This is what happened at Arisia 2024.
Arisia offers a wide array of gaming options, including tabletop RPGs & board games, card games, video games, and live-action games. Our games are run by convention attendees for convention attendees and you can help!
Tabletop Role-Playing Games and Board Games
Arisia has an extensive library of tabletop games available again this year. At the convention, stop by the host table in the gaming room to see what's available and find out what you can borrow to play. We encourage attendees to bring their own games as well.
If you would like to run a Tabletop Board or Role-Playing Game at Arisia, please use this form.
- Tabletop gaming hours are: TBD:
These are the planned hours, based on our current staffing. We would -love- to run 24x7, if we can get volunteers for overnight hours. Want to help us make that dream a reality? Volunteer here!
While Arisia owns a number of board games, the majority of the games are on loan from NESFA (The New England Science Fiction Association), who run regular game days, and have generously contributed their time and knowledgeable curation to help us. Thanks, NESFA Gaming!
Play To Win!
A number of board game publishers, through the Envoy program, have provided games to be played and given away to a randomly-selected player. Come on in, enjoy the new games, and you may walk away with a copy of the game! All Play-to-Win games are clearly marked - ask the Tabletop Gaming team if you have any questions.
Video Games
Arisia has an extensive library of video games available again this year. At the convention, stop by the host table in the video game room to see what's available and find out what you can borrow to play. We encourage attendees to bring their own games as well.
If you'd like to suggest or volunteer to host a particular game, please let us know.
- Video gaming hours are TBA:
We would -love- to run 24x7, if we can get volunteers for overnight hours. Want to help us make that dream a reality? Volunteer here!
While Arisia owns a number of video game systems, many of the games are on loan from Gail Terman, she of the PAX Enforcers, former Assistant Con Chair, and Inspiration of the Gail Rule (“You are not allowed to have more than three jobs”)
LARP (Live Action Role Playing)
What is LARPing?
TLDR: Did you play imagination as a kid? You've probably larped.
At Arisia, we play pick-up and play narrative games that require zero experience, zero costuming, and zero prep. The majority of our games are parlor or blackbox, which players describe as being very similar to improv but with a focus of story rather than comedic end goals. If you are thinking of the style of play where people hit each other with foam swords, that is boffer and is occasionally offered at Arisia as well.
If you are interested in telling stories and in alternative ways to tell those stories, maybe even question what the structure of telling a story is, we probably have something interesting for you. Come to laugh. Come to cry. Come to learn from the characters we play because each character has a lesson to teach us.
Big LARP conventions have Big LARPs, we want our LARPs to be as approachable as a new board game. You don’t need to have LARPed before and don’t need a costume to play!
- LARPs this year will:
- Take Less Time - less time commitment, all the fun!
- Require Fewer People to start and run
- Welcome Novices
- Allow signups before the convention (we will announce after programming is confirmed)
When the schedule goes up, you can check Gaming—LARP for scheduled games. LARP signups will be in Gaming.
If you would like to run a LARP at Arisia, please use this form. If you have an idea and haven’t run before, give us a pitch anyway! We know experienced game runners who would love a chance to help you. for both scheduled and pick-up gaming. The gaming room is open 24 hours a day.
Scheduled games will be printed in the Pocket Program. Signups for games are limited and start at the beginning of the convention.