The Virtues of Small (Conventions).

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending The Ettin. It was a single-day convention organized by a couple of local guys, just north of Chicago. While I was there, having a great time, I had a couple of reflections about little conventions that I felt were worth sharing with the community. And, maybe after reading this, you will be interested in running your own.

A little bit of backstory… Last March, I was at Gary Con enjoying myself immensely (If you haven’t been before, it’s literally the premier con experience). I had just had the pleasure of playing in an AD&D 1e tournament with a really great group of players, some of whom also happened to be from Chicago. We get to talking, and they mention that one of them played with another local who happens to be running his own con later in the year. I’m having a great time, so why wouldn’t I want to go to another convention? I take a look at the site on my phone, see that it’s $25 and a short train ride from home. I think “why not?” and immediately register.

Fast forward a couple of months, and the seats for the event open up. I jump online and register my three games. I grab a Dark Sun game, Hyperborea, and Traveller. How amazing? Games I never get to play, and I easily jump into them without having to fight through a crashing registration system. A month later, I show up at the event. There are free donuts, coffee, and a goodie bag. It’s taking place at the Evanston American Legion post, so there is also a bar in the back — amazing.

My first session is with some locals I know, and we have a great time navigating the deserts of Athas, desperate for water. We end our session running for a cleric to save the half-orc who drank poisoned water from the oasis. In my second session, I pivot into a 5e game and have a great time helping someone play their first TTRPG session ever, while reintroducing a 30-year lapsed player. I finish the day out getting to know some new locals while playing a great game of Traveller. A short Uber ride later, and I’m at home sleeping in my bed. All around, a killer day, full of gaming that left me with a great sense of community and an appreciation for the work that went into it.

Five of the seven running tables from The Ettin.

So, why write an article?

Buried in that recap, there are a number of amazing things that happened. By pointing them out, I hope that you will be motivated to organize something similar yourself.

1. They are low barrier. Exponentially so compared to larger cons where you need a hotel room, and half a week free. Not to mention that, the costs are significantly lower in comparison. You also don’t have to stick the whole thing out if you don’t want to, or if you’re not feeling it. Visit for a session or two and head home.

2. They build community. One of the most unfortunate things about this hobby is that it can be very isolating. You get together with your group weekly, but rarely do you engage with new people who bring differing opinions and styles of play along with them. Small, local events make it possible to form in-person connections with people you might never have met otherwise. And, who knows, maybe you’ll play in some games with them later, too.

3. They let you experiment. When I attend a large convention, so much work goes into scheduling the games and trying to fit everything in. At a smaller convention where the stakes and costs are lower, I am much more willing to jump into a unique game I have never heard of, or run something that I’m trying out.

4. They are easier to manage. You don’t need tons of technology or scheduling software to make it work. They can be easily marketed through some light social media advertising and word of mouth. Keeping it small helps remove the variables that complicate running an event.

I witnessed all of these points myself this past DCC day, when I helped some of my local gong farmer group set up an event with the neighborhood bookstore. We were unable to find a game store nearby that was willing to run the event, so we worked with some local businesses and Goodman Games to make it happen. And while it’s never easy to organize an event, it wasn’t exactly that hard either. In the end, I left energized, having had a killer time gaming with new people and a hunger to do it again.

So who knows, I may be writing about running my first con in the semi-near future? Ooh, and shout out to The Ettin team, I had a great time, and I can’t wait until next year!