It’s odd to think of Spring being in the air when we just rolled into February.

But I can’t help look forward to Spring when I think about the SaltCon Spring event coming up in one month!

Regular followers of our family board game reviews will be familiar with us sharing about the SaltCon game convention each year.

With the popularity of board games skyrocketing over the past decade, board game conventions have likewise grown in popularity. Chances are you can find one near you with a quick online search.

And SaltCon Spring is the board game convention I attend every year in Layton, UT. It’s local and it’s a lot of fun.

It also gets bigger every year and this year they anticipate over 2,500 attendees to the 4-day Spring event.

Due to demand, SaltCon also host 3 other events throughout the year. In January, they hosted SaltCon Bryce (at Bryce Canyon). And later this year, there’s SaltCon Summer in June and SaltCon End of Summer in September (the last two also in Layton, UT).

SaltCon Spring is still the main event of the year and I’m already gearing up for it.

SaltCon Spring Math Trade

The first way I get ready for SaltCon Spring is by participating in the SaltCon Math Trade.

It starts by going through all my games and determining which games are ready to go to a new home. These include games that haven’t hit the table in years or always get passed over when pulling out games for game night.

But just because I haven’t played a game in years, doesn’t mean I automatically want to get rid of it. Yes, some games have sentimental value because of where or how I got a copy or because they’re tied to great events and memories. But others do just get forgotten.

And then there are those games that are on the fence every year.

I may not have played them in a long time, but with the right set of friends, they’ll be the perfect game to pull out. So I hang on to them for when the right moment strikes. Yes, I’m thinking of you Battlestar Galactica, Power Grid: The First Sparks, Steampunk Rally, Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar, Lords of Xidit, Mechs vs. Minions, Mission Red Planet, and Tobago.

Once I’ve come up with my list, I add it to the SaltCon Spring 2025 No-ship Math Trade geeklist on BoardGameGeek.com. This year, people have until February 10 to add games they want to trade to the list. After that, the submissions are locked in and participants then start building their Want Lists. This is the process of determining which of the games you put up for trade you’re willing to trade for the certain games you want to receive.

Participants have one week to set those in place. Then after the deadline on February 17, the system takes over and the algorithms rule the world. It determines which of your games people want and which of your games you’ll give away to get the ones you want. It’s an awesome system and I love participating every year.

Last year I listed about 30 games for trade and ended up trading about 12. This year, I’m willing to part with more games and plan to list 40 to trade. I’m looking forward to seeing what I get in return!

Having this trade at the start of the year is a great way to force me to review my game collection at least once a year and evaluate which games need to get to the table more often.

 

Hot Games

The other part of SaltCon I get ready for are the Hot Games tables.

This is an area within the main gaming hall where they set aside dedicated game tables for specific games that so many people want to play – rather than having people jockey for those games from the game library. This way, these new and popular games can be experienced by a lot more people.

Volunteers stand ready to teach these games over and over. And they do a good job of helping people dive right in.

So I check out the list of games that will be at the Hot Games tables and make note of which of these games I really want to try out.

Of those listed this year, I’d love to play Gnome Hollow, Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game, River Valley Glassworks,  Cascadero, and Fromage.

 

Much More

While the Math Trade and Hot Games are things I like to do in advance of SaltCon Spring, the game convention offers so many additional fun events once you’re there.

These include Play to Win games, role playing games, figure painting, Artemis simulation, exhibitors halls, game swap, and the ever-packed game library to play whatever you’d like.

Last year was the first year I joined in an Artemis simulation. One year I also gave figure painting a shot. For that, they had someone in the room teaching the group about figure painting via a hands on experience.

And every year I spend time in the exhibitor hall talking to publishers about their latest games. But there are also a number of other exhibitors with all sorts of game accessories to get lost in.

Likewise, I frequent the game library throughout the days I’m there, looking for games I’ve been curious about playing. When I find one available, I check it out from the library and my friends and I dive into the game. And if it turns out to be one we really enjoy, we head into the game swap area and look for a used copy for sale.

Any way you slice it, SaltCon Spring is a great few days of gaming.

 
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