CanGames is an annual

gaming convention A gaming convention is a gathering centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three business days long, and often held at ...

that has taken place in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, since 1977. It occurs every year on the Canadian May (

Victoria Day Victoria Day () is a federal Canadian public holiday observed on the last Monday preceding May 25 to honour Queen Victoria, who is known as the "Mother of Confederation". The holiday has existed in Canada since at least 1845, originally on Vic ...

) long weekend.

Scheduling and location

Although the show is now held on the Canadian Victoria Day weekend, the first show was held on the Canada Day weekend instead. Generally the show runs from Friday through Sunday night. The show has been held in a number of locations, including the

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...

campus. Currently the Rideau Curling Club hosts the event.

Features of the show

CanGames features gaming (Board, Miniatures, RPG) in both English and French and offers trophies to winners. The convention was originally conceived, organized, and continues to be run by a committee of volunteers. And still is.

The CanGames Dwarf

The CanGames Dwarf was designed by

Denis Beauvais Denis ("Den") Beauvais (born 1962) is a Canadian artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games. He was born and raised in Ottawa.Saxberg, Lynn (April 4, 1990). "Dragons and demons make Aylmer artist famous", ''Ottawa Citizen'', p. E3. Ca ...

, a noted Fantasy artist whose work has appeared in Dragon Magazine, science fiction novel covers and in various video and boardgames. Currently the trophies are a sculpted dwarf based on Beauvais's artwork done by Sandra Garrity, a noted fantasy figure sculptor.

Format of the show

The format of the show has varied over the years, although the core activities of

RPGs RPG may refer to: Military * Rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon **''Ruchnoi Protivotankoviy Granatomyot'' (Russian: ''Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт''), hand-held anti-tank grenade laun ...

miniature games A miniature wargame is a type of wargame in which military units are represented by miniature physical models on a model battlefield. Miniature wargames are played using model soldiers, vehicles, and artillery on a model battlefield, with th ...

and

boardgames A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...

have featured each year. In the early years the show included seminars and featured guests from the gaming industry, including such as

Frank Chadwick Frank Chadwick is an American game designer and ''New York Times'' best selling author. He has designed hundreds of games, his most notable being the role-playing games '' En Garde!'', '' Space: 1889'' and '' Twilight 2000'', and the wargame s ...

of GDW,

Jim Dunnigan James F. Dunnigan (born August 8, 1943) is an author, military-political analyst, Defense and State Department consultant, and wargame designer currently living in New York City. Career Dunnigan was born in Rockland County, New York. After hi ...

of SPI,

Gary Gygax Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering tabletop role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax creat ...

of TSR and John Hill of Avalon Hill. Canadian game designer Steve Newberg of SimulationsCanada was a frequent guest. Early shows also featured film showings and auctions. In later years the elements of the show have varied to reflect changing tastes in gaming, including the addition of CCGs to the featured games. Miniatures painting competitions have also been part of the show. Youth games have been added to encourage a new generation of gamers.

CanGames favorites

CanGames features several games that run every year. Chariots is a homegrown game that recreates the excitement of the Ben Hur chariot race. The Rubberboots saga is an "Indiana Jones"-style serial revolving around the recurring character of a Gumshoe detective featuring captivating scale-model sets. There is a thriving dealers area that is part of the main convention floor. There is also a consignment sale where attendees can drop off their sale items and the CanGames staff will sell them for a 15% commission.

Coverage of the show

CanGames was reported on by Dragon magazine in 1979 and 1980 and by local Ottawa newspaper Orleans Now in 2007 The CanGames web site also features a "Past Glory" archive section detailing lists of winners, photographs, and artwork from previous years. In 2011 it was featured on the front page of the Ottawa Citizen and the Citizen website included a picture and a short interview of one of the attendees.Kelly Patterson, The Ottawa Citizen May 22, 2011 pg.1
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External links

www.cangames.cawww.denbeauvais.com

References

https://ottawacitizen.com/life/CanGames+2011+Conquest+fest+imaginary+mayhem+fantasy/4825291/story.html{{Dead link, date=June 2019 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Fan conventions in Canada Events in Ottawa Gaming conventions Spring (season) in Canada