Strategicon's 2024 Orccon Board Game Convention

"If you don't know: now you know." –Biggie Smalls
Strategicon puts on a great board game convention @ the Hilton LAX, 3x per year. They take place, Friday thru Monday, on the same weekends every year:
>>> Orccon (President's Day Weekend)
>>> Gamex (Memorial Day Weekend)
>>> Gateway (Labor Day Weekend)
So, before you make plans to grill hot dogs and stand around talking about work (or the Dodgers or the Padres) with all of your friends who won't play games with you, we want to invite you to join US for (at least part of) this awesome weekend of GAMES-GAMES-GAMES!!!

Here are a few links for those who want more information:
> The Schedule of Events for the whole weekend.
> Convention Ticket & Hotel Room Pricing.
> Subscription List & Links for the Math Trade & Virtual Flea Market

NOTES FROM THE ORGANIZER
I am planning to attend Saturday, Sunday (and maybe Monday). I have listed this "event" here on Meetup to help educate you guys about the greater scope of the hobby here in SoCal, and to invite you (as Aslan said): "Further up and further in."
I realize that if you are new to the hobby this could all be very daunting, so I am here to help. I've been attending Strategicon conventions for 15 years, and I know my way around. My hope with this "event" is to organize our group a bit & facilitate the attendance of the 951 Gamers @ Strategicon.

Here are a few points for your consideration...
>>> Will you stay the whole time? Or do you just want to make a day of it? Others may feel the same. (FYI: Friday & Monday are both partial days, so they are cheaper to attend.)
>>> Let's discuss carpooling!
>>> Let's discuss sharing a room @ the hotel to save on expenses!
>>> If you pre-register (through the link above) you can save quite a bit of money!
>>> If you have never signed up for a BoardGameGeek.com membership (which is free), then now's the time! That free membership will save you $5 on admission to the Conventions! (And, really, you should be on BGG anyway, if you're a lover of games.)
>>> Once you are on BGG, check out the current Math Trade & Virtual Flea Market lists (see link above)—these are all transactions made in real-time, online, PRIOR TO the Convention. You pick up your purchases & make your exchanges on-site, usually on Saturday morning.
>>> Saturday from 9am-9pm there is a family focus to many of the events. This is a great opportunity to bring along your little "gamerlings" & make a family day out of your hobby!
>>> There is an AWESOME auction on Monday. Even if you're not exactly "flush with cash", it's worth attending. It's always entertaining, and SO educational about the hobby—especially if you're new to it. (This is where I really began learning about "all of these games" I had never heard of.)
>>> For those who love to shop and/or collect there is a HUGE dealer room full of new games & geekiness.
>>> For those who want to compete, there is an entire ballroom full of free-to-enter tournaments & events. You can even attend 101 sessions beforehand to learn the games!
>>> There is a game library that is FREE to use, and the librarians will even teach you many of the 500+ games—on the spot!
>>> For those who just want to chill & socialize, there's an entire floor dedicated to open gaming. (You can bring your own games.) It'll be PACKED with people looking for players, catching up with old Con buddies, and playing games you may have been curious about.
>>> And if you're into CCGs, Minis, LARPing, Wargames, or RPGs...well, don't even get me started...this description is already too long.

FEATURED GAMES
At the recommendation of a couple of our group members, I will just put in a plug for my own events here. You're my peeps. So, of course I want to invite you to the events I'm running.
> On Saturday, I'll be running a tournament for Ra, as well as teaching: Starship Captains.
> On Sunday, I'll be running a tournament for Agricola, as well as teaching: Kutná Hora.
But there are TONS of great events & tournaments being run for other games! Feel free to explore, and don't feel intimidated by the word: "tournament"—you ARE good enough.

Lastly, if you are looking for other events, I can recommend a few GMs to you. They're good teachers, good table hosts, and some of us go back a LONG way. Check out events by: Shane Sauby, Gilbert Quiñonez, Andres Fresquez, Lisa Burola, Samantha Waterhouse, and Ivan DeMoura.