Comic cons are fine and all. There are always pockets of people there who are absolutely my people and I genuinely enjoy talking with them. I’ve got a lot of respect for the creativity and effort that goes into cosplay as well — some of the work people put into those outfits is incredible.
But if I’m honest, I’ve never been a huge pop-culture nerd. I don’t really get Pops, I’ve never quite understood the cult of celebrity, and while Marvel films are perfectly enjoyable for a couple of hours, once I’ve left the cinema I’m usually done with them. I’m not the person who’s going to spend the next week dissecting post-credit scenes or debating which phase was best.
And just to be clear — if that’s your thing, absolutely no judgement here. You do you. Plenty of people love that side of fandom and that’s great. It’s just never really been the corner of nerd culture where I naturally fit.
Tabletop events though… that’s different.
Tabletop events are my natural habitat.
People get the jokes. They get the references. Conversations start with “what are you playing at the moment?” or “have you tried this system?” and before you know it you’ve spent twenty minutes chatting about dice, miniatures, campaign disasters, or the time a single roll derailed an entire session.
For someone who isn’t naturally a very social person, tabletop events are oddly effortless. I can happily chat all day with folk who share the same slightly chaotic hobby brain. It feels less like networking and more like hanging out with people who already speak the same language.
Which is why I’m really looking forward to this weekend.
Airecon is our first tabletop event of the year, and it’s one I genuinely look forward to every time it comes around. The halls will be full of people playing games, discovering new ones, and generally enjoying the hobby that brings us all together.
As usual, BlueCyborg will be there with a selection of tabletop gear — dice, dice towers, paints, books, and a few other bits that tend to find their way into gaming bags.
If you’re heading to Airecon, come and say hello. Even if it’s just for a quick chat about what you’re currently playing.
And if you spot me mid-conversation about dice goblins or disastrous crit fails… well, that’s just me being exactly where I’m supposed to be.