Return to LFG Con in 2026

It’s been weeks since LFG 2026 and I absolutely miss it. I want to go back to a weekend of just time dedicated to board games and entertainment. Where the drudgery of timesheets and productivity level is locked outside the door. To stay within the walls of deciding which pretty die to add to the collection or how many turns should I wait before I really mess up the players by cutting off resources?

A refreshing return back to Setters of Catan to get into the gaming mood

LFG Con returned for it’s second year of hosting a weekend of board games with the added buffs of entertainment. At the heart of the convention are board games and all of the ways to game . Almost every table in the main hall were covered with boards of all kinds of styles complexity. Attendees were able to sign up on the app to join in on guided games by Gamelogists, or look for the markers for platers, or they can borrow a game from the convention library. Darrington Press was the vibrant sponsor of the convention and were front and center in coordinating mini campaigns of their ttrpg, DAGGER HEART.

In between the tables and demos were the small exhibit hall that boasted even more vendors showcasing their games. There were areas dedicated to test playing games in progress or rooms dedicated to indie games. There were no shortage of games to play. With the open play rooms staying open until 2 am, only the need to eat and rest would be the real drive to complete the game.

Squeedar’s return to LFG con was to answer the question if LFG Con delivered solid reason to stay and to come back another year. This involved booking a room at the host hotel and have two whole days of dedicated LFG experience. It was one of the best decisions made and gave the most solid affirmation to both questions. The second year brought the boards games and more.

The panel room of inspiration and magic.

Panels and Programming

One of most robust upgrades to the convention was a more varied programming. One of the best programming was the Women in Game Design. Not only was it an empowering hour with each of the panelists bringing their own insightful stories and tips, it boasted star power. There was not only Mayanna Berrin (voice actor of Coupe in Dispatch) but also Jackie Fox….as in JACKI FOX OF THE RUNAWAYS. Both the nerd and rocker sides were internally screaming at inhumanely loud decibels of fangirling.

Jackie Fox was there to drop wisdom and to present her board game ROCK HARD:1977. Should come as no surprise that all of the slots for the demo game that Fox was leading were completely full.

One didn’t need to be a game designer to benefit from listening to so much talent. It was really a call to encourage everyone to try and work on their dream. Or as Foxx kept cheering: “ Just f*cking do it”.

Cassandra Chowdhury (Producer of WORMWOOD), Alyssa Aguilos (@dreamitdoitmedia), Mayanna Berrin (Moderator) (@mayannaberrin),Jackie Fox (@foxycmere), and Amanda Panda (@panda8ngel_loves_games)

Other programing highlights included a live DnD one shot campaign session where attendees and livestream viewers were able to donate for the St Jude.

The crew behind Tiny Con: 2 Fast 2 Small, a liveplay DnD one shot to support St. Jude: David Tilstra (DM) (@davidtilstra), Jess Wade (@jessthehuman) , Reed Sights (@reedzboooks), Tanlyn Morgan (@gremlinfroggie). Darby Pak (@chaoticdarby), and Mayanna Berrin (@mayannaberrin)

Attendees were completely entertained with the Bardic Inspirations Magic Show by Frank Zazanis. Zazanis delivered puns, multitudes of nerd references, and an ever growing wand stick from behind the curtain. This Magic Style entertainment was surprise and refreshing addition to the programming. Tired minds were refereshed with endorphins released by laughter.

Bardic Inspirations Magic Show by Frank Zazanis(@frankmystery)

All of this programming cycled through one dedicated room in the convention. It quickly became a favorite place to decompress and to discover new things.

The programming even extended beyond the room and into the outdoor patio. We all made history as being the audience for the first live performance of the The Mary Sues. Not one of the rock trio is named Mary Sue but we all still adored the music. Carol, Claire-Michael, and Kimi rocked our original tunes to familiar theme songs.

The Mary Sues(@marysuesband): Carol (Alto), Claire-Michael (Soprano), and Kimi (Mezzo

The Food

It’s a baseless personal indicator but if an Okamoto food truck will be at an event then it’s nerdy and good All of the food truck selections were great.

The hotel’s cafe was closed for renovation but attendees were free to walk across the street to the food eateries by the enhance of the Burbank Airport. Play as you want, food was not going to be limiting factor. Nor was hydration since there was water station in every room and hallway.

With the comfort of a hotel room ready for rest, food and water options plenty, the environment to game on was prime.

The Games

Setting up and learning new games can quickly discourage players to play. LFG Con takes out this labor intensive step which makes it efficient and accesible to check out any games at the con. Several tables are manned by staff called Gamelogists ready to walk players through games. Games that have already had the board laid out and pieces ready for the play.

For those thrive is deepdiving into the game at their pace, the library is stocked with games open to attendees to explore.

Around the board games, there were also snactioned Magic the Gathering competitions hosted by FIRE AND DICE. There was some serious concentration percolating in those rooms. One felt the need to tip toe past to not mess up someone’d meticoulsly planned attack strategy.

There are other ways to demo games. Many of the vendors may have dedicated space to demo the games in their inventory. Or one can attend the scheduled demos by Darington press

Quick game demo: DUCK DUCK WHAT

https://www.goghgames.com/

It was the super cute crocheted’ duck that grabbed the eyes upon entering the vendor hall. Game Creater and Artist, Debbie Richards, and her team were ready to demo this cute and fast game to play.

A game taught in elementary school reimagined with the goal of collecting wildlife. Cards are facedowned in a circle. With a small wooden duck token, players take turns to move the duck while saying “duck…duck…” until they get to a pile of their own choosing and stop with the word “what!”. Each pile has a wildlife of various wildlife. If the card matches to your cards then you keep the duck going into circles until you pick up a card that does not match to the ones you have.

Once the rules are established, the gameplay is super fast. It’s advertised as “family friendly” but this can definitely be re-visualized as a drinking game for adults. The levels of inebriation can make remembering to say :duck, duck, what” at the right moment is an entertaining thought.

Quick game demo: Crabs In a Bucket

http://shop.bluerondogames.com/

The company maximized every inch of their booth space to accomadate two demo games and displays of a faux fish market.

Players start out with a given number of cards, With each new card drawn, the player may be able to clear their hand or gain even more cards. What made this game slightly harder to navigate was maintaining the focus. Each of the cards were detailed illustrations of absurd crab jokes. If a player draws the lobster card, that may signal the end of the game.

Difficult Game: The White Castle w/ Matcha expansion

https://devirgames.com/

This was the type of game that would justify the long open hours of the play room This was a Japanese style game where the core of the game is to gain favors and to earn points across three rounds. There were a multiple pathways and variations to gain favor across the board. Three rounds may sound short but round consisted of analyzing resources, weighing gains, and gaining ground on climbing up the steps.

This game took a significant amount of time to understand. Even with a Gamelogist and the board completely set up, it was a team effort to understand what the aim was. It took about 30 minutes of moving tokens and collecting cards that it clicked on what the goal was. It probably helped that a substantial amount of time has been personally spent watching historical royal court dramas. Money and resources must be obtained to move forward and the best way was to gain the cards that would help earn this passively and quickly.

Every inch of the board had a track that helped keep track of the gains and favors. The Matcha expansion included a Geisha walk that added even more resources and power.

It was a frustrating start for everyone but we all ended up being really dedicated and happy with the game at the end. This was the type of gaming experience of strangers bonding over a board game.

Sponsored demo: DAGGER HEART

Premier sponsor of LFG Con was Darrington Press and they brought their own table top role-playing game to demo to attendees. Attendees would sign up for a time slot for a one shot game that would last for about an hour. Each of the tables would be hosted by one of Darrtington Press crew who were both the DM and guide to the game.

As someone who is lightly familiar with the DnD mechanics, the intro to DAGGER HEART was phenomenal. Everyone at the table was given a laminated guide with arrows and explanations. The paper would be placed under the character sheets and the arrrows aligned to each section. This was such a simple but well appreciated tool along the game.

With a short time frame, we chose out characters and provided a pre-filled character sheet. With the expansions that was recently released, I also elected to choose the vampire card which added the ability to my character. The gameplay is decided by the roll of two 12-sided die. The player will decide which die is “hope” and which one is “fear”. Each roll will provide a total number of the two and the higher number of the two will indicate which emotion the roll leaned more towards. For example, if the “hope” dice rolls a 4 and the “fear” dice rolls a 8, the total would be 12 with heavy lean towards fear. The emotion indicator would guide the DM to make decisions on how succesful and such.

In a blink, the alloted time had passed. The game was so immersive and fun that it’s definitely one of those games that time is forgotten.

With improvements made with signage and the wonderful programming, the crew running LFG Con showed they listened and listened well. The second year was stronger and showed even more of a promise that this will be SoCal’s next great local convention that fans must attend. It has the potential to be a convention designed and molded by fans. One that is more well-rounded and open to overlap the many interests that makeup a typical player.

Let’s freakin’ go back to LFG Con! Or we can just wait for 2027