New MexiCon began with the desire to host a convention that could meet the growing demand for exposure to indie (independently published) tabletop roleplaying games in the southwest.
In 2014 at the Ohio gaming convention, Origins, there were a surprising number of New Mexicans playing and running indie games. After the convention, they banded together in an effort to run these games closer to home. And so, in October of 2014 with support from Magpie Games and a group of enthusiastic volunteers, Albuquerque’s first indie tabletop gaming convention launched.
New MexiCon 2018: The major shift for our big 5th year of the convention was our move to the lovely MCM Elegante Hotel! A central mustering location, along with our brand new mustering system, made for a smooth gaming experience for all.
The first Sandia Peak Game Mastery Awards were bestowed upon the following GMs:
System Mastery: Jason Slanga
Hospitality: Justin Suzuki
Creativity: John Wick
We’d like to take a moment to thank our Kickstarter backers for all their amazing support! We couldn’t have put on an awesome con without all of you.
Aaron Feild, Adam Sink, Alex Schrock, Andrew Peregrine, Arctem, Brett Martin, Brian Smithson, Brian Wenrich, Bruski, Camdon Wright, Charlie A Main, Daniel Cretin, Daniel Lofton, David Lewis, Derrick Kapchinsky, Einar Wulfsberg, Gene Astadan, Geoff, Gilbert Milner, Greg Marquis, Ivan Begley, Jane Jasper, Jason Corley, Jason Slanga, Jeff Klemens, Jeremiah Frye, John Wick, Jonathan, JustJessie23, Justin Rogers, Justin Suzuki, Katherine Fackrell, Kevin Marshall, Kristal Metro, Lisa Marie Roberts, Louis, Mad Jay, Matthew Ward, Micki Bradley, Morgan, Paul Beakley, Pete Petrusha (Imagining Games), Phillip Lewis, Ralph Mazza, Rane Staten, Robert Shinn, Sally Jewell, Sarah Richardson, Sean Friend, Seth Woodmansee, Sierra Grant, Stephen Bohannon, Steven Charleston, Tomer Gurantz, Whitman, Yoshi Creelman, and Zooey Furiosa.
Our Overlords of Rock returned for the second year with Slayer Cake, and personas were crafted and classic rivalries born at the prowrestling LARP, The Name of the Game is Wrestling!
Games Run: Blades in the Dark, Pasion de la Pasiones, Lady Blackbird, Dialect, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Swords Without Master, Cartel, Inspectres, Velvet Glove, Sagas of the Icelanders, Bluebeard’s Bride, Tales from the Loop, Burning Wheel, PrimeTime Adventures, Golden Sky Stories, Monsterhearts, Annalise, Epyllion, Mouse Guard, Masks, The Sprawl, Blue Rose and so much more!
New MexiCon 2017: We had a record number of attendees this year! Our fourth convention was held at the same venue as last year, and once again every game had a private room. Every single time slot had at least 10 different games running!
Our Kickstarter was a huge success, with 58 backers helping us bring three special guests to the con: Michelle Lyons-McFarland, Matt McFarland, and Kenneth Hite.
This was also the first year we offered LARPs! Sixteen swashbuckling adventurers freed an Eisen town from a supernatural fear in 7th Sea: Frieburg Haunting, and 15 rock stars battled to be the Overlords of Rock in Slayer Cake.
Games Run: A Tragedy in Five Acts, Chill, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Dirty Secrets, Swords Without Master, Inheritance, Prime Time Adventures, Velvet Glove, Fallout Shelter, Apocalypse World 2nd Ed., Space Wurm vs Moonicorn, 13th Age, Atlas Reckoning, Forget-Me-Not, Dread, Paranoia, Penny For My Thoughts, and many more!
New MexiCon 2016: Drawing people from several different states, we had a great time playing a dizzying number of games. Each game run had its own room to play in. The beds were removed so there was plenty of space to play. Our venue worked so well that we decided to bring our Con back here next year.
Click here to view the Kickstarter for New MexiCon 2016!
This year, Charlie Main claimed the IndieSomnia award, for playing games not only after official con hours, but before the con even started!
Games Run: The Zantabulous Zorcerer of Zo, 7th Sea (2nd edition), Hellas, Best Friends, Swords Without Master, Fantasy Friends, Zombie World, Urban Shadows, Prime Time Adventures, Masks, a Fate version of Brave New World, Epyllion, Bluebeard’s Bride, Phoenix Dawn Command, All Outta Bubblegum and many more!
New MexiCon 2015: Heading into our second year we decided to change venue. The Hotel Blue was, well, interesting but it didn’t seem to really showcase the parts of Albuquerque that we had hoped! We looked around and found a really cool place, the Hotel Parq Central. The venue, while beautiful, was not ideal for our purposes. The tables were too small and, unfortunately, it was a bit beyond our means. The idea and the feeling of New MexiCon were exactly what we wanted, but we had yet to find a place to settle.
Games Run: Black Sun Death Crawl, a Fate version of Star Wars, Tenro Bansho Zero, Sagas of the Icelanders, Primetime adventures, Mouse Guard, World of Dew, Swords Without Master, and a huge number of others.
NewMexiCon 2014: The first New MexiCon was held on October 24-26 at the Hotel Blue in Albuquerque NM. There were 38 registrations. During peak activity on Friday and Saturday night, there were six tables of games running. Many game designers, both local and visiting, were playing and running games: Paul Czege, Nathan Paoletta, Mark Diaz-Truman, Sage LaTorra, Phil Lewis. Internet personality Jason Corley was also in attendance.
The first IndieSomnia award for ignoring sleep and playing too many games went to Katherine Fackrell. She played in all of the regular five sessions plus two after-hours games! Although no award was actually given at the convention, the achievement is recognized and honored here.
Games run: World Wide Wrestling, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Mouseguard, 3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars, Dogs in the Vineyards, Epyllion, Marvel Heroic, Wrath of the Autarch, Into the Odd, The Clay that Woke, Primetime Adventures, Project: Dark, Kagematsu, Monsterhearts, Urban Shadows, Fate Core, Swords Without Master, and By the Book.