Policies

Who we are

CaptainCon is an annual 3-day convention dedicated to bringing you the best gaming experiences in social tabletop gaming. Our focus is miniatures hobby games, role playing games, board game, and non-collectable card games.

CaptainCon is owned and operated by New England Privateers, LLC. We are a group of 4 long-time gamers living the dream of running a big party for hundreds of our gamer friends each year. We’ve been “around the block” in the industry as community volunteers for various game companies, staff at other conventions, event organizers at local game stores, and just generally doing all the things. CaptainCon and New England Privateers, LLC is a passion project for us. The Privateers are:

• Craig "Lonelymonk" Caton
• Paul "Snakeman" Shoemaker
• Andrew "Hacksaw" Hartland
• Cory "The Hat" Chambers

Contact Information

We can be reached by email at: captainconinfo@gmail.com

If you want to mail us, our address is:

New England Privateers, LLC P.O. Box 366235 Hyde Park, MA 02136

COVID-19 Policy

The current COVID-19 policy of CaptainCon is as follows: - We're watching it very closely so this policy is subject to change as new info becomes available or situations change.

• All attendees at CaptainCon are encouraged in the strongest possible terms for their health and that of those around them to be fully vaccinated (first series of one or two doses plus the most recent bivalent booster) but we will not be verifying vaccination status as a condition of entry this year. It's a logistical headache and will be redundant given that everyone was fully vaccinated this past February and we have a high repeat attendance percentage.

• Everyone attending CaptainCon is encouraged to wear a mask while in public spaces at the show, but we will not be policing this or requiring it as a condition of entry. This is the one most likely to change if either the hotel or the state of RI change their policies or we see something in the epi numbers we don't like prior to the show.

• If you are sick experiencing symptoms of any illness (I don't care if it's COVID or not) STAY HOME. Seriously, even if it's "just a cold" no one wants to catch con-crud.

• If you've been in close contact with someone who was experiencing COVID symptoms or tested positive the week before the show, STAY HOME.

Convention Rules and Conduct

CaptainCon is dedicated to providing the best social tabletop gaming experiences for all attendees. Key to that is maintaining a safe, fun, welcoming, and accessible environment for all attendees. We do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, physical ability, or any of the other myriad wonderful ways that people are individuals and we require the same of all attendees, vendors, volunteers, staff, exhibitors, and guests of CaptainCon. What does that mean for you? Well, it boils down to 9 simple rules, guidelines, and consequences:

Wear your badge at all times – Your CaptainCon membership badge is your access pass to all the fun things at CaptainCon and we ask that you wear/display it while at the show. Event organizers and volunteers have been instructed not to let anyone play who doesn’t have a badge, so do yourself a favor and please don’t forget it in your hotel room.

Harassment is prohibited – Any form of harassment of others at CaptainCon based on their gender identity/expressions, race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical appearance, religion, or disability will not be tolerated. Harassment includes verbal abuse and offensive joking, unwanted sexual advances, unwanted physical contact or physical threatening, teasing/jokes/innuendo of an unwanted sexual nature, and subjecting others to photos/mages/video/gestures of a sexual or otherwise unwanted nature. COSPLAY IS NOT CONSENT to be inappropriate. Seriously, don’t be a creep. Persons found violating this policy will be removed from CaptainCon and possibly banned from future conventions. Local law enforcement may also be informed as appropriate.

Physical assault and threatening are prohibited – Violence against others at CaptainCon will not be tolerated. We value the health and safety of our attendees, vendors, and staff. This isn’t Fight Club! Threating violence against another person at CaptainCon or physically assaulting a person or malicious destruction of property will result in corrective action that can include expulsion from the convention, banning from future conventions, and/or contacting local law enforcement for their intervention.

Illegal drugs are prohibited – Seriously, we hate that we even have to spell this out, but if you’re caught buying, selling, sharing, or using illegal drugs at CaptainCon we must take corrective action that can include expelling you from the convention, contacting emergency medical services, or contacting local law enforcement. If you’re a user of prescription medicine (including medical cannabis) we expect you not to “share” your medicine with others. Smoking/vaping and consumption of alcohol are governed by local laws and we will follow all local laws and venue rules. Please help us by enjoying responsibly and staying in the rules.

Theft is prohibited – Yes, we’re a bunch of pirates, but theft is not tolerated at CaptainCon. If you are caught stealing from anyone at CaptainCon (attendees, vendors, the hotel, guests) we will take enforcement action up to and including expelling you from the convention or banning you from future conventions.

Restrictions on weapons, items, cosplay – Possession of real weapons is governed by applicable local laws which CaptainCon will follow. Replica and prop weapons are permitted as part of cosplay and generally enjoying the fandom of gaming, but we reserve the right to inspect any such weapons at any time. Please help us to help you enjoy the show by making sure that any costume weapons are clearly non-functional: no sharp-edged metal swords/daggers/etc., replica firearms should have an orange tip or other clear indicator, and bows/crossbows should be strung with low-tension strings. Costumes with stilts, wings, or bulky protruding sections may be prohibited from some areas of the convention (such as the crowded miniatures tournament hall) for the safety and convenience of yourself and others. Lastly, it should go without saying, but please don’t brandish or swing your cosplay weapon at another person other than when posing for a photo of mutual consent. If you start hitting people, you’ll be asked to leave per rule 3 above.

Look after your stuff – We make every effort to provide a safe, fun, and secure environment. However, our staff and volunteers can’t be everywhere all the time and we all know that no matter how great most gamers are, there’s always a few bad apples so we can’t be responsible for your lost or stolen property. If you leave your bag sitting under a table and wander off, you do so at your own risk that someone might move it, accidentally kick it, or turn it in as lost property causing you great stress when you return.

Clean up after yourself – This is just basic courtesy to your fellow gamers. We strive to have lots of tables open for casual play and many event space tables are shared in shifts. Please help us to help you by cleaning up after you’re done at a table. Throw your trash away in the provided trash barrels, return any table signs or other setup to how it was when you sat down, and know that the next gamers will be appreciative.

Report Violations – We can’t be everywhere at once, so we rely on you to help us make the above rules work. If you see a violation of any of rules 1 through 6 or are a victim of violations of these rules, please report it right away. Find a volunteer or member of staff (they’ll be wearing “STAFF” badges) who can bring you to one of us if you can’t find us directly. You can always find someone with the convention staff at either the convention registration desk or the Captain’s Log/Board Game Library.

Other Convention Policies

Badge sales and Refunds – All badge and merch sales on site at the show are final and cannot be refunded, though exchanges are permitted at the discretion of staff. Advance badge sales via the website are fully refundable until December 31st. We cannot offer refunds after that date.

Merch Pickup – All convention merchandise pre-purchased through the website will be held for pickup on site at the convention. We cannot mail it to you as some is produced to order right before the show. If you are unable to make it to CaptainCon for some reason, consider making arrangements to have someone pick up your stuff for you at the show and let us know so that we’re expecting them.

Photos and Video – While you are at CaptainCon you recognize and agree that convention staff or other attendees may take your photograph or record you on video or audio as part of documenting the convention, for media reporting purposes, or for advertising. All photos taken by CaptainCon staff for use by the show become the property of New England Privateers, LLC to use as we see fit with or without attribution to the subject(s) of the photo.

Right of Refusal – CaptainCon and New England Privateers, LLC reserve the right to refuse admittance and sale to any individual due to past violations of the above rules or credible reports/documentation of violations of those policies at other conventions/events. We similarly reserve the right to refuse admittance to any vendor or exhibitor for the same reason or because the products on sale/exhibit don’t fit with the spirit of the show or to prevent imbalance in our vendor mix at the show.

Confidentiality and Personal Data

We collect minimal personal data. If you choose to sign up for our email mailing list, we’ll collect your name and email address. When you purchase through our badge and merch sale website, we collect information needed to get you your stuff that you provide to us directly: your name, email address, mailing address, t-shirt size, and other preferences.

Payment/financial information is handled by third-party payment processors including tabletop.event, Stripe, and possibly PayPal. We do not have access to that information directly or in full indirectly.

We do not sell or share any of the personal data collected by us with anyone else. Occasionally, we have a partner or friend of the show that we want to support and may directly email you information about them in our mailing list, but that’s it.

We also maintain information on convention attendees who violate any of the rules above or are victims of such violations as necessary to enforce bans. This information is kept confidential and used only by convention staff/organizers unless released to local law enforcement as part of response to an incident or otherwise required by law.

Embedded content from other websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

In particular, we make use of the tabletop.events site to help us manage badge and merch sales, event registration, volunteers, etc. Our use of personal data collected through that site is governed by our personal data policy above. Their privacy policy can be found here.