The origin of Dungeon Fest, how to describe it aside from a boring “it wasn’t a thing, and then it was”?

The spark of it all happened in a cozy legion hall in the small town of Chicopee, MA during a dreary January in 2024. Andrew N. and I were attending Under the Dice Fest and said to ourselves, “I bet we could do this back home.” And like fools, we threw down a gauntlet to plan and pull off a tabletop gaming festival within 6 months time. How we pulled it off is now but the stuff of myth.

But to be more sincere, Dungeon Fest was an expression of love for the hobby I had rediscovered back in the Fall of 2022. The pandemic was still in swing, people were still wearing masks, and I had pulled out my old “war dollies” to muck around with. That small choice led me to discovering an amazing community and brought a new light into my life. Dungeon Fest was my way of giving back to this wonderful hobby and all the good that it has imparted onto me. Dungeon Fest is a place to discover new passions, rekindle old joys, make friends and find a home within our weird little corner of the tabletop hobby world. - Rory 0’Dwyer