Whether you are a lifelong dungeon crawler, a competitive board gamer, or someone who just wants to learn something new, Comicpalooza has a table waiting for you. Find scheduled games, open play tables, tournaments, demos, prizes, and friendly people ready to teach you the rules.
Three ways to get into a game with no sign-up, no schedule and no experience needed. Walk up, pull out a chair, and someone will teach you.
Newcomer, seasoned veteran, or somewhere in between — every adventurer is welcome at the party. Scheduled role-playing sessions run all weekend, and pre-made characters are provided if you don't have one.
Browse and borrow from a library of several hundred titles. Join a session already in progress, or bring something you just bought in the exhibit hall and crack the shrink-wrap at a free table.
Unreserved tables set aside for whatever you want to run — a card game, a war game, a campaign you're mid-way through. Flip the "Looking for players" sign on your table and people will join you.
Fourteen competitive events on the 3rd Floor Balcony, run by Double Exposure's Envoy Program with their publisher partners. Win one and you don't just take home a trophy — you get a paid ticket to represent Texas at a national event.
Every tournament on the schedule is one of two types. The type decides what you're playing for, so check the tag before you sit down.
Nine events crown a Texas State Champion for a specific game. Win yours and you represent the state at the Southwest Regional Championships.
Five events feed straight into the National Championships. These are the fastest route from a Houston table to the biggest tabletop stage in North America.
Find a game on the schedule below. You can enter as many tournaments as you can physically fit in your weekend.
Tournament Desk, 3rd Floor Balcony. Sign in up to 30 minutes before start. Unclaimed seats go to the standby line at start time.
An Envoy walks the whole table through the rules first. You do not need to have played the game before.
Winners are announced at the table. Prizes and qualifying tickets are issued on the spot at the Tournament Desk.
| Game | Type | Day & time | Location | Seats left | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample Game A | State | Fri · 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM | Balcony, Table 1 | 6 of 16 | Sign up |
| Sample Game B | Gen Con | Fri · 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Balcony, Table 4 | 2 of 12 | Sign up |
| Sample Game C | State | Fri · 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Balcony, Table 2 | 9 of 16 | Sign up |
| Sample Game D | State | Fri · 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Balcony, Table 1 | Waitlist | Join waitlist |
| Sample Game E | Gen Con | Sat · 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Balcony, Table 4 | 11 of 12 | Sign up |
| Sample Game F | State | Sat · 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Balcony, Table 2 | 4 of 16 | Sign up |
| Sample Game G | State | Sat · 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Balcony, Table 3 | 1 of 16 | Sign up |
| Sample Game H | Gen Con | Sat · 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Balcony, Table 5 | 8 of 12 | Sign up |
| Sample Game I | State | Sat · 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM | Balcony, Table 1 | 13 of 16 | Sign up |
| Sample Game J | State | Sat · 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM | Balcony, Table 2 | 7 of 16 | Sign up |
| Sample Game K | Gen Con | Sun · 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Balcony, Table 4 | 10 of 12 | Sign up |
| Sample Game L | State | Sun · 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Balcony, Table 1 | 12 of 16 | Sign up |
| Sample Game M | State | Sun · 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Balcony, Table 3 | 5 of 16 | Sign up |
| Sample Game N | Gen Con | Sun · 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Balcony, Table 5 | 9 of 12 | Sign up |
Placeholder data. Game titles, times, tables and seat counts are samples to show the layout. Swap in the confirmed lineup from Double Exposure before launch. Note: the current live page cites CharCon 2025 and Gen Con 2025 — those years need updating.
Play a game from the Play-to-Win shelf, put your name on the sheet, and you could take that exact game home for free.
There's no entry fee and no limit — play ten games, get ten entries. Never done it before? Ask any Play-to-Win specialist in the hallway and they'll walk you through it. All prize support comes from Double Exposure's Envoy Program and their publisher partners.
Talks, workshops and meetups for tabletop players. The 2027 schedule posts in April — here's what ran last year to give you a feel.
| Panel | Focus | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Adventurers Needed! D&D Battle Gallery | Tabletop gaming | 360 CF |
| DnD 201: Leveling Up Your Game | Workshop | 340 |
| Dungeons & Dragons: Narrative Campaigns and Characters | Workshop | 340 |
| Family Game Night: Kidtopia | Tabletop gaming | 1st Floor, Hall D |
| Hero Trivia, Anime Trivia, X-Men Jeopardy | Trivia | 330 |
| K-Pop Demon Hunters Bingo | Bingo | 330 (ADA, Film & more) |
| Dagorath LARP | Live action role-play | Outdoor plaza |
Two experiences that get you out of your chair.
Adventurers are needed. Following a shortage of skilled adventurers, the D&D training program is now in session — a short, hands-on combat demo for anyone curious about how the game actually plays.
Fantasy medieval warfare with foam weapons. War drums and battle horns call all comers to help shape the lore — open to every age, heroes and villains and everyone in between. Gear is provided; no experience needed.
If you need a break from cardboard, it's on the same floor.
Fighting-game tournaments and casual sets running throughout the weekend, with open setups between brackets.
Around 50 setups you can sit down at any time — console, PC and party games. Connect, unwind, jump into a casual match.
Authentic Japanese cabinets plus free-play retro consoles, from Smash-era classics backward.
Bought a game downstairs? Bring it up to the tabletop hallway and we'll find you players to open it with.
Support 100+ independent artists — custom die and figurines for gameplay.
Limited-edition shirts, pins, badges, and commemorative bags — while supplies last.
