May 5, 2022: FnordCon Wrap-Up

FnordCon 5 came and went in a whirlwind and now that we've taken a breath, it's a chance to reflect on the convention and the fun that was had. First off, thanks to all the fans who made the trek to see us! It's been a long time since we've had an in-person event, and you made it all worth it. We not only had the opportunity to play games, but we previewed upcoming releases and even playtested secret Car Wars scenarios! A quick note since, everyone may not have heard my announcement: Your badge actually doubles as a flash drive and is full of even more bonus content! If you need help popping out the drive, check out Phil's quick video where he demos how to use the card. 

We are also super grateful for our special guests who ran their own events, booths, and panels. John Kovalic hosted signings and his own panel talking about art, his history in games, and he sketched some of that history for the fans. He even handed out custom-drawn prize tickets to a few lucky attendees! Turbo Dork not only had a booth in the painting area with Ben, but they participated in a panel and helped judge the painting competition. Doug from Gaming Ballistic brought the brand-new Nordlond Bestiary for Dungeon Fantasy and held his epic games on our custom terrain sets. Fireside Games shared their industry insight during their panel as well. Thank you all so much for sharing your time and energy. A special shout-out to our MIB volunteer team who demoed games, ran tournaments, and generally kept the gears turning. And of course, huge thanks to our staff who helped prepare in the office, remotely, and in the warehouse for this event. 

Some fun facts: Our Munchkin tournament was won by Meghan, who played her first game of Munchkin at the very first FnordCon; how cool is that? We ended up with many entries for the painting contest and were particularly impressed with how many of the kids joined in – and how great their crabmen looked! And of course, Steve won all his "Steve Against The World" Ogre games, but did mention that the dice gods blessed him. This makes sense, as it is his game!

Returning to a live convention was definitely challenging, and we hope everyone had as much fun as we did. See you next FnordCon!

-- Hunter Shelburne