Following on from my chat with The People’s Guild Podcast, I want to open up a new conversation for the community with the following question.
What would it look like for Splinterlands to start attending conventions?
Why Conventions?
Splinterlands is already one of the longest-running and most established Web3 games. But outside of crypto and Hive circles, we’re still flying under the radar. Conventions could be a way to:
- Showcase the game in a live, exciting setting.
- Meet gamers face-to-face and help them onboard.
- Give our community a stronger IRL presence, beyond Discord and tournaments.
- Show that Splinterlands isn’t just digital cards — it’s a culture, a DAO, and a living ecosystem.
Why Now?
With the launch of Frontier mode, Splinterlands finally has a true free-to-play entry point. That makes conventions the perfect opportunity:
- New players can jump in instantly without upfront cost or being put off by blockchain
- Demos become smoother — we can showcase real gameplay without needing to sell a Spellbook first.
- Conventions can act as funnels into Frontier, with Spellbooks, promos, or packs as the next step.
If there was ever a time to experiment with convention outreach, now feels like prime time.
Key Considerations
How is it organised?
- Is it run by the Company?
- Is it a DAO initiative?
- Could it be a partnership with HiveDAO, representing not just Splinterlands but Hive gaming as a whole?
Who runs the booth?
- Official team members traveling to key conventions?
- Trained community reps in each region (local presence, lower costs)?
- Volunteers who are passionate about running a booth?
Costs
- Booth / stall fees.
- Travel & lodging.
- Equipment, banners, demo setups.
- Swag and promo material.
- Potential support from DAO(s) to offset costs.
Engagement & Incentives
- How do we make people stop, play, and sign up?
- Demo stations: Frontier quick matches or full-powered games.
- Signup bonuses: Spellbook promo, packs, or a unique convention-exclusive card.
- Incentives for volunteers:
- Exclusive titles.
- Packs, credits, SPS.
- Free merch (shirts, hats, playmats).
- Travel subsidies where possible.
Merch & Presence
Conventions are built on swag. Some ideas:
- Branded shirts, hoodies, hats.
- Playmats or card sleeves (popular with the TCG crowd).
- Promo packs or cards.
- Stickers, posters, lanyards for quick handouts.
Hive Connection
Splinterlands is Hive’s flagship game, but if HiveDAO wanted to get involved, we could potentially represent Hive eco system as a whole.
- Are there other Hive games that would want a seat at the table?
- Could Splinterlands booths double as Hive booths?
That could open up co-funding, cross-promotion, and a bigger impact.
Community Questions
So what do you think? Is now the right moment — with Frontier mode live — for Splinterlands to finally show up at conventions?
- Would you like to see Splinterlands represented at conventions in your area?
- Do you know of specific conventions (gaming, TCG, Web3, pop culture) that we should target?
- Would you be interested in helping run a booth at a local convention?
- What kind of incentives would make volunteering worthwhile (titles, packs, merch, credits)?
- Should this be a company, a DAO initiative, or something HiveDAO-linked?
- What do you imagine a Splinterlands convention booth experience to be like?
What next?
This is a post exploring the possible opportunity — just an idea, open for feedback. If it gets traction, we can refine the idea as a community and work on drafts until we eventually get to a point we think we can pass a formal SPS proposal.
I would love for more proposals to engage the community earlier and explore ideas together. I've done a post about my thoughts on how they could flow, and this is just one of the ideas I want to test using these principles.
So get involved, share your thoughts, and help shape whether we go to conventions and how!
Funny, I just had a conversation the other day with Matt about this. As someone who has set up and exhibited at the largest cons in the country for over 20 years…I have lots of thoughts and opinions on how to do this and have it be successful.
Lots of folks simply think setting up at a show and having a booth presence ar a big show is enough, and that is the furthest thing from the truth. Nobody in the convention center will know who we are, what we do, nor will they care. Unless we have something/s to draw folks there. I have some ideas that I’m CERTAIN will work.
If this ever happens, I would love to head it but only with certain boxes being checked. I’ll see if I can get around to a post in the coming days detailing my thoughts on how to have an impact and be successful at a large convention.
Looking forward to reading your post! I used to help in conventions here in New Zealand many years ago. But you are right a lot of the time you need a reason for people to come and see you.
But you will also get some people that just go from stall to stall trying all the things, but I assume they are WAY less likely to stick as well!
I have only been to GenCon once and it was to work the booth for Force of Will TCG and it was an amazing experience. They are a great way to generate new eyes and also to have established players stop by for something cool as well. I would work a booth in the USA Midwest region.
Personally I think its a great idea - obviously depending on cost and resourcing...
I think having a variety of in-person regional events would be good to refine our in-person sales pitch, and to get real-time feedback on what works, what doesn't, and the reception and appetite for complete outsiders.