to give more to publishers, Humble, and charity.” – humblebundle.com
Gaxx Worx, LLC, founded by Ennie award-winning creator Luke Gygax and co-author Matt Everhart, is thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of the epic reimagining of this RPG adventure on Kickstarter.
Wrath of the Sea Lich is a meticulously reimagined version of the original Oculus of Senrahbah series. This project will tailor the adventure for the critically acclaimed Shadowdark RPG system and feature rebalanced encounters, a refined “old school” aesthetic, and an immersive storyline plunging players into the depths of an incredible setting.
The adventure invites players to embark on a heroic quest to recover the Eye of Chentoufi, an ancient artifact coveted by the powerful Ydrissid lich, Ireshkigal. The stakes are high as the fate of the city of Chentoufi hangs in the balance, so prepare to uncover ancient secrets, face formidable adversaries, and make choices that will determine the destiny of an entire civilization.
Keep an eye out for the launch of Wrath of the Sea Lich on Kickstarter this fall and be among the first to dive into this thrilling adventure! Go to the BackerKit page to sign-up for updates and be notified when this project goes live!
Greetings, adventurers! We have a bunch of announcements before badge sales and event submissions go live this weekend.
This email may contain: details about badges, an epic adventure-quest alert, GMing for goodness info, finding your name to reveal your true identity, seizing the loot, locating Luke, and how to seek the Sea Lich. Read on and adventure heartily!!
Do you want to buy a badge?
Badge sales open on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 12:00pm (NOON) Central Time. Be aware of the date, time, and time zone to plan accordingly.
One hour prior, at 11am Central Time, badge sales will be SUSPENDED while we get everything setup. During that time, using the “Buy badges here!” button below, you’ll be able to see the available badges on TTE: Platinum Non-Renewable, Gold, Silver, Youth, Spectator, and a special “Hero of the Realm” badge (scroll down for more info).
IMPORTANT BADGE SALES REMINDERS:
Buying badges is a 2-step process. If you don’t check out after adding a badge to your cart, you will LOSE it after about two (2) hours–it will then return to the pool of available badges.
If you have an issue with badge purchasing on TTE, let us know via the following outlets: (1) Discord help desk or (2) e-mail us at [email protected]. We’re online at the helpdesk during badge release.
You may think you have added a badge to your cart, but if it isn’t there when you look in your cart, you didn’t get it. Error messages that briefly appear are easy to miss.
REMEMBER Badges are a 2-step process. If you don’t check out after adding it to your cart, you will LOSE it after about two (2) hours. We mention this again because it’s important. Every year people ask why they did not get the badge they had in their cart and every year it’s the same reasons: (1) They never went to the cart to finish checking out, or (2) The badge errored out and didn’t add it to their cart in the first place. This is particularly common for Gold Badges, and we don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, so double-check your cart.
Join an assortment of adventurers in traveling through the editions of D&D in our Founders & Legends Tournament—Incarnate: Descent!
Returning Heroes, and newly minted ones, may purchase a “Hero of the Realm” badge on the Gary Con XVII TTE site. Your Hero badge includes access to the exclusive Founders & Legends Tournament consisting of four (4) sessions of up to 4-hours in duration with the winners playing in the fifth epilogue session, meal vouchers for breakfast and lunch Monday and Tuesday, social mixers Sunday and Monday night, select merchandise, and premieraccess link to the Grand Geneva hotel from March 16-24, 2025–so you can book your room for the entirety of the tournament and Gary Con.
GMs are the backbone of our convention. Event submissions open at the same time as badge sales, so have a look at the GM rewards and get hyped to run some games at Gary Con.
Last year, TTE changed how your name is displayed. If you’re a GM, you might want to think about how you want to appear in TTE, which may make it easier for players to find your events.
Click here for an overview of where you set your name(s) on the TTE site.
You can pre-order the Official Gary Con XVII shirt, metal dice, stadium cup, and event guide or buy them all in a single cost-saving bundle!
Chet Minton’s beautiful artwork will be featured on the shirt and event guide, the new-and-improved stadium cup (gets you free beer/soda during happy hour and provides discounts on beer/soda at the drink stations), and the beautiful Gary Con XVII metal dice set by Norse Foundry.
The above image is concept art and is subject to change.
Please Note: You must buy your badge before you can purchase merch. Pre-ordered merch must be picked up at GCXVII.
Keep your eyes open for Luke Gygax at the following upcoming events:
San Diego Comic Con – July 26-27 @ San Diego, CA
You can find Luke at the “Celebrating 50 Years of D&D” panel on Saturday at 10am.
Gen Con – Aug. 1-4 @ Indianapolis, IN
Luke will be attending as a Guest of Honor. You can find him running games, streaming D&D, and at seminars and meetings.
Dragon Con – Aug. 29-Sept. 2 @ Atlanta, GA
Luke will be attending as a Guest of Honor. You can find him running games and signing products.
Gamehole Con – Oct.17-20 @ Madison, WI
Luke will be attending as a Guest. You can find him running the Founders & Legends Tournament – Incarnate: Ragnarök, as well as at seminars, and gaming tables.
Lucca Comics and Games – Oct. 31-Nov. 3 @ Lucca, Italy.
Luke will be attending as a Guest of Honor.
Wrath of the Sea Lich Kickstarter!!?!
The Wrath of the Sea Lich, a reimagining of the hit series Oculus of Senrahbah, is a gritty adventure being reworked for the Shadowdark RPG. The prelaunch page is up so you can read about it and sign up to be notified when it goes live!
Use the link below to sign-up for project news and updates!
Badge sales open on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 12:00pm (NOON) Central Time. Please make sure you are aware of the date/time/time zone to plan accordingly.
As soon as badges are available for purchase, GMs will be able to submit events! That time again is Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 12:00pm (NOON) Central Time.
There are some perks you might be able to earn by submitting events early. Check out our GM page to read about them–but be aware it’s really competitive for the “early bird” rewards, so you’ll have to be able to submit your events pretty quickly!
If you want to be ready to get those events in as fast as possible, you can review the event submission process on our Event Submission page! You can learn more about the different fields you’ll need to fill in by clicking on them to read more about the field details.
You can also prepare by reviewing the GM Policies on our Policies page.
Our GM Rewards are once again kindly sponsored by The Roberts Family!
Exhibitors Need Apply
We are beginning to select Gary Con XVII exhibitors and our goal is to finalize this process by the end of August.
Booth assignments start being offered mid-July, so if you’re hoping to be an Exhibitor in 2025, complete your application ASAP. Login on our TTE page, then click “Apply to Exhibit” found under the “Exhibit” dropdown menu.
If you have any questions about being an exhibitor, please contact us at [email protected].
Hotel blocks and bookings are set to open on Monday, September 9, 2024 at 10:00am Central Time. Remember to be aware of the date/time/time zone to plan appropriately.
We will be getting our hotel page ready soon, but for now it’s pretty barren. On this page we’ll list some important info about our partner hotels that may help you better plan your trip to Gary Con–but that comes after the details are finalized. Remember to watch our newsletters and social media for updates!
From our friends at Evil Genius Games, get ready to arm your game with the ultimate modern-day arsenal. The Armory contains over 700 firearms, explosives and melee weapons making it the most comprehensive supplement in the market today. Enjoy weapons from every era from the gunpowder age to the near future.
This 250 + page book includes:
Pistols, Rifles, SMGs, Shotguns, and tons of ammunition options!
Grenades, Heavy Machine Guns, and Rockets
Bladed and bludgeoning weapons galore
Shield, body armor, and other combat equipment
The book also contains options for modding and making your own equipment.
Badges for Gary Con XVII will go for sale at noon Central Time on July 27, 2024–that’s less than a month away!! Please visit our Badge Registration page if you need to know how to purchase a badge.
Renewable Badge Holders: You should have been contacted regarding your badge renewal. Please follow the guidelines sent via email. Check your spam folders and email settings if you did not receive an email.
GMs/Volunteer Badge Earners: If you hosted games or volunteered enough to earn compensation from your work at Gary Con XVI in March of 2024, please check your email for your renewal code. Your code must be entered in at the time of badge purchase BEFORE checking out. Check your spam folders and email settings if you did not receive an email.
Game Masters bring depth and adventure to our convention every year, so please consider joining the ranks of our fantastic Gary Con GMs. We even have perks to incentivize you–visit our GM Reward page to see a detailed list of GM benefits!
GMs will need to submit events through TTE. If it is your first year submitting events or you could use a refresher on the process, please visit our Event Submission. Event submission begins at the same time badges go on sale, July 27, 2024 at noon central.
There have been some minor additions to our policies including the use/prohibition of sound amplifying devices and appropriate personal behavior and presentation in line with an “all ages” environment.
Please visit our Policies page to view Gary Con’s terms, policies, and waivers.
The process of selecting Gary Con XVII exhibitors has begun. The first step for anyone wishing to sell at Gary Con is to submit an application in our TTE System. Start by logging in with your TTE Account at https://play.garycon.com. Once you’re logged in, click “Apply to Exhibit” found under the “Exhibit” dropdown menu. If you’re hoping to be an Exhibitor at Gary Con XVII in 2025, it would be prudent to complete your application ASAP.
In mid-July we will start offering booth assignments to upper-tier sponsors for this year and long-term supporters of the convention. Then, we look at available space and start selecting additional exhibitors to fill the remaining booths from application submissions. Our selection process will consider a number of criteria–including product assortment/variety from current booths and exhibitors, as well as past convention support (sponsorships, running events, etc.). Our goal is to complete this process by the end of August.
Booths are in very high demand for Gary Con, so it’s a competitive process. You may not be selected, but keep in mind:
We reserve about 7-8 booths each year for companies that have never been to Gary Con. Therefore, historical support and/or past presence at the convention is not a prerequisite for being selected.
When filling out your application, include the types of products you will offer in the “COMMENTS” field (seen only by you and Convention Staff) to assist our evaluation.
We look forward to having you join us at Gary Con XVII in 2025!
Looking forward to Gary Con XVII in 2025, we have info about badges, virtual gaming, and upcoming events. Read on for more details!
Gary Con XVII Badge Info
Badges will go on sale for Gary Con XVII at noon on Saturday, July 27, 2024. That’s only about two months away! Set a reminder on your calendar now so you will be ready when it’s time to reserve your badge.
RENEWABLE (DIAMOND & PLATINUM) BADGE HOLDERS
Renewal notices for these special badges should be sent out in June prior regularly scheduled badge sales in July. Please be aware and watch your email to take advantage of renewing your badge before the cut-off dates.
GARY CON XVI GAME MASTERS (GMs)
The first 50 GMs who earned the 18-hour reward from GC XVI should have received a notification via email. Additionally, any GM who ran enough games to qualify for a free Gary Con XVII badge should have received a notification via email. Be sure to check your spam folders if you think you qualified for these GM perks/rewards.
Virtual Gary Con
The decision was made to put Gary Con’s virtual gaming on hiatus so we can focus the efforts of our staff and volunteers entirely to onsite gaming for 2025. We apologize to our virtual attendees for any inconvenience. If you have earned a virtual badge credit from Gary Con XVI, it can be used to purchase a physical badge for Gary Con XVII once they are on sale.
Summer Planning
Our staff and volunteers are already working hard to set up Gary Con XVII. If you notice anything is inaccurate, inconsistent, or missing from our pages, please reach out to us at [email protected].
Gary Con Dates will be announced in the June Newsletter as well as on our socials.
Upcoming Events
Where can you find Melf this summer? Luke Gygax is running games at:
UK Games Expo (May 31-June 02 @ Marston Green, England)
Keep your eyes open for Gary Con staff at various conventions throughout the summer, too! Some familiar faces are planning to attend Des Moines Con (May 31-June 2 @ Des Moines, IA), North Texas RPG Convention (June 6-9 @ Irving, TX), and Crit Hit! (July 6-7 @ Mesa, AZ)
Gary Con does not have direct association with any of the conventions shared in “Upcoming Events.” We are simply sharing conventions some of our dedicated staff are planning to attend in the near future.
GC XVI Merch Alert
If you don’t have notifications turned on for our social media pages, you may have missed that we have added some merch from Founders & Legends Con and Gary Con XVI to our website! This is a great opportunity to snag that shirt you might have missed out on in March, so go ahead and treat yourself! Browse our Gary Con Shop, or go straight to the new merch by clicking the images below
