Warhorn Looking For New Management
Warhorn is one of the oldest online convention program tools in existence. Founded in 2002, it has hosted registration and signups for many small gaming conventions, as well as serving as an invaluable free resource for local gaming groups to post game listings.
Brian Moseley, its creator and maintainer, posted a message to Warhorn’s public Discord server on April 13 which begins:
hi everybody. I've decided to shut down Warhorn.
Moseley explained that Warhorn was a passion project for which the passion has evaporated:
I launched the first version of warhorn in 2002. it's been part of my life for more than 20 years. it was a tremendous way for me to improve my software engineering craft, and it allowed me give back to a hobby and community that were at one time very important to me.
as I've gotten older, my interests have changed. I don't get the same pleasure from hacking on software on nights and weekends anymore. and I haven't played a tabletop rpg in probably 15 years. warhorn doesn't represent who I am anymore - it's a memento of an earlier time in my life. and so I've decided to move on from it.
Moseley had investigated possible opportunities for handing Warhorn over to an organization that could sustain it long-term, but never found the right fit. The right fit would be:
[…] an individual or nonprofit whose motivation is community welfare. I will not give warhorn to anybody who just wants to fold it into some gross corporate machine, plaster ads all over it, or spam the users. so if that's your angle, don't bother reaching out.
Moseley estimated that Warhorn had “a month or two” to live. However, a little more than 24 hours later, he said:
thanks for all the kind words, everyone. they're deeply appreciated. it's great to hear that i accomplished what i set out to do - put something into the world to help people connect and have fun
a lot of people have expressed interest in helping take warhorn forward in some way. far more than expected. it's going to take me some time to work through all of those conversations and decide on next steps. please be patient with me
truly humbled by this response!
Potential caretakers who would like to join the chorus of offers can reach out to info@warhorn.net or @bcm on Discord.
In Brief
Neo Anime Oasis, Smallville Comic Con, and Cosplacon have all announced that they will hold no further events.
AnimeNEXT will not be holding a 2024 event, per a message to social media blaming to “circumstances that brought planning for our 2024 convention to a screeching halt”. The message implies there will be a 2025 event. The circumstances appear unrelated to its dramatic break with a previous facility in 2022.
Paris est Ludique is also skipping 2024, due to trouble finding a venue for this year. Although no specific reason is given for the trouble, it is likely due to the reshuffling of events caused by the summer Olympics landing in Paris this year.
Glasgow 2024 is holding an online town hall event about the Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards on April 20. Attendance is free but questions must be submitted in advance here. Tickets are available at Eventbrite, and the town hall will also be streamed on YouTube.
The NeverEnding Fantasy Con (London, May 31-June 1) has added Frank Lenart and Ron Hone as guests.
Tampa Bay Comic Convention (Tampa, Florida, August 23-25) has added Billy West, Shantel Vansanten, and Sonny Strait as guests.
Tuscon Comic-Con (Tucson, Arizona, August 30-September 1) has added Jamal Igle as a guest.
FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 26-28) has added Priscilla Presley, Rebecca Mader, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Melissa Gilbert as guests.
Event Calendar
Weekend of April 19-21
Concinnity 24, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
ConStellation 13: So Say We All, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
Les Intergalactiques, Lyon, France
Just added: FantaSci 2024/1632 Minicon, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Roscon-2024, Moscow, Russia
HAL-CON 2024, Kawasaki City, Japan
Swancon 2024, Perth, Australia
2024 Fandom Fest, Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA
JordanCon (fantasy literature), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
FilKONtario (music), Markham, Ontario, Canada
Furry Down Under 2024: Furbidden Planet (anthropomorphic), Surfers Paradise, Australia
Clockwork Alchemy: Aetheric Ocean (steampunk), San Mateo, California, USA
Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA
HandyCon 12 (gaming), Milton Keynes, UK
Farmageddon XI (gaming), Farmer City, Illinois, USA
Ragnarok 4.0 (gaming), Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Rising Phoenix GameCon, Milford, Massachusetts, USA
MEPACON (gaming), Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
D8 Summit Charity Convention (gaming), Dixon, Illinois, USA
Mayhem Gaming Convention, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada
TAGCON (boardgames), Pasco, Washington, USA
Nashville Tabletop Day 2024 (boardgames), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Little Wars 2024: First to Fight (miniatures gaming), Lombard, Illinois, USA
VGM Con (videogames/music), Plymouth, Minnnesota, USA
CoMo Retro Con (retro video games), Columbia, Missouri, USA
J-Tsoon5 (anime), Talinn, Estonia
Naoki Convention (anime), Eschweiler, Germany
Mobile Bay Anime Festival, Daphne, Alabama, USA
Overload (anime), Auckland, New Zealand
Sci-Fi on the Rock 16 (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
Sci-Fi Scarborough (media), Scarborough, UK
Yellow City Comic Con, Amarillo, Texas, USA
Fangaea (media), Mission Valley, California, USA
Galactic Diversity & Inclusivity Convention (media/space), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Weekend of April 26-28
RavenCon 17, Richmond, Virginia, USA
Olamot, Tel Aviv, Israel
OmegaCon (relaxacon), Siren, Wisconsin, USA
Ice and Fire Convention (Song of Ice and Fire series), Mt. Sterling, Ohio, USA
Penguicon 2024 (sf/open source), Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
Malice Domestic 36 (mysteries), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Maine Cosplay Extravaganza, Portland, Maine, USA
UBCon XXXIII (gaming), Buffalo, New York, USA
San Marino Game Convention, San Marino
Cheyenne Gaming Convention, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA
DaveCon (gaming), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada
Fun K-Town (boardgames), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Recon 2024: Rapid Deployment Forces (miniatures gaming), Kissimmee, Florida, USA
LVL UP EXPO (video games), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
LAN All Night IX: The LAN Before Time (LAN gaming), Grapevine, Texas, USA
Oz-Con (anime), West Plains, Missouri, USA
Mang’Azur (anime), Toulon, France
Harucon (anime), Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria
LoboCon (anime), Rohnert Park, California, USA
Castle Point Anime Convention, Seacaucus, New Jersey, USA
Anime St. Louis, St. Charles, Missouri, USA
MondoCon 2024 (anime), Budapest, Hungary
ExpOtaku Vitoria-Gasteiz 2023 (anime), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Ithacon 2024 (comics), Ithaca, New York, USA
Causeacon (media), Beckley, West Virginia, USA
GAP-CON (media), Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania, USA
Central Texas Comic Con, Waco, Texas, USA
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Fayetteville Comic Con, Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
Weekend of May 3-5
DemiCon 35: Once More, With Feeling!, Urbandale, Iowa, USA
HELIOsphere, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
AtomaCon 2024, North Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Garden State Fur the Weekend (anthropomorphic), New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
ChupacabraCon X (gaming), San Marcos, Texas, USA
WagonCon 7 (gaming), The Dalles, Oregon, USA
Heroicon (gaming), Decatur, Illinois, USA
Zomerspel (gaming), Merelbeke, Belgium
Buckeye Game Fest, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Savage Geek Fest (gaming), Savage, Maryland, USA
Festival Alchemie du Jeu (gaming), Toulouse, France
Congress of Gamers Spring Session, Rockville, Maryland, USA
Gaming Hoopla 2024, Mundelein, Illinois, USA
LoBsterCon XXVI (boardgames), Eastbourne, UK
Richmond Open (miniatures gaming), Doswell, Virginia, USA
Final Boss Con (video games), Rio Grande, Ohio, USA
Mega Spring Meltdown (gaming), Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
Games Fair 2024, Auckland, New Zealand
Kogaracon (anime), Edison, New Jersey, USA
Just added: Anime Onsen, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Pokheimon Festival, Heimsbrunn, France
Northern FanCon (media), Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
Saratoga Comic Con, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA
Pixies Street Con (media), York, South Carolina, USA
Crypticon Seattle (horror media), Seatac, Washington, USA
Weekend of May 10-12
ColoniaCon 25, Köln, Germany
SFeraKon 2024, Zagreb, Croatia
Das Frühlingsfest der Filksmusik 2024 (music), Hanstedt, Germany
Furry Weekend Atlanta: Furry University 2, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
LinCon (gaming), Linköping, Sweden
Pinecon (gaming), Druskininkai, Lithuania
IberAnime, Lisboa, Portugal
North Star (sf RPGs), Sheffield, UK
Lan ETS (LAN gaming), Montréal, Québec, Canada
Anime Town Utah, Sandy, Utah, USA
WasabiCon NOLA (anime), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Otafest 2024 (anime), Calgary, Alberta, Canada
FedCon (media), Bonn, Germany
SiestaCon (media), Sarasota, Florida, USA
Mountain Mania (gaming), East Burke, Vermont, USA
Fantasy Basel (media), Basel, Switzerland
Portsmouth Comic Con, Portsmouth, UK
Horrorcon UK (media), Sheffield, UK
Sunshine City Scare (horror media), St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
FrankenCon 2024 (horror media), Alcoa, Tennessee, USA
Weekend of May 17-19
Marcon 59, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Keycon 40: Choose Your Own Adventure!, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Mephit Mini Con 25: Dia de Muertos (anthropomorphic), Kirchen/Sieg, Germany
Furpile (anthropomorphic), Łódź, Poland
Furry Weekend Holland: In the Deep Forest, Baarlo, Netherlands
ZodiaCon 2024: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (anthropomorphic), Horní Bradlo, Czechia
Chupacabracon X (gaming), San Marcos, Texas, USA
CanGames, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Play (gaming), Modena, Italy
Geekway to the West 2024: Geekway to the 7 Seas (gaming), St. Charles, Missouri, USA
Sioux City Game Con Spring 2024, Sioux City, Iowa, USA
Drums at the Rapids (historical miniatures), Perrysburg, Ohio, USA
Huzzah! Con 2024: Huzzah Goes Hollywood (miniatures gaming), Portland, Maine, USA
Sand Wars 2024 (historical miniatures), Mesa, Arizona, USA
Air Con 2024 (air-themed gaming), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Tokyo Alley 12: Adventure (anime), Perth, Australia
Anime Central, Rosemont, Illinois, USA
CloverCon (anime), Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA
Beta Quest (anime), Kingsland, Georgia, USA
Metrotham Con Episode V: The Magical World of Metrotham (media), Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Tidewater Comicon, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Comic Con Revolution, Ontario, California, USA
CradleCon (media), Garden City, New York, USA
Geek Days Lille (media), Lille, France
East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Great Mills Comicon, Great Mills, Maryland, USA
Spooky Empire (horror media), Orlando, Florida, USA
Seaquestria Fest (My Little Pony), Ocean City, Maryland, USA
Coda
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