Sonja Akright
Special Guest
Sonja is the Director at the Geneva Lake Museum, Curator of the Wizard of Lake Geneva exhibit and author of “The Lake Geneva Sanitariums”.
She is a lifelong resident of Lake Geneva and lover of all things games & gaming. Her introduction to playing D&D in middle school began with Ernie Gygax in 1985; when he was the DM in the basement of the Dungeon downtown.
She is a super supporter of those who celebrate games, gaming and the Gygax legacy in the community. Events and businesses such as EGG Con, Gaxland, Dragon Days Fantasy Festival, The Birthplace of D&D, Lake Geneva Games and the Wisconsin Historical Society’s “Wisconsin Adventures”.
Chris ARNESON
Special Guest
Chris Arneson is a freelance illustrator who grew up with a love for Dungeons & Dragons, especially its art. He has currently been doing much freelancing for Joseph Goodman, of Goodman Games, including work in many of their OARs, Original Adventures Reincarnated, on such iconic titles as The Temple of Elemental Evil, Castle Amber, Isle of Dread, The Lost City and currently The Dark Tower. Last year he had the honor of illustrating three cards for Luke Gygax and Gary Con's Deck of Many Things as well as the high honor of painting Gary Con XV's 2023 t-shirt design and promotional image. He graduated from UW Whitewater with a BFA in 1996 and has had the pleasure of working on such CCGs as Wheel of Time, World of Warcraft, Legend of the Five Rings, Legend of the Burning Sands, Doomtown, Rifts, and Warlord.
Chris was also guest at both EGG CON I and II
HEATHER ASHCRAFT
Special Guest
Heather “ValyGirl” Ashcraft is an RPG creative w/ 25+ years of experience in TTRPG & LARP writing, design, playtesting, GM-ing, & management. She’s also an RPG freelancer, social media streamer, video content creator, co-owner/creative at Pick Up & Go Games and Geeks Unplugged, cast member/GM for multiple streamed actual play groups, and an award-winning roleplayer. Heather is a lifelong gamer, an advocate for education, diversity and inclusion, and a proud LGBTQIA+ neurodivergent human who fully believes that #GamingIsForEveryone.
Heather was also guest at both EGG CON I and II
Heather was also guest at both EGG CON I and II
MIKE BADOLATO
Special Guest
Michael “Badmike” Badolato is best known for being co-founder (with Doug Rhea) of North Texas RPG Con, which will celebrate it’s 18th year in 2026. He is a longtime collector and dealer of rare and oop RPG items (selling online since 1994, one of the first to do so).
Badmike is an old school D&D advocate, and along with Charley Phipps and Thom Wilson has written and produced the Basic/Expert module series of old school dungeon crawls, writing the latest one (B1.5 Beneath the Unknown) by himself. Along with Erik Tenkar, he helped create and still co-hosts the Talking Crit show on Youtube, celebrating four years of not missing a week talking about the latest RPG news. Also, in his guise of “Satan”, he is the creator and ringmaster of the annual Midnight Auction at NTRPG Con, the less said about it the better…
MIKE CARR
Special Guest
Mike Carr began gaming as a teenager in the 1960s in Saint Paul, Minnesota where he met Dave Arneson and Dave Wesely – and became the first-ever Cleric in D&D. Through the International Federation of Wargaming (IFW) he met Gary Gygax, who encouraged him to self-publish his game “Fight in the Skies” through the IFW’s Wargame Inventors Guild. The game was published in 1976 as one of TSR’s first boxed games, and later as “Dawn Patrol” in 1982.
At Gary Gygax’s invitation, Mike joined TSR in 1976 and worked there until 1983. At TSR he wrote the B1 Module “In Search of the Unknown,” served as editor for the Monster Manual, Players Handbook and Dungeon Masters Guide, and wrote the Endless Quest book “Robbers & Robots” that sold over 250,000 copies. He also edited Gygax and Arneson’s Napoleonic naval rules “Don’t Give Up the Ship!” and earned credit as co-author.
Mike attended the first Gen Con on August 24th, 1968 at Horticultural Hall and after Gary Gygax’s welcoming remarks, ran the first event, a “Fight in the Skies” game. Mike is the only person who has attended every Gen Con and his “Dawn Patrol” game is the only one that has been played there every year.
Mike's current project is a rhyming book for children ages 4-9 entitled "Girls & Boys Love Great Big Toys," which he plans to self-publish, preceded by a Kickstarter campaign. The 48-page book features 19 different "great big toys" like monster trucks, hot air balloons, sailboats, motorcycles, snowmobiles and many more, each spanning a two-page spread with accompanying rhymes (46 stanzas in all). A retail version will be produced and sold, but the bulk of the books will be donated to charities like Toys for Tots, Ronald McDonald Houses, Bernie's Book Bank, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and others. For information, visit the web site greatbigtoys.com.
ANGELO CHIRIACO
Special Guest
DM Angelo has been a Dungeon Master since 1981, running old-school adventures with the same fire and grit that defined the earliest days of the hobby. He is the founder and host of The DM and Friends YouTube channel, where he and fellow veterans of the game dig into Greyhawk lore, classic modules, and the art of being a better dungeon master.
DM Angelo also has a one-eyed cat named Dash, who voted him as "Cat Dad of the Year," six years running.
Check out his channel The DM & Friends (DM Angelo) here!
DM Angelo also has a one-eyed cat named Dash, who voted him as "Cat Dad of the Year," six years running.
Check out his channel The DM & Friends (DM Angelo) here!