Meeple Nation Board Game Podcast · Meeple Nation

The SaltCON Podcast 001: What is SaltCON?

·21 min·1 clip

How did a chance meeting at SaltCON turn Greg into a regular at our game nights and a close friend?

What even is SaltCon? Nathan Howard, Dave Holliday, Andy Holliday, and Douglas Stewart open with the plain pitch: Meeple Nation is making a podcast for people who are curious about SaltCon. The tone is warm, but not slick. They walk through the convention's path from a 2009 University of Utah officers club event, to hotel stops, to the Davis Conference Center. You can tell they have been at these tables. The pull is not a tourism spiel; it is familiar players trying to explain why the convention keeps getting them back in the room. SaltCon now means several events, not one weekend. They talk through five weekends across the year: spring, summer, end-of-summer, Bryce, and Bryce Twice. The useful questions show up fast. Which one should someone pick? How long is it? What season does it land in? What kind of table energy should people expect? Bryce gets the closest look first. The panel describes it as smaller, low-key, and built around open gaming. Ruby Inn matters because Bryce Canyon is close enough for a hike, a breather, or a reset away from the hall. Demand was not quiet. SaltCon Bryce sold out within 20 minutes, so Bryce Twice got added. There is still structure: a game library, envoy tournaments, qualifiers, and social events. Even so, the main draw is sitting down to play. The community piece lands hardest. One speaker keeps circling back to respect at the tables, familiar faces, and the strange little thrill of already wanting the next con. The ending points toward more practical table talk, with future episodes on events, expectations, and the organizers working all year for five busy weekends.

As heard by us

A useful SaltCon primer that gets more convincing once the hosts start comparing the different events.

This first episode works as a straightforward orientation to SaltCon. It covers what the convention is, notes its start in 2009, and explains that it now spans five events across the year.

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Why you'd press play

You want the cleanest map of SaltCon before deciding which weekend to book.

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