Gloomhaven Designer Issac Childres to Deliver PAX Unplugged 2025 Keynote

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Gloomhaven Designer Issac Childres to Deliver PAX Unplugged 2025 Keynote

Tabletop legends Critical Role, publisher Modiphius also to host panels

PHILADELPHIA – Oct. 9, 2025 – PAX Unplugged 2025, the East Coast’s most-attended tabletop gaming event from co-show organizers ReedPop and Penny Arcade, features Gloomhaven designer Issac Childres as this year’s keynote speaker. Panels from tabletop giants Critical Role and Modiphius also round out the show, taking place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from Friday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025.

A lifelong board game enthusiast, Childres forgoed a career as a physicist to become a tabletop game designer. He went on to form Cephalofair Games in 2014 and publish their debut title, Forge War. In 2017, his team released the award-winning, dungeon-crawling RPG Gloomhaven, which led to its 2022 sequel, Frosthaven.

Attendees looking for more tabletop roleplaying can join the Critical Role crew for a panel featuring their signature antics and storytelling. On Friday, listen to the designers of Daggerheart as they explore Collaborative Worldbuilding in TTRPGs. On Saturday, Matthew Mercer joins the crew for the Daggerheart Live: Building the Next Chapter panel to discuss what’s to come following the successful launch.

On Saturday, attend the panel of renowned, UK-based board game publisher Modiphius (Fallout: The Roleplaying Game, Mass Effect: The Board Game) for their discussion titled Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Liveplay. Game Master Ed Spence leads alongside Ify Nwadiwe, Mark Meer, Mayanna Berin, Jasper Cartwright, Lua Stardust, and Taylor's Tavern Tales to dive into a journey from the new quest book for Fallout: The Roleplaying Game - Royal Flush.

Go beyond panels to explore an expo hall with over 300 of tabletop’s biggest names, including Asmodee (Ticket to Ride, Star Wars Legion), CATAN Studio, and Dice Throne (Marvel Dice Throne). Returning favorites such as the Omegathon tournament, PAX Rising Showcase, and freeplay areas featuring thousands of tabletop titles, vendors, and more.

Badges for PAX Unplugged 2025 are on sale now, with Friday and Sunday badges available for $44, Saturday for $45, Sunday Kids (7-12 years old) badges for $15, and 3-day badges at $94. Media and content creator badge registration is now open.

Prices for badges are set to increase on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 11:59pm ET, to $104 for 3-day badges, $49 for Friday and Saturday badges, $50 for Sunday badges, and $20 for kids (7-12 years old).

For travel info on future PAX events, follow PAX on Instagram, Bluesky, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and Twitter.

About PAX

PAX, or Penny Arcade Expo, is a festival for gamers to celebrate gaming culture. First held in Seattle in 2004, PAX has nearly doubled in size each successive year, with PAX Prime 2014 selling out of tickets in a matter of minutes. Connecting the world's leading game publishers with their most avid and influential fans, PAX expanded with a second show in Boston in 2010, and a third in San Antonio in 2015, making it the three largest gaming shows in North America. The first international PAX was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2013. In 2017, Penny Arcade established PAX Unplugged, its first tabletop-focused show, held in Philadelphia.

About ReedPop

ReedPop is a boutique group within RX – one of the world’s leading event organizers. Launched in 2006, the group has become the number one producer of pop culture events globally and a full-service digital content provider and media company. Delivering once-in-a-lifetime fan experiences curated specifically for localized audiences, ReedPop currently features events in North America, Europe and Asia, including New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), PAX West, East, and Unplugged, Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC), Star Wars Celebration, MCM Comic Con, Eurogamer Expo (EGX), MagicCon, and more. In addition to organizing and managing events, ReedPop owns and operates the pop culture news site, Popverse, which is the exclusive home for livestreams from all of ReedPop's major comic cons. The staff at ReedPop are a fan-based group of professionals uniquely qualified to build and serve the communities with whom they share a common passion.

About Penny Arcade

Penny Arcade has been the world’s most popular webcomic for over 20 years, with over 3.5 million readers. Started in 1998 in the living room of Mike Krahulik & Jerry Holkins, it has grown into a media empire encompassing multiple beloved properties such as Lookouts, Automata, and beloved D&D live-play series Acquisitions Incorporated. Penny Arcade was responsible for the creation of Child’s Play, a gaming charity that has raised over $45 million dollars for children across the world. They are also the founders of PAX, the number one consumer gaming festival in North America, with hundreds of thousands of loyal visitors every year.