Arcanacon facts for kids

Arcanacon is a super fun event held every year in Melbourne, Australia, where people who love role-playing games get together! It's one of many cool conventions in Victoria, but Arcanacon is special because it's the longest running role-playing convention in the whole state.

What is Arcanacon?

Arcanacon is a big gathering for fans of role-playing games. Think of games like Dungeons & Dragons, where you create a character and tell a story together. At Arcanacon, you can play lots of different games, meet other players, and even join in special tournaments. It's a great place to explore new games and have an adventure!

Where it All Began

The very first Arcanacon happened in 1983 at the University of Melbourne. Back then, it featured popular games like Dungeons & Dragons and Traveller. It even had one of the first "freeform" games ever played in Australia, which is a type of role-playing with fewer rules.

Moving Around Melbourne

Over the years, Arcanacon has been held in different places around Melbourne.

• In 1984, it moved to University High School. This is also when Syd the Arcanasaur, the convention's friendly mascot, made his first big appearance!
• Later, it moved to the Melbourne College of Advanced Education in 1985.
• From 1988 until 2013, it found a long-term home at the Collingwood Education Centre.
• Since 2014, Arcanacon has been held at Melbourne High School. This venue is also used for other cool conventions like Conquest and Unicon.

When Does it Happen?

Arcanacon used to be held in September, then August, and later July. For a while, it was even held during the Victorian school holidays. But since 2001, Arcanacon has taken place on the Australia Day Weekend, which is the weekend closest to January 26th. This change helped make sure more people could come and enjoy the games!

Fun Themes and TV

For many years, Arcanacon has had special themes. These themes make each convention feel unique and exciting. For example, one year might be about "Swashbuckling Adventures," and another might be about "Zombies!" In 2007, a TV show called Planet Nerd even filmed a short documentary about role-playing games at Arcanacon XXV for Channel 31.

Past Conventions

Here's a list of all the Arcanacon events that have happened over the years:

• 1983 Arcanacon I
• 1984 Arcanacon II
• 1985 Arcanacon III
• 1986 Arcanacon IV
• 1987 Arcanacon V
• 1988 Arcanacon VI
• 1989 Arcanacon VII
• 1990 Arcanacon VIII
• 1991 Arcanacon IX
• 1992 Arcanacon X
• 1993 Arcanacon XI - First Eleven
• 1994 Arcanacon XII - The Dirty Dozen
• 1995 Arcanacon XIII - Unlucky for Some
• 1996 Arcanacon XIV
• 1997 Arcanacon XV
• 1998 Arcanacon XVI - Sweet Sixteen
• 1999 Arcanacon XVII - Summer of the 17th Troll
• 2000 Arcanacon XVIII - Arcanacon 1800s: A Victorian Roleplaying Convention
• 2001 Arcanacon XIX - Arcanacon 2001: a roleplaying convention
• 2002 Arcanacon XX - Akenaken: Secrets of the ancient world
• 2003 Arcanacon XXI - anniversaries, birthdays and celebrations

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  Syd the Arcanasaur

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  Birthday Cake

• 2004 Arcanacon XXII - Folk Tales and Faerie Stories
• 2005 Arcanacon XXIII - conspiracies, secrets and paranoia
• 2006 Arcanacon XXIV - Swashbuckling, Exploration and Adventure
• 2007 Arcanacon XXV - Legends of the Silver Screen
• 2008 Arcanacon XXVI - Zombies, and Witches, and Dragons, Oh My!
• 2009 Arcanacon XXVII - Syd-Punk
• 2010 Arcanacon XXVIII - For Science!
• 2011 Arcanacon XXIX
• 2012 Arcanacon XXX - End of the World
• 2013 Arcanacon XXXI - After the Apocalypse
• 2014 Arcanacon XXXII - Rebirth
• 2015 Arcanacon XXXIII - Back to the Future
• 2019 Arcanacon XXXIV