When are board games art? Always? Never? How do the commercial realities of publishing board games conflict with artistic goals? What alternatives to commercial publication are art-driven game designers using? Participants: Tata (mod), Nicole Fende, Martin Grider, Alisha Volkman
Finding a good bookstore that isn't one of the last big chains seems to get harder every year. What are your favorite local shops? Participants: Eiryn Katherine (mod), Mallory Glass, Jeff Grapevine, Gus, Stephanie Olson
Sci-fi adventure is a blast, but it can also be fun to deep dive into the deep thinking behind stories like The Three-Body Problem, Foundation, Dune, and more. What books, movies, and shows can you think of that make you think? Participants: Johanna Stark (mod), Kurt Fleschner, Dave Margosian, Rosewind, Boris Leonidovich Smelov
Gardening in the city can be difficult, from a lack of yard to plant to lacking sunlight due to building shade. What means exist to aid growing food in urban environments? Participants: Katie Heilman (mod), Jason Nesler, Springyboii, Johanna Stark, Erin Wilaby
The Victorians had Dracula and Dr. Frankenstein. The 50s had giant creatures. The 80s had Jason and Freddie. What do the things we consider monstrous or frightening say about us and our society? Participants: John Thomas Bliss (mod), Sonni de Soto, Brian Forrest, T'Yanna L Singleton
Join us for a Helluva good time in the Hellaverse as we vote for what songs you want to sing. **mature content** Participants: Alli Cassel, Lori Fischer
The Galileo mission was a victim of the space shuttle, delays, funding, and redesigns. Once in space, it repeatedly broke, yet the team persevered to complete an unprecedented survey of the Jovian system. Learn about the mission, its people, and the goat! Participants: Jay Gallentine
Ham radio has been around a long time and might sometimes seem old fashioned, but it's also full of innovation with people creating new platforms and working with satellites. We'll look at the old, the new, and see if it fits in with geek culture. Participants: Melanie Reap (mod), Edward Eastman, Aaron Lee Propes, Michael Scott Shappe
When crafting a story, creating actual diversity requires a great effort to avoid unintentionally tokenizing your characters. We will examine common mistakes and discuss ways to create diverse characters without tokenizing them. Participants: Kerry T Peterson (mod), Sonni de Soto, Eddie, Justin Edward Grays, Morgan Strickland
Written 150 years apart and unknown to each other, "The Black Vampyre" and "Blacula" share striking, unsettling parallels. How did the first two Black vampires echo each other? Were their similarities inevitable? Participants: Brian Forrest
Bienvenu! Do you think you know the most about our beloved grump and not-so-grump? Then come on down to the 3rd Annual Game Grumps Jeopardy! This fun, lighthearted game will feature trivia for lovelies new and old! Participation is not required. Participants: Link Christianson, Tabitha Moore
3D printing has grown from a niche hobby for dedicated tinkerers to a true maker's tool. From cosplay, to car parts, 3D printing is becoming common in many spaces. Covering the basics and new developments in the state of the art and science of 3D printing. Participants: Cary Christopherson, Dead Legato
Join Wyldwolf's professional game masters for a live D&D one-shot adventure! As part of the audience, you'll influence choices, spark chaos, and shape the story. Will you steer our heroes to glory? Take a seat and get ready to roll. Let the mayhem begin! Participants: Gary Dombrowski, Kelsey Ebbert, Hunter Goetzman, Jake Rafter, Ben Stoddart
Dead By Daylight is a 4v1 horror game that's infamous for being not-so-beginner-friendly. Join a couple of seasoned DBD players as we discuss the core mechanics of gameplay, tips for newbies, and beginner-friendly builds for playing Killer and Survivor! Participants: Ashley Coyle, Andrea Allyn-DeMaris
Fiction and friendship collide as the cohosts of the supernatural comedy podcast Quest Friends find themselves trapped in a romance-themed D&D game, with their very souls on the line. Can you help them escape the panel room? Participants: Kyle Decker, Hallie Koontz, Ariadne Peñalva Tena
From perseverance to self-worth, learning how to forgive to going "Plus Ultra", anime is full of genuinely good life lessons that can inspire us in the real world. Participants: Nick the Board Game Librarian (mod), J.C. Horvath, Lyda Morehouse
Come hear sci-fi author and therapist Lee Brontide discuss the rapidly expanding future of embedded cybernetics and what psychology has to say about the nuanced ways that cybernetics could impact mental health--with both real and fictional examples. Participants: Lee Brontide
Have you ever watched PowerPoint Karaoke at CONvergence and said to yourself, "I want to try that!"? Now is your chance! Come to our open mic for a chance to get up and test your mettle against some of our classic slides! Participants: Windy Bowlsby, Angela Fox, Melissa Sue Kaercher, Andrea Ropella
How do you introduce your loved ones to board games if they don't have any experience with them (or are littles or olds)? What games work well to get people hooked on the hobby? Participants: Renate Fiora Hyer (mod), Chris William Malone, Nybieee, Amber Raden, Nick the Board Game Librarian
Libraries are more than books--they're safe havens, community hubs, archives of knowledge, and launchpads for curiosity. As funding and access become battlegrounds, it's time to rediscover why libraries are irreplaceable. Participants: Jeff Grapevine (mod), Andrea Herman, Jennifer L Klumpp, Morgan Strickland, Nick the Board Game Librarian
How can we as parents, friends, and family members best support the queer kids in our lives? Whether it's gender identity, sexuality, fashion, education, and/or social skills, there's more to support than unconditional love. Participants: Nick Fox (mod), Annie Fleschner, Kenzie Fleschner, Kiki Joy Latham, Eric Alexander Norton
Another year and another batch of the finest movie and TV scores we could round up! Find out which ones we picked from 2025! Participants: Dave Margosian, Kayla McGrady, Duck Washington
A celebration of our pets who can't be with us this weekend. Find the QR code outside of Programming Headquarters or Teen Room to submit pictures of your pets, and then join us to enjoy all the geeky pets. Participants: Corbin, Renate Fiora Hyer
Curious how to make costume magic happen with a cosplay reveal? Come join Haruka of knightandneedle.cosplay, theatrical quick change dresser of nine years, as they show you how to make your own transformations and quick changes happen! Participants: Haruka
We've all had a friend expose us to strange music, some of which we've loved and some that left us confused. What happens when a lover of random items, thrift finds, and all things obscure exposes comedians to weird music they've never heard before? Participants: Jason Kruger (mod), Maren Aalgaard, Melissa Sue Kaercher, Miss Shannan, Dante Quinn, Duck Washington
Fans of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Glee, and Coprock rejoice as you join with friends from Buffy, Xena, Psych, and many others to discuss musical episodes and shows. Why are they so popular? Participants: Kerry T Peterson (mod), Nikki Armstrong, Renate Fiora Hyer, Keeter Man, Kaija Schmauss
