Side Quests & Bonus Events
We have some awesome side quests and bonus events that are typically cool options to include in your Gary Con schedule if you have free time. A lot of folks put some hard work in to make these things available to attendees—and we are glad to include them in our list of things to do and see!
- Opening Ceremony
- Deck of Gary Things
- Wall of Remembrance
- Memorial & Worship Services
- E. Gary Gygax Lifetime Achievement Award
- Hawaiian Shirt Picture
- Board Game Library
- Paint-and-Take
- Legends of Wargaming
Opening Ceremony
Coming soon!
Deck of Gary Things
Test your luck against Luke Gygax to win prizes or an ignoble end!!
If you don’t have guts, you’ll never have glory—so why not risk it pulling from The Deck of Gary Things?! Maybe you’ll win a free badge, or maybe you’ll be compelled to volunteer some time to the convention. Anything could happen!
Wall of Remembrance
A place is setup annually to celebrate the life and works of E. Gary Gygax at Gary Con.
The Wall of Remembrance is setup near Gary’s table and is available for our attendees to transcribe the names of lost adventuring companions. This is a place to help us reminisce about the joys those who have been lost have brought into our lives and reflect on the lasting impacts of their influence upon us.
Lost never means forgotten and only time will show us if we are destined to meet again.
Memorial & Worship Services
Since its inception, Gary Con has been a memorial convention in honor of E. Gary Gygax and his contributions to the tabletop role-playing hobby. Over the years, we have recognized and remembered all those who have given so much to this community we enjoy. The Gary Con Memorial Service is on Sunday at 9:00am and will be a time to remember game designers, family, and friends who no longer sit at our tables.
Many years ago, when Gary Con fell on Palm Sunday, several attendees asked Rev. Derek W. White if he would come hold a service at Gary Con—thus the worship service at Gary Con began. He has continued holding a memorial service and celebrating the Eucharist/Communion annually for any interested attendees.
Both of these services are open to all.
Official TTE schedule for GCXVII (2025)*:
Sunday – 9:00-9:30
- Event 801 – Gary Con Memorial Service in Main Lobby/Lobby Bar
Sunday – 9:30-10:00
- Event 800 – Christian Worship Service in Evolve
*All events times are shared in central time to align with convention/venue local time.
E. Gary Gygax Lifetime Achievement Award
Gary Con presents the E. Gary Gygax Lifetime Achievement Award annually to recognize the recipient as a person who has had notable contributions to the gaming industry. Gary Con CEO, Luke Gygax, and his wife, Bouchra Gygax, award this honor personally to show their appreciation and respect for the work the recipient has dedicated to keeping the spirit of gaming alive and thriving in our fantastic gaming community.
The most recent recipient of this award at Gary Con XVI in 2024 was Mike Pondsmith, best known as the creator of Cyberpunk and as the founding publisher of R. Talsorian Games.
Hawaiian Shirt Picture
Co-founder of D&D, Gary Gygax, was often seen sporting a Hawaiian Shirt. To honor his memory, many attendees wear Hawaiian shirts on Saturday and gather to be part of the annual Hawaiian Shirt picture.
Sport your Hawaiian shirt and join us at 2pm on Saturday in the Grand Geneva Lobby to be part of the annual picture!
Board Game Library
There are nearly 300 games that will be available at Gary Con at the Board Game Library. To view the complete list of games that should be available, including details like number of players, suggested minimum age, and estimated game time, please visit InnRoads Ministries Boardgame Library list on TTE!
If there’s a game you love that isn’t listed and/or you’re interested in contributing a board game donation to our library, please e-mail [email protected]. We appreciate your support in improving the collection of board games available in our library.
The fabulous folks of InnRoad Ministries who coordinate this fun library do it to be of service—since that’s what it’s all about for them. You can learn more about the Ministry here!
You can click the dropdowns below to browse our quick reference list for the games library.
Paint-and-Take
Coming soon!
Legends of Wargaming
Coming soon!