SaltCON is the largest Board Game Convention and RPG Convention in

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

held annually in Layton at the Davis Conference Center with the "aim of bringing people together with games." The event is family friendly, and focuses on hobby and

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...

board games 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 ...

. Unlike many other conventions, the board game halls are open 24 hours for attendees to play all night long. The event continues to grow in popularity, in large part due to its friendly atmosphere, and volunteer nature. The event had over 1100 attendees in 2016, and continues to grow every year. In 2019 they had over 1900 attendees, and in 2024 they surpassed 2500.

Events

SaltCON hosts the Ion Award game design competition, the largest

board game 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 ...

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indi ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Each year Publishers are asked to judge the competition, based on specific criteria. Notes are collected from judges, tallied, and winners are announced in each category. Games that win the Ion Award are published by game companies every year. Notable winners and finalists include Nika, Gnome Hollow, Moon Bunny, Steam Up: A Feast of Dim Sum, and Super Truffle Pigs! Along with the Ion Award competition there are other draws for game designers as well. There are events where game designers can show off their games that are still in development, such as a "Prototype Alley" where attendees are invited to meet the designers and try out these new games. The events are not only for game designers. Attendees can find many other events to enjoy at the convention: *Board Game Library (over 2500 games) *Board Game Publisher Exhibitors *Local Exhibitors * Meeple Nation Game Hosts * Envoy Herald Game Teachers * Envoy Utah State Championships * Envoy Western Regional Championships *

Tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

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Flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

*Math trade *Game Swap Room *

Prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

s *Play-to-win *

Party Game Party games are games that are played at social gatherings to facilitate interaction and provide entertainment and recreation. Categories include (explicit) icebreaker, parlour (indoor), picnic (outdoor), and large group games.Frankel, Lillia ...

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Card Game A card game is any game that uses playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, whether the cards are of a traditional design or specifically created for the game (proprietary). Countless card games exist, including famil ...

s *Dexterity games *Dice Games *War Games *Miniature Games *Social Deduction Games *Large Group Games * Role-Playing Games/(RPGs) *

Figure Painting A figure painting is a work of fine art in any of the Painting#Painting media, painting media with the primary subject being the human figure, whether clothed or Nude (art), nude. Figure painting may also refer to the activity of creating such ...

Panel discussion A panel discussion, or simply a panel, involves a group of people gathered to discuss a topic in front of an audience, typically at scientific, business, or academic conferences, fan conventions, and on television shows. Panels usually include a ...

s *Workshops *Artemis

History

The convention began in 2009, as a follow up to the Gathering of Strangers board game days that were held at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

. The first few years were held also at the U of U campus Officer's Club, but as attendance grew, they moved to the Royal Garden Inn, then to the Sheraton, and finally to the Davis Conference Center, where it has been held since 2014.

Support for Other Events

SaltCON supports other events and conventions all over Utah. They provide their game library, volunteers, and game teachers to many other events. Events that SaltCON has supported: *Dragonsteel Nexus *ICON * TimpCON * FanX Salt Lake * Salt Lake Comic Con * Salt Lake Gaming Con * BryceCON * STGCON * MyCon *DinoCON * International Games Day @ your Library * International Tabletop Day * Salt Lake Quarterly Game Day

References

{{reflist Culture of Utah 2009 establishments in Utah