First-Timer’s Guide to OrcaCon

So, it’s your first time at OrcaCon and there’s a lot happening! We would like to welcome you and offer some first-timer tips. First up is important info. Next, some cool things you might not know that OrcaCon has going on. And lastly, games (of course) and how to play them! 

About OrcaCon

OrcaCon is a registered 501c3 and completely volunteer-run. We hope you enjoy your time at OrcaCon and meet lots of amazing people! You can join our Discord here – Join the OrcaCon Games Convention Discord Server! 

Doubletree by Seattle Airport aka Sea-Tac Information

OrcaCon’s home is one of the closest hotels to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (aka SeaTac).

    • ~18740 International Blvd, Seattle, WA 98188, USA
    • ~Parking is $16.00 per day (not including state and local taxes and fees) for OrcaCon attendees
    • ~Hotel Check-In is on the 1st floor
    • ~OrcaCon registration is on the 1st floor
 
Getting to OrcaCon via public transit

The Doubletree is easily reached by bus from Seattle, Tacoma, and the surrounding areas. If you can access the Sound Transit’s Light Rail, you can get off at the Seattle Airport Station and hop on the Rapid Ride bus to a stop right outside the hotel. 

Registration & What to Expect

When you get to OrcaCon, come into the hotel via the first floor. Walk to your left past hotel registration. At the hotel shop, turn right and walk down the long hall and OrcaCon registration will be right past the Coffee Stand Cafe. 

OrcaCon does not require masking, but for the safety of event attendees and hotel staff, we hope you will wear a mask in OrcaCon-designated spaces. We provide masks and hand sanitizer if you need them.

OrcaCon Badges

OrcaCon badges don’t come with your name on them. Instead, we have a station with sharpies so you can sign your name/nickname, and decorate them up yourselves! We also have pronoun ribbons and communication buttons, all free to you. Our volunteers can answer questions about these things. 

You can also stop by our Info Booth, which will have extra masks, plenty of information for directions and such. The Info Booth will also have a First Timer ribbon, so come by and get them a and say hello to our friendly volunteers!

Info Booth

Our Info Desk is on the first floor near Registration and Community Row. Friendly volunteers there will give you directions, hand out masks (if you need a new one), and answer any questions you have about OrcaCon or the surrounding area. The Info Desk also has free First Timer ribbons, so come by and say hello. We love welcoming newcomers!

OrcaCon Program 

The lovely 2026 Online Program Guide by our volunteer Jesse F. will be posted soon for you to download and print out if you wish!  You can see what it will look like by viewing the 2025 program here: https://bit.ly/Program2025OrcaCon

Online Event Schedule

All OrcaCon’s scheduled games and other events appear on our Tabletop.Events page. Here, you can see what’s happening when, sign up for games or workshops, and even post your own games and invite players.

 

There’s a lot on the schedule! To find specific games or events, you can sort and filter the list by type (Demo Game, Panel, Tournament, Workshop, etc.), start time, or name. You can search for specific events. You can see everything as a timeline. If you’re a spreadsheet junkie, you can even export the schedule as a .CSV file!

Special Guests

We are very excited to have Special Guests again at OrcaCon! You can visit our list of the 2026 Special Guests here:  https://www.orcacon.org/panels/special-guests/

Panels, talks, and events

When you’re not in a game, check out our Panel, Workshop, & Event rooms. Our Special Guests and other speakers have some great things planned, panels and workshops about the game industry, designing & developing games, the social aspects of gaming as a hobby, Actual Plays, crafting, Special Events, and more. Our full listing appears on our Tabletop.Events page — see the Online Event Schedule section above for more advice on using it.

Merchant Hall

OrcaCon has a great Merchant Hall with returning favorite vendors, and a few new ones joining us at this show. You’ll find games, game accessories, dice, art, books, and more! Our Merchant Hall is located in the Northwest Ballroom, which is located near the Info Booth. Our volunteers can point you to the ballroom! See our current 2026 list of Merchants here: https://tabletop.events/conventions/orcacon-2026/exhibitors

Community Row

We love Seattle area’s local communities, charities, and other non-profit organizations, so we feature some of the best at OrcaCon! You’ll find a mix of game groups, other local conventions, and charity organizations in Community Row. 

OrcaCon Merchandise

You can purchase official convention shirt in our OrcaCon booth in the Merchant Hall. We also have hoodies, playmats, dice, enamel pins, beanies, and more. You’ll see our booth right when you walk in the main Northwest Ballroom doors.

Quiet Room

Our Quiet Room (on the 1st floor in Olympic 1) offers puzzles, coloring books/pages, and a nice place to relax. View the rules for the Quiet Room here: https://www.orcacon.org/quiet-room-policy/

Comforts & Compassion

All our designated OrcaCon restrooms have Menstruation Stations and Scent-Free soap. Please let a volunteer know if you notice a restroom is running low on supplies — we’ll get it restocked!

And finally…GAME GAMES GAAAAAMES!!

We have SO many games! Here are the many ways you can play games at OrcaCon

Scheduled Games – All scheduled games and other events appear on our Tabletop.Events page. You’ll find all the scheduled games on our Tabletop.Events site — see the Online Event Schedule section above for more advice on using it.

If you need assistance at the con, find our Games Admin table in the first-floor main ballroom. The lovely volunteers will help you find games on the schedule and answer any questions!

Open Games Library – Also in the first floor ballroom is our library of free-to-play games, any of which you are welcome to check out games with our games volunteers. Take them to any official OrcaCon play spaces and bring them back when you are finished. You can find our current open play library catalog here: https://tabletop.events/conventions/orcacon-2026/library

Play & Win Library – Visit our Play & Win library to discover new games and possibly take one home! Our volunteers help you pick games, check them out, and then enter you in a drawing to possibly win the games you played. They can even teach you to play! Read more about Play & Win here: https://www.orcacon.org/play-win/

Demo Tables – We have several tables set aside for companies demoing their games! Our TableTop.Events schedule lists such demos under Demo Game – see the Online Event Schedule section above for more advice on using it.

These games are all walk-ups, though, so you don’t need to sign up for anything. Just drop by at your leisure. 

PlaytestNW – The awesome game designers  of PlaytestNW bring their new games to OrcaCon for testing. They’ll teach you their games and ask for your feedback. It’s a great way to meet some excellent folks and see games that are not into production yet. Find PlaytestNW in the first floor main ballroom.

Open Play tables – OrcaCon has open play tables in the main ballrooms and in some of the smaller ballrooms.

Note: At OrcaCon, we pride ourselves on being good neighbors, including to other people staying at the hotel. If you’re playing near hotel rooms or in a hotel atrium, please be considerate of other guests, especially to those who are not attending OrcaCon. If you’re playing at night, please play quietly so other folks can sleep!