Following on from my chat with The People’s Guild Podcast, I want to open up a new conversation for the community with the following question.

What would it look like for Splinterlands to start attending conventions?

Why Conventions?

Splinterlands is already one of the longest-running and most established Web3 games. But outside of crypto and Hive circles, we’re still flying under the radar. Conventions could be a way to:

• Showcase the game in a live, exciting setting.
• Meet gamers face-to-face and help them onboard.
• Give our community a stronger IRL presence, beyond Discord and tournaments.
• Show that Splinterlands isn’t just digital cards — it’s a culture, a DAO, and a living ecosystem.

Why Now?

With the launch of Frontier mode, Splinterlands finally has a true free-to-play entry point. That makes conventions the perfect opportunity:

• New players can jump in instantly without upfront cost or being put off by blockchain
• Demos become smoother — we can showcase real gameplay without needing to sell a Spellbook first.
• Conventions can act as funnels into Frontier, with Spellbooks, promos, or packs as the next step.

If there was ever a time to experiment with convention outreach, now feels like prime time.

Key Considerations

How is it organised?

• Is it run by the Company?
• Is it a DAO initiative?
• Could it be a partnership with HiveDAO, representing not just Splinterlands but Hive gaming as a whole?

Who runs the booth?

• Official team members traveling to key conventions?
• Trained community reps in each region (local presence, lower costs)?
• Volunteers who are passionate about running a booth?

Costs

• Booth / stall fees.
• Travel & lodging.
• Equipment, banners, demo setups.
• Swag and promo material.
• Potential support from DAO(s) to offset costs.

Engagement & Incentives

• How do we make people stop, play, and sign up?
• Demo stations: Frontier quick matches or full-powered games.
• Signup bonuses: Spellbook promo, packs, or a unique convention-exclusive card.
• Incentives for volunteers:
  • Exclusive titles.
  • Packs, credits, SPS.
  • Free merch (shirts, hats, playmats).
  • Travel subsidies where possible.

Merch & Presence

Conventions are built on swag. Some ideas:

• Branded shirts, hoodies, hats.
• Playmats or card sleeves (popular with the TCG crowd).
• Promo packs or cards.
• Stickers, posters, lanyards for quick handouts.

Hive Connection

Splinterlands is Hive’s flagship game, but if HiveDAO wanted to get involved, we could potentially represent Hive eco system as a whole.

• Are there other Hive games that would want a seat at the table?
• Could Splinterlands booths double as Hive booths?

That could open up co-funding, cross-promotion, and a bigger impact.

Community Questions

So what do you think? Is now the right moment — with Frontier mode live — for Splinterlands to finally show up at conventions?

• Would you like to see Splinterlands represented at conventions in your area?
• Do you know of specific conventions (gaming, TCG, Web3, pop culture) that we should target?
• Would you be interested in helping run a booth at a local convention?
• What kind of incentives would make volunteering worthwhile (titles, packs, merch, credits)?
• Should this be a company, a DAO initiative, or something HiveDAO-linked?
• What do you imagine a Splinterlands convention booth experience to be like?

What next?

This is a post exploring the possible opportunity — just an idea, open for feedback. If it gets traction, we can refine the idea as a community and work on drafts until we eventually get to a point we think we can pass a formal SPS proposal.

I would love for more proposals to engage the community earlier and explore ideas together. I've done a post about my thoughts on how they could flow, and this is just one of the ideas I want to test using these principles.

So get involved, share your thoughts, and help shape whether we go to conventions and how!