Game Masters
Gary Con celebrates the life of E. Gary Gygax. Gary made a career out of writing, publishing, and promoting games, but playing games was his true passion! He loved sitting down to play whichever game came to hand. We invite you to help us do what Gary loved and to celebrate our shared joy of gaming.
It all starts with Game Masters!
Game Masters form the backbone of any game convention. These are folks just like you who willingly share their love of gaming with others and help us all have a great time.
What is Gary Con looking for?
What events does Gary Con want? Gary loved all kinds of games, and that’s what we’re celebrating. So, ask yourself: What games or scenarios do you love and want to share far and wide? If you’re ready to bring your favorite games and scenarios to share with everyone, then Gary Con wants your events!
GARY CON GM REWARDS
Since we are all about gaming at Gary Con, we need volunteer Game Masters (GMs) to help make this celebration possible. You can submit events through Tabletop.Events (TTE) and get rewarded for being one of our valued GMs, too!
- Run any games:
- All GMs have access to the GM Lounge, a refuge for our hard working GMs, where they can have a refreshment, use a printer, prep for games, or unwind after a long adventure. Drinking water and other modest refreshments will be available for free. Additionally, GMs will receive one ticket/voucher for every event they run, good for selecting one of the wider variety snacks/beverages available in the GM Lounge—enjoy them there or take them to-go!!
- Run 8 hours:
- All GMs who submit and successfully run 8 hours of events will receive a stadium cup good for specials on soda and Spotted Cow beer all convention long! The cup entitles the user to free beer or soda during Happy Hour Friday and Saturday from 5:30-7:30pm.
- All GMs who submit 8 hours of events by October 1, 2026 qualify for our Early Bird GM Reward—a certificate good for 10% off convention merchandise at the Gary Con merch booth, up to a maximum discount of $40.
- Run 12 hours:
- The first 400 GMs who submit and have scheduled 12 hours of events will receive the customized GM reward package, courtesy of our sponsors.
- Run 16 hours:
- All GMs who submit 16 hours of events BY December 1st will get a uniquely designed Gary Con GM T-Shirt with their badge.
- All GMs who submit and successfully run 16 hours of events will earn a Silver Badge credit for the next Gary Con. **
- Early Birds who run 18 hours:
- The first 50 GMs who submit, have accepted, and successfully run 18 hours of events earn a spot on the GM Preferred Hotel Reservation List for the next Gary Con. The date stamp of when the games are SUBMITTED in TTE will determine the first 50. This gives the GM access to register for one room prior to the Gary Con room block opening to the general public. **The Preferred Hotel Booking will be at the Grand Geneva and Timber Ridge Lodge, on a first-come-first-served basis**
*Note: GM rewards are reserved for GMs who submit their events as a part of the convention’s “Event Catalog” for attendees and are available for pre-registration. Games run during open gaming do not count toward total hours for GM rewards.
**Note: Pre-comped badges do not qualify for the badge credit reward.
How should I prepare to GM at Gary Con?
We must mention that GMs should take time to review our Gary Con Policies completely to ensure thorough understanding. You can be thought-provoking, scary, or risqué (see notes under “Age Range”); however, we cannot tolerate anything that will entirely ruin someone’s experience. Please be considerate and respectful of others at all times. We ask you to be especially aware of Gary Con’s use of large, shared gaming spaces. Be ready for the ambient convention noise and do your best to avoid generating excessive noise at your table. When running your games, please be sure to make all your decisions for valid game reasons. If you have ANY doubt, please ask Gary Con Staff, who can be contacted through the Registration/Help Desk area, [email protected], or on the Gary Con Discord (https://discord.garycon.com) #helpdesk channel.
GM Links
Besides the GM rewards and our gratitude, below are some helpful links for our gamemasters:
Check out our GM policies, learn how to submit your games on TTE, or go over to the Gary Con XIX TTE site and submit your games (beginning on July 11, 2026)!
GM Lounge sponsored by:
Game Master Rewards sponsored by:
