Board game convention rolls into Kelowna

Board game convention rolls into Kelowna – Castanet.net
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Board game convention rolls into Kelowna

Board gamers take over

The Okanagan’s first tabletop gaming convention is underway this weekend in Kelowna, and organizers say the turnout has already exceeded their expectations.

Lyndsey Wong and Kyle Cardno put the event together after returning from a similar convention in Vancouver and realizing the region had nothing like it.

“I started last fall and fell in love with board games,” Wong said.

Cardno says he’s been collecting and playing for years.

“I’ve been in board games for quite a while now. I mean, I personally have an almost $20,000 board game collection,” Cardno said.

Wong says the event has come toegther with the help of volunteers and sponsors, quicker than they thought.

“Honestly, we are so happy. We couldn’t be more grateful for all the support. We basically ended up with about five weeks to put this together, which is an insane timeline. Even when we thought we had three months, everyone told us that was insane. So to try to do this in five to six weeks was a stretch,” Wong said.

She credits the Coast Capri Hotel as the event’s flagship sponsor, along with support from local game stores.

“Dragon Cards and Games supplied our open play library, which is about 250 games for people to sign out and play. We’ve also gotten donations from other stores like Orchard City Games. We’ve got a couple of professional dungeon masters for Dungeons & Dragons coming to host activities all weekend,” Wong said.

Free admission for wildfire evacuees

With wildfire evacuations affecting parts of the Okanagan, organizers have opened the convention’s doors to those displaced from their homes.

“We have opened it up for free admission to evacuees,” Wong said. “We’re hoping that some of them… lots of them, join us. They can just show up at the door, just let us know they’re evacuees, and we’d be happy to have them out of the smoke. It’s just a great place to come for three days, connect with the community, maybe get your mind off things, have a little bit of fun.”

No experience necessary

Cardno says the event isn’t just for seasoned gamers.

“The really nice thing about an event like this is that you don’t have to be a board gamer or a tabletop gamer.”

“We’ve got so much scheduled content. We’ve got so many people here that are willing to teach you. If you’ve never touched a board game before in your life, you can come, and there’ll be opportunities to sit down, and somebody will teach you from scratch how to play the game with them, and I hope you have a good time,” Cardno said.

As of Friday, Cardno says attendance is tracking at about 175 attendees, and many of them are looking forward to unplugging for a few days.

“I don’t even know if it’s a generational thing, but there does seem to be a strong desire to engage in social activities that are off-screen, that keep you engaged, but also still allow that human connection in a real space together.

The convention runs noon to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Coast Capri Hotel. Organizers say guests can drop in for a single day or purchase a weekend pass. Kids are half price, and children under five get in free. For more information or to purchase tickets click here.