RocketCon Roundup

What better way to grow old than with friends, food and games?

In 2015, Adrianne got a promotion and had two choices - Wilmington, NC and Richmond, VA. She came to me with the choice and asked my opinion. To me, there was only one choice. Richmond has always held a special place in my heart and moving there has been amazing.

However, we were leaving friends and family behind. We had lived in Charlotte for a year, the Triangle for a decade and NC most of our lives. I also had made some friends in Charlotte that I wanted to keep in our lives.

After attending DragonCon, I started talking with Adrianne about what we could do to keep the energy up. DragonCon was a great time, but our favorite memories almost exclusively came from hanging out in the hotel AFTER the con. How do we make those memories?

Jump forward to July 2016. We had just bought our house in Richmond, we still had our rental in Glen Allen. We had a huge, empty house and a modest collection of board games. We chose 4th of July weekend - for utility (most people getting the holiday off) and sentimental (I was born on the 4th of July after all). We had such a great time, we decided to do it again the next year.

We just completed our 8th year (and 7th in VA - Covid-19 made it a MUCH smaller affair in 2020). I am very blessed to have friends willing to travel to spend time with me and indulge my hobbies. We’ve had people find roles in helping facilitate RocketCon. For example, Kat is our movie manager and graphic artist extraordinaire.

This year, we had about 30 people come - not quite pre-pandemic numbers but definitely more of a return to normalcy. Every year takes on its own flavor and this year was LONG GAMES. I personally only played 17 games with 21 plays over the weekend.

Alice is Missing and Forgotten Waters dominated the time, multiple hour affairs involving 10 and 7 people respectively. We ran two games of Alice is Missing simultaneously. World of Warcraft (which I did not play) and Eclipse. We had some lighter fare as well, with Hues and Cues, The Resistance and Tavarua hitting the table.

We kicked off with one of my all time favorites - It’s a Wonderful World and knocked out Alice is Missing and closed with Ethnos.

Saturday was dominated by Forgotten Waters, but I also played Between to Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Tavarua and Horrified.

Sunday was March of the Ants, Eclipse, finishing my Adventure Tactics campaign with Jamil and Conner, Hues and Cues, the Resistance and finishing off with Evolution Climate.

Monday was a calmer day, most people had started to head home. We got into some of my favorite territory with medium length, strategy heavy games. We kicked off with 5 player Unfair and hit another of my favorites Dune: Imperium. Conner pulled off a 1 point win after building an early lead and surviving my late game flurry.

We also cracked open the only new game I played all weekend, Last Bastion. What a neat game. It’s a tower defense game, which I normally don’t care for, but the thematic integration is stellar and the puzzle is fantastic. I can’t wait to play again.

We capped off the evening with a game of Meadow. I still find Quadropolis to be the more enjoyable experience, but Meadow is a really fun and relaxing game. A nice touch on an fantastic weekend.

It’s been really fun to see so many people develop a love of board gaming over the last near decade. My friend Jordan stepped out of her comfort zone and played so many new types of games. Adrianne’s cousin Gray found their footing in heavier games. My wife found a love of Vital Lacerda games (!!!).

Jamil, Conner and I are still recruiting for a 4th for our heavy campaign games (next up Tainted Grail or Bardsong). I do wish I had gotten the chance to get into some newer games this year (Vindication, Edge of Darkness and Vagrant Song are still un-played).

I also enjoyed how much of a hit my homemade bread was. I burned through an entire 40z container of yeast over the weekend. 2 lbs. of butter and all our salt too! It was nice being able to make homemade pizzas, fresh spaghetti sauce and chili from scratch and see it gone. Having our house filled with some of our favorite people for days on end and just enjoying each other’s company is also great.

The pandemic really killed a lot of group socializing and I’m glad we’re able to start feeling comfortable in medium group settings. I know not everyone is able to, nor is it safe for everyone, but that type of community is necessary for me. I look forward to next year and what adventures it brings but until then I’ll remember the sage advice I got this weekend - “You won’t microwave a pound of ground beef.”