This weekend, I joined hundreds of gaming enthusiasts at the 4th annual OrcaCon tabletop games convention in Bellevue, Washington.
The convention features industry panels, game demonstrations, an open play library, game tournaments, and gaming workshops. I spent most of the 2 days at demo tables and the open play library.
My 5 favorite game titles included:
- Clank! (deck building strategy game)
- Forbidden Island (cooperative family game)
- Rivals for Catan (2-player strategy card game)
- Salem 1692 (party game)
- Word Slam (party game)
Wizards of the Coast distributed free starter packs for Magic: The Gathering, so I experienced this 1993 classic for the first time. And I won a raffle prize of the 2018-released Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig, a tile-building game for up to 7 players that I look forward to play-testing with my game group.
The event organizers did an excellent job of making the venue inclusive for everyone. The event was ADA-accessible, with LGBTQ+ pronoun-friendly name badges, and even color-coded safety pins to identify attendees’ introversion to extroversion levels. Maybe next year, the event website will be upgraded to be mobile-friendly too!
