Welcome to ArneCon 3 gaming convention!
®
“...After all, the keynote is, that ‘Anything is Possible’, just that some [things] are more likely than others.”
- David Arneson
One, two, and three day badges are now available
ArneCon is made great by people like you running games.
We welcome all RPG's, Wargames, Board Games.
Host two events and get an ArneCon 3 Official Game Master T-shirt.
Officially sanctioned by the Estate of Dave Arneson
Set in an intimate locale, Arnecon is a gathering honoring the creative genius of Dave Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, and his game group, The Blackmoor Bunch. It is a panoply of game experiences - featuring miniatures war-games, board games, and role playing games.
Come game with the people who were there when Role Playing was invented. This is shaping up to be the biggest meeting of the original "Blackmoor Bunch" in many years!
A celebration of the friendships formed through gaming - where everyone is welcome and "anything is possible".
Come, try a new game, make new friends, and explore the unlimited possibilities of gaming. Most of all - have fun!
October 10-12, 2025
Minneapolis, Minnesota
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Minneapolis - Park Place
1500 Park Pl Blvd, Minneapolis, MN 55416, USA
One, two, and three day badges are now available
ArneCon is made great by people like you running games.
We welcome all RPG's, Wargames, Board Games.
Host two events and get an ArneCon 3 Official Game Master T-shirt.
Special Guests
SANDY PETERSON
Sandy got his start in the game industry in 1980, on paper roleplaying games. His best-known work from that time is the cult game Call of Cthulhu, which has been translated into many languages and is still played world-wide.
In 1988, he left paper games for the computer game world. He has worked for Microprose, id Software, and Ensemble Studios, where he was involved with Civilization, Doom, Quake, and the Age of Empires series, among others. He has taught courses in game design at the college level.
His games have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide, and he has dozens of awards from the game industry. The award he is most proud of is his 1990 Gaming Hall of Fame plaque, which is given to only one person a year, and chosen by vote by the fan community.
He still loves and plays games. He has five adult children, eighteen grandchildren as of today, and various pet creatures.
KEN ST. ANDRE
Ken began designing games at age 8. His early creations being Monopoly Racing and Battle Chess. First encountering Dungeons & Dragons in 1975, he found the rules "dull", and decided to create his own role-playing game, leading to Tunnels & Trolls (published in 1975 by Flying Buffalo). In 1999, Pyramid Magazine called Tunnels & Trolls one of "The Millennium's Most Underrated Games" and "everybody knows this was the second ever fantasy roleplaying game ... But to dismiss it as just an opportunistic ripoff would be grossly unfair. ...T&T had its own zany feel – it was much less serious than D&D – and a less-complicated game system." His second game, Starfaring, was the first science fiction RPG published worldwide.
Fifty years later, he remains active in game design, exploring innovations like AI. His third game, Monsters! Monsters!, was groundbreaking as the first to allow players to assume the roles of the “bad guys”.
David R. Megarry
The very first game that five-year-old David learned was the card game War, taught to him by his Grandpa Weberg. His father then taught him how to play chess. Once he learned to read, Scrabble was added to his list of games. In grade school, he enjoyed playing the Parker Brothers games Monopoly and Sorry. During high school, he discovered Avalon Hill games, and in college, he explored miniature figure gaming. Gaming has been a significant interest for him throughout his life.
In November 1972, he invented the fantasy game Dungeon!, which was published in June 1975. Remarkably, the game has gone through six editions and, after 50 years, is still in print today.
Alexander Macris
Alexander Macris is a tabletop role-playing game designer, writer, and blogger. He has been lead designer on four complete game systems (Adventurer Conqueror King, Adventurer Conqueror King II, Ascendant, and Modern Spearhead) and has written dozens of tabletop sourcebooks, accessories, and modules. He has written a primer for GMs, Arbiter of Worlds, much of which has also been presented on the Arbiter of Worlds substack and Arbiter of Worlds YT channel. Prior to going full-time as an RPG designer, he was the co-founder of The Escapist, which he ran from 2005 to 2017
Greg Gillespie
Author of Barrowmaze, Archaia, HighFell, and Dwarrowdeep and two-time winner of the Three Castles Award for Game Design.
Ronin started playing RPGs in 1980 when he found the Holmes Basic D&D set. Initially playing solo due to the lack of other gamers, he later became a DM for a group of AD&D players, despite having never seen a group play before. His unique DMing style, which involved fully portraying NPCs with voices and mannerisms, was initially surprising to the players but they ended up enjoying it. In the 90s, Ronin co-wrote the adventure "Paradise Lost" for Shadowrun 2nd edition with Nigel Findley and contributed to the Denver Boxed Set for Shadowrun. Instead of pursuing RPG writing full-time, Ronin pursued a career in music, film, and television, working as an actor, musician, composer, writer, and director. His acting career includes appearances in "Kung Fu," "Man in the High Castle," "Outer Limits," and "DC’s Legends of Tomorrow." He is best known for his role in season 4 of "The Sinner," now available on Netflix.
Ronin Wong
YoDanno is a dedicated Dungeons and Dragons historian and enthusiast, renowned for his deep knowledge of the game’s original editions and iconic art. Through his active social media presence, he shares rare illustrations, historical facts, and personal stories that bring the early days of D&D to life. As a special guest at ArneCon, YoDanno is excited to honor Dave Arneson’s legacy and connect with fellow gamers who share their love for the classic aspects of this iconic game.
Yo Danno (aka Dan Collington)
Gamer at Large
Malia Arneson
Dave Arneson's daughter will be in attendance. Bring your Dave Arneson books and get them signed with an official faux Arneson autograph (there's a story behind this)!
David Wesely
A half-elf in Blackmoor. Known for Strategos - An adaptation of Totten’s Strategos; The American game of war, The Braunstien RPG, Valley Forge, and Co-author of Source of the Nile.
Ross Maker
The worlds first Dwarf character in Blackmoor. Co-author of Source of the Nile.
Paul Stormberg
Owner, The Collector's Trove, and Creator of the Legends of Wargaming & Legends of Roleplaying.
More to Come!
One, two, and three day badges are now available
ArneCon is made great by people like you running games.
We welcome all RPG's, Wargames, Board Games.
Host two events and get an ArneCon 3 Official Game Master T-shirt.
Gaming Events/Special Events
1. Panel: How to Create Your Own Campaign World
A Panel Session with ArneCon Special Guests Sandy Petersen (Call of Cthulhu, Civilization, Doom, Quake), Ken St. Andre (Tunnels & Trolls, Monsters! Monsters!), Alexander Macris (Adventurer Conqueror King, Adventurer Conqueror King II, Ascendant, and Modern Spearhead)
Hosted by Griffith Morgan (Secrets of Blackmoor, The Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg, The Informal Game)
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2. Events with Ken St Andre (Creator of Tunnels & Trolls, Monsters! Monsters!)
Celebrating 50 years of Tunnels & Trolls!
Tunnels & Trolls Pits of Despair session 1, Refereed by Ken
Tunnels & Trolls Pits of Despair session 2, using the Monsters! Monsters! rules (where you play the monsters) Refereed by Ken
Catan (Scottsdale Variant Rules) with Ken St Andre using his own special variant rules
Several "mini teaching events" with Ken St Andre
Secrets of Blackmoor Live: Ken St. Andre:
Ken St. Andre, author of the second published role-playing game, Tunnels & Trolls, talks about his career in gaming. This interview will be recorded live before an audience by the Secrets of Blackmoor film crew. A Q&A session with the attendees follows the interview session.
How to Create Your Own Campaign World: panel with guests Sandy Petersen (Call of Cthulhu), Ken St. Andre (Tunnels & Trolls), and Alexander Macris (ACKS) (see #1)
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3. Events with Sandy Petersen (Creator of Call of Cthulhu)
Crybaby Bridge (a Call of Cthulhu adventure) Refereed by Sandy
Seminar: Setting Up a Call of Cthulhu Campaign
Seminar: How to Create a Call of Cthulhu Adventure the Sandy Petersen Way
Death Dealer - Play Sandy's new multiplayer strategy game with him. Not yet published!
How to Create Your Own Campaign World: panel with guests Sandy Petersen (Call of Cthulhu), Ken St. Andre (Tunnels & Trolls), and Alexander Macris (ACKS) (see #1)
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4. Events with David Megarry (Creator of Dungeon! Fantasy Boardgame)
Celebrating 50 years of Dungeon! Fantasy Board Game!
Join us for some sessions of "Dungeon!" with David. This event is part seminar, part play session. David will share the story of how he invented the game, including his first demonstration of the game to the Blackmoor Bunch in Arneson's basement. Learn about the challenges he faced, such as being rejected by major game companies, and how he ultimately secured an agreement with Gary Gygax to publish the game - and more!
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5. Events with Alexander Macris (Creator of ACKS - Adventurer Conqueror King System™, & Ascendant)
Ascendant: Alexander Macris will referee a session of his "superpowered role-playing game of infinite possibilities."
ACKS (Adventurer Conqueror King System™): "Will you survive the perils of war and dark magic to claim a throne? Or will you meet your fate in a forgotten ruin beyond the ken of men?" - Refereed by game author Alexander Macris.
How to Create Your Own Campaign World: panel with guests Sandy Petersen (Call of Cthulhu), Ken St. Andre (Tunnels & Trolls), and Alexander Macris (ACKS) (see #1)
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6. Events with Ronin Wong (Co-author of "Paradise Lost" for Shadowrun 2nd Edition, and actor "The Man in the High Castle")
Mutant, The Last Hope: Written and Refereed by Ronin
Mutant, created in 1972, is the first science fiction tabletop RPG ever played. Created by Richard Snider (co-author of Adventures in Fantasy with Dave Arneson, & author of Avalon Hill's Powers & Perils). Mutant itself was never published, but ideas from it would find their way into TSR's Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World. Now, Mutant is rising from its ashes, and the game will soon be published along with a special introductory adventure. You have a chance to play a preview of that adventure: The Last Hope. If you love old-school sci-fi, this is the OG of all sci-fi RPGs.
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7. Events with David Wesely (Inventor of Braunstein: the First RPG)
Braunstein and Banania: Play the very first RPG and its variant with the inventor of the RPG, David Wesely
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8. Events with Greg Gillespie (Author of Barrowmaze, Archaia, HighFell, and Dwarrowdeep and two-time winner of the Three Castles Award for Game Design)
Crypt of the Barrow-Dweller - Join Dr. Greg Gillespie as you explore a new Barrowmaze crypt!
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9. Meet & Greet + Autograph Session with all the special guests Saturday Afternoon
Meet and Greet with all the special guests: Sandy Petersen, Ken St. Andre, Alexander Macris, David Megarry, David Wesely, Ronin Wong, Greg Gillespie, Ross Maker, Malia Arneson & others Saturday at 5pm! Bring your books and games and get them signed! Malia will sign your Dave Arneson books with an "official faux Arneson autograph" (there's a story behind this- ask her)!
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10. Minicon: A Convention within a Convention
We've teamed up with Minicon to bring Dawn Patrol WWI aerial combat game sessions to ArneCon. There are many sessions of this game being offered.
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More To Come!
One, two, and three day badges are now available
ArneCon is made great by people like you running games.
We welcome all RPG's, Wargames, Board Games.
Host two events and get an ArneCon 3 Official Game Master T-shirt.
Special Events Schedule*
Time | Game | Event/Game Type | Special Guest | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Friday 10/10 | ||||
1:00pm | Panel: How to Create Your Own Campaign World
| Panel | Alexander Macris/Sandy Petersen/Ken St. Andre/Griffith Morgan | A Panel Session with ArneCon Special Guests Sandy Petersen (Call of Cthulhu, Civilization, Doom, Quake), Ken St. Andre (Tunnels & Trolls, Monsters! Monsters!), Alexander Macris (Adventurer Conqueror King, Adventurer Conqueror King II, Ascendant, and Modern Spearhead) |
6:00 pm | The Terror of Spiral Keep | RPG | Griffith Morgan | Play D&D like it's a Gothic Horror setting. DM'd by Griffith Morgan (Secrets of Blackmoor, The Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg, & Blackmoor Foundations). Be one of the first to play a session using content from his new book in the works. |
6:00 pm | Blackmoor | RPG | Paul Stormberg | Explore Castle Blackmoor! Played using original Arneson maps & design notes. Hosted by Paul Stormberg, creator of Legends of War-gaming & Legends of RPG’s |
6:00 pm | Adventurer Conqueror King System Imperial Imprint | RPG | Alexander Macris | Play ACKS II with the system designer - Alexander Macris (ArneCon Special Guest) - In a world of fallen empires, some relics of the past are good only for a beastman’s bludgeon |
6:00 pm | The Necromancers of Blackmoor | RPG | D.H. Boggs | RPG Enter the historic Blackmoor dungeon on a quest to find the vile book of the Necromancers. Refereed by D&D Historian and Tonisborg Coauthor, D.H Boggs |
6:00 pm | Call of Cthulhu - The Mind of Thoth | RPG | Ronin Wong | 2023 - London, British Museum
An after hours private tour leads to a hunt for an ancient artifact that can unlock power, wisdom, or ultimate destruction. Be prepared for a trek across time, space, and modalities of consciousness and existence. With any luck, you'll be back in time for cream tea. |
6:00 pm | Death Dealer | Game | Sandy Petersen | Play Sandy's new multiplayer strategy game. Not yet published! |
6:00 pm | Tunnels & Trolls Pits of Despair session 1 | RPG | Ken St. Andre | Play & Celebrate 50 years of Tunnels & Trolls with the creator, Ken St. Andre |
6:00 pm | Early Computer Game Arena - Come in Anytime! | Game | Explore a variety of computer games on the PLATO computer system (1972). You'll get a chance to try all kinds of games from RPG dungeon crawls to multi-player combat games. Walk-ins welcomed! | |
Saturday 10/11 | ||||
9:00 am | Mutant: The Last Hope (Old School Sci-Fi) | RPG | Ronin Wong | Recover an ancient artifact that may be the key to the survival of your home village in this old-school sci-fi apocalyptic game. Between poor harvests, vicious mutant raiders, and an unforgiving climate, your mission is your people's last hope. Your loved ones may die. Failure is not an option. |
9:00 am | Chainmail - Battle of the Hundred | War Game | Paul Stormberg | Paul Stormberg, creator of Legends of War-gaming & Legends of RPG’s hosts Chainmail, Medieval combat rules by Gygax and Perrin. A major influence on the D&D rules. |
9:00 am | Seminar: How to Create a Call of Cthulhu Adventure the Sandy Petersen Way | Seminar | Sandy Petersen | Join Sandy Petersen as he shows you how to create a horror scenario. At the session's end, we'll all walk away with a cool adventure we've constructed together. |
9:00 am | Secrets of Blackmoor Live | Seminar | Ken St. Andre | Ken St. Andre, author of the second published role-playing game, Tunnels & Trolls, talks about his career in gaming. This interview will be recorded live before an audience by the Secrets of Blackmoor film crew. A Q&A session with the attendees follows the interview session. |
9:00 am | Early Computer Game Arena - Come in Anytime! | Game | Explore a variety of computer games on the PLATO computer system (1972). You'll get a chance to try all kinds of games from RPG dungeon crawls to multi-player combat games. Walk-ins welcomed! | |
1:00 pm | Banania | RPG | David Wesely | Set in the 1950's fictional South American country of Banania. A variation on the Braunstein format in which each player assumes a role and interacts with other players to achieve their objectives- created by David Wesely in 1969. Hosted by David Wesely. |
1:00 pm | Dungeon! | Board Game | David Megarry | Celebrate 50 years of "Dungeon!" And join us for some sessions with David. This event is part seminar, part play session. David will share the story of how he invented the game, including his first demonstration of the game to the Blackmoor Bunch in Arneson's basement. Learn about the challenges he faced, such as being rejected by major game companies, and how he ultimately secured an agreement with Gary Gygax to publish the game - and more! |
1:00 pm | Tunnels & Trolls Pits of Despair session 2 | RPG | Ken St. Andre | Tunnels & Trolls Pits of Despair session 2, Play T&T with Ken using his Monsters! Monsters! rules (where you play the monsters) |
1:00 pm | Crybaby Bridge (a Call of Cthulhu adventure) | RPG | Sandy Petersen | Play the Call of Cthulhu adventure, Crybaby Bridge, with the game’s creator, Sandy Petersen |
1:00 pm | Blackmoor: A Journey Through Maps and Manuscripts | Seminar | D.H. Boggs | Join Blackmoor historian, archaeologist and author D. H. Boggs as he untangles the often misunderstood development of the worlds first tabletop fantasy RPG setting. We look at how Blackmoor began and how the campaign developed using the maps, manuscripts and clues. Question and answer to follow. |
1:00 pm | Battle In The Skies | War Game | Griffith Morgan | Dave Arneson’s unpublished arial combat rules for D&D. Refereed by Griffith Morgan. |
1:00 pm | Chainmail - Battle of the Hundred | War Game | Paul Stormberg | Paul Stormberg, creator of Legends of War-gaming & Legends of RPG’s hosts Chainmail, Medieval combat rules by Gygax and Perrin. A major influence on the D&D rules. |
1:00 pm | Early Computer Game Arena - Come in Anytime! | Game | Explore a variety of computer games on the PLATO computer system (1972). You'll get a chance to try all kinds of games from RPG dungeon crawls to multi-player combat games. Walk-ins welcomed!
| |
5:00 pm | Special Guest Meet & Greet | All Special Guests | Come meet and chat with all our special guests, plus Malia Arneson, and the members of the original Blackmoor Bunch. Bring your books for signing! | |
6:00 pm | Crypt of the Barrow-Dweller | RPG | Greg Gillespie | Crypt of the Barrow-Dweller - Join Dr. Greg Gillespie, Barrowmaze creator, as you explore a new crypt! |
6:00 pm | Strategos-N | War Game | Ross Maker | The Fernandinos hold the town of San Dismas and its important bridge. The Josefinos want to control it and have sent a force to capture it.
Newcomers welcome! Miniatures provided and all rules taught. This session will be webcast live. Miniatures provided. |
6:00 pm | Greyhawk | RPG | Paul Stormberg | Played using original maps from 1973 using OD&D Rules. Hosted by Paul Stormberg, creator of Legends of War-gaming & Legends of RPG’s |
6:00 pm | Catan (Scottsdale Variant Rules) | Board Game | Ken St. Andre | Play Catan with Ken St. Andre, using his own special variant rules. |
6:00 pm | Ascendant: Capital City Casefiles | RPG | Alexander Macris | Ascendant is the superhero RPG by the designer of ACKS II (ArneCon Special Guest Alexander Macris ). In Ascendant: Capital City Casefiles, your team of crime-fighters will tackle Capital City's toughest cases. |
6:00 pm | Early Computer Game Arena - Come in Anytime! | Game | Explore a variety of computer games on the PLATO computer system (1972). You'll get a chance to try all kinds of games from RPG dungeon crawls to multi-player combat games. Walk-ins welcomed! | |
8:00 pm | Seminar: Setting Up a Call of Cthulhu Campaign | Seminar | Sandy Petersen | The game designer himself will show you how to plan and organize your own CofC campaign.
Even if you do not play CofC, you can expect this to be a very interesting lecture which can easily be applied to any other horror RPG game you are planning to GM. |
Sunday 10/12 | ||||
9:00 am | Mochas & Dragons | RPG | Griffith Morgan | Grab some breakfast or a mocha at the restaurant and come play some Basic D&D with the Holmes Blue Book edition. We'll do a bit of speed playing to get everyone's characters rolled up quickly and then head straight into a dungeon for some morning adventure and mayhem. Host: Griff Morgan (Secrets of Blackmoor) |
9:00 am | Tonisborg, into the Depths | RPG | D.H. Boggs | The Order Draconae paid well for the maps your groups delivered from your last dive into the depths, and they are hungry for more - besides, you get to keep almost all the treasure you find. What could go wrong… Refereed by D&D Historian and Tonisborg Coauthor, D.H. Boggs |
9:00 am | Hang out w/Ken St. Andre | Seminar | Ken St. Andre | Stop in and ask him anything about Tunnels & Trolls. |
9:00 am | Mutant: The Last Hope (Old School Sci-Fi) | RPG | Ronin Wong | Recover an ancient artifact that may be the key to the survival of your home village in this old-school sci-fi apocalyptic game. Between poor harvests, vicious mutant raiders, and an unforgiving climate, your mission is your people's last hope. Your loved ones may die. Failure is not an option. |
9:00 am | Early Computer Game Arena - Come in Anytime! | Game | Explore a variety of computer games on the PLATO computer system (1972). You'll get a chance to try all kinds of games from RPG dungeon crawls to multi-player combat games. Walk-ins welcomed! | |
1:00 pm | Braunstein | RPG | David Wesely | Set in a fictitious Prussian city at the start of the French Revolution. Each player assumes a role and interacts with other players to achieve their objectives in this oldest RPG (1968), created and ref'd by David Wesely. One of many RPGs from the Twin Cities that led to to the creation of D&D. |
1:00 pm | Dungeon! | Board Game | David Megarry | Celebrate 50 years of "Dungeon!" And join us for some sessions with David. This event is part seminar, part play session. David will share the story of how he invented the game, including his first demonstration of the game to the Blackmoor Bunch in Arneson's basement. Learn about the challenges he faced, such as being rejected by major game companies, and how he ultimately secured an agreement with Gary Gygax to publish the game - and more! |
1:00 pm | Source of the Nile | Board Game | Ross Maker | Follow the great 19th-century explorers in their search for the source of the Nile. Discover mountains, jungles, deserts and great lakes in the uncharted heart of the Dark Continent. Survive and add your discoveries to the map of Africa. Hosted by Ross Maker, Co-Author of this award winning game. |
1:00 pm | Griff War | Game | Griffith Morgan | Come play a big Star Trek-themed space battle computer game with Griffith Morgan, long-time Empire player & Author, and other people from all over the web. The game was created in 1973. |
* Event times and dates may be subject to change or cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances.
One, two, and three day badges are now available
ArneCon is made great by people like you running games.
We welcome all RPG's, Wargames, Board Games.
Host two events and get an ArneCon 3 Official Game Master T-shirt.
Arnecon® is a registered trademark of The Fellowship of the Thing, Ltd.. All Rights Reserved.