2018 D8 Summit

Industry Insiders for You to Meet

This year, the D8 Summit has invited professionals involved and engaged in the gaming community to attend. They will be running events and hosting luncheons. You can get tickets for their events through the online ticket system. We expect their events to go fast, so you will want to get those tickets when they become available!

Rachel Ventura

rachel-ventura-2.jpg Rachel Ventura is the Business Director for Legendary Games. She has been a freelance writer for AAW Games, Battlefield Press, Jon Brazer Enterprises, Mistfit Studios, Playground Adventures, and Total Party Kill Games. Previously she was the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Frog God Games. Rachel also serves on the board for RPG Creators Relief Fund, a nonprofit charity for game designers in need. In 2015, she was a Guest of Honor Industry Insider for Gen Con.

She started gaming at the age of 6 when her older brother needed a rogue elf to play in his dungeon. Although her experience at that point mostly involved her searching for shinies her gaming style did evolve from table-top to LARPing to card games. Now a mother of twins, strategy and boardgames are much more her style. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics where she worked as an actuary for a few years before moving into marketing. She is a woman of many talents anywhere from training wolves for movies, running for political office, or teaching scrapbooking at Gen Con for SPA events.

Rachel will be running an all-ages track of RPG's, perfect for kids as well as adults, a luncheon where she discusses gaming (both what it takes to work in gaming, as well as the role women have and could play in gaming), and will join the players with VIG badges in a gaming meet and greet. You can learn about our VIG program here.

Robert Adducci

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Robert Adducci is the community manager for the D&D Adventurers League and Fantasy Grounds. He's also a social media and community manager focused on tabletop games as well as a community tabletop game organizer. Robert also does freelance RPG design and has credits under Wizards of the Coast, Kobold Press, and Soldier Spy. He is a die-hard Dark Sun fan and the founder of the Burnt World of Athas website (Athas.org). Robert was born in the deserts of Athas, aka Phoenix, AZ, but now lives in the cool climate of Colorado with his wife, two little adventurers, and two animal companions.

Robert will be running his special Author Only modules for Adventurers League for the Very Important Gamer (VIG) program, with all VIG's guaranteed to participate in one of his adventures. Robert will also be playing at one of the VIG tables alongside those lucky attendees of the D8 Summit. Click here to learn more about the VIG program, new this year.

Jeremey Arnold

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Jeremey Arnold is an experienced DM of over 20 years and has been playing D&D as far back as he or his father can remember. While he wears a couple different hats now days: convention organizer, D&D fundraiser, Module Author, Dungeon Master, and Indianapolis organizer, the three roles he cares about most are husband, father, and unofficial spokesman for the Indianapolis Tourism Bureau. Jeremey is thrilled to bring his first full trilogy of adventures to the D8 Summit and hopes you enjoy playing them as much as he enjoyed writing them.

Jessie Swinton

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Jessie Swinton is the owner of Ziege Games of Howell, Michigan, and the head organizer for ZiegeCon. Jessie has been tabletop gaming for over six years ranging from trading card games to RPGs. Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers League was introduced to her by Aaron Jones (another Special Guest) in the fall of 2016. Ever since, she has worked with him to create an amazingly dedicated community which lead to the formation of ZiegeCon in March 2017. Jessie will be running Adventurers League tables including the Con Created Content adventure written for ZiegeCon March 2018. You may see her accompanied by half of a blink dog - fret not! The other half should be around here somewhere...

Aaron Jones

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Aaron has been playing D&D with the same group of adventurers for over 20 years. Throughout this time, he held many roles in the gaming industry. Most recently, he is a managing partner of Embers Design Studios. Embers produces 5e and Pathfinder adventure arcs, as well as a gaming app to help stores run organized play for Embers storylines. Aaron also organizes Adventurers League for Ziege Games and Ziege Con. Aaron lives in Michigan with his beautiful wife and three children. His oldest is Fenway Jones the Teen DM. Check her out on Twitter!

Aaron will be running pre-release exclusives of the adventure he authored for Ziege Con, BEFORE it will be released to the public. This is a great chance to meet an Adventurers League DM while getting an early peek at an adventure soon to be released.

Alex Kammer

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Alex Kammer has written D&D adventures for a number of publishers. His most recent releases were: Into The Deep Dark, from Gamehole Publishing and The Missing Pin, from Frog God Games. Both of these were released in the fall of 2017. Alex is also the Director of Gamehole Con, the largest tabletop gaming convention in the upper Midwest. Alex seems to be an all around okay guy and as far as we know, he has not stolen anything.

Alex will be running some adaptations of D&D content, updated to the 5e rules set. These games are popular at conventions such as Gen Con and Gamehole Con, and you will have an amazing time if you are lucky enough to snag a ticket for one.

Eric Weberg

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Eric Weberg’s Dungeons & Dragons experience began in 1981 with a blue Holmes book, using chits instead of dice. He knows his chits. Over two decades and through several editions of D&D, he crafted a world to host escalating campaigns. Time passed, and he discovered the vibrant Wisconsin gaming community. Eric found a passion for store organizing and awakening new DMs, which led him to become the Adventurers League Senior Local Coordinator for Wisconsin. Eric is active in the local convention scene along with his home table, the Wandering Monsters.

As the author of the first part of the first D8 Summit convention exclusive Adventurers League content, CCC-DES01-01 "Through the Looking Glass," Eric will be entertaining tables looking to enjoy the fey romp of his own design. This may be your only opportunity to enjoy this talented adventure designer running his module for you.

J. Connor Self

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Connor Self has been a life-long gamer. Starting by learning poker at the mature age of 5, he quickly graduated to other board and card games. Connor discovered TSR's Marvel Heroes RPG in 1989, and then there was no turning back. Connor took a position as an Adventurers League Local Coordinator after doing the job unwittingly for months. Now, Connor is a D&D Adventurers League Administrator for several area and regional conventions, including Ziege Con, Gary Con, Nexus Game Fair, Gamehole Con, and the convention he helped start, the D8 Summit. Connor describes his DM style as one part Lewis Carroll, one part Madeleine L'Engle, a third part part H.P. Lovecraft, and a generous sprinkling of Gary Gygax character murder to liven things up.

As the author of the second part of the first D8 Summit convention exclusive Adventurers League content, CCC-DES01-02 "A Sanity Never Questioned," Connor will be entertaining tables looking to enjoy the fey romp of his own design. This may be your only opportunity to enjoy this talented adventure designer running his module for you, but you might change his mind elsewhere with a story and a beverage.