At Paizo, we get an overwhelming amount of feedback surrounding the growth of the Pathfinder Society. Many of these are positive reports of our volunteers and Venture Officers building strong gaming groups and communities within their region. And occasionally, we hear back about how these local chapters are turning their passion for gaming and PFS into a platform for giving back to people in need. We were contacted by the Minneapolis/St. Paul lodge recently, and wanted to share with you how they've decided to make a difference through their local convention, Skål Con.
On September 18-20, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Pathfinder Society lodge will host a brand new convention: Skål Con. This is our opportunity to give back to the community as Skål Con is a fundraiser for local charity Tubman—Minnesota's largest provider of family crisis and support services. We will donate every dollar we make beyond covering our base costs (which we have done!) to Tubman: all of it.
The inside story...
I was flush with excitement from our best Con of the North ever and wanted to keep the momentum going with a new convention. With the input of other Venture Captain and having run conventions (including in unconventional spaces, like grocery stores even!), I challenged myself to come up with a plan. Fantasy Flight Games had opened a brand new game space, Fantasy Flight Game Center, in the summer of 2014. We already have a great relationship with management, and the room is large enough for our group. Within hours of getting to work and emailing the rest of the Venture Officers and volunteers that made Con of the North a success, we all went to work. It is a testament to our local group of volunteers that within three months we had the more than just the skeleton of the convention in place.
Why charity? Why Tubman?
I wanted Skål Con to be more than just another con, as it was our goal to give back to the community in a meaningful way. I wanted us to do something positive that benefited those who need help and have a great time doing so. When I sat down to think about where our efforts should go to, the choice was easy.
Each year Tubman helps over 30,000 women, youth, men and families who have experienced relationship violence, sexual assault and exploitation, elder abuse, addiction, and other forms of trauma. As the state's largest provider of domestic violence services, Tubman provides 20% of all Minnesota shelter beds for women and children experiencing family violence. This is a small sampling of the services they provide to those in need. I am proud we are able to help a truly great organization reach their goals.
We need your help!
Paizo has graciously allowed us to do a guest blog about our convention, but to reach our fundraising goals our local chapter needs your help. Please go to skålcon.org to register for the convetion and/or donate. If you choose to attend, we will be auctioning off items (like this signed Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, artwork, and more!), hosting raffles, and running both Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild and Adventure Card game tables over the weekend. Your help allows us to give back to our community.
My sincerest thanks to you all!
Jon Dehning
Venture Captain—Minneapolis, MN
Chris Lambertz
Community & Digital Content Director
