Whatever you play, there will be something for you at Phoenix Con Games June 12-15 at the Mesa Convention Center: board games, card games, miniatures wargaming, RPGs, live-action role playing (pirates, Harry Potter and a Texas Hold’em Old West Poker Tournament) and LAN gaming.
And the latest in next-gen consoles will be available to try out — so if you’ve never played a Wii, there is open gaming where you can find out what it’s all about. Want to see how your Guitar Hero skills stack up against others? Grab an axe and rock out.
The best part is you can bring the family. There is no day care, but there are plenty of activities planned for gamerspawn, including free face painting, life-size Tic-Tac-Toe matches, giant building blocks and Junk Box Wars (“see if you can put together a working machine in the time allowed”).
There’s also coloring, crafting and cartoons, and lots of classic family board games you can borrow to play at open tables. (Monopoly, anyone?)
 IF YOU GOWhat: Phoenix Con Games When: June 12-15 Where: Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center St. [MAP] |
And don’t forget the dealers’ room. They’ll have everything from the latest Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition rulebooks to out-of-print bargains. (Last year I filled our Christmas stockings with one dealer’s discount wares, and they were a huge hit.)
Guests of honor include Peter Adkison, who helped build Wizards of the Coast, the company that owns Magic: The Gathering and D&D, before selling the business to Hasbro); and Jared A. Sorensen, a writer and game designer with credits on Neverwinter Nights, Unreal 2, Dungeons & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online. |
For non-gamers, there are many activities to look forward to: belly dancing lessons, free henna tattoos, origami, movie previews and martial arts demonstrations.
Admission to the con is $40 at the door, $20 for kids ages 5-11 and free for kids 5 and younger. The Mesa Convention Center is on the southeast corner of Center Street and University Drive in Mesa. [MAP]
