PAX really couldn’t stop growing if it tried, at this point. In 2016, there were five PAX events: PAX East, West, South, Australia, and Dev. But this really wasn’t enough for Gabe and Tycho, plus they thought that there was a little too much free time in November. But the downside to all the other PAX events is the massive power bill, and so to fix this problem the new event is like Nirvana in ‘94 -- Unplugged.
While some of that isn’t entirely true, what is true is that the popularity of board and card games is on the rise, a fact to which attendees of PAX West can attest. Every year, the designated unplugged gaming areas get more and more difficult to navigate and Magic: the Gathering’s displays get more elaborate. From the 17th to the 19th of November in Philadelphia, PAX will bring together those gamers who don’t need cables to get their kicks.
Relatively little else has been released about the event, but based on prior events, we can expect the full complement of Dungeons & Dragons, Warmachine, Magic: The Gathering, and Pathfinder to be present. This is on top of board game classics like Settlers of Catan and probably a couple hallways full of the Steve Jackson games catalogue. Badges for PAX Unplugged are expected to go on sale in the spring.
And if you still need some more PAX, remember to stay tuned to GamersNexus during March 10th-12th, when we’ll be at PAX East in Boston.
- Keegan Gallick