Local Conventions & Demos
Central Coast Game Community
The Central Coast is heating up, and so is our gaming community. We have news for upcoming game conventions like PolyCon and ConQuest Ventura, as well as game demo tours, cosplay, board game meet ups, LARPing, and more.
And a thank you to this months sponsor, Black Rose Designs for supporting MimicCon, and now supporting Nerdvana. Black Rose Designs is donating 10% of sales from any purchases made using code CCG23 and you get 10% off your purchase as well!
PolyCon XL - We Rise Again
A tabletop gaming convention at Cal Poly SLO, University Union June 23 - 25. Three days of tabletop games, miniatures, Magic, and related activities. They are currently seeking volunteers who are interested in running events, anyone running 2 games ore more gets in free. You can submit your events here. Also, all students attend FREE!
PolyCon is celebrating its 40th year of this event, and is an institution of nerds on the central coast. Historically they’ve held fun events like Bad Movie Night, Crafting Workshops, Live Action Role Play, and rare games/systems only found within the PolyCon network.
Interview with a con-man
I reached out to Bob Johnston, a volunteer organizer who has been involved with the local gaming community since the 1990s to talk about his experiences organizing the gaming community, and being “con man” in 2007, co-managing the PolyCon game convention.
Chay: How long have you been involved with PolyCon and how were you introduced?
Bob: I attended my first PolyCon in 1999. I attended my first PolyCon planning meeting in 2000. My son knew Ken Guge (Leisure Time Games) and heard about it from Ken’s gaming group in 1998.
Chay: 2023 will be PolyCon’s 40 year anniversary, what would you say has been the motivation for you and your peers to continue this tradition for 40 years?
Bob: The support it gives the students, alumni and the gaming community. [It] provides a place to enjoy one another’s company without judgements and heavy requirements. The innovativeness and freshness of the new student leaders.
Chay: Besides tabletop games, what have been some of your favorite exhibits or activities of past PolyCons, and do you expect them to make a return?
Bob: In order: RPG’s, seeing/working with old friends and acquaintances, auction, BBQ, the dealers [vendors], board games, waffles, hospitality staff, food delivery, checking out other’s rpg & miniature game setups, [and] ice cream.
Chay: How has PolyCon affected the community over the decades that you have been a part of it?
Bob: Despite any disagreements or differences, the club has provided quality games and has grown a community of capable people to lead future gaming events in a safe and accepting environment.
Chay: I know that PolyCon has been hosted off campus before, what are the benefits of holding this event on the Cal Poly campus?
Bob: With PolyCon held on campus, it can and does involve the students more, it keeps the costs reasonable, it’s less pretentious than other venues, and it is centrally located.
Chay: You ran PolyCon in 2007, did that give you a greater appreciation for the work that goes into organizing game conventions?
Bob: Yes and No. The organization is 100% volunteer based. It is a labor of love for the entire staff. I ran other types of conventions, prior to PolyCon, running a game convention requires a great amount of patience. Otherwise, organizing a game convention is not much different than [organizing] other conventions. The most difficult part with running any convention is the many individuals that want the convention designed, planned, scheduled, staffed, and run to their specifications, which can be quite unreal or one-sided.
Chay: I am rooting for PolyCon XL - We Rise Again this year. Community organization and planning a game convention like this isn’t a typical discipline you’d find at a university, and it takes a suite of skills and talents to pull it off. If not from PolyCon, do you think you would have ever had the chance to organize a game convention?
Bob: PolyCon is my home, and first game convention. Its acceptance and quality of the individual students and alumni involved in it, is what made me want to be a part of it all these years. As a non-student, I felt honored to be able to assist as a co-convention manager with one of the students. I most likely would not have been involved in any game convention if it were not for PolyCon.
Chay: I know that PolyCon is traditionally a student organized event, but COVID made that torch impossible to carry for the last few years. The organizers this year are past alumni who are trying to train a new generation of con-men & women. Do you have any advice as a past con man for the next generation?
Bob: I suggest students, make it your convention, changing it as is needed; work with and use advisors and alumni that are willing to support you. Be patient with one another, we are a volunteer organization—don’t drive your helpers away! Set it up the way you can do it “Learn by doing” (what works and what does not). Help others new and old students by your actions and example to learn. Build the club and staff by keeping it constructive and fun, impatience and harshness [is] not needed. Have regular staff appreciation events for all staff and their close supportive friends. Provide healthy friendship and support for one another in and outside the convention, club and school. And finally, go to other convention and learn from them!
Chay: What do you think the goals of PolyCon should be for the next 40 years?
Bob: Take what you have learned, add to it any of the items [I mentioned], work with all that support the club and try to make as many decisions with them as you can—making it everyone’s club, not just one student’s, one advisor’s or one alumni’s thing. Pull [in] as many splinter Cal Poly clubs as possible back under the PolyCon umbrella and support [as many] other similar organizations that you can. At one point we had representatives at the 2 local community colleges and 2 local high schools and put on events from Santa Maria to San Luis Obispo, it would be awesome to see something similar to this again.
Chay: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Bob: I would like to thank the gaming community and PolyCon specifically, you have meant so very much to me! All of my immediate family have been involved and participated over the year, because the community is awesome! Additionally, thank you all for introducing me to new games, new people, and new places. I look forward to seeing you in a game soon!
Chay: Thank you for your time.
Bob: Thank you for doing this!
I’m really excited to go to PolyCon this year after speaking with Bob, It’s very evident how much this organization means to the community and my only regrets are not having been apart of it sooner. I was recently asked to join the PolyCon planning committee as their Director of Publicity so I’ve been making it a point to meet and speak with as many community members as possible and get as honest a feel about their organization as I can. It’s very clear that this group isn’t just a gaming club, it’s an institution for community building.
If you’d like to join the team, it’s not too late to submit your idea for a game or event at PolyCon, but the door is closing fast, so follow the button below to their submission form.
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is raising money for their Leadership Program. The money goes towards the scholarships offered to local applicants and helps to build up our community by training up our community members to be better more capable leaders. They are not a sponsor, but they did reach out and I obliged. Participants must be 21 years or older.
MimicCon 2023
MimicCon to the moon!
Wow, what a weekend! That was the most stressful and exhilarating weekend of my life. I won’t lie, leading up to it I was wondering if I had made the right decision, or if I would ever agree to do something like this again. There was a moment on Sunday morning at 9:00 am sharp where I expected to people to start walking in. I looked out the windows to see the line, but nobody was walking up. I panicked and though, “Omg what a colossal failure” — By 9:30 am the building was packed, and we were getting amazing feedback from our guests. And, by 10:00 I knew I was going to do this every year for the rest of my life.
It was such a moving experience to see so many gamers, people who I know often struggle socially, like I have, having such an enjoyable time and meeting new people in their community. Honestly it made me cry, but that just might be the fact that I had only slept for 3 hours the night before.
The rest of the day was a blur, but I had a smile larger than my face the whole time. Fortunately some among us were taking photos, and I’d love to share them with you here.
Media coverage
Santa Maria Times - MimicCon brings gamers, cosplayers and collector to Santa Maria Sunday | Photos
Santa Maria Times - Inaugural gaming convention held in Santa Maria draws hundreds
Youtube - MimicCon Warhammer Charity Steam
I can’t put in words how fulfilling this project was from start to finish. The people who came together to build this are amazing. The guests who came to enjoy it are amazing. The community that supported it was amazing. I am simply in awe …
If you’d like to get in contact with us about supporting MimicCon or the organization behind it and this newsletter contact chay.comas@centralcoastgames.com
ConQuest Ventura
By Gabby Mondo Vega, the same organizer for the PacifiCon Game Expo
We are happy to announce Ventura County’s very own tabletop gaming convention this coming July in the beautiful beachside community of Ventura. ConQuest Ventura will feature all the fabulous things that a weekend gaming convention should have…. lots of games to play and folks to play them with! Look for vendors from throughout the county and beyond!
And we have one of the coolest Special Guests in the Gamerverse!! Our Founding Guest of Honor is none other than the amazing Luke Gygax!! Luke will be running a game, playing a game, and be our Guest at a special Gygaxian Banquet!
Cosplay Meet Up - Santa Maria
Come join Central Coast Games on May 4th for a Star Wars themed cosplay meetup! The Santa Maria Town Center is hiring a Star Wars troupe on May 4th and Central Coast Games will be there in cosplay as well. It’ll be a great chance to meet local cosplayers if you missed us at MimicCon.
Infinity Game Demo Tour - Central Coast
Welcome to Infinity, a strategic skirmish game that uses 28mm scale, metal miniatures! The local Infinity group will be running demos to teach new players! Great for all skill levels! Set in a cyberpunk world 180 years in the future, players play as powerful factions using a small selection of troops (usually 10 to 15) to make tactical decisions and complete objectives. One of the main selling points of Infinity is that you get to react to your opponent’s actions. Even if it’s not your turn! When your opponent spends an order on one of their troops, you gain the ability to declare an “automatic reaction order” on any of your own troops that can see the active trooper. Infinity models are 28mm scale and made out of metal. They’re remarkably detailed and many have incredibly dynamic poses. Miniatures are supplied by Corvus Belli through local game stores unassembled and unpainted.
LARP - San Luis Obispo
2251 Meadow St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 every Saturday at 1:00 pm (Mask or proof of vaccine required)
I recently met a Live Action Role Playing group in San Luis Obispo. I have never LARPed before in my life, and honestly I was very nervous about it. I’m not going to lie, I definitely went into this worried I was going to embarrass myself haha. The group was incredibly inviting and very generous with their time, and I couldn’t be more thankful! The explanations they gave were comprehensive and concise, and I was honestly surprised by how competitive the sport is; in fact, I’m going back! I needed another hobby like I needed a root canal. So, if you’d like to meet me I’ll likely be at their Saturday meetings through the summer at least 2 Saturday’s a month.
Girls Game Night - Ventura
A small group which recently started meeting up to play board games. Their last post got tons of traction, so some of you may already know about them. They'll be meeting again, make sure to join them this time. Snacks are allowed, bring a friend if you'd like too. They are looking to expand their community and make new friends. Transgender, non-binary and gender-fluid people are allowed. It’s a great time to have fun and get to know each other. This is a safe space and all ages are welcome. All the info for this event is in the flyer. Have an amazing day.
Community Highlights
Prism CCG - Paso Robles
A new game store in Paso Robles owned and operated by Nicholas Horton. Nick’s shop just opened very recently, and he’s working very hard to help foster a community of gamers in the Paso Robles area. He holds many gaming events, and we’re currently in talks with Nick to partner on some demonstration days targeted at a more general population to learn and play. Check out their discord server to connect with CCG gamers near Paso.
Central Coast Collectibles - Lompoc
Drafts are always free on Friday. You get your packs free and keep your cards and play for free.
A new game store in Lompoc at 1321 N H St Suite A. Owned and operated by Tyler Santos.
Fridays are FREE MtG drafts starting 6:00-6:30 and Sundays are MtG Commander starting around 4:00 pm
Don’t forget to use code CCG23 at Black Rose Designs. They’re donating 10% of the proceeds to Central Coast Games which helps us support the community and write this newsletter.
Also, if you missed out on your 2023 orange MimicCon lanyard you can get one with this very limited offer when you support us directly by buying one of our pre-announcement supporter or founder tickets. You’ll receive an orange lanyard along with a ticket (as soon as the dates are officially announced).