Tabletop gaming, like Dungeons and Dragons, has a longer history in Milwaukee than you might imagine, and Adepticon, Milwaukee’s annual gaming convention, is looking to take advantage of that. But before we dive into that, let’s take a quick look at how tabletop gaming became so firmly entrenched in the city’s history.
Milwaukee used to be home to the biggest tabletop gaming convention in the country, Gen Con. The annual event was founded in 1968 by Gary Gygax, who co-created the iconic game Dungeons & Dragons in Lake Geneva (the “Gen” in Gen Con). As the convention grew, it moved from Lake Geneva to Milwaukee, but in 2003, organizers packed up and moved to Indianapolis, citing inadequate event and hotel space.
“Milwaukee’s loss was Indianapolis’ gain, because the convention there now draws over 80,000 attendees every year,” explains Ben Checota, proprietor of Old Guard Games, a store that specializes in tabletop gaming on the East Side, near the UWM campus.
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But now Adepticon, a gaming convention happening March 25-29 at the Baird Center, is looking to fill that void. Adepticon’s roots go back to the early 2000s, when some fans of the miniature tabletop game Warhammer, the most predominant name in “wargaming,” began to host sessions at gaming conventions in the Chicago area.
As their following grew, the gamers created their own separate event, Adepticon, in 2005. By 2010, the event had over a thousand attendees, and although focus remained on Warhammer, they began to incorporate other wargames into the mix, says Matthias Weeks, one of the convention organizers.
Weeks explains that part of the Adepticon’s appeal is that “it’s not just a gaming tournament – at its core the event is a social gathering, and a celebration of the hobby more than anything.” The event gives gamers a chance to meet people they’ve only had online interactions with in real life.
After years of hosting the event at airport hotel ballrooms in Chicagoland, the organizers found they had outgrown affordable venues. A visit to the Baird Center checked all the boxes they were looking for, so they made the move to Milwaukee last year, drawing over 10,000 gaming fans.
“It’s the highlight of a lot of gamers’ years,” says Checota. “It’s helping put Milwaukee back to where it was as headquarters for gaming in the United States.” He says the move is not only good for the gaming community, but Milwaukee in general. The gamers, some who arrive in town early and make a week out of the four-day event, dine out and explore the city while here.
Checota says his store saw a 400% increase in business during the week of Adepticon last year, and he taps into the audience by hosting special game demos and sessions with game designers. He also runs a shuttle bus between his store and the Baird Center for the duration of the event.
With attendance expected to grow this year, Adepticon acquired an additional 110,000 square feet of space in the Baird Center’s Exhibit Hall E. Weeks says the 4-day convention has about 150 exhibitors on the vendor floor, a line-up of 400 hobby seminars on topics like designing and painting miniature game pieces, and 1,700 gaming events “ranging from game demos to tournaments and competitions.” He notes that the line-up includes something for everyone, whether an experienced wargamer or a curious novice.
More info, including registration can be found at Adepticon’s website.
