Reviews

Workshop recap: map-making for fantasy RPG settings

Inside the Showboat Hotel on the Atlantic City boardwalk, a backroom table got buried under grid paper, fine-liners, and slices of dollar pizza. The workshop…

Comparing LARP Styles at HLGCon: Theater Performance and Boffer Combat

The 2018 High Level Games Convention turned the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City into a destination for live-action role-players seeking two very different…

How HLGCon lifted independent game stores and small press publishers

In the spring of 2018, the Showboat Hotel along the Atlantic City boardwalk opened its doors to something a little different. High Level Games Convention…

Designing escape room puzzles that carry a story worth solving

Escape rooms have spread through Australian cities over the last decade, from pop-up experiences in Melbourne's laneways to permanent venues in Brisbane and…

Forty-eight hours at HLGCon from a tabletop diarist's notebook

The flight from Sydney had a transfer in Los Angeles and my carry-on smelled like dice bags and instant coffee by the time we hit the gate. I had packed a…

Calming first convention nerves with wisdom from seasoned attendees

Walking into a packed convention centre for the first time can feel like stepping onto a stage you never auditioned for. Your heart hammers, your brain keeps…

Rare Dice and Custom Minis Vendors at HLGCon 2018

Walking the exhibitor floor at the Showboat Hotel during HLGCon 2018 felt less like browsing a trade hall and more like wandering through a curated gallery of…

Where dice meet data: tabletop roleplaying in a digital age

The panel discussion "The Future of Tabletop Roleplaying in a Digital Age" unfolded at HLG Con 2018 with a room full of designers, players, and curious…

How Music and Sound Shape the Soul of Live Action Role Play

Live action role play lives in the spaces between words. A whispered conversation across a tavern table, the wind that seems to pick up just as the moon rises…

How to Turn a One-Shot RPG into a Full Campaign

Tabletop role-playing games thrive on momentum. A well-run one-shot can pack an entire emotional arc into three or four hours, and players often walk away…