Bring Your Passion for Games

It was a truly phenomenal weekend! Every time I attend, I leave energized & brimming with creativity… -Nicole C

Walk into one of the U-Con convention rooms on Saturday afternoon and you’ll hear it before you see it: the clatter of dice, a burst of laughter from a corner table, someone groaning at their dice. At one table, a Game Master leans in to describe a dragon’s lair to players who hang on every word. At the next, a group of first-timers is learning a board game from someone who has clearly taught it a hundred times and still loves it. A player checks a game out of the library, and a few steps away, a game designer is showing off a prototype to anyone who stops to look. A gamer raises their bidding placard as the auctioneer describes the current lot of games. Every person in the room got there by a different road, but look a little closer and you’ll see we’re all here for the same thing: our love of games.

My first year going and was only able to go on Saturday but it was a great day and met lots of awesome people! Played Dune Imperium, Mice and Mystics and Brass Birmingham. I totally get what all the hype about Brass is for. Want to play it again! -Jennifier K

Think about what it takes to come to a convention. You clear a weekend on your calendar, scheduling vacation days from work. You buy a badge and event tickets, maybe a hotel room, and almost certainly a few too many dice. You pack your clothes and games, show up, and spend three days at tables with people you may never have met. Nobody does all that for something they feel lukewarm about. Coming to U-Con is passion. Players bring the energy that makes every table come alive: the cheers at a lucky roll, the groans at a plot twist, the late-night “one more game.”

One of the best DCC games I ever played and what a effort he and his daughter put into the tower. Thank you from the bottom of my being UCON you rock! -John D

Every event at U-Con starts with someone who loves a game enough to share it. Our Game Masters number in the hundreds. Some of them teach a board game they can’t stop talking about. Some paint armies of miniatures and build terrain so others can play on it. Some spend months crafting a story for six strangers to explore together. Whatever their craft, they bring what they love to U-Con so that you can love it too. Our GMs truly are the entertainers and creative forces behind the convention, and every one of them is volunteering their time and energy.

Thank you to everyone who made U-Con a fun time this year! I had nine great players across two sessions of my Star Trek Adventures scenario, “The Pathos of Things,” which I had a great time running. I also finally got to try out Mothership, and ended up enjoying myself there too. -Chris M

Behind the tables, the schedule, and the registration desk is another group of passionate people: the dozens of volunteers who make U-Con happen. For us, the passion is in building the experience itself. That means helping you get your badge, checking out games at the library, answering your questions, hauling carts at setup, and making sure you have a great weekend.

Thank you U-Con Gaming. My wife and I had a great time. We appreciate all your time and efforts. This is our 9th U-Con convention and you do a great job every year. -Mike H

What lasts for a weekend is months in the making by our all-volunteer staff. Staff members schedule events, find guests, deal with the hotel, plan the operations, etc. However, each staff member is a volunteer who does this in our spare time. So, we appreciate your patience with us if sometimes it take a few days for us to respond to your questions.

Thanks again to the U-Con staff for their efforts to host another fun convention, we really enjoyed it. -Nate H

So here’s our invitation. Whatever you love about games, do something with it. Write the story you’ve been carrying around in your head. Teach a game to a friend who’s never played. Design the game you wish existed. Support the conventions and communities that bring gamers together, in whatever way you can.

I had a great time at U-Con again this year playing Pathfinder and Starfinder with old and new friends… It makes me happy listening to folks laughing and having fun at the tables. -Kurt W

If you want to start at U-Con, there are two easy ways. You can run a game and share your favorite with new players. Or you can volunteer and help make the weekend run smoothly. Both come with badge perks, including a free badge once you reach 16 hours. The best part, though, is the pride of giving back to your gaming community.

We’ll see you November 13–15 at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti Hotel at Eagle Crest. Bring your passion.

[All quotes are from the U-Con Gaming Community Facebook group members following U-Con 2025.]