Gen Con 2026

Indianapolis, IN

megagame coalition

2026 Gen Con Event Schedule

The Megagame Coalition is proud to present 15 events for Gen Con 2026!

Check out our schedule and the full event descriptions below!

Looking to have some fun and get a free Con badge? Click here to learn more about volunteering!

Thursday
July 30th

9am - 4pm
9am - 3pm
5pm - 11pm
5pm - 11pm

Friday
July 31st

9am - 3pm
9am - 3pm
5pm - 11pm
5pm - 11pm

Saturday
August 1st

9am - 1:30pm
9am - 3pm
4pm - 10pm
5pm - 9pm
5pm - 11pm

Sunday
August 2nd

10am - 3pm
10am - 3pm

Full Game Descriptions

You’ll love Mega Mini Monsters if: 

  • You enjoy the Pokémon card game
  • You’ve ever discussed the recent changes to “the meta” of a TCG like Magic: The Gathering
  • You enjoy collectible card games but also think they take themselves a little too seriously
  • You like the idea of training cute monsters to be the very best!

Mega Mini Monsters

Riley Nixon of Philly Megagames

Player Count: 60
Thursday 9am – 3pm (6 hours)

Mega Mini Monsters is a collectible card and economic management megagame about collecting cool monsters for your gym and using them to compete against other gyms!

Up to six gyms of up to seven Gym Captains and three Team Managers each will duke it out to collect the most monsters and secure glory to their gym! A team of Monster League Officials will oversee the matches, manage league-wide policies, and ensure a competitive meta while the nefarious Team Moppet will… Do nefarious things!

So join 50+ other players and see if you and your friends can be the very best! The best that is right now!

Mega Mini Monsters is both a satire of and a celebration of the collectible monster genre of Pokémon, Cassette Beasts, Beastiball, Digimon, and more, filtered through the lens of a competitive sports league megagame. Don’t worry, no monsters will actually be harmed.

Urban Nightmare: State of Chaos

Nathan Chaney of Megagame Texas

Player Count: 52
Thursday 9am – 3pm (6 hours)

Urban Nightmare: State of Chaos is a megagame exploring how government and city authorities might respond to an emerging zombie apocalypse.

Players represent citizens in different geographies reacting to the same zombie outbreak. Players are assigned to a role within a team. Roles include politicians, emergency services, journalists, leaders, managers, and researchers. Each team has their own objectives. ‘Victory’ may be different for each team, but everyone can ‘win’. Or lose. Each team has a ‘control team’ member assigned to assist them with any queries they may have. While the game has rules, the game structure is free form. Game play involves discussion within and across teams and team roles, negotiation, collaboration, decision-making, and deploying resources on maps. Outcomes of the deployment of resources and actions are played out with ‘map controls’ based on dice role for pre-determined scores. There is no ‘hero’ or ‘winner’ – everyone is an important part of the collective storytelling.

You’ll love Urban Nightmare if: 

  • You like media like Contagion, Dante’s Peak, or Shin Godzilla – where the focus of the movie is on forces coordinating emergency responses
  • You like Zombie horror narrative universes like World War Z, 28 Days Universe, and Resident Evil
  • You like the idea of cutting through red tape, and by “cutting”, you mean blasting with a shotgun, and by “red tape”, you mean the zombified incumbent mayor’s thick skull

You’ll love By Other Means Megagame if: 

  • You think megagames need more councils
  • You don’t mind having to compromise from time to time
  • You think backrooms get a bad rap

By Other Means

Ed Silverstone of the Megagame Makers and Reading Megagames

Player Count: 32
Thursday 5pm – 11pm (6 hours)

War doesn’t determine who is right, only who is left.
-Bertrand Russell

The galaxy has been locked in debilitating war for decades. Can the tired nations bring a graceful end to war, without sacrificing too much of what has been gained? Tension reigns as the great Huangdi Empire and their militaristic allies sit across battlefields and negotiation tables with their former vassals and political allies, as well as mercenaries, traders, raiders and rival powers.

By Other Means is a megagame for around 30 players. You’ll be part of a team of 1-5, with aligned objectives, and will negotiate and strategize with other teams to get things done. The game has simple, board game style rules, but also allows for you to come up with creative solutions to problems – if there isn’t a rule for the thing you want to do, we’ll make one on the fly.

Den of Wolves: Infinite Domain

Cle Diggins of Portland Megagames

Player Count: 60
Thursday 5pm – 11pm (6 hours)

A small fleet of interstellar vessels tries to balance survival, politics, and military challenges as they attempt to stay one step ahead of their pursuers.

It is the 27th Century. After a catastrophic attack on humanity, one battleship and a few civilian vessels must fight to survive, govern themselves and maintain order, as they flee from their pursuers. Den of Wolves is a game about difficult political, military and survival choices in a long-term crisis scenario. Players will take on the roles of starship captains, officers, and engineers, as well as politicians and military personnel. The game has a focus on managing resources, as well as various units and assets – however, talking and negotiating with other players will be crucial in order to achieve success. Infinite Domain is an expanded version of the classic Den of Wolves. Includes additional ships and roles, a new faction, as well as some streamlined rules and a graphical overhaul. Previous experience with Den of Wolves is not required to play.

You’ll love Den of Wolves: Infinite Domain if: 

  • You like Battlestar Galactica or classic military sci-fi in general, and the Battlestar Galactica board game in particular.
  • You’re looking to play a true megagame masterpiece and see how it works to help design your own games.
  • You want to toss your friends out of an airlock while they shout at you about due process.

You’ll love Touched by Darkness if: 

  • You want a tense gaming experience fighting back the forces of darkness in a fantasy setting.
  • You want to play a team-based game with a large player count and a traitor element.
  • You enjoyed the Den of Wolves megagame.
  • You are new to megagaming and are looking for an accessible introduction.

Touched by Darkness

LJ Saxton of Northeast Ohio Megagames

Player Count: 42

Saturday 9am – 3pm (6 hours)
Saturday 5pm – 11pm (6 hours)

Darkness is coming! Gather resources, light beacons, and survive with up to 4 friends. But beware! Darkness may have claimed a teammate, and they cannot be trusted!

The Eclipse has risen. Darkness has swallowed the Empire and is coming for your outpost next! You and your teammates must gather resources, light the arcane beacons, and attempt to survive. But beware! The Shadows that attack your outpost are not the only threat. Darkness may have invaded the mind of a teammate, and you can no longer trust them.

Can you hold this last bastion of humanity together and banish the Eclipse? This is a Den of Wolves inspired Megagame with gameplay tweaks and a new setting.

Surviville

Trenton Greyoak of Midwest Megagames

Player Count: 54
Friday 9am – 3pm (6 hours)

Oops all apocalypse!

All those bad things society used to worry about? They happened. Now, you’re one of the few survivors, trying desperately to make the best of what’s left. Find warmth and happiness in this bleak world filled with mad raiders, strange invaders, irradiated mutants, and wait, was that a zombie? Scavenge, survive, and… thrive? While you still can.

Every player is a potential ally. Collaboratively (re)build society and discover what new culture develops in the ashes of the world (if it ever stops burning). What is this, an armageddalong? Make no mistake: the world wants to destroy you. Or corrupt you, or… eat you, apparently. We are absolutely doomed. Together.

Surviville is a fiction first, Narrative Megagame, with just the right amount of game mechanics to add tension, surprises, and ensure we’re all playing to find out what happens.

You’ll love Surviville if: 

  • You prefer post-apocalypses to apocalypses
  • You like you prefer to treat resource scarcity as a cooperative challenge rather than a competitive one
  • You suspect the benefit of never having to wear your business suit again may outweigh the cons of state collapse

Goblin City

Scott McMann

Player Count: 50
Friday 5pm – 11pm (6 hours)

Goblin City is a game about goblins and other traditionally “evil” monsters trying to build and run a city. The focus of the game is on sandbox world building, allowing players to make decisions and build legacies that continue on from game to game. Each game run will represent a new generation of the city, inheriting the goals, dreams, and rivalries of their ancestors.

You’ll love Goblin City if: 

You think goblins are cute.
You dream of creating the perfect meal for your hungry gods.
You wish to push the limits of science and magic.
You want to help your community grow and prosper.
 You like to explore the world around you.
You enjoy freeform RPGs where you are in charge of your fate.

The World Turned Upside Down

Michael Kreamer

Player Count: 70
Friday 5pm – 11pm (6 hours)

Step into 1775 on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution! Command the British empire or rising American rebels in a high-stakes megagame where every choice reshapes the birth of a nation.

It is 1775, and the American colonies stand at a crossroads. Tensions with the British Empire, history’s most formidable global power, are reaching a breaking point.
 
On the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, step into a living simulation of the conflict that will shape a nation. Take command as the British or the Americans and decide the fate of the future United States. Lead armies in sweeping battlefield clashes, provide logistical support to colonies & armies, or influence the war’s direction from afar by crafting legislation in Parliament. Every decision carries weight – will rebellion ignite, or will the Empire endure?

You’ll love The World Turned Upside Down if: 

  • You wrestle with the legacy of the 250th Anniversary of the Founding
  • You don’t wrestle with the legacy of the 250th Anniversary of the Founding
  • Like exploring the ‘what ifs’ of history stemming from the era
  • Enjoy well-crafted megagame mechanics of acclaimed megagames

You’ll love You Better Watch Out if: 

  • You love worker placement games and union negotiations
  • You revel in corporate intrigue while realizing how silly it is
  • Ever thought to yourself as a child, “I could do a better job than that!”
  • You love trying unique megagames in non-geopolitical settings!

You Better Watch Out

Ed Silverstone of the Megagame Makers and Reading Megagames

Player Count: 40
Saturday 9am – 1:30pm (4.5 hours)

Twas the morning after Christmas – and Santa is missing! Where has he gone? Who’s in charge now? Will Christmas be ready in time, or is this the end of the North Pole?

After a successful Christmas, the elves of the North Pole wake up to find Santa missing – and with him, centuries of accumulated magic! Is this a callous desertion, or foul play? Worse still, with the magic missing, parts of the North Pole are starting to fade away. Can the elves manage without The Big Man? And – asking for a friend – who’s in charge now?

You Better Watch Out is a megagame driven by a set of easy-to-learn board game rules for resource management and worker placement, with the emergent gameplay opportunities at home in the megagame genre.

As one of the elves, you’ll spend the day engaged in high-stakes toymaking with a side of corporate politics. The North Pole must be saved – but working too hard for the greater good will make it that much easier for others to pursue their own personal goals. Sounds like You Better Watch Out.

Deephaven

Chris Perry of Portland Megagames

Player Count: 50
Saturday 9am – 3pm (6 hours)

A narrative megagame about overly-ambitious dwarves building a new city fortress. Delve dangerously deep to discover unique resources, forge legendary weapons, develop thriving trade and culture!

Players delve deep into the mountain to discover unique resources, forge legendary weapons, develop thriving trade and culture, and fight back against the many dangers they uncover! All Dwarves are welcome at Deephaven!

From the proud Mountain clans and industrious Hill clans, to the mysterious clans of the Deep. Yes, even Gully Dwarves are allowed! MINERS delve deep to find arcane metals! SHAPERS forge legendary weapons, armor, and new inventions. ARCHITECTS build awe-inspiring structures and massive fortifications. MERCHANTS handle foreign trade, FARMERS feed us, and BREWERS keep us, uh, well-hydrated! The CARTOGRAPHERS maintain the Grand Map and the INKBEARDS chronicle discoveries, announce oaths, grudges, and important events. The GUARDIANS keep the peace, and the LEGION leads us to war! Come to Deephaven! Build a new home for all Dwarves!

You’ll love Deephaven if: 

  • You favor more freeform, narrative megagames.
  • Celebrating hubris in role-playing games brings you great joy.
  • Building a dwarven fortress sounds amazing.
  • You like DARING DWARVES DELVING DISASTROUSLY DEEP
Learn more about this game

You’ll love Gods of the Ancient World if: 

  • You have a thirst for chaos and a drive to conquer the Mediterranean.
  • You enjoy the mysteries of ancients and wish to enlist the help of powerful gods and goddesses to smite your enemies or promote the prosperity of your faction.
  • You enjoy cooperative or competitive games, there are elements of both.
  • You enjoy RPGs, board games, mock government, military maps, or LARPs, there is something for everyone in this game.
  • You like to think outside the box and solve problems in fresh and creative ways, mega games are a great way to explore your gaming creativity.
  • You like to have fun! 

Gods of the Ancient World

Tony Dougherty of The Dukes of Highland

Player Count: 60

Saturday 4pm – 10pm (6 hours)

In a fictional world where the Ancient Greek Empire and the Roman Empire vie for control over the Mediterranean, the Gods meddle from their thrones high atop Mt. Olympus.

What if the Kingdom of Macedonia (Ancient Greek Empire) did not fall apart and what if the Roman Republic became the Roman Empire 100 years earlier, arranged by the machinations of the Gods? Let’s imagine what that world might have been like, under constant threat of war, the dawn of democracy and the Gods reining supreme high from their thrones on Mt. Olympus, playing the mortals against each other in a narcissistic cosmic game.
 
Megagames are huge games with a bit of everything – role playing, combat mechanics, bluffing, negotiation – but unlike most games they’re mostly driven by you, the player. The umpires, called the “Control Team,” will be on hand to answer questions and come up with rulings your creativity inspires. While you have agendas and goals laid out for you, megagames allow players to invent their own win conditions and pursue those as well.

Space Station City

Kenneth Jacobs

Player Count: 50
Saturday 5pm – 11pm (6 hours)

It was supposed to be the dawn of a new era…

When the Promethean space habitat was proposed it was to be a symbol of humanity’s triumph over the hostile and lifeless vacuum of space. In the short term, it promised jobs, economic stability, and prestige for the nations and corporations backing it. Even more, it promised to be the first step into a true space age where millions might one day live and work beyond Earth, a future where “astronaut” might become just another blue-collar profession. And for a time, it seemed it might even deliver on some of its lofty claims, until of course, it didn’t.

Launch delays, cost overruns, and cut corners began to signal that the project wasn’t living up to its hype. And then, the global economic situation went from bad, to worse, to catastrophic. With Earth’s populace already suspicious, public outrage swelled into mass protests, and the governments funding the habitat pulled the plug. Launches stopped and evacuation orders went out. Aboard the partially built habitat there was chaos, many of the workers boarding emergency escape pods bound for earth in a mad rush. Now the unfinished station hangs in orbit: part fragile shell, part refuge, held together by failing systems, scavenged parts, and the stubborn will of those who refused to abandon it.

In this game you take on the role of the most recent wave of resident workers on a multi ring space station in orbit inside the L4 Earth-moon Lagrange point. You were still settling in at the incomplete station when everything went to hell. You are amongst those who chose to stay and make a home here. Play to find out if you and the other players can build a better world amongst the stars.

You’ll love Space Station City if: 

  • You are excited about the prospect of humans living in ….SPAAAACE!.
  • You are interested in exploring the challenges of people building a community in a hostile environment
  • You enjoy cooperative games about working together to solve problems.
  • You like open ended roleplaying and story games.
  • You believe in the promise of outer space and that humans are capable of building a better future.
  • If you’d love to go to SPAAAACE!

You’ll love Courting Trouble if: 

  • You enjoy roleplaying in your megagames.
  • You want to turn an enemy into a lover, have a secret, or break a heart.,
  • You vibe with Goblin City, but crave dramatic stakes to pair with your hijinks.
  • You like TTRPS like Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Monsterhearts, or Court of Blades.
  •  

Courting Trouble

Ben Kanelos of BK Games

Player Count: 42
Sunday 10am – 3pm (5 hours)

Woo desires and challenge rivals in this rules-light roleplaying-heavy romantasy inspired megagame. Not seeking romance? There is plenty of scheming, gossiping, partying, and more to get involved in!
 
If you’ve ever wished to step into a romantasy novel (Twilight, ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, etc.), now’s your chance! And if you’re not romantically inclined, there are still plenty of exciting plotlines to get involved in – steal treasures, protect your family’s name, throw a party, the choices are endless and all yours!
 
Team up with up to 5 friends or come unattached to enter a fantasy roleplaying world brimming with possibilities. Whose heart will you pursue? What rivals will you challenge? What storylines will you create? You decide in this sandbox game of courtship, intrigue, and adventure! Every decision you make drives the plot and shapes the world for yourself and 30+ players in this rules-light roleplaying-heavy megagame.
 
Note: This is a ‘closed door’ romance game. No explicit sexual content will be a part of this game. Safety tools will be employed.

It Came From... The Skies!

Tony Dougherty of The Dukes of Highland

Player Count: 48
Sunday 10am – 4pm (6 hours)

How does the world respond when Alien spacecraft fill the skies? As chaos erupts and panic spreads, will you put aside your petty squabbles and forge new alliances to navigate this new threat?

It all begins on an ordinary day when mysterious alien spacecraft suddenly fill the skies, casting eerie shadows over the nations of Earth. As chaos erupts and panic spreads among the global population, you and your fellow leaders must navigate a treacherous path to secure the survival of humanity. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders, and the decisions you make will shape the future of Earth.

Will you choose diplomacy and seek peaceful coexistence with these enigmatic beings from beyond the stars? Or will you lead your nation into a desperate and courageous defense against the alien invaders?

The clock is ticking, and every decision you make in this megagame will have far-reaching consequences. Forge alliances, mobilize your military, engage in high-stakes negotiations, and make choices that will determine the destiny of our planet.

You’ll love It Came From… The Skies if: 

  • You’re a fan of the geopolitics or high-stakes sci-fi movies like Dr. Strangelove, Independence Day, or WarGames.
  • You like your paranoia extraordinary, and your conspiracies zany.
  • You ever have been suspected of being extraterrestrial in origin.
  • You love the famous megagame “Watch the Skies“.

You’ll love Democracy if: 

  • You understand the concept of democracy as an ideal rather than a specific form of governance
  • You like learning the nuances and messiness of historical eras and their outcomes, like the 1989 revolutions
  • You ever took an AP history or government class
  • You enjoy playing the “game” of politics

Democracy

Riley Nixon of Philadelphia Megagames

Player Count: 30
Saturday 5pm – 9pm (4 hours)

After decades of struggle, we are finally free! The imperialists have been forced out! Now, we only must come together and decide how to run our new country!
 
Democracy is a political game about creating a new government after an era of prolonged subjugation at the hands of an imperial power. This run of the game will be set in a fictionalized Eastern Europe roughly reflecting the Soviet withdrawal from Eastern Europe in 1989.
 
The game itself consists of three long phases: (1) Convention, where a new constitution and electoral map must be agreed upon; (2) Elections, where the constitution and electoral maps are implemented; and (3) New Government, where those who one the elections get to pilot a course for the new nation.
 
Democracy aims to be the platonic ideal of a coalition-building political megagame with a heavy emphasis on player negotiation. Note – this a megagame premiere and may lack the polish & refinement of other megagames.

VOLUNTEER WITH MGC @ GEN CON

Volunteering with the Megagame Coalition is a great way to experience Gen Con while enjoying some sweet perks! 
Check out the volunteer benefits below. 

Once you’re ready to orchestrate some narrative chaos, sign up to volunteer here.  All tiers include our gratitude.

Recruit

0 - 6 Hours

We can’t financially support volunteers at this tier, but it’s a great way to get further into the scene.

Recruit Tier Rewards
  • Meeting rockstar individuals passionate about megagames
  • Experiencing a megagame from the other side
  • Access to the MGC Chill Space throughout the Con
  • 4th tier priority access to subsidized MGC housing block & AirBnB
  • The warm fuzzy feeling from helping facilitate amazing experiences for your fellow gamers!
  • Invites to evening hangouts!

Apprentice

7 - 12 Hours

Apprentice is a great tier for those with other Gen Con commitments.  Welcome to the community!  

Apprentice Tier Rewards
  • All previous reward tiers plus…
  • Free Gen Con badge ($180 value)
  • 3rd tier priority access to subsidized MGC housing block & AirBnB
  • The endorphin high of creating 7+ hours of awesome for fellow megagamers!

Journeyman

13 - 18 Hours

For those passionate about bringing megagames to the people!

Journeyman Tier Rewards
  • All previous reward tiers plus…
  • Housing reimbursement (post-convention) of $150
  • 2nd tier priority access to subsidized MGC housing block & AirBnB
  • A veritable glow from facilitating too much fun.

Master

19+ Hours

Especially great for those who have seen Gen Con before and are looking for a more rewarding experience than that of a pure consumer.

Master Tier Rewards
  • All previous reward tiers plus…
  • 2x the Journeyman housing reimbursement ($300)
  • 1st tier priority access to subsidized MGC housing block & AirBnB
  • A Transcendent Aura

Based on the number of volunteers who sign up and the number of volunteer opportunities available, volunteers may be limited to the number of volunteer opportunities they are allowed access to.

Words from previous volunteers

I LOVED being part of the team at Gen Con, everyone was so welcoming and friendly and awesome, and getting to see the games being played and talk to the designers/control players before, during and after the games was a fantastic insight.

What a great first time experience!  
 
Also as a transgender person I wanted to say, experience has led to a place where even just basic civility is a pleasant surprise in large social spaces. 
 
I hope I get the chance to work/play with you all again in the future.

It was an awesome time!