Alright, gather ’round grognards, counter-pushers, and hex-obsessed history nerds, because I have something to tell you and I need you to hear me out before you go back to reading your rulebooks.

I’m thinking about starting a convention.

Yes. A real one. With tables. And games. And probably too much coffee.

How This Idea Was Born (Blame the Dice)

You know how it goes. You’re sitting at your table, pushing counters around a map of the Eastern Front at 11pm on a Tuesday, and you think to yourself,

You know what would make this better? Other people who are just as unhinged about this hobby as I am.

That’s it. That’s literally the whole origin story.

No grand vision. No business plan (yet). But it is coming.

So What Exactly Are We Talking About?

Here’s the concept, and I want to be upfront, this is still in the “what if” stage, so manage your expectations accordingly. The target year is 2027 and the vision is simple:

A convention FOR gamers who want to PLAY GAMES.

Revolutionary concept, I know. 😄

No fluff. No filler. No wandering around a massive convention hall wondering where the actual gaming is happening. Just tables, maps, counters, cards, and people who actually want to sit down and PLAY.

Here’s what I’m thinking:

🏨 I handle the hotel venue and gaming rooms — so you book your room and show up and the tables are ready. That’s the goal. Walk in, find a game, sit down.

🍔 Food nearby — because an army marches on its stomach and so do wargamers. Nobody’s driving 20 minutes for a sandwich between rounds.

🎁 Door prizes — because who doesn’t love free stuff? We’ll do what we can to make sure there’s some loot up for grabs.

🛒 Maybe some vendor representation — a few good folks in the industry to browse and maybe pick up that game you’ve been eyeing.

But let me be crystal clear about the mission objective here: the main event is playing games. Not watching games. Not talking about playing games. Actually playing them. Hex & counter, Card Driven Games, area movement, solo — all of it welcome, all of it celebrated.

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Why 2027?

Because doing this right takes time, coordination, and a lot of logistical counter-pushing off the tabletop. I want to make sure that if we do this, we do it well. Nobody wants to show up to a convention that’s been thrown together like a last-minute scenario design. We’re talking proper planning, proper venue, proper execution.

Think of 2027 as the campaign start date. We’re in the planning phase right now.

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But Here’s Where YOU Come In

I need intel, people. Before I start making calls and booking rooms, I need to know two things:

1. Are you actually interested?

I’m not talking “yeah that sounds cool” interested. I’m talking “I will put it on the calendar and show up” interested. There’s a big difference and conventions live and die by that difference.

2. What time of year works for you?

This is huge. Summer? Fall? Spring? We’ve got to think about travel, weather, competing conventions on the calendar, and what time of year your significant other is most likely to grant a hall pass for a weekend of wargaming. No judgment, we’ve all been there.

The Bottom Line

Look, we have an incredible community. The Zone of Control crew, the Cardboard Commander faithful, wargamers from all over who love this hobby and don’t always have a place where they feel like the MAIN EVENT rather than a footnote at a general gaming convention.

This could be that place.

But it only works if you want it. So drop a comment, hit me up on Discord, shoot me a message on Facebook, whatever works for you. Tell me you’re in. Tell me when. Tell me what you’d want to see.

Because if the numbers make sense — Operation Cardboard is a go.

Sound off in the comments, Commander. We need a headcount before we can plan the operation. 🫡

Jerry | Cardboard Commander
Pushing cardboard since 1978 and apparently not done yet

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