InnRoads Unplugged

The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) started out as an almost strictly video game event in Seattle, Washington. Based off of the popularity of their webcomic and driven by their passion for gaming and technology – PAX eventually grew to include PAX East, South, and a convention has even launched in Australia. As the show grew and developed, the showrunners began to notice a trend. While their shows were still primarily focused on PC and console games, the tabletop gamers were coming to play. More of them each year, in fact, to the point that they wondered what it would look like if they ran a new show that was focused entirely for them? That show came into the world last year in the form of PAX Unplugged. Last year, Shawn, Jeanne, and I went to PAX Unplugged’s inaugural event, just like many others, to explore what this new convention looked and felt like. We almost immediately looked at each other and started planning for this year. Unplugged proved to be a convention for new gamers and those curious to see what gaming is about. It’s the first tabletop gaming convention of this size on the East coast, with November 30th through December 2nd, InnRoads will be there, and you can help.

We’ve gathered a team of folks going to the convention to bring InnRoads’ particular brand of intentional community building through play. Some of us have been doing events under the InnRoads banner for years, some have done similar work with other organizations, and others have not gone to a convention with any sort of missional intent before – but know their way around a convention floor. We’re especially excited that one of the team is new to the gaming hobby and this will be his first convention experience.

Our Team:

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The Plan:

We looked into getting a booth at the event, but that proved to be cost prohibitive. The downside to this is that there won’t be a central location where people can find and talk to us. However, this also means that we are able to be more mobile and connect with folks all over the convention floor, go to the events, and even work as volunteers in other booths. This flexibility also means we are able to be more creative with our methodology to connect and talk with folks. We’re still brainstorming ideas, but there are a number of options that have been discussed.

• Content Creation – recording audio and video to share the experience with our audience and supporters. Not only will we be talking about the games at the convention with designers, but we’ll also be asking folks the Question of the Con – “What’s one thing you wish the Church knew about gaming and/or the gaming community?”
• Booth Volunteering – Jeff has been doing a lot of work building relationships with folks in the gaming industry. To use the ministry-related term, it’s his mission field. As such, while the dealer hall is open, he’ll be spending his time volunteering at a booth and helping them do what they do.
  
• Wandering Dwarf Bard – You may or may not be aware, but I’m a dwarf bard, and so are you. I plan on using this idea to connect with folks and start conversations and encourage people in two ways. At some point, I’ll have my “Bard in search of stories” sign in hand, where I’ll be encouraging folks to share part of their story with me – anything from the silly to the profound. The other way sees me dressing in a helm and elaborate beard to induct people into the bards guild by getting them to tell me one thing that makes them unique in exchange for a “Dwarf Bards Rock” pin.
• Helping the Homeless – During last year’s event, Marshall Britt from Yanaguana Games, one of the designers in attendance, noticed how a number of homeless people would gather around the convention center either to ask the crowds of people for help or just because it was the warmest place to curl up in the midst of a Philly winter. As such, he tried to gather folks together to help by providing blankets, socks, food, etc to be a positive force in the area outside the hall. We love this idea, and this year we’re going to help.
• Blessing Cards –  As a way to make a connection that is fun and unique while still being respectful, we’re going to have dice blessing and board blessing cards – one side is a picture of Bezalel, the “patron saint” of InnRoads, and the other containing a blessing for either RPG dice or game components written by a member of our community that is an Episcopal priest familiar with praying blessings over objects. We hope that whether the people we hand them to either have experience with church ephemera and are reminded of when they went, or they have no idea what they are and have them start conversations.
• And, naturally, we want to play as many games as we can on any stretch of open table. We still hold that the gaming table has a certain power to forge meaningful relationships that demonstrate the love of God, and we hope to get as many folks to that table as we can. Our ‘no preaching’ rule still applies to the con – but setting out to be a positive and active part of making this convention awesome for folks – and trust that we’ll earn the right to talk about God by representing Him well here through love and service. If nothing else, we want to prove to folks who may have only had negative experiences with God’s people in the past that we’re all there to share the same table and push the same cubes.

We Need Your Help!

We’re certainly excited for what each member of our team will be bringing to Unplugged this year – but we can’t do it without your help. We want you to partner with us as we go to the convention so that we can focus on what I often refer to as the hardest work you’ll ever do having fun. As such, there are a number of ways you can be a part of what we’re doing at the convention this year.

– Pray

We all know that asking folks to pray is the expected thing to do. It’s often seen as the polite way to up your Holy Spirit index before getting to the asking-for-money part. I have felt that before, so I certainly don’t want to downplay that like it never crosses anyone’s mind. That is precisely why I’m asking you to pray. While we’re hardly the only ministry out there that sees gaming as ministry itself rather than just part of a larger effort – we still understand that folks don’t always get how much goes into this. Like any other mission trip sent out by churches all over the world – we are asking folks to go before God and ask for Him to move through what we’re doing. Pray that we’ll have the energy we need, the understanding, and the openness to hear from a community filled with folks who only associate God and the church with hate and pain in a way that heals old wounds. Regardless of if you can do any of the rest of the things I’m about to list- anyone can do this, and yet it’s the most important things we need.

– Donate funds

It’s always a challenge to figure out what something will cost the first time you do it. While we have done research, waited for sales to pick up supplies, and have tried to source things as cheaply as we can – there is a hefty price tag to making this happen. We’re estimating that we’ll need to raise roughly $2,000 to cover the cost of our hotel room, cover the cost of some badges, get supplies to hand out like bottles of water, the blessing cards, buttons, and more. Our team has been out there trying to raise support already, but you can help us make that a reality and help us keep coming back to Unplugged by donating even the slightest amount. If you head to our donations page, you can find ways to donate to the ministry. Whichever method you choose, just be sure to note that your donation is going to support our team going to PAX Unplugged. The more we raise, the more I can support our team and the more we can do to bless both the gaming community and local Philadelphians.

Want to donate but also want to get great InnRoads related gear? You can find our new storefront on Teespring.com. Anything we make between now and the end of November will be specifically tagged to help the team get to Unplugged.

And in case you’re wondering – Not a cent of your donation will go towards buying games for our team. We’ve got plenty – and that money is dedicated to going outward, not inward.

– Donate ‘stuff’

Maybe you don’t have the funds to help, but want to give in other ways. Well, I mentioned we want to give bottled water out to those at the convention as well as those outside in need. We would love it if folks wanted to donate a case of water towards that. We want to help the efforts to bless the homeless folks outside the convention hall. I asked Marshall what he needed, and he told me that they want to give out as many warm blankets as they can get their hands on. There are plenty of things you can do with a minimal price tag and a maximum help supplying what we hope to do. And if you like odd knitting projects … have I got a project that needs your help!

– Spread the Word

So much of how the InnRoads community has grown as much as it has is because folks have told their friends and shared what we do with others. This is no different. Whether you share this link on your social media of choice, talk to somebody and let them know we’ll be coming to town, or do anything you can think of to let people know what we’re about and what we hope to accomplish on this trip – please do that. If you are a part of church leadership team, especially one in the Philly area or by InnRoads‘ headquarters in New Jersey, and would like to partner with us – please contact us at either contact@innroadsministries.com or mike@innroadsministries.com and make sure PAX Unplugged is in the subject line.

– Say Hi

If you plan on being at PAX Unplugged or in the vicinity of the Philadelphia convention center anytime between November 30th and December 2nd – please say hi. The heart of our ministry activity is about relationships, and that means unless we are on our way to a time-sensitive appointment, we are ALWAYS up to say hi to people.