Taking place in Seattle, PAX West hosts dedicated TRPG gaming, panels, and the annual D&D Live Game featuring Acquisitions Inc.
Event Details:
Dates: Aug 30-Sep 2, 2019
Location:
Washington State Convention Center
705 Pike St
Seattle, WA 98101
Event Website
D&D Liveplay:
Fri, Aug 30: 7:30-10:30 PM PT
Acquisitions Incorporated, LIVE!
This is a show you can watch for free, but this time LIVE and in-person! Join Omin Dran, Jim Darkmagic, Anna Prosser, Patrick Rothfuss, and WWE Suerstar Xavier Woods as they rise against a sea of troubles brought forth by DM Jeremy "The Crawfather" Crawford.
Sun, Sep 1: 8:00-10:00 PM PT
Queens of Adventure LIVE: PAX West Edition
Dungeons & Dragons & Drag Queens come together in Seattle’s hit comedy-show-turned-podcast! A party of local drag performers make their triumphant return to PAX, playing an original Dungeons & Dragons adventure for a live audience. Come see the cast of Queens of Adventure roll the dice in a special one-hour game that blends death drops and death saves!
D&D and Related Panels:
Fri, Aug 30: 12:00-1:00 PM PT
Gaming for Charity: Inspiring Through Play
Over the past decade, gaming communities have created a new form of charitable fundraising pioneered by programs like Extra Life and Child’s Play. Explore how to use live streaming platforms to connect fandoms of people to the causes they care about. We’ll explore how Influencers, community managers and nonprofit leaders can ignite a philanthropic passion in their community, nurturing a spirit of joy and playfulness along the way.
Fri, Aug 30: 1:30-3:30 PM PT
Autograph Session: HighRollers (and Anna Prosser) Meet & Greet
A chance to meet and get signings with Mark Hulmes, Katie Morrisson, and Tom Hazell from HighRollers, a D&D streaming group from the UK. (Also joined by Anna Prosser).
Fri, Aug 30: 3:00-4:00 PM PT
The Tale of the Years: Baldur's Gate, The Hells, & Beyond
Lore in the various worlds of Dungeons & Dragons has been built for over 40 years, and there is a vast well of events to draw inspiration from! This panel features prominent lore buffs who have been following the ins and outs of the realms of Dungeons & Dragons for decades. We will be discussing interesting lore pertaining to Baulder’s Gate, The Hells, and more! We’re here to help you better understand and execute Wizards of the Coast’s next upcoming adventure: Baulder’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus!
Fri, Aug 30: 4:30-5:30 PM PT
From Green Flame to Phasers: Creating in Another’s World
What can and can’t you do in the worlds created by others? How do you bring another’s world to life? How do you please devoted fans while still drawing in new audiences? How do you bring your creative talents to bear while honoring the boundaries of the company that owns the intellectual property? What horror stories have taken place?
Laugh and learn with contributors to the recent Acquisitions Incorporated Dungeons & Dragons book as they discuss how to create for different licensed properties: from the Forgotten Realms to Star Trek. This panel is especially helpful for tabletop designers, authors, and freelance writers, but enjoyable for all. We focus on the tabletop world, though the lessons apply to other media.
Sat, Aug 31: 2:30-3:30 PM PT
Acquisitions Incorporated: The Official D&D Book Panel!
Acquisitions Incorporated, a celebrated 10-year-old IP that’s touched so many lives and/or hearts, has recently released it’s very first Dungeons & Dragons campaign book. You probably already bought it. If you haven’t stop reading, go buy it, and then come back and read the next paragraph.
Make sure you come to this corporately mandated panel and experience the thrill of slowly and painstakingly editing a book by hand. Marvel at the spreadsheets used to secure the art orders that eventually made it onto the pages!
It will be an exercise in project management from one of the best! We might talk about what’s coming next, but more likely it will be about work flow and optimization.
Sat, Aug 31: 4:00-7:00 PM PT
Autograph Session: Acquisitions Incorporated Part One
You just went to the Acquisitions Incorporated: Official D&D Book panel and now it’s your chance to get all those people and more to sign your book. Seriously, like anyone who even looked at this thing while it was being made is in this signing.
Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik, Aviv Or, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Francisco "Kiko" Villasenor, Elyssa Grant, Jeremy Crawford, Tyler Jacobson, Shawn Merwin, Teos Abadia, Darren MA Calvert, Nurse Normal... and maybe more? Who knows? At this point we might just start pulling audience members and have them come up and sign books too.
Sat, Aug 31: 4:30-5:30 PM PT
HighRollers - The D&D Stream with real British accents!
The HighRollers are one of the largest D&D streams in the world that you’ve probably never heard of. All the way from of the United Kingdom, these British boys and girls are at PAX for the first time and are here to talk about their streaming journey, what the difference between a biscuit and a cookie is, and of course, talk lots about Dungeons & Dragons!
Sat, Aug 31: 6:00-7:00 PM PT
Queer Quests, Bi Battles, & Terrific Transformations
Video and tabletop games offer thousands of experiences. Have you ever explored an entire virtual world just because you could? Ever play as a different gender or another sexuality? Games not only offer us a glimpse into fantastical universes, but can allow us to experiment with our own identities. This can be especially influential for LGBTQ+ folks. Join GaymerX & friends in a retrospective of queer quests, sapphic stories, bi battles, and terrific transformations in games that helped discover who we are.
Sun, Sep 1: 10:30-11:30 AM PT
Tabletop, Meet Digital: Navigating Today's Board Game World
What constitutes a board game anymore? What new challenges does tabletop face because of digital? And vice versa? Join a panel of industry experts and learn more about how communities are converging, digital and physical are connecting, and what it all means for the future of board gaming as a whole. Are new technologies competing against, or contributing? The virtual tabletop has come a long way.
Sun, Sep 1: 11:00AM-12:00 PM PT
Game Designer Breakdown: Dungeons & Dragons
Join us for a game design focused discussion on how the mechanics of D&D work, how they guide player actions, design choices, game balance, systems construction and more. For veterans, you’ll come away with a better understanding of the game you love. Interested but never played? Come by and LEARN ALL TEH D&D IN JUST 1 HOUR.
Sun, Sep 1: 1:30-2:30 PM PT
Roll for Healing: Therapeutic Game Master Roundtable
The therapeutic use of role-playing games has all but hit the mainstream. Join us for a discussion between the top minds in the field of therapeutic roleplaying about what makes their approaches similar, what defines them, and how you can make your own game better for you and your players.
Sun, Sep 1: 2:30-3:30 PM PT
Acquisitions Incorporated: The "C" Team Q&A
The Best Better Show on the Internet is LIVE once more. If you have "big probs" that only four very specific people can solve, if no one else can help, and the other guys you were also looking at also can’t help, and if you can get them to put their shoes on, maybe you can hire the C-Team.
Sun, Sep 1: 5:00-6:00 PM PT
The Improv. Roleplayer's Handbook Volume III
Returning for it’s third installment, this edition of the handbook promises to be the best yet! Join our regular crew of improv. performers along with special guests from throughout the roleplaying community, to learn how you can; tell better stories, make others look awesome, fail fast, and many other handy tricks to ensure everyone at your table is having a great time, with minimal preparation. Improvisation is the key to telling great stories together, and that’s what roleplaying is all about, so join the gang to watch them play crazy role-playing inspired improv games, featuring old favorites from the last two years, and some new additions that’ll keep you guessing. Dramatic moments and plenty of laughs guaranteed, no prior experience required.
Sun, Sep 1: 8:30-9:30 PM PT
The Roll20 Presents Crew Does a Panel
You’ve watched us for years on the Official Twitch D&D Channel. We’ve delved the depths of the Tomb of Annihilation, we’ve Hoisted Dragons and faced down the Mad Mage. We’ve made some friends along the way: YOU! Now we’re doing a panel and we want you there. We’ll talk about our favourite moments, the campaigns we’ve played and we’ll answer questions from our fans.
Mon, Sep 2: 10:30-11:30 AM PT
Development and Dungeons and Dragons
The main idea here: using Dungeons & Dragons to help foster personal development. Join Tom, Adam, and Peter for a chat about using Dungeons & Dragons in various learning environments and focusing on developing interpersonal skills and social skills for students at the (classroom) game table.
Mon, Sep 2: 12:00-1:00 PM PT
Bringing Family to the Table: Making TTRPGs Family Friendly
In the constantly growing field of TTRPGs, new players encourage the continuation of the games we love so much. And while we love the popular shows and podcasts featuring D&D, they’re not always welcoming to the next generation of players. This panel will discuss ways to make TTRPGs family friendly, highlighting adventures, supplements, and podcasts that encourage the entire family to get involved.
Mon, Sep 2: 2:00-3:00 PM PT
Am I Geek Enough? The Female Experience in Gaming Spaces
There is a lot of discussion on inclusivity and equality for women within game spaces, but what happens when the criticisms become internalized? How do you navigate geek and gaming spaces if you doubt you even belong? Join this panel of accomplished authors, content creators, and gaming professionals—all of whom happen to identify as women—as they discuss their personal experiences and struggles existing in geek and gamer communities. They will share how they care for themselves, persevere, and flourish.
Mon, Sep 2: 2:30-3:30 PM PT
Reinventing Ravenloft: Tools for Upgrading Classic Settings
Join the cast of gothic horror show Tales from the Mists as they discuss how to reinvent classic fictional settings for contemporary audiences. Learn how Dungeon Master TK Johnson weaves a dark and engrossing tale in their original take on Ravenloft. The cast will share their approach to changing, omitting, and subverting problematic tropes and elements to keep settings like Ravenloft enjoyable and accessible for all audiences. Learn more about the show at: www.talesfromthemists.com.
D&D Participants Include:
Jeremy Crawford
Jeremy Crawford is the lead rules designer of Dungeons & Dragons, who led design of the Player’s Handbook and co-led design of a variety of other D&D books, including the Dungeon Master’s Guide, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. Before coming to Wizards of the Coast, he wrote for the games Blue Rose, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and Mutants & Masterminds.
- Twitter: @JeremyECrawford
Kate Welch
Kate Welch is the newest game designer on Dungeons & Dragons, a baby wizard if ever there was one. Previously, she worked as a designer for ArenaNet, Double Fine, and Amazon Game Studios. As one of the core members of Acquisitions Inc: The “C” Team, Kate plays the fiery lightfoot halfling monk, Rosie Beestinger.
- Twitter: @katewelchhhh