REcon

REcon is an annual gaming convention focused on tactical, military-themed tabletop role-playing games, miniature wargaming, scenario design, and operational-level simulations. It attracts designers, referees, players, and hobbyists interested in cold war, modern, and historical tactical settings, and serves as a hub for scenario playtesting, journal publication, and ruleset development. The convention has become a nexus connecting communities around tabletop publishers, gaming clubs, and reenactment groups across North America and Europe.

Overview

REcon centers on competitive and cooperative tactical play using rulesets, miniatures, and map systems derived from modern and historical combat. Typical participants include referees from magazines, designers affiliated with companies, and hobbyists who also contribute to journals and fanzines. The convention often intersects with publications and institutions that support wargaming, scenario design, and military history interpretation. Events emphasize scenario adjudication, tournament structures, and play-by-mail or convention-wide campaigns that mirror operational art and campaign logistics.

History and Development

The convention emerged from the late-20th-century resurgence in tabletop wargaming communities influenced by magazines, clubs, and independent publishers. Early antecedents and related movements include hobbyist gatherings tied to periodicals and fanzines, and organizers drew inspiration from conventions focused on historical simulation and cold war role-play. Over time, the convention incorporated developments from the miniature industry, rulebook revisions, and trends within simulation design, reflecting influences from prominent publications and hobbyist presses. The event's evolution parallels shifts seen in other long-running hobby conventions and mirrors the migration of enthusiasts between regional clubs, national associations, and international exhibitors.

Structure and Organization

The convention operates through volunteer committees, scenario directors, and referee panels who coordinate tournaments, scenario adjudication, and publication efforts. Governance models used by the organizers resemble those of volunteer-run societies and independent hobbyist coalitions; planning committees liaise with venue management, vendor exhibitors, and participating journals. The organizational framework enables collaboration with miniatures manufacturers, distributor networks, and academic or museum outreach programs interested in public history demonstrations. Financial support typically combines table fees, vendor commissions, and donations from supporters within the hobbyist ecosystem.

Events and Activities

Program tracks include competitive tournaments, openplay floors, scenario workshops, and refereed campaigns that run throughout the convention. Workshops teach scenario construction, map design, and adjudication techniques, while seminars host designers, editors, and veterans who discuss rule mechanics, historical sourcing, and modeling techniques. The convention often features demonstrations of miniature painting, terrain-building tutorials, and vendor halls stocked with rulebooks, miniatures, and accessories from niche publishers. Playtesting sessions provide feedback loops for upcoming rule revisions and supplements, and adjudicated tournaments award prizes and recognition drawn from industry partners and hobbyist awards programs.

Impact and Reception

The convention has influenced tactical game design, scenario-writing standards, and community norms within the tactical and miniature wargaming sectors, contributing scenario packages, magazine articles, and playtest reports that circulate among hobbyist publications and online forums. Its interplay with editors, designers, and retailers has helped shape product development cycles and encouraged collaborative rule-development projects. Critical reception within the hobby community highlights the convention's role in sustaining specialized subcultures, facilitating the exchange of technical knowledge, and fostering mentorship between experienced referees and new entrants. Observers from larger hobby industry conferences and historical societies note the convention's contributions to public engagement with historical simulation and hobby craftsmanship.

Gary Gygax Dave Arneson H.G. Wells Strategos Warhammer Games Workshop TSR, Inc. Avalon Hill Perry Miniatures Wargames Foundry Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Imperial War Museums National WWII Museum Cold War Vietnam War Korean War Gulf War Operation Desert Storm Battle of Kursk Battle of Britain Somme (1916) Waterloo Napoleonic Wars American Civil War Gettysburg U.S. Army British Army Red Army United States Marine Corps Royal Navy US Air Force RAF Heinz Guderian Erwin Rommel George S. Patton Bernard Montgomery Sun Tzu Carl von Clausewitz John Keegan Antony Beevor Max Boot Tom Clancy H.P. Lovecraft Terry Pratchett Neil Gaiman R. Talsorian Games IGYG ConsimWorld BoardGameGeek SPI MMP (Multi-Man Publishing) GMT Games Decision Games Lock 'n Load Publishing Solo Wargaming Hobby Games: The 100 Best Origins Game Fair Gen Con PAX Essen Spiel UK Games Expo WBC (World Boardgaming Championships) Historical Miniatures Gaming Society Society for Creative Anachronism Living History Reenactment Model Military International FineScale Modeler Paint & Brush Citadel Miniatures Privateer Press CMON Limited Warlord Games North American](fictional) European Union (historical context) United Nations NATO Warsaw Pact Treaty of Versailles Yalta Conference Munich Agreement Cold War (culture) Modern Military History Military History Quarterly Journal of Military History The Historian Oxford University Press Cambridge University Press Routledge Bloomsbury Publishing Scholarly Publishing Museum Studies Public History Volunteerism Nonprofit Organization Convention Industry Council Hospitality Management Event Planning Logistics Supply Chain Management Small Press Fanzine Independent Game Designers Community-led Initiatives

Category:Wargaming conventions