![]() Publishers like Quality Beast had brought in prototypes from Berlin all about people’s rights. You had people who had only played Catan once before, eagerly asking for advice about what games should they try next to get into the hobby. This last weekend shows that the board game demographic is broader and more welcoming than many might expect. There were more events, more giveaways, more board games in an overflowing library that could sometimes have hour long lines. They were ready this time, and it showed. Game publishers like AEG came more prepared, bringing trucks of games to sell. There were more vendors, more RPG space, and more events for the free play area. You don’t leave in the evening still hearing gunfire or aggressive music ringing in your ears.Ģ018 marks the sophomore attempt at this convention, and it feels as though it’s managed to be better in every way. While the expo hall floor is still quite large, the booths are not quite as intimidating because there's no three-hour line clogging up the traffic. Eric left last year stating he enjoyed it more than PAX East, because it had a calmer atmosphere. The lines were shorter, and the game demos – usually with the designer themselves – were longer. Sure, it wasn’t as jam packed as PAX East or West, but that was part of the appeal. In summary, PAX Unplugged was more successful than most expected. This is better than we were expecting for a reception.When we left last year, there were a few repeated takeaways that we heard from companies and developers on the show floor: There was an honest question among friends here: sure, we were all really happy to have another event so close, but could it last? Could it work? Would developers be able to sell product at all?įortunately for everyone, Unplugged did better than we expected, and we weren’t alone in thinking that. There was a bit of unsureness if that sort of crowd would enjoy a typical board game convention. At the same time, PAX events had a reputation for being a noisier crowd, a younger crowd, packed to the gills with bells and whistles and flashing lights on the show floor. It was seen as a weird marriage just because before this point, most board game conventions weren’t in the northeast: many are located on the west coast, or around Indianapolis, where the grandfather of all conventions – GenCon – still goes on. When Unplugged was announced for November 2017, our writers actually were confused: another PAX, close to us? One about board gaming, on top of that? While PAX East has had a tabletop area for years (much to our enjoyment), the core focus had always been video games. Unplugged is the newest Penny Arcade Expo to exist, and perhaps the one most unexpected. An Attempt to Summarize PAX Unplugged’s Start There's a reason why PAX events use the phrase "Welcome Home". We've come away from this event with enough content to keep us busy for months, and yet its hard not to miss the weekend. Even with all of this, this convention felt so relaxed in comparison to others it let our team explore to try games we never get a chance to. I've never gotten a chance to play so many amazing games, meet so many amazing people, and see so much content in so little time. PAX Unplugged 2018 is the best convention I think I've been to.
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