Publisher Spotlight: Alex Kammer and Gamehole Publishing
Alex Kammer is the Executive Director of Gamehole Con, one of the largest tabletop gaming conventions and a destination event in Madison, Wisconsin for RPG and other game enthusiasts from all over the world. Alex is also an RPG publisher, a D&D collector, and a lifelong gamer. With another Gamehole Con just around the corner, we caught up with Alex to talk about the convention, publishing, and more.
What Is Gamehole Con?
Gamehole Con is an annual convention held in Madison, Wisconsin, that focuses on roleplaying games, board games, and miniature gaming (both historical
and fantasy). Wisconsin has strong connections to the history of tabletop gaming conventions. The first Gen Con took place in Lake Geneva in 1968. And, of course, Dungeons & Dragons was born in Wisconsin a few years later. After Gen Con moved to Indiana in 2003, Alex saw the need for a new convention in the Madison area.
Alex founded Gamehole Con in 2013, alongside friends from his own RPG group. The convention takes its name both from his game room (the original Gamehole) as well as the group of gamers who play there. From the very start, Gamehole Con has been about Alex trying to create the kind of convention that he and his friends would enjoy attending.
“We love gaming and specifically convention gaming. We do not care about making money and are far more interested in making sure that everyone has an awesome time and that we raise some money for our charity partners. That is why I believe we are growing so ridiculously fast. I think we have a very authentic and non-corporate feel.”
Now in its second decade, Gamehole Con has indeed grown into one of the most successful conventions of its kind in the world. Each year, attendees gather to play everything ranging from the current version of D&D, to vintage games from the early days of the hobby, to modern classics from a variety of publishers. There is also a big selection of board games to play, seminars to attend, and even collectible card games. The overall diversity of events is very high.
But large and successful doesn’t mean overwhelming. As Alex puts it, “Gamehole Con has all the experiences that one can find at Gen Con (killer vendor hall, thousands of games, and great events like True Dungeon) at a fraction of the cost and without the massive crush of people.”
Gamehole Publishing
In addition to organizing an annual convention, Gamehole Con also produces RPG modules and merchandise through Gamehole Publishing. One of the highlights of the convention is seeing the unique D&D-themed plushie Gamehole Publishing creates each year. Past examples have included a Blink Dog, a Bulette, and a Mimic. Each year’s plushie is designed by famed game artist, John Kovalic (Munchkin, Dork Tower).
Gamehole Publishing’s other contributors include Josh Hoyt, Alan Patrick, and best-selling author and creator of the Forgotten Realms, Ed Greenwood. As for Alex, his personal writing credits include Sea King’s Malice and Adventures in Zelkor’s Ferry for Frog God Games, as well as a number of contributions to DM’s Guild and a variety of other publishers.
Alex has high praise for his co-creators. When asked about working with Ed Greenwood, Alex says “Ed is a good friend. He is amazing. He and I collaborated on the Border Kingdoms book as well as Thay, Land of the Red Wizards. Both have been among the best sellers all time on the DM’s Guild. [Ed] is incredible to work with. He is explosively creative.”
Alex uses similar language when talking about Gamehole’s relationship with artist John Kovalic. As with the convention, it is very easy to see how much of what goes into Gamehole Publishing is a labor of love for Alex.
RPG Collecting
Another of Alex Kammer’s passions is his extensive D&D collection. Beginning with the original Chainmail game that preceded D&D and continuing through about the year 2000, Alex’s collection covers the gamut of what D&D’s original publisher created, and beyond. “My goal,” Alex explains, “was to have an original shrink copy of everything that TSR ever produced and I have accomplished that. That is my formal ‘collection’. I have hundreds of copies of other games that I do not formally collect, but merely own and enjoy.”
Much of Alex’s collection lives in the Gamehole itself. That is, within the game room where he and his friends gather to actually play D&D and other
games. The collection includes the original D&D woodgrain box, rare pieces from TSR, and a few one-of-a-kind items. According to Alex, one of the most unique pieces is “the original Forgotten Realms maps that Ed Greenwood sent to TSR.” Mounted, of course, behind glass on the ceiling of the Gamehole!
See You at Gamehole Con!
A variety of Gamehole Publishing items are always available here on Noble Knight Games’ website or at our brick-and-mortar store. But Noble Knight is also proud to be part of the vendor hall at Gamehole Con each year. Speaking from personal experience, Gamehole Con does a great job offering a big convention feel without being so large that it overwhelms attendees with massive crowds or long walking distances.
If you’re a fan of tabletop gaming and you get the chance, Gamehole Con is definitely worth checking out!
A Few Questions with Alex Kammer
How long have you been collecting Dungeons & Dragons? I guess I started as a kid as I was one of those that took care of their things. I still have my first copy of the AD&D Players Handbook that I bought in Portage, WI in 1984. But in terms of formal collecting, I started in the early 2000s.
How big is your collection? Are you still actively expanding it, or is it mostly “complete”? I have thousands of books and modules. I quite frankly do not know the total number. I am mostly complete at this point so I am not nearly as active as I was in terms of acquisition. That said, I frequently buy new RPGs and it seems that a Kickstarter box shows up once a week at my house.
How did Gamehole Con get such an unusual name? The Gamehole is the name of my game room and my gaming group. So, if the guys and I were going to go through all the time and effort of running a major convention, it could only have one name.
Why start a gaming convention in Madison? What was the inspiration? Madison is the gaming-est town in the world. We are very close to the birthplace of D&D and we have way more game store per capita than anywhere else. So, when Gen Con moved from Milwaukee, that created a huge void that my friends and I felt personally. We then decided to try and run the gaming convention that we ideally would like to attend. Thus came Gamehole Con.
Gamehole Con is entering its second decade. Anything you’re especially proud of? Any specific goals for the next 10 years? Man, we never had plans to do more than a couple of these, so it is wild that we are approaching year 11. Our goal with the show will continue to be as it always will be – to deliver an awesome tabletop gaming experience at a reasonable price and to celebrate this amazing hobby of ours with a few thousand of our closest friends.
Was publishing modules always the plan or did the idea develop over time? I was inspired to pick up the pen and start writing adventures when 5th edition D&D launched. It really energized me. That is what caused Gamehole Publishing to be created.
How many modules have you published? I have published 3 softbound modules for Gamehole Publishing; 2 hardbound books for Frog God Games; 2 hardbound Forgotten Realms books for DM’s Guild; several D&D Adventurers League adventures for the DM’s Guild, and many other smaller contributions and writing for a variety of other publishers.
Tell me about the plushies. Where did the idea come from? That was a silly idea I had while we were gaming one night in The Gamehole. I said out loud, how cool would it be if we produced an Owlbear plushie? After looking into it and meeting my now good buddy John Kovalic, who has graciously designed all of our plushies, it amazingly became a reality. We create a new one each year and the proceeds go to our charity partner. This year our plush is Rusty the Rust Monster.
Any other products or releases you’d like to highlight? We are about to launch a brand-new organized play program called Wardens of the Eastern Marches. We are quite excited about it. It will be a very fun program using 5th edition rules and set in our own setting. There will be lots of information about it at Gamehole Con this year, but the program will officially premier at Gamehole Con 2025.
What’s your favorite version of D&D? My favorite edition is a tie between 2nd and 5th edition.
Can you tell me about a great memory you had as an RPG convention attendee? Oh man. So many. Buying a signed and numbered copy of “North Watch”, my favorite fantasy piece of art, from Keith Parkinson at Gen Con 1989 is one of them. Being able to play in games run by so many of the legends of the industry, most of whom I am fortunate enough to call friends, is probably at the very top.
Would you say you’re more of an RPG player or RPG collector? 50/50 multiclass.
What’s your all-time favorite D&D monster? That is a moving target. But I seem to be really into Slaads at the moment.
Armor Class: Ascending or Descending? Descending for nostalgia, but ascending makes way more sense so that wins out by a nose.
Alex, thank you so much for your time!
Checkout the new Gamehole Publishing Website!
