What is LinCon?

LinCon is a gaming convention held in Linköping. Participants from all over the country gather at Linköpings University, to play games, meet likeminded people and generally have a good time. Some events are competitions, others are just for fun. This is a great opportunity for trying new games, playing the good ole' ones, and meeting both new and old friends.

LinCon has been held yearly since 1984 at different locations in Linköping. The convention was founded mainly as a show of gratitude for those who ran GothCon, so that they would have a place to go for playing, and not just arranging it all. Around 150 players showed up the first year, and the game mostly played turned out to be Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, but also some boardgames. At most, LinCon has had over 1300 visitors. Will this year's convention cross that line?

LinCon is arranged by the Linköpings-based gaming society Dragon's Den in cooperation with gaming enthusiasts from all of Sweden.

The Convention is run without any economical gain, and any surplus goes straight back to Dragon's Den and future LinCons. This ensures us to keep the entrance fee low, among other things. If you're a member of Dragon's Den (which is free to join), registrate and pay your convention fees before April 4th, the entrance fee will be only 150 SEK. Are you not a member of Dragon's Den, the price will be slightly higher, 200 SEK. If you haven't payed before April 4th, you should make the payment when you arrive at the convention and the entrance fee will then be be 300 SEK.

Who makes LinCon?

Many heroes from the entire country put their efforts into making LinCon. Most of them are members of Dragon's Den (see above), and all participants at the convention are offered a membership in said society as well. As stated earlier, members of Dragon's Den get a lower entrance fee for the convention.

There is always need of more people willing to engage themselves in the convention, and aid in making the gaming event of the year. This doesn't necessarily mean tons of work, since the main goal is for everyone to hold the responsibility for a small specified area (e.g. cleaning, handling arrivals, selling ice-cream?) Do you want to be a part of the giant clockwork that is LinCon, then contact us right away! Contact info will be found further down the page.

When and where is LinCon?

LinCon is held during four merry springdays every year. This year's dates can be found on the main page (and in page title). The last few years the convention has been held in the C-building at Linköpings University, and the idea is to keep it so for the upcoming years as well. The entrance fee is used for the renting of these premises and other things of the kind, and some events on the convention have smaller fees as well, in order to cover the expenses for the arrangement. The best way to enter your name on the participants' list is to use the database system especially created for this. There is a link to this database on the website, called "Anmälningssystemet: Konventsdatabasen". Another way is to send in your name, date of birth, address, phone number, email and what kind of entrance fee you wish to pay (Dragon's Den member/non-member) using the contact form in the menu to the left. The cheapest (and most enjoyable?) way to participate in the convention is to help out, though, for example by cleaning, working in the reception or kiosk, or perhaps arrange something yourself. If you do any kind of the aforementioned work you get your entrance fee back, plus some cool convention items!

There are multiple ways to get to the convention by. Below you'll find a map of the route to take by car. When you plan your way of travel, it might be a good idea to keep holidays in mind, for example if going by bus or train. If you arrive by train, you need to get to the bus area next to the train station, and take bus 202 labelled Lambohov. After approximately 12 minutes you get off at the stop called Universitetet. From there it's a marked three minutes walk to the convention itself. Time tables for bus 202 can be found on www.ostgotatrafiken.se

Some of Sverok's (www.sverok.se) districts usually arrange bustrips for LinCon, and apart from the joyous atmosphere, they're often very cheap. Go to Sverok's website and check your district for buses, or their web forum for new info (under Konvent).

What happens at LinCon?

There are many reasons for visiting LinCon! The main ones would be to enjoy the company of the people there, play games and devour the delicions LinCon-burgers. The gaming events that will be arranged on the convention are presented under the link "Arrangemang" on the website. This list is in Swedish, but if there is something in particular or some certain type of game you're interested in, feel free to email the Convention General about it (general[at]lincon.sverok.net) for more information. Below is a brief run-through of the main types of games present at this convention. Most game arrangements are open to both beginners and experienced players, so if you're curious you shouldn't let anything stop you from coming by to try it out.

Boardgames: Do you want to win? Then boardgames is something for you! Beat the other players using your superious intellect, your amazing strategy and incredible plotting. If you possess none of those, luck might work just as well! Boardgames have been around since ancient times, examples of such are games like Kalaha, Chess, Go and Shôgi. Sometimes you do things with markers. Dice are almost always involved. It can also be about cards, for example Monopol's Chance, or Trivial Pursuit's question cards. The boargames played at LinCon tend to be more? innovative than the aforementioned ones though, and if you're not afraid to try them out, you're in for a bunch of good laughs!

Miniatures games: The miniatures game player is defined through all the abilities needed for a good boardgames player, but decent eye measurement ability can be of use as well. If you're a killer with hand and paintbrush in addition to this, you might be a perfect miniatures games player! In these games, the players often run a large army each, which consists of richly detailed miniatures. The players have to be tactical in order to lead their army around believable miniature landscapes and take out their opponent(s). There are playing systems for virtually all time epochs and worlds imaginable.

Card games: Poker faces, luck, skill and the ability to see right through the hand of your opponent. Good qualities when playing card games! The card games are often action filled and exciting. There are very fast card games like Fluxx, where it takes you five minutes to win for the first time. Others demand more scheming, for example the world's largest collectable card game; Magic the Gathering.

LARP (Live Action RolePlaying): Do you want to move around, and act? Is participation more important than winning? Do you want to be a part of creating an extraordinary sense and atmosphere? Then you should absolutely experience a LARP! In a LARP, or Live Acting/Action RolePlaying as it is also called, the players dress up as and take on a made-up character in an improvised play. Where you are and what props you have depends on the theme of the LARP. There are as many themes as genres for movies or books. A LARP can hold amounts of participants from around ten up to a thousand people. One certain kind of LARP that works well on conventions is the vampire LARP. The events in such a LARP take place in a world similar to ours, with the addition of vampires, wherewolves and other "unnatural" creatures trying to take over the world without the humans knowing the better.

Roleplaying games: Do you have an abundance of imagination? Is participation more important than winning? Do you want to be part of a magical story and sensation? Then you should definitely try roleplaying! Roleplays are like tales where the players' characters are the leading roles. This enables you to experience things never taken place, worlds not real and encounter beings of myth. Roleplays often hold three to six players, and the themes are as many as there are creative minds.

Videogames: Ever since the 80s when videogames came into popularity, this gaming form has been loved by younglings and everyone else with the need to dominate one's friends with headshots and frags. On LinCon, old classics are mixed with new experiences, so get those thumbs warmed up now!

Game bars: Here we serve games, and not refreshments as you might have thought. Many of the game bars are open twentyfour-seven, and are perfect for any moment where you haven't registered for a game session of some kind. In the bars there are almost always someone to play with, and many many games of course. If you drop by the Roleplaying Bar, the skilled and enthusiastic game masters will provide you with an adventure while you wait.

Miscellanous: LinCon is not just about playing games. You can also attend a nice game auction if you wish to sell or buy games. You can watch movies or go on a shopping spree in the many stores visiting the convention. There are also knowledgable people to teach you how to make your own chainmail, design boardgames or paint your own miniatures.

Who do I contact about LinCon?

For general questions, concerns or information, please contact the LinCon General at general[at]lincon.sverok.net. Also, if you wish to help out in any way, this is the person to talk to. For questions regarding registration, the database or the forum, please contact Joakim Molin at joakim.molin[at]hotmail.com

For information about events and arrangements on LinCon, please use the contact form under "Kontakta oss" and choose the according person you wish to talk to:

• Arrangemangsansvarig: Butiker = Chief of Arrangements, Stores
• Arrangemangsansvarig: Figurspel = Chief of Arrangements, Miniature wargaming
• Arrangemangsansvarig: Brädspel, Kortspel, Rollspel, Övrigt = Chief of Arrangements, Boardgames, Cardgames, Roleplays, Miscellanous

Dragon's Den

LinCon is organized by the gaming society Dragon's Den. The society was founded in 1983, and it has today around 1000 members. From the very start, the aim was to gather gamers in Linköping, mainly students attending the university here. The year after the founding of the society, the first convention in Linköping was held; LinCon '84.

The society is open to all, and we'd love to see you as a member too, even if you're only planning on attending LinCon and no more. The aim of that is to make the participants more active in the convention itself, and to engage more people in future LinCons and other exciting activities within the society.

If you're not attending LinCon, but still wish to become a member of Dragon's Den, you can register for free on the society website, www.dragonsden.se If yo want to attend LinCon without becoming a member, that is fine of course, but the entrance fee will be slightly higher. Members of Dragon's Den are also members of the gaming organization Sverok, www.sverok.se

Dragon's Den has two premises in the student area Ryd in Linköping, and regularly holds game nights and other events there. The society also arranges the gaming weekend KonVux at Ryds Herrgård (www.hg.se).