Rising Phoenix GameCon 2026 was an incredible experience.
Our amazing Community of Gamers spoke loud and proud, and we hear you!
To our attendees, thank you all for once again spending your hard-earned time and money with us to create an outstanding event that is still resonating in our minds and hearts. Your heartfelt comments and kind words touched all of us and fills us with the belief that we can continue to make our event better every year. So many to thank for all their hard work.
Sorry if this is a bit long-winded.
Let’s start with my fellow Directors who continue to believe in this crazy idea I had 6 years ago to create something special, a bit different, something we think is unique and stands apart. We have changed roles and badges over the years, but remain dedicated to the idea of an event for gamers of all types to come together in a welcoming, safe, and fun environment with diversity and acceptance for all. Thank you all for your tireless work all year behind the scenes that culminates in our Convention.
Next, our Volunteers, the comments we receive from our attendees, vendors, and guests prove to us again and again that our crew keeps getting better every year and that they are invested in our beliefs as well. Being a volunteer is not just a way to get a free room or food, but shows us that our volunteers are more than just folks who come and help us out; they are family and an integral part of what makes our Con special.
To our Special Guests of Honor this year, Scott Lynch and Elizabeth Bear, you were an absolute pleasure to have with us, and we hope you will return and have fun with us in the future. You were both approachable, entertaining, and truly were having fun! Best of luck to both of you on your Hugo Nominations this year, and I know I’ll be voting soon, and so can all our attendees!
To Chet Minton, our Artist of the Year, whom I am proud to call my friend, you are one of the hardest-working artists out there, always working to improve yourself and your offerings, always quick with a comeback, and just one of the most decent human beings I know. Thank you for joining us every year. The con without you would feel like there was a hole in it. I look forward to working on continued projects and fun ideas with you! Otterly wonderful!
To our Guests, from all different backgrounds who help make our Con special whether as Sponsors, like Edwin and Jess from Parallel Dimension Gaming, Jayson from Solarian Games, Steve and Angelia from Totalcon, Ron from PAGE and Matt from the Ye Olde School Tavern, or Special Events like Paul and Dan from Wandering DMs, Mark and Megan from Rogues of Canguine, Matt and his crew from Boston Gaymers, Eric and Mickael from GMs Podcast, Chris and the crew of the Story School, Oscar and Mitzy and the stalwart GMs of Golden Goblin Press (they also plan the Karaoke) you all and anyone I missed (Leo, Joe, Jesse, Lew, Moniquill, Michael G, Joey, Jennifer, Brian and more) are a big part of what makes Rising Phoenix special and thank you all for all the hard work you do behind the scenes to help us bring the best event we can to our attendees.
To all of you involved with the Shadowdark Tournament, it was Awesome! Thank you all for all the work to bring it together! To the 7 GMs and 35 Players I had the best time watching and listening to you fight through my Module. (That darn cat!) Thanks, that was the highlight of my Con! I still have modules if anyone is interested, reach out on Discord.
Our Vendor group, who I am lucky to have come back year after year and strive to have new items and products for our attendees, thank you for being an integral part of our Con. And news, Pam from Arcadian Chain was absent this year and had a baby! We’ll see her back next year!
To our Organized Play Teams, thank you for your hard work in making our job easier. I know every year that with Lucas and Ted leading the charge in their respective groups, things will run smoothly in your Houses! Thanks for your commitment to the Con!
We’re almost there, I promise…
I want to take a moment to talk about something near and dear to me, in particular myself and all our Con group. Kids. We firmly believe that kids are the future of gaming and also some of the hardest attendees to acquire. Our first year, we had 6 kids attend, and 4 of those were Director or Vendor kids. This year, we are proud to say we had 47 youth at our Convention, and whether they are brought by their parents or part of our Fledgling Program, or here for the Story School events this year, all the youth you see here give us all the most joy and hope for the future.
Donations to our Fledgling Program through our website can bring the gift of an amazing love of gaming to youth that could change their lives forever. Please consider helping us to achieve these goals; every donation, no matter the size, helps.
Last, I want to personally thank each and every one of our attendees, no matter their part in our Convention. It is the greatest joy in my life that Rising Phoenix GameCon has gone from a dream to become something solid and enduring, and that we have found our people, our Community of Gamers. Thank you all for your trust and support, and thank you for helping me realize my dreams.
See you next year! Scott
