The beginning of a New Year has always been a fascinating time to me.

A tangible excitement surrounds nearly everyone you meet come January 1st—excitement about resolutions and the promise of new experiences and opportunities. That same excitement is certainly in the air here at Privateer Press, and a big part of this for me has to do with the promise of a new convention season. In 2016, we are going to show up at some shows you haven’t seen us at before and, of course, return to some old favorites, bringing the Privateer Press experience you have all come to know over the years. We’re starting out the year in February with two awesome conventions, the Las Vegas Open and SmogCon 2016.

SmogCon 2016 will be our second-ever official presence in the EU, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of it this year. When the Privateer crew came home from this in 2015, they were gushing about how awesome the event was, and I’m sure 2016 will be even better! I’ll be making the trek with my army in tow to Heathrow with Ron Kruzie, Jason Soles, and Doug Seacat, ready to enjoy three days of gaming with our awesome European community. I know Jason and Doug are also going to be playing a lot of games, and Ron Kruzie is looking forward to checking out everyone’s paint jobs and showing off tips and tricks to everyone at the show. If you’re going to be there, don’t hesitate to ask any of us for a game or to sit down with us at dinner to talk about your favorite Privateer Press games.

On top of having Privateer Press staff on hands, our partners at Cerberus Entertainment, LLC, will be on site selling an array of new and prerelease items. We’ve even created a convention-exclusive pin for the show that will be available on-site and in extremely limited quantities on the Privateer Press Online Store. SmogCon is going to be an awesome weekend of gaming, and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone who makes it to the show February 19th–21st in Heathrow, England!

All right—my first chance to write a Privateer Insider! Coincidentally (or perhaps not), this is also our first time going to the Las Vegas Open, so this is doubly exciting for me!

Privateer Press is sending a crew of both new and veteran staff members to attend LVO at Bally’s Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, so there will be a good mix of faces familiar and new to our community. Our crew includes Organized Play Developer Will Hungerford, Playtest Coordinator Jack Coleman, Licensing Manager Brent Waldher, Volunteer Coordinator James Arbuthnot, and Marketing Manager JR Godwin. And of course, the new Convention Coordinator will be there as well—just look for the really tall guy in the Privateer Press shirt. I’m fairly easy to find!

We’re bringing a variety of convention exclusives, early releases, and Privateer Pins for the store, as well as some of our own personal armies for pick-up games and scrambles. So, if you’re looking for some of our latest products, are interested in talking about what we do, or just want to throw down against members of the Privateer Press crew, come on by!

Additional information about the convention can be found online or by contacting the event organizer, Tyson Koch, [email protected].

We look forward to seeing all of you there!