PAX Unplugged 2025: What We’re Most Excited to Play, See, and Stream

By Amerime Media Staff

Philadelphia, get your dice ready. PAX Unplugged 2025 is rolling back into the Convention Center from November 21st to 23rd, and your favorite band of nerdy misfits, the Amerime Adventuring Party, will be there in full force. We’re talking cameras, GoPros, mics, and way too much caffeine.

Every year, PAX Unplugged reminds us why tabletop gaming isn’t just surviving—it’s thriving. From indie passion projects to major RPG expansions, it’s the con where creativity spills across every table, cosplay corridor, and late-night dice roll. So, here’s what we’re most hyped to play, see, and stream when the doors open.

The Return of the Narrative Heavyweights

Let’s start with the heavy hitters. Daggerheart, the long-awaited TTRPG from Critical Role’s Darrington Press, is finally getting its full demo treatment this year. If you thought PAX Unplugged was just about slinging cards or flipping tiles, think again. This is where storytelling becomes the main character, and we’re ready to test-drive this system that promises emotional depth and cinematic dice rolling.

Meanwhile, Pathfinder 2e keeps expanding like a hydra. Paizo has new books, new rules, and, fingers crossed, some announcements about their next big adventure path. (We’re still not over the last one.) Expect us to hit that booth early with Braheim and Corey leading the charge for footage and interviews.

Indie Devs and Blerd Creators: The Real MVPs

You know Amerime. If there’s a booth filled with BIPOC creators, queer storytellers, or bold new art styles, that’s where we’ll be. The Indie Showcase this year looks stacked with rising studios and self-published designers bringing fresh takes to the table.

Krampusnacht: The Naughty List – Developed by Wyrd Weaver Games

In this comedy-horror card game, 2–6 players become St. Nick’s mischievous companions competing to capture the naughtiest children in town. When Santa isn’t looking, it’s chaos—players sabotage rivals, sacrifice terrible kids, and snitch to earn points. With wild abilities, upgrades, and action cards, it’s wicked fun with a holiday twist.

Love, Career & Magic – Developed by Pegasus Games

A collaborative storytelling social game set inside a fantasy reality show where orcs code, dragons cook, and gnomes drop one-liners. Mixing tabletop roleplay with the humor of a party game, 2–6 players have 12 minutes to create ridiculous inside jokes and hilarious magical drama. It’s fast, funny, and pure chaotic charm.

Cosplay, Chaos, and Convention Culture

Let’s be honest: PAX isn’t PAX without cosplay. From Critical Role’s Vox Machina to Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion army, the Unplugged floor always feels like walking through a fantasy epic. This year, Nik Starks and Jamal Stokes will be snapping shots of everything from DIY armor builds to anime crossovers (because yes, someone’s going to show up as Gojo holding a d20).

We’re also planning on catching the Cosplay Showcase—not to judge, but to celebrate the pure creativity that keeps this community vibrant. And if you spot Braheim mid-interview surrounded by foam swords, don’t worry. That’s just another day at the office.

Panels Worth Rolling For

Between the game demos and artist alley dives, we’ve got our eyes on a few key panels that are guaranteed to spark conversation.

• “The Future of Tabletop Storytelling” – Expect deep talk about narrative design, AI-assisted GMs, and how roleplay is evolving beyond dice.

• “Representation in the Dungeon” – Always a must-attend. This panel features Black, brown, and queer creators discussing inclusivity in TTRPGs—topics Amerime has been championing since day one.

• “Actual Play Production 101” – For anyone thinking about starting a campaign stream or podcast (looking at you, Junkies), this is essential.

We’ll be live-posting takeaways, spicy quotes, and reaction clips all weekend long.

Games We’re Hunting Down

Every con has its unicorns, the games you must find before the crowd does. Here’s our hit list:

• Gloomhaven: Second Edition – Streamlined rules and faster gameplay.

• Vampire: The Masquerade – Clans of the East – Because the undead deserve a little representation too.

• Wyrmwood’s New Modular Dice Towers – The craftsmanship alone is drool-worthy.

• VTuber Trading Card Game: Oshi Push! – After meeting Japanime Games last year, we’re curious to see how this one evolves.

• Blackboard Games’ “Hood Lore” – A mythology-meets-urban fantasy board game created by a Philly-based Black designer.

  
  

If you see us hovering over any of these tables, come say hi. You might end up in a reel.

The Amerime Adventuring Party Rolls In

This year, we’re leveling up our coverage with more gear, more content, and a better plan than ever.

• Julia Press Simmons – leading editorial and graphics, coordinating daily drops.

• Braheim Gibbs  – man of a thousand interviews and GoPro chaos.

• Corey Floyd – bringing that trivia heat and gamer energy to the floor.

• Nik Starks – creative director, lens wizard, and lowkey fashion icon.

• Jamal Stokes – art director and photographer extraordinaire.

• Enjin Black Hart – the editing machine making sure every moment hits your feed fast.

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Together, we’re turning con coverage into an art form. Expect live footage, short-form videos, photo galleries, and post-show deep dives across all our platforms.

PAX Unplugged is more than a convention; it’s a community checkpoint. It’s where indie dreamers share tables with industry titans, where laughter echoes louder than competition, and where storytelling connects us all.

For Amerime, it’s also home turf. We’re here to represent, celebrate, and roll initiative on every opportunity to show that Black nerd culture belongs at the table—literally and figuratively.

So, if you’re at PAX, come find us. We’ll be the loud ones near the dice tower, laughing too hard, filming too much, and loving every minute of it.