Fans of indie role-playing games are organizing a tabletop gaming day to raise money for a good cause and promote local creations.
World Builders YEG, organized under the auspices of the Canadian Library of Roleplaying Games, will take place at Pe Metawe Games on Oct. 21.
Games such as Coyote and Crow, Blazing Hymn, Brindlewood Bay, and Slugblaster will be played at the event. The emphasis is on smaller games, not blockbusters like Dungeons & Dragons, with a particular interest in the work of Indigenous creators.
"A lot of folks don't know that there's a creator pool here in Edmonton — people who actually make tabletop role-playing games," co-organizer Brent Jans told Taproot. "So we wanted to create an event that sort of showcased some of that work, but also did something to help give back to the community that we all live in."
All proceeds from the event will be donated to Nék̓em, a charity whose name means "to change something," which serves some of Edmonton's most vulnerable people. "It seemed appropriate that if we really want to help somebody, that we try and help the people who need it the most," Jans said.
Each game will run in a two- to three-hour block, with breaks. Participants can buy a seat to join a session for $5, and for a donation of at least $1, they can get a helpful power-up from the "Buy a Boon!" jar.
"We just want to get players in seats — we want people to come out and play some games. We have a silent auction going on, so we're hoping people will come out and bid on items," Jans said. "There are some wonderful prizes that have been donated by various independent creators and shops."
This is the fundraiser's debut, but CanLibRPG hopes to offer it twice a year.
"You can just come out and try out a game that you maybe never had the chance to play before, donate some money to a great cause, and help us build the world a little bit better," Jans said.
World Builders YEG is a masked event; organizers will have KN95 masks available for those who do not have one.
Photo: Blazing Hymn and Coyote & Crow are among the role-playing games that will be played at World Builders YEG on Oct. 21. (Brent Jans)