On March 7 at 3 p.m. Eastern/noon Pacific, tickets for our inaugural SDHistCon North 2026 in Saint Paul, Minnesota will go on sale to the public. We’ll post the link to buy tickets on Conflicts of Interest Online and on our social media platforms then. Tickets are limited, and have gone very quickly for some of our past conventions, so plan to get them early if you want to make sure you can attend!
The convention will be held Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12, with some pre-convention activities on Friday, July 10 for those who want to get to the Twin Cities early. For extra details on what’s to come here, you can watch SDHist founder Harold Buchanan discuss the convention on Ardwulf’s Lair with Gary “Ardwulf” Mengle and Dan Pancaldi on Sunday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT:
You can also check out the wrap-up discussion of SDHistCon North 2026 from Winter Quarters with Harold, SDHist’s Jeff Dreher, Mike “Zilla Blitz” Smart, Mark Herman, and special guests Cole and Drew Wehrle:
Here’s more on what to expect from SDHistCon North 2026 in Saint Paul!
On Friday, July 10, you can join us at the confluence of the Minnesota River and the Mississippi River on a guided visit to Historic Fort Snelling. This National Historic Landmark resides on Dakota homeland with 10,000 years of history.
Other tours of local historical sites and museums (Mill City Museum, Minnesota History Center, Minneapolis Institute of Art and Weisman Art Museum for example) are in the works. We will discuss on the con Discord server and organize. Some may be subject to admission and guide charges if you choose to attend.
Friday evening we will host a reception near the convention – more on that as it develops!
On Saturday morning, we will move to the Union Depot Saint Paul (which has an interesting history itself) to play games and enjoy the depot. The gaming will continue on Sunday.
Cole Wehrle, Volko Ruhnke, Liz Davidson, Mark Herman, David Thompson, Sebastian Bae, Ananda Gupta, Dan Bullock, Kevin Bertram, and many other top designers are confirmed guests for this convention. They’ll be showing off their published and upcoming games.
The Union Depot is only eight miles (light rail available!) from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, not to mention surrounded by delicious restaurants and affordable hotels.
Registration for the convention is $90.This includes gaming at SDHistCon North Saturday and Sunday, as well as a chance to win prizes and games donated to SDHist by various publishers. Note that tickets are limited and registration is not refundable up to 30 days prior to the convention. Reservations can be transferred to another person any time up to 30 days prior to the convention start date with approval by SDHist.
This year’s convention will continue our tradition of hosting a compelling mix of historical game designers, publishers, influencers, prototypes, and gamers. You will have the opportunity to see, play, and discuss games at all stages of development, from prototypes to finished products. Designers will show off their newest ideas while publishers demo their new and forthcoming historical games.
Of course, there will also be game giveaways, silent auctions, and our world-famous honor code snack table! This is all in service of our core mission to create a diverse and supportive gaming community dedicated to playing, discussing, designing, and promoting historical tabletop games. Through this commitment, SDHist seeks to serve and grow the existing historical games community through the addition of new voices and perspectives.
THE UNION DEPOT SAINT PAUL
The convention will be located on the second floor of the Union Depot Saint Paul. Tables will be dispersed throughout the rooms. Address: 214 4th St E UNIT 120, St Paul, MN 55101
PARKING
Parking will be available at various locations nearby for a fee.
FOOD
Soft drinks, water and light snacks will be available for $1 each at the convention Saturday and Sunday.
A variety of options exist for meals. Depot food options (within walking distance) include 1881 Eating House, Lowertown Bike Shop and Coffee Station, but hours of operation vary. There are a number of restaurants in the city within walking distance. You may bring your own pre-packaged food and drinks with you to the event, but no pizza or takeout from a sit-down eatery.
HOTELS
There are many options to stay in the area within walking distance, including Hyatt Place St. Paul/Downtown, InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront, The Saint Paul Hotel and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St Paul Downtown.
Thanks for considering attending our inaugural SDHistCon North convention! If you have questions, please reach out to harold@sdhist.com.