April 30, 2025

Just wanted to update people on ticket sales for this November's BottosCon. To date, 44 tickets have been sold leaving 81 tickets remaining. On a different note, we think we have found a way to provide a discount for families and couples. Please contact me for the code. 

April 21, 2025

Hi folks, apologies for the delay in this update. Registration for this November's 18th BottosCon is off to a good start, so thank you. 

When you register, please don't be put off by the higher prices - these reflect the full cost of a ticket if you do not register early. The hotel increased our costs by 20%. The discount codes are at the bottom opf the page. So if you register by May 31, you will get the best discount. 

https://bottoscon.ticketspice.com/bottoscon2025

For couples and families, until we can figure out how to allow for multiple coupon discounts, please contact me directly at bottosconpayments@gmail.com 

You might initially think t-shirts are free, you need to click on the button and youy can then select your size. There has been a slight cost increase in our 3XL, XLT, and 2XLT options. 

In light of the current trade war with the US, many of us have been making the choice to support Canadian businesses. I have spoken with our merchandise supplier, neither our t-shirts or mugs are sourced from the US. That said, they also are not sourced in Canada, China most likely. 

The cut off for merchandise orders is September 30, 2025.

If you need a hotel room, we have a convention rate once again, and you will need to contact the hotel directly. Please be sure you let them know you are there for November's BottosCon. You can find the rates at our hotel tab. 

The cut off date for the convention room rate is September 29, 2025. If you experience any problems getting this rate, please get in touch with me and I will speak with the hotel. 

I am pleased to announce that after sending our very own Kendrick Bradley in to negotiate for us, we will once again have food table service and additionally we will have a dedicated server to take food and beverage orders throughout the day. 

The hotel has offered to create BottosCon signature drinks, please stay tuned for further details. 

There will be a soft cap of 125 attendees, but just like last year there will be adittional ticklets available as long as space allows. 

Thats it for now. Thank you once again for supporting BottosCon. 

March 31, 2025

Thank you to everyone who registered for this June's BottosCon Spring session. In barely a month's time we managed to sell out the event. I'll also give people a head's up regarding our November session of BottosCon. Tickets will go on sale this April 15, 2025. Just like last year, the sooner you register, the greater the discount you will receive. Unlike last year I will not be puitting a cap on 4 day passes. There will be a soft cap of 125 to allow us to see how spacing is. Once we get the lay of the land, the final 25 spots will go up for sale. 

February 27, 2025

We're three days into registration for BottosCon Spring session and we've already sold the required 42 passes for the event to happen. With only 38 passes remaining, don't wait too long to register as once we sell out, that's it. 

February 24, 2025

Allan is in the process of setting up a new electronic payment system for Bottoscon. We will be using Spring session to test this system out. This means when you register you will also pay for your pass. This means you will nolonger have to wait for an invoice, and I won't have to track people down for payment. Until the page goes live, payment can be sent via e-transfer to bottosconpayments@gmail.com for local residents. For our American cousins, please use paypal to the smae e-mail address. Cost for a ticket is $50. Students 25 and under, with proof of said status are $40.

February 20, 2025

Eighteen years ago, a local tradition and a community was born when 32 like minded people came together for a weekend of cameraderie and boardgaming. On June 13-15, 2025, come be part of a new tradition and help build our community. Please join us at the Royal city Curling Club in the Royal City of New Westminster, B.C. for 3 days of gaming. This event will run very similar to our regular November BottosCon except it will be more laiser faire and will only be THREE days. As this event is taking place in a licensed lounge, people will have the option to order a cold one to enjoy while gaming, we will also be able to order food from the kitchen. All are welcome. Just as we do for our fall session, attendees will be able to include a donation for the local foodbank with their registrstion. Due to space requirements attendance will be limited to 80 people. Registration will commence Monday February 24, 2025. Please check this page on Monday for registrtion cost and payment details. For this event to take place, I will need 40 people to register. 

February 3, 2025

In light of the current state of affairs between Canada and the US, many Canadians who would normally attend a gaming convention south of the border are cancelling those plans and looking to attend local events in Canada. With that in mind, I agreed to organize an additional BottosCon session for this coming June.

Ideally I would like the dates of June 6-8, 2025. I have contacted the Inn at the Quay to see if the Hyack Room is available. If this is not available I will find an alternate location. This event will run very similar to our regular November BottosCon except it will only be 3 days.

Exact minimum attendance to be determined.

January 29, 2025

Hey folks, just a heads up. I've met with the hotel to see what our new rates will be for next year - they are going up and the hotel nolonger does multi-year contracts. Hotel rooms are also going up in price.

Currently waiting to hear about table service and if the hotel is amenable to the suggestions we made to improve service. I'm meeting with my team and once we crunch the numbers we'll be able to let everyone know what the costs will be for this year.

November 15, 2024

Well BottosCon 2024 is a wrap and I'd like to thank my staff and everyone who attended for helping to make this the most successful BottosCon to date. Over 170 people expressed interest in attending and in the end we had just shy of 150 people in attendance. Our 3 youngest attendees were 7.5 - but as he reminded me he was almost 8, 12, and 14. The person who travelled the furthest to join us was Ken Guerin from Massachusets, and the second furthest goes to Art Brochet who flew in from Hawaii. We had representation from 5 of 10 Canadian Provinces, and 4 of 50 States. This year we raised just shy of $900 for the Share Societies Tri-Cities Food Bank. So thank you again everyone. Keep an eye on this site for news of next year's dates. 

October 9, 2024

Hey folks, earlier this year I applied for a job with Canada Post and my security clearance finally came through. As luck would have it, I begin my training on October 28 and it runs till November 13th. While i know the hours of my training in week 1, during week 2 my day could end as early as 1pm or as late as 7pm. With that in mind, I have had to cancel the games I am running on those days. I apologise for the inconvenience, but it seems the real world trumps  running BottosCon.

Have no fear, Allan Noordvyk, Brendan Reid, Richard Africa Byron Salahor and Rick Smith will be there in my stead. If there are any issues, please see one of them and they have the authority to resolve the issue. I will be on site sometime around 8pm on both Thursday and Friday.

I will hold off on my annual greeting till Saturday morning.

With one month and a day till the convention, we are completely sold out. We have 6 people on the waiting list.

   October 3, 2024

To all Bottoscon game hosts: Allan is starting to work out the convention floor layout and assign tables. Please double check your entries on the Organize a Game sheet to ensure you've selected a table big enough for your game needs. The table dimensions are given in the Play surfaces tab in both metric and imperial. It will be nearly impossible to change tables during the convention as the schedule looks to be pretty packed. P.S. We reserve the right to upgrade your table request if needed. 

September 17, 2024

In past years the convention has wrapped up by 5pm on Sundays. This year, with monday being November 11th, we will have the gamibnng area till 7pm. This means that by 6:30pm we will need to start packing up our games so we can be out of the hall by 7pm. Thank you.

September 6, 2024

Unclaimed ASL passes were released for general sale on September 1 and were immediately applied to those who were already on our  waiting list. So, once again, we are sold out. Those wishing to attend may still register but you will be placed on our waiting list. Should a spot open up, you will be contacted and we will need to know if you still wish to attend, otherwise if we don't hear from you, we will move on to the next person on the waiting list. 

If you are planning to stay at the hotel, the deadline to reserve a room at the convention rate is September 29, 2024. When you call the hotel you must tell them you are there for BottosCon and want the convention rate. ***rates are listed on our hotel page tab.***

At last year's convnetion we were charged a 20% gratuity by the hotel as we did not order any food or drink. This year attendees will have the ability to order food and drink directly to their table on Friday and Saturday. As long as a minimum number of lunches and dinners are ordered on those days, there will be no gratuity added to the convention's bill. Exact details will be forthcoming.

Lastly, game submissions will be locked down on October 17, 2024 so that tables can be assigned. Games not receiving the mininum number of players may not be assigned a table if we have more games tables requested than table space available. 

July 9, 2024

BottosCon 2024 is now sold out other than passes reserved for the Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) tournament.  Any new non-ASL people who register will be added to the wait list and will be contacted if passes become available due to cancellations. Any ASL passes not sold by August 31 will be released back for general sale on September 1, 2024. 

July 1, 2024

Effective today, Basic 3 Day passes are now $80, and 4 Day Extended passes are $100. This discounted price is good until August 31, 2024. On September 1, 2024 the cost for a pass will increase $5.00. Final price increase of $5.00 takes effect October 15, 2024. 

   June 27, 2024

With only 133 days left until the convention and 3 days until the end of the early bird discount, only 34 attendee passes remain. 

April 1, 2024

Registration for BottosCon 2024 is now open, and off to a good start. Once you register, within approximately 48 hours, you will receive a payment invoice from bottosconpayments@gmail.com - please make sure this email is in your contact list so it does not end up in your spam folder. Upon receipt, payment is due within 2 weeks. If payment is not received, and you have not contacted convention staff to make arrangements, your registration will be cancelled. 

Secondly, last year the convention experimented with allowing attendees to pre-pay their parking. Between the hotel over selling parking spaces, and then having to spend the better part of 3 days trying to track down payment from those who signed up for parking but did not pay, neither myself nor my staff are willing to subject ourselves to this added frustration; as a result we will not be offering this option this year. Attendees are soley responsible for thier own parking arrangements at this year's convention. 

Thank you.

March 16, 2024

The hotel has changed both how much of a deposit they requite, and when the deposit must be paid. A deposit of $900 must be paid by June 30. So with that in mind, registration for BottosCon 2024 will commence April 1, 2024. 

In order to encourage registration for BottosCon 2024, we have gone to a graduated registration process. Registration cut offs are June 30, August 31, and October 15, 2024. See Registration page for details. Convention refund policy has also been updated. We have added an In Memorium page to recognise those BottosCon attendees who are nolonger with us. Can't wait for BottosCon? We have added a Convention page with links to other conventions in the area. 

September 12, 2023

All 4 day passes have been sold. There are 16 regular passes remaining. 

If you are not staying at the hotel, but still require parking, discounted passes can be purchased ahead of time. Discounted parking is $12.90/day. You need to email me at bottosconpayments@gmail.com.  I will need to know how many passes you require, and then you need to send me payment. Each day upon arrival at the convention, you will pick up your parking pass from the front desk. Apologies for not icluding this as part of registration, there was a miscommunication from the hotel. 

  August 27, 2023

The following local game designers will be in attendance at this year's BottosCon. 

Kerry Anderson, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/1124/kerry-anderson

Allan Noodvyk, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/103889/allan-noordvyk/linkeditems/boardgamedesigner

Geoffrey Phipps, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/77073/geoffrey-phipps

Michael Resch, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/6565/michael-resch

Brian Train, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/1678/brian-train

Ian Weir from Red Sash Games, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/4287/ian-weir

Mark Woloshen, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/8068/mark-woloshen

August 17, 2023

Extended passes for Thursday November 2 are now sold out. 

28 Regular 3 day passes remain. 

   August 2, 2023 

“Blockhead Bivouac”

Wayne Skipper, Kevin N., Tony L. will be co-hosting a Blockhead Bivouac table for the whole four days of BottosCon 2023. The three of them together have well over a dozen block format games from Columbia so our table will feature their games but if you have other great block format games from GMT, Worthington, Stephen Newberg or Vento Nuovo please consider bringing those along to host a game or two.

Kevin, Tony and Wayne have not finalized their game offerings but tentatively Kevin will be hosting West Front and Wayne will be hosting a four-handed version of Pacific Victory and/or an up to seven-handed version of Columbia’s upcoming Napoleonic grand strategy game “Alliance” - provided Columbia releases it in time for BottosCon! If you are looking for a table - there definitely would be space for you on the Blockhead Bivouac table as well! Tony also owns the Rommel game so perhaps you two could share some of your winning stratagems with him…

Other games potentially on offer would be Caesar, Napoleon, Quebec 1759, War of 1812, Liberty, Shenandoah, Crusader Rex, Richard III, Hammer of the Scots, Combat Infantry West Front, Combat Infantry East Front.

Please consider dropping by the Blockhead Bivouac table sometime during BottosCon. Kevin, Tony or I will be there to help host, play, learn, teach some great block games.

July 16, 2023

Registrations for BottosCon 2023 are picking up. There are now 58 spaces remaining, broken down as follows.

Extended Passes remaining 16.

Regular Passes remaining 42. 

For those needing a hotel room, we have a block of 30 rooms reserved. 10 Quay Queens, 10 Quay Kings, and 10 Quay Queen/Queens. Our block of rooms and our convention rate is only good until SEPTEMBER 29.  So, be sure to book your room early. 

May 3, 2023

Registration for BottosCon 2023 is live. This year BottosCon will run for 4 days - Thursday through Sunday.  Thursday's attendance will be limited to 75 attendees as we only have the Hyack Room and not the breakout rooms for Thursday. Attendees still have the option to only attend from Friday through Sunday. An Extended Pass is $95 and a regular pass is $75. For copuples and family rates, please contact Rob @ bottosconpayments@gmail.com

April 8, 2023

BottosCon 2023 registration is nearly here.

To secure your spot, use the registration form.

May 2, 2023

Registration for BottosCon 2023 went live on May 1. This year attendees have the option to purchase an extended pass and attend BottosCon and attend from Thursday November 2, 2023 through Sunday November 5, 2023. If unable to attend for 4 days, the standard 3 day pass can still be purchased. 

August 9, 2021

Hey everyone, the hotel is wanting a firm commitment from us even though we don't know what stage 4 of the pandemic re-opening plan will look like.

In order to secure our dates, the hotel is requiring a $500 deposit which needs to be paid by the end of August. So with that in mind I will be opening registration up effective Saturday August 14, 2021.

Our contract will still allow me to cancel should covid restrictions not be relaxed or if we fail to get enough registered attendees.

Originally I was going to hold off on collecting payment, but now that the hotel wants a deposit, I need to collect registration fees.

For whatever reason, should the event be cancelled due to covid, or lack of registrants, refunds will be issued, less any fees charged by either paypal or e-transfer should there be any fees.

As stated previously, registration for this year is limited to only those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. For those Americans who wish to attend, you will be required to meet entry requirements into Canada, and are responsible for any covid-19 tests that the Canadian Government requires for entry.

Attendance is limited to the first 100 paid attendees + convention staff.

In order for the event to proceed I will need 65 paid attendees to ensure that our costs are covered.

Convention attendees are expected to follow any Covid 19 safety precautions that the hotel has in place for when they are outside of the convention area.

Due to our reduced attendance and the need to ensure that we are able to cover our costs, there will be no single day passes available this year.

Couples, and families can contact me directly if they need any special rate considerations.

Details on how to register and pay will be posted later this week.

Please direct any questions to myself.

Thank you

Rob Bottos

July 12, 2021

September 7, 2021 Registration will Open

Registration for BottosCon 2021.

This year there are some new options you can select.

• ASL Tournament players can register for the convention and tournament in 1 step

• Discounted Student  pricing  (includes University students)

• Advance Food Bank Donations (in financial  form, only, of course)

We also tried to streamline things by asking for all the options information up front, including the other options for t-shirts and mugs, so we won't be pestering you multiple times.

Game scheduling will open shortly (we are making improvements based on your feedback).

OUT-OF-TOWNERS, DON'T FORGET TO BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM!

See you at the convention!