About Splotter Con
First of all, thank you for visiting our site. Hopefully you’ve found answers to all of your questions. If you haven’t, please reach out to us on our Contact page.
Splotter Con rose out of my passion for games designed by Dutch publisher, Splotter Spellen – Indonesia, Bus, and The Great Zimbabwe are all in my Top 6 All Time Boardgames.
While attending Winsome Choose Some Con in Spring 2023, I pitched the idea for a similar convention but celebrating Splotter‘s boardgames rather than Winsome’s to one of the designers, Jeroen, who happened to be in Pittsburgh for the same con. After some further discussion with his partner, Joris, Splotter Con was born. We held our first event at the Green Tree DoubleTree over Labor Day weekend in 2024. It was a resounding success by all of my metrics but if you’re interested, I wrote a full con report on boardgamegeek.com.
Fueling me is my desire to bring together other like-minded game players from around the world to celebrate the amazing creativity and cleverness of Jeroen Doumen, Herman Haverkort, Tamara Jannink, and Joris Wiersinga.
At some point, I also became a collector of Splotter’s games (at the time of writing, I am only missing Tetragons (& a variety of editions), and thought it would be nice if I could share all of these obscure, harder-to-find titles with other fans.
I set out with three primary intentions: 1) attract a kind, diverse, communal group of players and collectors, 2) encourage folks to have fun teaching and sharing their love for Splotter’s games, and 3) host a light, playful competition without the intensity of a full on tournament.
Thanks to my wonderful local gaming community for their incredible support, to all of our generous sponsors, and to Splotter for giving me this opportunity.
I hope to see you in Pittsburgh!
~Dean Brandt, Organizer
Splotter Con Links
Media Coverage
Splotter Con 2025
August 29 – September 1, 2025
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel – Green Tree
500 Mansfield Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15205
Splotter Con History
- 2025 DoubleTree Green Tree. Duquesne & Linc event rooms.
- 2024 Inaugural Year. Held Aug 30 – Sep 2 at the DoubleTree Green Tree in the Foster & Thompson event rooms.
- Sold Out Attendance: 73
- Rooms booked: 22 | Sponsors: 20
- Devil’s Egg Winner: Michael Renne (game link)
- Milestones Winners: Aaron, Georgia & Kim Schmitkons (17)
- Most Teaches: Joshua Acosta (9)
- dB Con Action Report
Splotter Con 2025 Highlights
Every Splotter +
Splotter Con’s game library features multiple copies of every game designed by Splotter plus a variety of games that inspired the designers and many more donated by our sponsors.
This is your opportunity to try every Splotter!
Single Location
Survey respondents said they’d prefer a single location for accommodations & the event. We listened. Our hotel is conveniently located between Downtown Pittsburgh & the Pittsburgh International Airport. Lots to love about this hotel.
Splotter Fans Assemble!
This is an opportunity to meet, play with, and befriend other Splotter fans, collectors & players from around the world. We expect both competitive play amongst experienced players and casual learning games.
Special Guest: Jeroen Doumen!
At least half of the Splotter design team (Jeroen Doumen) is planning to attend Splotter Con 2025 (barring any work-related curveballs). Come meet, play games with, and get your games signed by him.
Multiple Fun Contests!
We introduced our Milestones Contest in 2024. This year we’re launching two new contests: Game Guru/Spelgid (most Splotter teaches) & Bus Driver (most different competitors). Learn more.
Devil's Egg
Tournament
Play Food Chain Magnate (original or Ketchup), Indonesia, The Great Zimbabwe, Bus, Antiquity & Roads & Boats. Score points for your wins. Top four points earners will play in a final match of Bus, broadcast live via onlineboardgamers.com, to determine the winner.
Optional Saturday Lunch Buffet
A significant number of 2024 attendees requested we add something social in 2025 such as a group lunch. So we listened.
Buffet will include:
Grilled Angus Burgers
Veggie Burgers
Macaroni Salad
Creamy Slaw
Freshly Baked Cookies
Freshly Baked Brownies
Potato Chips
Freshly Brewed Iced Tea
Swag Bag
All attendees will receive a Splotter Con tote bag along with a couple goodies (to be announced later). They will also have the option to buy a couple items.
Something Special brewing...
Check back for special announcements leading up to the con.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is known both as “the Steel City” for its dominant role in the history of the U.S. steel industry, and as the “City of Bridges” for its 446 bridges. The city features 30 skyscrapers, two inclined railways, a pre-revolutionary fortification and Point State Park at the confluence of the rivers. (wikipedia) Read more…
(Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen)
Plus...
Ample Gaming Space
1,000 sq ft hall plus tables in ground floor restaurant & cafe.
Free Beverages & Snacks
Daily free coffee, water & snacks.
Scheduled Gaming
Schedule games in advance to teach, play, and/or learn on tabletop.events.
Discounted Room Block
Lower room rates for convention attendees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Badges will be given to you onsite when you check in. It’s a small con so it will be easy to find us at Foster Hall, the main gaming area.
The short answer is: no. As a small con with rare games, we’ve decided against having children under the age of 16 in the game room.
Yes. the hotel has over 700 parking spaces so plenty of free parking for locals. There is even parking near the side entrance closest to the gaming hall.
Splotter Con will feature multiple copies of all 21 published games from Splotter Spellen, one co-designed by Jeroen but published by Z-Man Games, 11 games that influenced Jeroen and Joris, and some additional games donated by our sponsors. We’ll also have some of Splotter’s original VHS games on display. Visit our Games page to see our full library.