When Hank Edley walked into the Baird Center, he almost immediately knew he was moving his wildly popular AdeptiCon to the Downtown Milwaukee convention and exhibition center.
“I knew within five minutes this was going to be the new home for AdeptiCon,” says Edley, who co-organizes the event with Matthias Weeks and Jeff Chua. “We were wowed by the facility. It had the vibe and layout we wanted – and was four times larger.”
AdeptiCon is a tabletop gaming convention, particularly known for its focus on miniature wargaming, and it's the biggest of its kind in North America. The four-day extravanganza hosts a wide array of events, tournaments, seminars and vendor spaces.
AdeptiCon 2025 takes place Wednesday, March 26 through Sunday, March 30 at the Baird Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave.
This year, AdeptiCon will host almost 1,500 events predominately miniature games and tournaments, but also will include a vast selection of hobby seminars, classes, demos, team trivia and social gatherings. In addition, AdeptiCon hosts a large vendor hall with over a hundred exhibitors.
“It’s more than just playing games, it’s celebrating the whole hobby,” says Edley.
The vendor hall is free and open to the public, a rarity in conventions. “We don’t charge people or families to spectate or shop,” says Edley. “This is a great opportunity to check out the hobby.”
AdeptiCon will collaborate with many local talents and businesses, including Old Guard Games, a two-story gaming store and gathering space that opened last May on Milwaukee’s East Side.
“I’ve been in a lot of gaming stores over the years, and Old Guard is one of the best for miniature gaming,” says Edley. “It exists for the right reasons. Not just to turn sales and make money, but to promote play and community.”
Started in 2003, AdeptiCon originated in suburban Chicago as a 110 person event and, last year, hosted more than 8,000 attendees. The Baird Center will be its fifth venue since its debut.
Milwaukee hosted GenCon, North America’s largest and longest-running tabletop gaming convention, from 1985 to 2003. The convention moved to Indianapolis and remains there today.
“Milwaukee has a rich history having hosted GenCon for so many years,” says Edley. “A lot of nerd culture goes on in Milwaukee and we’re just looking to come and enhance that.”
For more information about Adepticon 2025, go here.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
