It has been some time since the last PAX Unplugged, but today is some great news. Looking forward to going? PAX Unplugged, the Table-Top and Board Game focused convention located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Returning for the first time in two years, Pax Unplugged follows a successful PAX West in Seattle Washington last month.
The full information from the release states, that Pax Unplugged will return to the Philadelphia Convention Center December 10- 12, 2021. Hundreds of game publishers, vendors, and independent creators will appear at the convention, ranging from RPGs to miniatures and card games. Some of the exhibitors include Cephalofair, CGE, and R. Talsorian Games creators of the Cyberpunk role-playing universe and The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG. Pax Unplugged will include the traditional additions of panels, fan-favorite personalities, and content creators celebrating the love and friendship built-in table-top games.
The press release follows-up feedback from Pax West in Seattle Washington, which took place for the first time since the COVID-19 Pandemic struck in March of 2020. Robust health and safety guidelines resulted in a safe event, with universal mask compliance and 93% of attendees showing proof of complete vaccination against COVID-19. Following this, PAX Unplugged will have identical safety protocols in place, including showing proof of vaccination and abiding to stringent masking requirements. For full rules to this, click here.
“Board games are, among other things, about being together,” said Jerry Holkins, co-founder, Penny Arcade. “With our safety protocols in place for PAX Unplugged, it’s time to dust off those Legacy games we got halfway through in 2019.”
Three-day badges for PAX Unplugged 2021 go on sale soon for $75, while individual Friday, Saturday, and Sunday badges will go for $35 each.
This announcement brings a sense of relief and contained excitement, but also perhaps a cautionary tale for the immediate future. The excitement of PAX Unplugged is undoubtedly high for persons that have not played Table-Top games with their friends since the pandemic began, or have done so under certain conditions, such as being vaccinated or wearing masks. This adjustment to existing circumstances means ReedPop is well-aware and working very closely with officials to bring life closers to normalcy seen before The Pandemic. While the future is uncertain, it may be possible to have more normal conventions again sooner than later.
However, this also means that perhaps we are entering a new reality and that is learning to live with COVID-19 for however long the virulent threat lasts. At the time of this writing, over 700,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. according to the Institute of Health Metrics. Globally, over 5 million have now died from the virus, and even New Zealand, the country that was championed for stopping the spread through strict lockdowns last year, is now contending with the seemingly unstoppable Delta Variant. The rise of breakthrough infections are also a very real risk to large gatherings, and as someone who works in a non-clinical field at the local hospital, breakthrough infections are very real and could happen to someone fully inoculated like myself. Even with the highest of safety standards, infections could happen, and given the nature of table-top and board games, it could be argued the risk of transmission could be higher.
Ultimately, the decision to attend is up to the attendee and the effects of hosting such an event remains to be seen, but as smaller events show signs of success in a pandemic world, and with the success of Pax West, perhaps it is possible to return to a degree of normalcy in a Pandemic world and joy the moments that were once taken for granted, albeit with a better focus on cleanliness.
PAX Unplugged takes place at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Philadelphia Pennsylvania December 10-12, 2021.
