And That's a Wrap!

That’s the look of a record in the making — 60 or so folks on Day One making the most of a Wednesday.

Thanks to all who made the trek for five days of gaming. And some of you did trek, from the UK, Luxembourg, all across Canada, and more. We hear that some of you even came as far as from Woodinville. AMAZING!

We’re spent. And we hope you are too. In the best of ways.

Keep your eyes peeled here for news on 2025 — Feb. 5 thru Feb. 9. We’ll send out word of registration over our email list and on the Game On Facebook group.

Wondering if you’re on the mailing list? If you’ve registered for Game On before or signed up for our mailing list here on the site, you’re all set.

Here’s to you, and here’s to seeing you in 2025!

GAME ON!

Pre-Con Lowdown -- Whatcha Need to Know

Here’s The Convention LOWDOWN

The Ever-Lovin’ Game On Swap Meet is Back — It’s going all convention long! Feel free to tag your sales with your name, cel number, or even Venmo, PayPal, etc. And hey, cash is a thing still too. Also, word on the street it that Suz is bringing about 200 games alone …

Sunday is Family Day — Another Game On tradition. Bring a family member and they game for free.

Table Service — Food and drink specials are in the works. And show your servers the love. They do such a great job keeping us fed and hydrated.

Free Parking — Convention guests get to enjoy the best space on the whole Monopoly board. Park your ride and don’t pay a thing.

Call the Bellhop — Enjoy Bellevue’s free “Uber” service and get where you need to go for even more food, snack, and beverage options. Check our their coverage map, below. And did we mention it’s free? Follow this link for more info.

Questions? Give us a shout at: gameoncon@yahoo.com or visit us on Facebook.

GAME ON!

Pete

The Game Schedule is Open!

Sidle on over to the Game Schedule page … it’s open!

As always, you can sign up to host a game, join a game someone else is hosting, or enter some games that you’d like to play in the open gaming area.

The schedule is good for your pre-con stoke. It’s also good for us. It helps us assign tables for the longer games and multi-day games (wargamers, that’s you). For shorter card and board games, no need to get an assigned table. You have plenty of space in the open gaming area for quick pickup action.

See you folks soon. February has a way of rolling up quicker than you know it.

GAME ON!

Pete

Schedule Goes Live Sept. 26

Yep, two weeks!

That’s when the game schedule opens. There, you can pop in and set up games, sign up for games, or simply get a sense of what’s going down.

Scheduling also helps us determine table sizes and times for longer games. You know, stuff that goes longer than two hours or more. (Looking at you, wargamers.) Note that for shorter card and board games, we have an entire area of the floor dedicated to open gaming. No need to schedule. Just drop down and play!

So, peruse your shelves. Pull down something you’ve wanted to play FOREVER or some new hotness or an old chestnut. You got FIVE DAYS OF GAMING coming your way.

Check out the schedule on September 26 …

GAME ON!

Pete

That Escalated Quickly -- Game On 2024 is Waiting List Only

Stay classy!

It took y’all just one day.

Game On 2024 is sold out. A full 120 awesome people registered in one day, which brings us to capactity.

Yet you still got a shot if you want to get in on some gaming. Our waiting list is now open on the Register page of the site. You’ll find the full details there, but the gist of it is that people can and do drop before the con’. That’s where the waiting list comes in. By signing up, you get yourself in line for when folks unfortunately have to drop.

Why the cap? If you’ve been to Game On before, you know how good it is when the attendance is like Baby Bear’s porridge — juuust right. At that size, so many people know each other, or are just one introduction away from knowing everyone in the room. Since we started in 2012, it’s been our vibe. And we’re happy so many of you dig it.

So, fret not. Sign up for our waiting list.

Game On!

- Pete

Registration for Game On 2024 is OPEN

Get ready to ditch school — registration for Game On 2024 is OPEN!

Yup, same great five days of gaming at the same great place, the 116 at Bellevue. All the gaming, food and drink brought to your table, door prizes, friends, laughs, and Jeff’s bullhorn you can handle.

We have all the details posted on the Register page, but what the heck … we’ll post ‘em here too:

• Cost for Game On 2024 is $90 for all five days — Sorry, no single-day passes.

• Registration holds your place until we invoice you for payment on November 1st, 2022.

• PAID ATTENDANCE IS CAPPED AT 120 FOLKS.

• Payment secures your place for Game On 2024!

• No refunds after December 31st, 2023.

• We will keep a waiting list, as people can and do drop.

As you can see, we’re keeping the attendance cap as we always have. Part of the Game On experience is just how laid back and chill it is, part of which is being just an introduction away from knowing just about everyone else in the room. It’s pretty close-knit that way.

So, go on! Get (registered)! Our friendly online form is standing by.

We’re stoked for 2024 and to see you there.

GAME ON!

- Pete

Get Ready - Game On is Less Than a Month Away!

FOR YOUR GAMES!

With another solid con just days away, here’s a quick note from us that will help you prep. Rooms, food, swap meet, the return of our pals from Around the Table, and EXTRA GAMING.

Here’s the lowdown …

Get a Room! — Remember, we have a discounted rate for Game On, but note that you’ll need to call in your reservation to get it. The special rate is no longer available by booking online. Make it a GAME-CATION and stay a while!

The Ever-Lovin’ Game On Swap Meet is Back — As always, we’re holding it Wednesday through part of Friday (until the good folks from Around the Table show up … more on that in a sec). Give your old games a new home. Feel free to tag them with your name, cel number, or even Venmo, PayPal, etc. Buy, sell, it’s the Circle of Life, Simba!

Around the Table Pop-Up Shop — Always great to see these folks. And they always bring the wares. They’ll be with us Friday through Saturday. Be sure to drop them a line if you want them to bring a specific game for pickup at the convention. They’re full service like that!

Wanna Game More? — Who doesn’t? Come to WW3 Con the week prior for $50. While the war that thankfully wasn’t is the focus, we’ll have other folks gaming on other topics there too. Come join us.

Sunday is Family Day — Another Game On tradition. Your kids 18 and under can attend and game for free.

Table Service — Food and drink specials are in the works. And show your servers the love. They do such a great job keeping us fed and hydrated.

The Game Schedule Locks on 1/31 — In order to set up our tables so that everyone can game in a comfy (and organized!) way, we will lock our game schedule on 1/31. Host some games. Sign up for others!

Questions? Give us a shout at: gameoncon@yahoo.com or visit us on Facebook.

GAME ON!

You did it! We hit capacity! And the waiting list is open.

And just like that, we sold out.

Game On 2023 is at capacity, but you still have a shot at getting in if you’re signing up late. Our waiting list is open on our Register page. Typically, a few people have to drop every year, so getting on the waiting list early means you have a decent shot at getting in.

For our ASL Tournament players …

We’ve held 10 spots open so that you can still register without going on the waiting list. Just head over to the Register page and sign up using the waiting list form, making sure to mark that you’re playing in the tournament.

For all the folks who have registered already …

• We will invoice you separately, sometime in late November or early December.

• Your spot is only secured with payment after you’ve been invoiced.

• You may cancel your paid attendance up through December 31st for a full refund.

• Doors open Wednesday at 9am and gaming continues through Sunday afternoon.

As always, we’re stoked to see everyone in February. Look for more news from us soon!

GAME ON!

One Week Away for Summer Session!

Hi Gamers,

We’re excited for next weekend! Fun to see a lot of folks who will be attending a Game On for the first time!

We’ll open up at 9am Friday. (ping Jeff via the email below if you want to set up Thursday night). This will be pretty casual – we’ll have nametags but no door prizes or ceremonies. Just gaming and good times.

Looks like some big-sized wargames are still looking for players, so sign up! We will ‘lock’ the schedule Sunday night. I’ll bring some of my new Kickstarters for folks to try as well.

Schedule and Sign Up for Games Here

And of course – table service for food and drinks! We’ll also have the ever-lovin’ Game On swap meet going the whole time, so bring your games marked with your name and price. Go ahead and throw your cel number and Venmo, Pay Pal, etc. on there too. That makes it even easier for some folks.

Also, from 5pm Saturday on and all of Sunday, your kids under 15 are welcome to join to attend for free.

Speaking of free, so is parking.

Questions? Reach Jeff by email at gameoncon@yahoo.com.

See you soon!

Game ON!

Doors Open 8:30am Wednesday

Headline says it all!

And a few quick words as y’all prep for the con …

Swap Meet:

The ever-popular swap meet is Wednesday and Thursday (leaving room Friday and Saturday for our friends at Around the Table to bring in their games.) Use a Post-It to mark your game with price, your name, and notes. (A cell number is a good addition too—folks can text ya instead of trying to hunt you down.)

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry:

Get ready to support the restaurant and servers. Please help us help the con by ordering a few snacks, drinks, and meals at your table from ‘Down Under.’ (They have a GREAT menu set up for us.) Consider giving them a big smile (under your mask) along with a tip … these have been particularly tough times for folks like them.

Bring a Friend:

Due to some last-minute cancelations this week, for the first - and probably only time - we WILL Allow Walk Up Registrations. Sorry, no day passes.

Saturday Night – 5pm

As always, we will have a quick ceremony and give away prizes. Plan on a 30 minute break in your gaming activities.

Get ready for a great event! See you Wednesday!

GAME ON!

Game Schedule Closes Sunday the 30th at Midnight

Frist, let’s get something out of the way … BIPLANES!

Now that we have that covered, just a quick heads up that the game schedule will get locked down Sunday the 30th at Midnight. Locking down gives us the chance to take stock on what’s getting played, when, where, by how many, and roughly for how long. With that, we start assigning tables and convention floor layout.

WHAT IF I’M JUST PLAYING A PICK-UP GAME OF ROOT OR SOMETHING? DO I NEED A TABLE FOR THAT?

Nope. We have plenty of open gaming space for folks to simply set up and play on a whim. If anything, it’s the wargamers who tend to schedule tables because of the time and size requirements associated with wargames.

WHAT IF I REALLY NEED TO SCHEDULE A TABLE AND MISS THE SCHEDULE LOCK?

Hopefully with this heads up that won’t happen to you. But if you have an issue, drop a line at gameoncon@yahoo.com and we’ll help you out.

HOW ABOUT JOINING A GAME THAT STILL HAS SPACE AFTER THE SCHEDULE LOCKS?

Similar deal. Reach us at gameoncon@yahoo.com. Same goes if you want to cancel a game during this time as well.

See you in a few weeks days!

GAME ON!

Con Update: It’s nearly Time!

We’re juuust about three weeks away as of today. The game schedule is filling out nicely and there are still lots of slots to book more. Dive in!

We’re also stoked about the new venue. We have a big ‘ol main room, in addition to several other breakout rooms. Plus, there’s an all-new restaurant with a sweet hybrid indoor-outdoor space and gaming area.

Also attached to the gaming space, just footsteps away, is Woods Coffee and Café, with all kinds of beverage and food options. Fuel up and Game On!

COVID-19 Measures

Needless to say, the current state of COVID-19 is very much on our minds, as is your safety when we gather together. With that, here’s a quick update on the ‘con as it relates to COVID-19 …

• Proof of full vaccination is required for attendance (booster is bonus).

• Note a recent negative test is not accepted as a substitute for fully vaccinated status.

• Our numbers are a bit lower than our max capacity, tables will be spread out more than usual.

• Masks are required, aside from the times you are actively eating or drinking.

• We’ll also have extra masks available, along with hand sanitizer in the gaming areas.

• Further, we’ll have the doors open and fans going to provide extra circulation at the ‘con.

• The hotel has its own policies and procedures to help ensure a safe and clean time with us during the convention, and you can read about the measures they have in place here.

If you’re on the fence about attending this year given pandemic concerns, we hear you. As a result, we’ve extended the date at which you can cancel your 2022 registration to January the 25th. (An extension from our usual December 31st cancellation date.) As part of this extended cancellation period, we’ll provide your refund as a credit toward Game On 2023. If you have any questions, reach out to us at: gameoncon@yahoo.com

Looking forward to seeing you in just a few weeks!

Game on!

Get Ready for Game On 2022!

With the con’ coming up sooner than any of us think, here’s a quick list of things you can do to get your stoke up—and to help us get things set up all nice for you.

1) Get Scheduled

Host up and sign up as you like. Our game schedule is live—just give a click right here. Remember, we have table reservations for set days and times, along with another tab on the schedule where you can post what you’d like to play in our open gaming area (no reservations required there).

2) Get a Room

Yep yep. Even folks who live nearby grab a room and make a mini-gamecation out of Game On with a stay at the hotel. Be sure and ask for the special GAME ON RATE … or you can book online here: http://coa.st/r870

3) Get a New Game

Catch up with our friends at Around the Table if you got some space on your game shelf you need to fill (or even if you don’t). Plus, plans are that they’ll set up their pop-up-shop at the ‘con once again!

Got any questions? Reach out to gameoncon@yahoo.com

GAME ON!

Registration for 2022 is open, people!

Let’s dance!

Dang, we’ve been waiting a looooong time to post this, and we hope your stoke is as high as ours.

Registration is open!

We have a new hotel this year after the closure of the good ol’ Red Lion put us on a quest for a new venue. The folks at The 116 were great from the start and likewise will roll out the food, drinks, space, and discounted room rate that help make Game On the laid back experience that it is.

All the details are on the registration page, so please take a close look. As always, we’re capping the attendance to keep the close-knit feel that we’ve built up after running ten of these conventions over the years. We’re planning on a full house while following state and local guidance regarding health and safety measures. Do check in here as the dates approach, as we will announce any changes via this news page.

If you’ve gotten this far without clicking the registration link already, good on you! You have more restraint than most of us. So go ahead and get clicking!

Can’t wait to see all y’all soon!

GAME ON!

Pete

Game On at the 116!

See you at the 116!

Yup, yup! It’s a done deal. Game On 2022 will be held at the 116 Hotel in Bellevue. And there’s plenty going for it:

• Location, location, location—in walking distance of Chick fil A, Whole Foods, PCC, Chipotle, and connected directly to Woods Coffee for your caffeine and pastry pleasure … plus plenty of other food options. Because gamers need fuel.

• By every indication so far, a stellar staff who worked with us to keep alive the Game On tradition of food and drinks delivered to your table. Plus, we’re looking at a convention-side buffet a couple of nights too.

• Updates. New restaurant and bar going in, and what appears to be several other updates in the Coast Hotel style. Should be nice and comfy.

• Speaking of which, we got another BIG room so you can book tables by timeslot or grab a seat for a game at one of our many pick-up tables … just like before. Plus, we’ll have a few nearby conference rooms too.

Yeah, yeah. Where do I sign?

Soon! Meaning, we’ll have details around the con pricing, room rates, and our signup list soon. We mean real soon. We’ll let you know pronto. Count on it!

GAME ON!

Pete

Come On and Zoom with Us on Saturday, February 6th!

Come on and zoom-a zoom-a zoom zoom!

On Zoom. With us.

That’s right, at 5pm Pacific, Saturday 2/6, we’ll host up a big ol’ Zoom session where we can all raise a glass and shout GAME ON! at the top of our lungs. Bring a drink, bring a game, bring a smile. Just bring yourself on over for a few moments to hang with the crew just like we normally do during Game On Saturdays at 5.

Email us here for the link and passcode:

gameoncon@yahoo.com

First 100 of you get in and see if Jeff changed out of his sweats that day. Looking forward to seeing you!

GAME ON!

Pete

No GO for 2021

As much as we hate to say it, Game On 2021 is a no-go.

The long story short is that the current state mandates simply won’t allow for a gathering of Game On size, even in a safety-minded truncated format—this being the word straight from our friends at the hotel.

Per our earlier announcements, we held off until this date to make a determination with an eye on updated guidelines that would allow us to hold Game On in some form or other. At this point, it’s time to say that there won’t be a ‘con in February.

So, what’s next?

• We’re looking ahead to 2022 and will forge ahead with the same ‘con in February 9-13, 2022. That’s for certain. We’ll reach out via our mailing list and Facebook group (and here, of course) with news the moment that takes shape. Every indication is that we’d simply pick up where we left off, with the same process of sign-ups, invoicing, and the like.

• For those of you who registered your interest in attending the 2021 con, know that we haven’t done any invoicing, so you have not been charged nor will you be. Beyond that, there nothing you need to do to officially cancel.

• The ASL Tournament will be held online, stewarded by the ever-awesome David Wolfe. For more on that, drop by the Puget Sound ASL Facebook page.

• Also, stay tuned here and our Facebook group for a Zoom gathering on the night of February 6th.

And hey, keep gaming where you can get it. With your family at home. With friends online via VASSAL, Tabletop Simulator, or any of the other growing virtual options out there. Know that we’re ready and raring to go when we can all get together again.

Game On!

Pete

Game On 2021 Update

We’re hoping you’ve been feeling some strangely indeterminate good vibes these past few days, as we’ve indeed been sending good vibes your way.

No doubt, we’ve been thinking about you while we’ve been taking a look at the 2021 con and how to forge ahead. We’ve all been keeping life close to home these past months, and the idea of getting together next year sounds even better than ever, right!?! We want to game together more than anything, however, that means doing so in a way that sees to the health and well-being of everyone. We’re only going to move forward with 2021 if we can ensure that.

So what’s the plan?

Right now, we’re taking the cautiously optimistic view that we can have a con as planned. At a high level, it looks like this:

1. We will open registration on Thursday, October 8th at 9AM Pacific, just as we have in years past. Look for the announcement shortly. Or just keep hitting REFRESH. It’s fun!

2. You DO NOT have to pay to register. Registration is simply an indication of interest.

3. Invoicing will ONLY occur when we officially can move forward with the event, based on state and county guidelines. At the moment, our plan is to invoice in December provided that the convention can move forward.

4. See above — external circumstances, guidance, and standards will determine whether or not the con is on or not. With that comes uncertainty, yet we will communicate with you as the days move forward.

5. Planned dates and location—February 3rd through the 7th at the Bellevue Red Lion.

So that’s the plan for now … an initial step toward holding the con as planned, in the same location, based on guidance and ability to do so. Again, registering only shows your interest for attending the con in 2021. You’re not beholden to any decision at this point, and you don’t need to pay a dime.

If you have any questions, here are a couple of ways to get in touch:

• Pay our Facebook group a visit and get a conversation going.

• Drop us an email here via the site.

That’s the update from us for now. In the meantime, take care, be well, and GAME ON.

Pete

And That's a Wrap!

You all rock!

Especially that dude allll the way in the back with the full-on Rocky Balboa move.

What a con it was, because you were there.

Look for more from us soon. We’ll follow up with our post-con survey (like we did last year) and give you a full lowdown on what’s in store for 2021. Because that’s just a few days away, right?

Thanks to everyone who attended and who make this con what it is.

GAME ON!

Pete

The Game Schedule is Locking on Friday the 31st - Surely, You Can't be Serious.

Just a final heads up that we’re locking the game schedule tomorrow so that we can assign tables. So if you want to sign up for a dedicated game space or host one yourself, now’s the time!

As always, we have plenty of space for open gaming as well, which is perfect for shorter games and pick up action. (This is a nice way of saying that it’s usually the wargamers who’re hungry for large footprints of long-term gaming—thus the need to reserve tables for those.)

Pop by the schedule page to get in your requests!

GAME ON!

Pete