Author: Diane Lapierre

Rising Phoenix Game Con is a 3 day table top gaming convention held in Milford, MA with affordable pricing starting at $55 for weekend badges and reduced pricing for youth badges.  It features scheduled gaming sessions with a prevalence of RPGs, a free play table top library, panels, performances, costumes, special guests, artists, vendors, tournaments, indie games, a rewarding GM incentive system, and an ambience that cannot be found anywhere else.  With an impressive second year attendance of approximately 500 attendees, it has the intimacy and accessibility of a smaller convention with all the bells and whistles you would expect from a larger convention.

The convention was gracious enough to allow us at Nor’easter Gaming to come check things out and I consider myself very lucky to have been able to attend this event.

Upon our arrival at the DoubleTree Hotel we found the entrance flanked by crimson banners, immediately establishing the event as one willing to go the extra mile to provide the vibe it wants to have.  Once inside, we were greeted by the facade of a castle entrance, the local necromancer, and an easy to find registration desk.  As we all know, an easy to find registration desk is a valuable thing.  The continuing presence of the banners as well as other large and sometimes interactable set pieces further solidified Rising Phoenix Con’s unique feel and identity.  It was almost evocative of a renaissance faire making it feel familiar and welcoming.  It was as though I already knew I had something in common with the other people attending this event beyond our love of games.  The set pieces were made entirely in house by various members of the convention’s staff including their Art Director, Ogmios.  To be perfectly clear, I have gone to a lot of conventions and expos over the years and I cannot help but think the dedication to ambience I witnessed here is special.  The proverbial cherry on top was that Saturday was “Renaissance Garb Day” which not only encouraged attendees to take part in the theme but motivated them to talk to more vendors as it was the vendors who would be doing the voting for the costume contest.  As an event organizer myself, I loved this as it benefits the attendees, vendors, and event in multiple ways.

The con staff was also incredibly generous in providing us with a tour led by their Board of Directors member, David Clarkson.   He gave us a lay of the land and some valuable introductions and backstory about the convention itself.  Their story of wanting to share gaming with others, first as a group of friends running programming at other events and then eventually as their own convention, really reminded me of my own experiences with Nor’easter.  Especially as we discussed running a safe and welcoming event after America’s initial experience with COVID-19.  The pandemic was responsible for canceling Rising Phoenix Game Con’s first convention and also Nor’easter’s last.  Both groups are now navigating gaming events in COVID’s wake and I’m truly happy that I got to experience some of their success.  As a gamer, it's reassuring to see people getting back out and connecting in person again and as an event organizer, it gave me hope.  

The convention itself was a great experience.  On top of all the gaming opportunities, there were so many artists, vendors, panels, and even sword demonstrations that it would have been difficult to experience even an ounce of boredom.  I would especially encourage any RPG fan out there to check this con out as it has two whole halls dedicated to them, a slew of different game systems being played, a wide variety of scenarios and one offs including one entitled “Muppet D and D ‘The Origin of Gonzo’” that I am devastated that I did not get to play in.  When else will I get the chance to combine my two loves of DnD and Muppets again?  It sounded wonderful.

We wrapped up our day by attending a panel on Diversity and Inclusion in Gaming.  This panel came highly recommended to us and it reiterated a feeling we had gotten throughout the day; that all are welcome.  It tackled some tough topics like building worlds that see beyond our current culture to build a setting that is not only more diverse but more true to our world as a whole, how to make sure everyone in the campaign is on the same page about what is appropriate and welcome, and how to navigate age old problematic content that is still so prevalent in many RPGs (such as excessive violence against women).  The speakers and moderators handled these topics deftly, pulling from personal experience as well as professional and the fact that these types of topics can be discussed at an event, speaks volumes about the event itself.

These topics of inclusion and diversity were repeated in many conversations we had throughout the day including those we had with our guide, David.  I was glad to hear that this was on the forefront of everyones’ minds as this is something everyone in gaming should be concerned with.  Gaming is a hobby that literally anyone can participate in.  Yet when we look at these visible spaces, we still seem to see a lot of the same kinds of people.  But Rising Phoenix Game Con wants to be better than that.  This year they invited the Boston Gaymers (a social group for LGBTQIA+ gamers in the Greater Boston area to help find and make new friends in a safe and welcoming environment) to the con as one of their special guests and deliberately gave them a prominent table position right at the front of the convention space.  They held the previously mentioned Diversity and Inclusion Panel.  They even made special efforts to appeal to younger gamers with robust children’s programming and partnerships with High School DnD clubs to get their students to the event.  Their efforts to make their convention a welcoming space for gamers of different genders, orientations, and ages are not only important but they were successful.  As a member of several communities that are often underrepresented in gaming myself, it did not go unnoticed.

Rising Phoenix Game Con is an event that a wide variety of gaming enthusiasts would enjoy.  The event feels welcoming, there are more than enough opportunities to game. Their programming is unique and the atmosphere they have cultivated cannot be found anywhere else.  The addition of several indie games exhibiting there should make this event even more appealing to players who like to try everything (stay tuned for our review of Robots: Battle for the Coal Heart which we demoed at the event).  This is the end of my review and I honestly cannot help but feel that I have left so much out but I encourage you to go to Rising Phoenix Game Con and experience and discover everything else there is to enjoy.