FARMINGTON — Mt. Blue High School will witness hundreds of dice rolls, deck dealings and button mashings as it hosts its first ever Mud Con gaming convention on Saturday, April 27. Players of all ages are invited to participate in a full day of board games, card games, role-playing games and video game tournaments to support the Success & Innovation Center at Mt. Blue.

Around the campus, spaces will be devoted to collectible card games such as Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering, hobby games such as Warhammer 40K and Bolt Action, board games such as Settlers of Catan and Pandemic, and card games such as Sushi Go! and DC Superheroes Deck Builder. There will also be places for role-playing groups to gather for adventuring and character building in Dungeons & Dragons.

Players are encouraged to bring games to share and show others, and there will be many games to try out. There will be a special area for the PLAY AND WIN program, where players can learn and try out a new game and have their names entered in a drawing to win those games. Games in the PLAY AND WIN so far include Stonemaier Games’ My Little Scythe and Between Two Castles, as well as Maine’s own Quest for the Antidote from Topsham Games.

Throughout the day, gamers will be able to play in one of three strands: open, casual and competitive. Open strand gamers will be able to learn how to play a number of games, ask questions, get advice and share some their favorites with others. In the causal strand, gamers can expect to play games with similarly experienced players, while the competitive strand will provide challenges and opponents for veteran players.

For the most competitive players, there will be four tournaments during the day, starting with Magic: The Gathering at 9 a.m. Pokemon will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a Mario Kart (Wii) tournament at 1 p.m. and Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) at 2.

Entry into the tournaments costs $5 a player, per tournament, with cash prizes for first-, second- and third-places. First place will receive 25% of the tournament fees, second place 15% and third 10%. The more who participate, the greater the prize, so players are encouraged to bring a friend. Preregistration and more information can be found on the Mud Con 2019 Facebook event.

General admission for Mud Con 2019 is $5 while kids 10 and under are free. Refreshments will be for sale throughout the day. All proceeds from Mud Con 2019 go to support programming and materials for the Success & Innovation Center at Mt. Blue Campus.

For more information, contact SIC Education Director Dan Ryder at dryder@mtbluersd.org.