2023 was the year I finally took the plunge and tried out TTRPGs. Now, I’m far from an expert; mechanics go in one ear and out the other, I’m trying to get used to roleplaying a character, and I have no clue how I should build my sumo wrestler monk, Dwayne the Ko-Rock Johnson, who stars in the wonderful Zelda Pathfinder campaign I’m in.
Despite being overwhelmed, I’m enjoying myself a lot and wanted to learn more. So, that’s why I attended PAX Unplugged: to learn more! So on November 30, I took a train to Philly, pumped to see what the con had in store for a complete newbie like me.
Related: The Pokemon Play Lab is the most wholesome thing ever
A Lack of Demos, More Focus on Sales
Like many others attending PAX Unplugged, the expo hall was the feature I was looking forward to the most. What’s more exciting than a giant room filled with games, some of which were playable demos? Very few things, like Dr Pepper.
However, as I scoured the aisles, my hopes were dwindling as there were more board games being put on display on minuscule tables with a company representative standing behind them, eager pitch their game to consumers in hopes of making a sale, and less larger set-ups meant for demonstrations.
As an indie developer myself, I’m here for the hustle. Get your coin, as I always say to my peers! But as a newbie and visual learner, I found the approach of “hear about our game, buy it, and see if you’ll like it” to be disappointing. While all the pitches I’ve heard over the weekend sounded interesting, I didn’t want to shell out $15 to upwards of $30 on a game I only heard about and didn’t see in action.
The demos that were available such as Sonic Roll and Time Tails, were all excellent and I plan on buying them in the future. The demonstrators and the players I played with were incredibly patient with me. Not once did I feel like I was being judged for my lack of board game or TTRPG experience, and as a newbie, that meant a lot to me.
Now, I understand that not every game can have a demo, otherwise the expo hall would be an absolute fire hazard. I just wish there was a healthier balance between demos and sales.
The Free Play Area, PAX Unplugged’s Treasure Trove
Where the expo hall failed to deliver, the Free Play Area made up for it. In this area, there were a large variety of board games as far as the eye could see. Honestly, it was shocking to games that began with X or Y! Radiant and I checked out Sushi Go! and Shadow*Kitty and took our selections to table.
What I enjoyed about this area so much was that I was able to get my hands on games and try them out. Sure, none of the games in the Free Play Area were new, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. Being able to play these games for an extended period allowed for me to see if I wanted to buy any of them, which I did. Sushi Go! is fantastic, I highly recommend it.
Panelists and Their Wealth of Knowledge
Admittedly, I didn’t attend many panels during the con, but the few that I did check out were informative and engaging! Those panels were: “The Asexual Bard: Representation Beyond Tropes”, “So You Wanna Be a Game Master?”, and “Tabletop Roleplaying Gays: Building queer TTRPG spaces” (which our very own Radiant was a panelist for).
The Asexual Bard: Representation Beyond Tropes was my favorite out of the three, for obvious reasons. It was fun to learn about other asexuals’ experiences and how they use their games to explore their sexuality. I also liked learning how some of the panelists helped tailor more sexual TTRPGs like Monsterhearts to make sexual content optional or remove it entirely. Honestly, I didn’t know you could that, so that was awesome to learn!
The Verdict: Hopeful for Next Time
Overall, PAX Unplugged was a decent experience. While the expo hall left much to be desired, the panels and the Free Play Area were great. I felt like I had the most fun when I was able to play games with other attendees and listen to how passionate they were about TTRPGs. Their energy was infectious and I greatly appreciated that they weren’t judgemental towards those who wanted to learn or were completely new to the space, such as myself.
I’m hoping that the next time I attend, I’ll be able to enjoy it as much as my peers. I think this will happen once I dive more into the TTRPG world and enrich myself into everything that it can be outside of Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons. Maybe I should give a sex-less campaign of Monsterhearts a go…
