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 days long, and often held at either a u ...

that has taken place in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

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

Victoria Day Victoria Day (french: Fête de la Reine, lit=Celebration of the Queen) is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday preceding May 25. Initially in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday, it has since been celebrated as the offi ...

) 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 research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...

campus. Currently the

Rideau Curling Club The Rideau Curling Club is a curling facility and organization located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1888, the Rideau Curling Club maintains a rivalry with the Ottawa Curling Club. History The original club began operation in November, ...

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 launc ...

miniature games Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming in which military units are represented by miniature physical models on a model battlefield. The use of physical models to represent military units is in contrast to other tabletop wargames that use ...

and

boardgames Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of Tabletop game, table, Card game, card, Role-playing game, role-playing, and miniatures ga ...

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 multiple-award-winning 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' ...

of GDW,

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

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 role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...

of TSR and

John Hill John Hill may refer to: Business * John Henry Hill (1791–1882), American businessman, educator and missionary * John Hill (planter) (1824–1910), Scottish-born American industrialist and planter * John Hill (businessman) (1847–1926), Austral ...

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) events in Canada