The role-playing game convention Ropecon will be held for the 25th time in the summer of 2018, taking place from 27th to 29th of July at the Messukeskus Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. The annual theme for the convention is life and community. The convention expects around 4,000 attendees.
The role-playing game community is the engine that keeps Ropecon running, and the convention is planned and executed from start to finish entirely by gamers for gamers. In addition to individual volunteers, there are multiple role-playing game associations and groups working together behind the scenes to bring Ropecon to life.
– Role-playing games and gaming are a hobby which is not just a part of life for the gamers and people close to them, but also a way to deal with some of the more difficult moments and questions in their own life. It’s a hobby that changes along with the people playing the games and with the world around it, summarize Emi Maeda and Kristiina Mannermaa, two of the main organizers of Ropecon 2018.
Ropecon is the largest role-playing convention in Europe organized entirely by volunteers. It brings together both gaming enthusiasts and professionals. In addition to role-playing games and game tournaments, the program of Ropecon features talks, panel discussions and workshops in various role-playing game related topics. Two annual awards are given out at Ropecon for promoting role-playing games in Finland: The Golden Dragon award and The Deed of the Year award. Ropecon also sees the multiple product launches each year, from board games to academic works. The theme of Ropecon 2018, life and community, will also be present in the diverse program of the convention.
More than 800 volunteers take part in making Ropecon each year. The main organization behind the convention is Ropecon ry, a non-profit association that aims to promote and develop the role-playing game, card game, board game and miniature wargame hobbies in Finland.