About Us

We want to support the tabletop gaming community and encourage friends and family to get into tabletop gaming.

Our company, Galveston Gaming Expo, was founded by five awesome guys, all who have a love for board games, role-playing games and more.

We want to support the community, including board game designers, local game stores and those who actually play the games!

What better way to accomplish this than by hosting our own tabletop gaming convention... The PeliCON!

Mission Statement

Our mission is to promote the importance of personal connections to families and friends through game nights and the disconnection from electronics.

We believe that by creating an opportunity for people to come together and engage in meaningful dialogue they will cultivate lasting memories and strengthen the bonds which hold relationships together.

Through this convention we hope to donate games, resources, and money to our community to inspire and empower families and friends to prioritize quality time, communication, and laughter. We believe this will create a positive impact on society through fostering and promoting game nights and personal interactions.

Hey there! I'm Jeremiah, a die-hard tabletop game enthusiast and one of the proud founders of the PeliCON convention. My journey into the world of tabletop gaming began long ago, fueled by a passion for strategy games, whether it's a board game or a thrilling card duel. Galveston has always held a special place in my heart, with its rich culture and vibrant atmosphere, and I saw an opportunity to blend my love for gaming with my desire to promote this incredible city. Thus, PeliCON was born – a celebration of gameplay, camaraderie, and the unique spirit of Galveston Island. Join me in sharing the joy of gaming and exploring all that this coastal gem has to offer!

Howdy! Ron chiming in...I've been playing games since the bad ol' days of college and the early aughts with Twilight Imperium: Second Edition and World of Warcraft (the board game). Love me some empire building or dungeon crawling! When I became civilized (read: married) I started bringing more co-op games to the table to make game nights fun for everyone. With the massive explosion of board game culture in recent years it has been a gamer's dreamscape of new content and mechanics and my collection of games has grown exponentially (much to my wallet's dismay)!

After a recent trip to GenCon I wondered why there wasn't a local con here in Galveston. Brought it up to my group and we decided to make it happen. So we give you PeliCON...fun and games on the beach and for a good cause. Let's play some games and make new friends!

Hi! My name is Homer and I have been gaming since elementary school, starting with Dungeons and Dragons (the Red Box) and my first Milton Bradley Masters series Fortress America. With the advent of Kickstarter, I believe we are in the Golden Age of boardgames; everyone who has a great idea for gaming has been able to crowdsource funding, opening an almost infinite amount of new and wonderful games to fill every niche you could possibly imagine (and even some you can't)!

Currently Galveston Island lacks of a premier boardgame, CCG, Miniature, and roleplaying game convention. We will make that happen. Once established, it is our mission to grow our convention to an annual attendance of greater than 10,000 people, adding new fun events such as "live" Dungeons and downtown scavenger hunts, along the way. Our goal is to expose as many people as possible to as many games as possible in a way that makes it memorable and fun for everyone.

Hello! I'm Layne Chambers, co-founder of PeliCON tabletop game convention. I've been immersed in board games and RPGs since childhood. Dungeons and Dragons captured my imagination in junior high and I've been hooked ever since, running campaigns to this day.

In the early 2000s, Betrayal at House on the Hill introduced me to modern board gaming, igniting a passion for its diverse experiences. From Ticket to Ride to Twilight Imperium, I've explored hundreds of games and love introducing new players to the joy of tabletop gaming.

In 2023, I teamed up with friends to launch PeliCON in Galveston, Texas, aiming to create unforgettable gaming moments for our community.

Howdy! I’m Zach, but you can call me Phig. Raised on a cattle ranch in rural East Texas, my childhood was filled with hunting, fishing, and what I’d call gateway board gaming. Back then, I wasn’t cool enough for the D&D tables in my small town, but little did I know, that would change. During my Air Force days, I not only got my seat at the D&D table but fell head over heels for it—spending every single weekend immersed in epic campaigns. Ironically, I quickly learned that D&D enthusiasts weren’t considered the 'cool kids' outside my hometown either—go figure! Fast forward a few decades, and here I am in Galveston, dreaming up big ideas with some of my closest friends. That dream? Starting our own gaming convention. And thus, PeliCON was born, faster than we could have ever imagined. I’m pumped to meet new faces and make new friends. Game on!