Conventions were the breeding grounds of all role playing and D&D
as we have come to know it. Conventions really owe its origin
to wargaming throughout the mid to
late 60's. The convention was the preferred
method for gamers to gather en masse and play
table top wargames for long uninterrupted
periods of time. These early conventions were
developed as ways to meet new gamers and
experience the latest game developments. A ring
of gaming groups between Chicago and Minnesota
were actively developing a series of war games
with miniatures focused on Medieval and Ancient times. Gary Gygax,
Rob Kuntz and Dave Arneson are some the better
known members of these groups that eventually took
the miniatures off the battle field and down into the
dungeons where aspects of role playing were developed.

Conventions have always been opportunities for game designers
of small start up companies as well as the larger companies to
play test their games or scenarios with the general public.
Many a legendary module or great game system were played
at one convention or another. This department will try to
shed some light on each major convention to highlight some
of their happenings and place them historically within the traces of D&D.

Please select from the index of Conventions for information, merchandise and images of specific conventions and clubs. We have a pretty decent library for this section but are still sorely looking for loads of additional information and images. We have elected to limit the scope of material to the 60's, 70's and early 80's because of the enormous amounts of material associated with the many, many, many different game conventions. We might even limit the scope to select conventions of historical significance. We can always be persuaded otherwise if the material is simply too interested to pass up. Please do not hesitate to make a submission of a convention or group not listed here. To contribute please contact us at Contact us..