Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why another gaming con?
A: HexaCon is a unique hybrid between open game playing (like Board Game Geek Con in Dallas, TX) and what the long-time game convention attendees of Denver are used to, which is scheduled gaming (board games, rpgs, etc). HexaCon also strives to keep cost to a minimum for attendees as a non-profit so there is no barrier to entry for people to discover the joy of tabletop gaming.
Q: Why January?
A: There are multiple reasons.
- We were looking for a month with little con activity in the region, in fandom events and gaming events, and not too close to other events.
- Also, hotel space is more affordable than other times of the year.
- Lastly; but most importantly; Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend is a holiday for many participants and also allows us to focus on our core value; that tabletop gaming should be inclusive to all regardless of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, height, weight, physical or mental ability.
Q: Apart from additional opportunities to game, are you offering anything different from other local conventions?
A: Our nonprofit’s focus is on increasing the diversity at events, so from the beginning, our focus is different. Also, some local conventions follow a different format of all scheduled games, and a menu of items to purchase; we are more open gaming focused and are doing a single badge for everything. Our interest is in community and education, so we plan to have increasing numbers of “how to” opportunities for gamers, from What is a Strategy Game to Learn a New Game sessions. We are actively encouraging people to mingle and meet new people. The giveaways will also hopefully encourage people to gather as one, for just a few minutes, and see their wider community. We’re not competing with other conventions; we’re offering options and opportunity. We’re not doing HexaCon to make money; we’re doing it to build community.
Shiny Garden the non-profit presenting HexaCon is focusing on creating and running more diverse events than is generally seen at many gaming and fandom conventions. Generally, under-served populations are also socioeconomically disadvantaged, and don’t necessarily have the resources for quality of life opportunities. Or to say shortly, we don’t ever want money to be a barrier to someone coming to one of our events. If the cost of the event is less, we can make the entry costs less, making it easier for people to attend.
Q: Open gaming doesn’t work as well for RPGs as it does for board games. Are there advanced signups?
A: Yes! We are using tabletop.events for pre-event scheduling, and new things are being added regularly. Any games with space left will be available for joining on site as well, as space allows.
Q: I’m submitting an event. What does Max Tickets mean?
A: Tabletop.Events has two terms: a badge lets someone into the convention (e.g. HexaCon). A ticket lets someone into an organized event at the convention (e.g. your session). If you are submitting an RPG session that supports 2-6 players, then you would set Max Tickets to 6, as the host of the event is already accounted for.