News and Announcements

Here you will find the latest news and announcements in the weeks leading up to the convention. Check back often for the latest information!

TsunamiCon 2020 Update

I have been getting this question a lot lately, and rightly so. TsunamiCon 2020. What’s the plan?

I apologize for the radio silence to date. In the current socioeconomic climate, the uncertainty regarding a fall event has been weighing heavily on us all. During a brief managers’ meeting this past week, we reached the difficult decision not to pursue a fall 2020 schedule for our annual game convention in Wichita. The current crisis has left us uncertain of the viability of an October event and unable to reliably pursue fundraising efforts this summer. TsunamiCon has always been a grass roots con that requires annual fundraising efforts to be sustainable, and time is working against us at this point.

We are shifting our focus instead to an online event for October 16th thru 18th. TsunamiCon(line) 2020 will include a schedule of online games meeting our typical standards of variety and excellence, using the tools and platforms available to us in a virtual setting. We will also focus on innovative ways to create expansive gaming experiences, and we will try to build a program that includes celebrity guests, panels, and social gatherings.

There will be a small registration fee, with premium tickets available that include digital swag and limited merch, and I will take pre-orders for official TsunamiCon 2020 merchandise. We will have more information on this event in the weeks ahead.

The gaming community that has grown around our little convention has become very special to us, and we will sorely miss hanging out with our friends and supporters at this year’s event. I hope that you are weathering the current crisis in good health, and that you are continuing to find ways to incorporate gaming opportunities into your life. We look forward to seeing everyone in person again next year.

Yours in Gaming,

Erik Carl, Director
TsunamiCon LLC

With TsunamiCon 2019 happening a little more than a week from now, I feel like it’s a good time to highlight some of the… er… highlights… of this year’s event.

To start with, we have a nice selection of Dungeons & Dragons games on the schedule. Our current list of Adventurers League games are full – though it never hurts to get on the waiting list – but if D&D is your poison, there’s plenty to go around. I’m also pleased to see about a dozen Savage Worlds games on the schedule, and they fill up fast. But there are definitely some other unique RPG experiences to which I’d like to draw your attention.

First, we’ve brought in veteran game designer Sean Patrick Fannon to show off his newest creation Prowlers & Paragons. He’s running a series of missions during the con to showcase the rules, and this is an amazing opportunity to check out a game run by the designer. They’re in series, but you can definitely jump in to any game you like to check it out. And I’m particularly excited about the Saturday night EPIC. I’ve watched Sean handle a group event like this with multiple tables, and it is an experience NOT to be missed!

Secondly, Danny Oliver is back with more Shadowrun Missions, this time bringing us a taste of the newest edition of the game! Just as exciting, in its own way, is Danny’s Saturday night Red Dragon Inn ALL OUT BRAWL! There will be prizes. Oh yes… there WILL be prizes.

I also want to draw some attention to my very own Zero Signal: Supply Run Tournament on Friday afternoon. I published this game this year, and I’m very proud of it. It’s quick, easy to learn, and a good one to share with the kids. For the tournament, I’ve put together a very special deluxe Tournament Kit – which we’ll be giving away to the winner – and I’m looking forward to showcasing the expanded rules for tournament play. I’d love to see some folks come by, learn to play, and get in on the action. (It’s that easy!)

Finally, I’d like to draw your attention to some unique RPG opportunities. On Friday night, Matt Harrop is running a game of Dread, the unusually tense horror system that uses a Jenga tower for challenge resolution. On Saturday afternoon, Rolando Gomez still has a few seats left for his Star Trek Adventures game, and you should consider joining Tadd for his PRAXIS: King of Storms scenario or Ben Burns for Zeta Complex: Man’s Last Hope. And I can certainly recommend signing up for Kevin Pennington’s Shadow of the Demon Lord offering on Sunday morning.

We have a lot to forward to, and plenty of seats left at the table. So sign up now! And we’ll see you at the con!

ANNOUNCING TSUNAMICON 2019!

By now many of you are wondering what to expect from TsunamiCon this year, and why the long silence. With the deepest apologies for our lack of communication, I will now be addressing that question as completely as possible.

For the past three years, our convention has called the Wichita Scottish Rite in downtown Wichita our home. The Scottish Rite is a beautiful venue with a great deal of available space, and we had long hoped to continue growing into the nooks and crannies of the building as the convention grew from year to year. Alas, this was not to be. As you may or may not have heard, the building changed hands this year, and it is this event that lies at the heart of our delay in announcing this year’s convention.

A change of ownership of such a massive and expensive piece of property inevitably required some patience on our part as we attempted to negotiate a contract for 2019. I have every confidence that the new owners will find great success in the utilization of their event space in the years ahead, but after a few months of semi-regular discourse on the matter we were simply unable to negotiate an agreement that would serve their needs in the use of their property and the needs of the convention and our attendees. Ultimately, remaining at the property would have increased our costs considerably, and we had no guarantee that we could meet their requirements in the time frame available. With a heavy heart, I resigned myself to the idea that we would need to shop the convention around to other venues once again.

In the five years since our first convention, of course, the landscape for local events has flourished and shifted. Inevitably, this created new challenges in attempting to book an alternative venue at such a late date. I proceeded with two basic priorities: that I could retain the services of a sufficient venue in early to mid-October, and that I could negotiate a fee structure that would allow us to best serve our community and still throw one hell of an event at the 11th hour. Local bookings on our priority weekends were understandably scarce, and costs varied wildly from venue to venue.

I am pleased to announce that a community very close to our recent efforts has kindly opened its doors and offered a solution that meets both needs. With the quirky sense of irony that often seems to follow us around, we will be moving this year’s event across the street to the Midian Shrine Center and scheduling the event for October 18th thru 20th. Much like when we moved to the Scottish Rite, the layout of their venue provides some different challenges and new opportunities, and I am excited to see how it comes together and grateful for their enthusiastic hospitality.

Again, I apologize for the long delay. The wait is over, and it’s time to plan our event in earnest. Now we need to make up for lost time. I do intend to run a short Kickstarter campaign, as I’ve received numerous questions about it and it’s always proven to be a good venue for spreading the word about our con, so keep your eye out for that announcement and please help spread the word.  Also, as I need capital to help build materials for upcoming events and begin the process of updating our signage and promotional tools, I will offer a limited discount price on early VIGs if you’d like to pick them up now.

For everyone who has continued to echo their support for the con and kept reaching out to me for updates, I can’t thank you enough for helping keep TsunamiCon alive in our hearts. Sometimes these kinds of challenges can seem a little overwhelming, and I always seemed to find a kind word or anxious query at exactly the moment I needed it to keep focused on the event. I appreciate your faith, and I hope you’ll help me make this year’s event as fun and fulfilling as possible.

Sincerely and with the utmost humility,

Tsunami GameDay Summer 2018

Join us for yet another full day of tabletop gaming on Saturday, August 4th at The Burrow! Admission is FREE, and there will be open gaming for RPGs and board games, with room for anyone to sit down and play some games. Features of Tsunami GameDay include:

  • Advance registration for scheduled games
  • Drawings for prizes and giveaways
  • Amazing sales on all gaming products
  • Purchase tickets for TsunamiCon 2018!

You can register now to run a game or register (it’s free!) and get a seat at someone else’s table. Though you can schedule an event at any hour of the day, we recommend long-form games such as RPGs be scheduled from 1pm to 5pm OR 6pm to 10pm to maximize flexibility for players who want to play more than one game and have time to grab dinner in between.

Remember, TABLES ARE LIMITED! We can handle four organized games at a time. Please register your games AND advertise them on our Facebook event page. If you have any questions, contact us directly or post them to Facebook.

Dates Set for TsunamiCon 2018!

“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things:
   Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax–Of cabbages–and kings–
      And why the sea is boiling hot–And whether pigs have wings.”

            ~ The Walrus and the Carpenter, Lewis Carroll

The time has come, indeed, to talk of one small thing in particular: TSUNAMICON 2018!

Mark your calendars, gamer boys and girls, for October 5th, 6th and 7th. Our fifth gaming convention in Wichita returns once again to the beautiful and historic Wichita Scottish Rite for three amazing days of tabletop fun! This is a premiere event attended by much of the local gaming community and friends from across the country, and it gets bigger and better every year!

While we have a long way to go before we hit the tables, our management is already hard at work planning new events, building on what we’ve learned from previous years, and incorporating much of the feedback and advice we’ve received from the community. As always, we start our journey by launching our special VIG Ticket Sale for 2018 for our hardcore fans and anyone who wants to get the best price possible on the ultimate convention experience! Your VIG ticket nets you a weekend pass, access to the VIG Lounge, this year’s T-shirt and commemorative dice, and more! This discount will only be available for a limited time, so buy early!

Also, if you’re considering purchasing vendor space at this year’s convention, it’s a good idea to apply now. Booths will be made available to early adopters first when they go on sale, and returning vendors get a 15% discount on booth space.

We’re ready for another amazing year with our gaming community in and around Wichita, and we look forward to seeing local friends and everyone who travels cross country to join us each year at the con.

Adventure awaits! Huzzah!!

TsunamiCon 2018 Announcement Coming Soon!

Gird thy loins for battle and prepare yourself for another great con in 2018!

The TsunamiCon management team is pleased to announce that we’ve opened talks for TsunamiCon 2018, and you can expect an announcement very soon! We are currently working out the details for yet another fantastic weekend of gaming this October at the Wichita Scottish Rite! Keep an eye on the website and on our social media for updates, and join us in person on Saturday, January 20th, for our first Tsunami GameDay of 2018 at The Burrow!

FINAL WEEK!

As we head into the final stretch, a calm grips the high seas. The crew busies themselves with the tasks at hand, making final preparations for the weekend of the con, whilst our lookout keeps a steady eye on the horizon. TsunamiCon is nigh! As we prepare ourselves for the final leg of our voyage, I want to thank a few of our distinguished sponsors and encourage you to follow suit. Without these fine folks, TsunamiCon just isn’t the same great experience we’ve come to love.

The Burrow: Gifts For Geeks. Even before we ran our very first convention here in Wichita, the Burrow was our home away from home. Derrek’s family welcomed our gaming community with open arms, and when we started pushing his little store to capacity, he expanded and gave us even more room to play. The Burrow has hosted our quarterly Game Day events and generously sponsored each and every TsunamiCon with a single-minded devotion to our local community and the hobby that brings us together. He has even eschewed the opportunity to set up shop in our dealer hall each year in favor of spending his own time enjoying the convention as a regular at the gaming tables! I cannot overemphasize how much The Burrow’s patronage has meant to TsunamiCon… a factor you’ve likely noted yourself if you’ve been collecting TsunamiCon T-shirts, as they’ve decorated each and every year’s edition as one of our beloved corporate sponsors.

Be sure to visit the store this week and thank them personally for everything they do. And pick up a TsunamiCon ticket while you’re there. Already have one? Fantastic! Buy one for a friend. You can a discount if you spend a little money at the store.

Venue 332 at Wichita Scottish Rite. Long-time attendees know that we floundered for a bit the first few years, trying to find the venue that perfectly complimented the style and substance of our event. After finally venturing away from the hotel circuit, we found just the right partner in the Wichita Scottish Rite. Kelly and her staff have shown a wonderful enthusiasm for everything we do and opened their hearts and their doors to our local gaming community. Partners in more than just the name, the Scottish Rite works with TsunamiCon to help make the event successful, investing in our event as a sponsor and helping us spread the good word. We’re excited at the opportunity to grow into the massive space available at their facility, a building with enough old world charm and immersion to please everyone’s inner child as they step into the room. And we have events all over the place… an enormous gaming room in the Great Hall, with our Marketplace nestled in an adjacent annex, an auditorium upstairs for our panels and live events, and designated rooms for special features like our Paint and Take, the Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator, the Puzzle Plex escape room, VIG Lounge, and more! Not to mention the fantastic concessions they make available throughout the hours of the con!

If you get a chance, I would definitely recommend you thank them for their hospitality, their support of our local gaming community, and for bringing us back year after year!

Puzzle Plex, About a year and a half ago, one of my friends in the podcasting community regaled me with tales of his family vacation and a visit to an escape room facility in one of the bigger cities he traveled through. At the time, escape rooms were a new phenomenon in the US and few and far between. In the months following that conversation, one or two such businesses popped their heads up here in Wichita, but they still weren’t common knowledge. Fortunately, a lot can change in a year… Wichita now has a handful of escape room facilities, and a growing number of Wichitans have had the pleasure of sampling their unique challenges. After taking some time to peruse some of the excellent facilities discussed online by our local community, I ultimately reached out to Puzzle Plex with a proposition. Eric and Curtis not only loved the idea, but we spent about an hour together one afternoon just touring the Scottish Rite and discussing all the possibilities. We picked a room, and they got to work. They’ll be tucked away in a lounge upstairs, and you absolutely must take this opportunity to see what they’ve come up with… not to mention get your name posted on the leaderboard!

Historical Board Gaming. Every year, I reach out to vendors and potential sponsors throughout the Midwest in the months leading up to the con, and I am always surprised at the kind and supportive words I received from most anyone I connect with during this time. This year, one of those surprises was from Doug at Historical Board Gaming. Doug runs his website out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and specializes in games and accessories for one of the oldest and proudest traditions of our hobby, historical board gaming. As a special thank you for his sponsorship of this year’s convention, I encourage you to visit his website and send link to anyone you know who enjoys the time-honored tradition represented in his store.

I also want to recognize contributions from: Greg and the team at Cardboard Carnage; Hobbytown USA, the Village Geek and Warehouse 34 for contributing games and prizes; Brad Kelly from Midwest GameFest, who has been a fantastic source of advice and encouragement and helps run and organize Shadowrun Missions at TsunamiCon; Badash Cosplay for running our cosplay events; and all our other sponsors, contributors, exhibitors, and the hard-working staff and volunteers who help us make everything happen.

 

Here’s to another amazing con! I’ll see you all next weekend! Huzzah!!

 

TWO WEEKS to GO!

With only 14 days on the clock, the pressure is on. Our crew is working hard to steer the ship in the right direction and not get distracted by the marine life, and the Captain is bent leaning over his charts to see how far he stretch a metaphor. TsunamiCon… is coming.

We’re down the detail work here at TsunamiCon HQ. I did a final walkthrough at the site yesterday, working out details on how we’re using each room and what we need from the staff at the venue. The kitchens are finalizing the menus, the printers are working on programs and badges as we speak, and I’m stuffing mailers for prizes and Kickstarter rewards, sorting out shirts and dice for our VIGs, and running down a HUGE checklist of everything from signs to table numbers to badge ribbons, and more.

I thought I’d share a few pictures, just for the fun of it:

If you’ve even thought about signing up for games ahead of time, be sure to check out the huge variety of offerings available on our schedule. Buy your tickets now to register in advance, then tell your friends and family all about it and drag everyone you know to TsunamiCon 2017!

And of course, getting up to take a few pictures has it’s own challenges…;

 

THREE WEEKS To Go!

In three weeks time, the curtain rises once again on Wichita’s premiere tabletop gaming event! With more than a hundred games on the schedule – plus special programs, panels, cosplay, live entertainment, and lots of prizes to be given away – TsunamiCon 2017 promises to be our best convention yet! As we barrel down on TsunamiCon weekend, I encourage you to grab your tickets in advance, sign up for some games, and plot your course for three solid days of gaming goodness! Here’s a few of the highlights:

Thanks to Envoy, our Play-To-Win program has now grown to around 30 titles, all of which are up for grabs! Just check out one or more of the games on the list and give them a spin, then sign up for your chance to win a copy of the game. Games are free to sample from the TsunamiCon Game Library, and you’ll even find a handful of Play-To-Win demos on the schedule, so feel free to sign up! We have some fantastic selections from a variety of publishers! Enjoy community favorites like Betrayal at House on the Hill and Pandemic, or sign up to win a copy of the infamous Sheriff of NottinghamStarfall from Pandasaurus Games, KOSMOS’s mind-bending puzzle game Dimension, or Grail Games’ abstract treasure One Zero One.

Our annual TsunamiCon Cosplay Contest is a source of endless wonder and excitement, a beautiful and imaginative spectacle starring some of the area’s most brilliant cosplayers, and we could ask for no more fabulous venue that the Wichita Scottish Rite. Join us this year for a chance at cash and prizes in one of several categories, or just plan to show up and enjoy the show! Prize contributors include this year’s sponsor Epic Cosplay Wigs, and Tahnee Lane Photography.

Also, be sure to check out one of our feature cosplay themed panels scheduled for early in the day on Saturday!

Don’t miss out on your chance to board the Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator. Bring your friends or join a crew as a bridge officer aboard the Artemis and immerse yourself in a unique gaming experience. The simulator runs throughout the convention, and attendees are welcome to participate as often as you like.

So, all hands on deck, maties! It’s going to be a wild ride!