STARCon
Shoot the Moon’s flagship tabletop gaming convention hosted on Star Island in New Hampshire.
Games for days
Experience four days of tabletop gaming. No vendors or long lines, just tables full of friends you haven’t met yet.
Summer camp feel
Wake up with a polar bear swim and enjoy s’mores around the camp fire or an evening ghost tour.
All inclusive pricing
Home cooked meals, housing, and ferry transit are included in the price. No $14 convention hall chicken nuggets.
Details
StarCon is a multi-day, all-inclusive tabletop gaming convention hosted on Star Island, NH.
Our schedule includes games with different degrees of complexity so people of all ages and experience levels can join the fun! Additionally, we offer the option of half-day childcare if you choose to bring your youngest gamers along. Gaming styles include board games, miniatures, and RPGs utilizing various systems.
In addition to extensive time to play, learn, and lead games, you can participate in outdoor activities, enjoy social gatherings, or simply unplug. When (if) you’ve had enough gaming for the day, you can go for a walk, swim, take a tour of the island, or enjoy a refreshing drink on the Oceanic Hotel’s famous front porch!
About Star Island
Star Island, located seven miles off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine, is an idyllic summer island retreat. Owned and operated by the nonprofit Star Island Corporation, Star Island is open to those wishing to explore for a day, take a personal retreat, or attend a themed convention. Founded by the Unitarian Universalist and United Church of Christ, the Star Island Corporation has liberal religious ties. All visitors have the opportunity to engage with religious activities, such as nightly candle-lit chapel service, but there is no pressure to do so. StarCon has no religious affiliation.
To best understand StarCon’s amazing venue, we encourage you to visit the Star Island website as well as the New Shoaler Guide. Here, you can learn about the mission & vision of the Star Island Corporate, discover the history of the island, and get involved with the island’s sustainability program – the Green Gosport Initiative.
Pricing
StarCon is comprised of three costs: the convention program fee, Star Island’s room & board, and additional spending.
The convention program fee:
| Adult Program Fee (9th grader to 100+) | Child Program Fee (infant to 8th grader) |
| $120 | $75 |
This fee covers admission to all gaming activities, including Open Play, Croupier-led sessions, etc. For attendees entering 8th grade or younger, the fee also covers morning (9am-12pm) child care Thursday-Saturday.
Star Island’s room & board:
| Room Type | Room & Board per Adult (age 18 to 100+) | Room & Board per Child (under 18) |
| Single Standard (one person in a room) | $939 | N/A |
| Shared Standard (a room shared with people that you select) | $703 | Age 0-5: free Age 6-11: $324 Age 12-17: $469 |
Room & board includes lodging for 4 nights, 11 family-style meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), and ferry transportation to and from the island. If full room & board would preclude you and your family from attending StarCon, please review the financial accessibility section below!
Potential additional spending:
- Parking at the ferry terminal is $18/day ($72 for the duration of the conference).
- Wednesday night’s dinner can be upgraded to fresh lobster for $18/person.
- There is an island gift shop, snack bar and bookstore.
Financial Accessibility
The Star Island Corporation and Shoot the Moon strive to ensure that finance accessibility is not a barrier when making the decision to attend a convention. To meet this promise, there are a multitude of recourses available to attendees. Below are the 4 largest opportunities.
Star Island Corporate Financial Grants
The Financial Grants Program is a confidential needs-based assistance program to assist with the cost of room & board. To apply, fill out the Financial Grant Application Form by April 15th. It will be reviewed by the Financial Grant Committee and decisions will be communicated by May 15th.
Star Island Corporate Discount Programs
After many years, Star Island Corporation is excited to bring back its discount programs. Returning StarCon attendees can leverage the 10/10 Bring a Friend Discount! This discount takes 10% off the returnee’s room and board as well as 10% off the new attendee’s room & board. Moreover, it stacks – if a returnee brings up to 10 new attendees (max 10), they can get 10% off for each resulting in 100% off room & board! Applications for this discount are due by July 17th.
Shoot the Moon Convention Staff Stipend
StarCon is only made possible by our amazing group of volunteer Croupiers (game masters). As a thank you for their time and dedication to the convention, Shoot the Moon will have a Croupier’s convention program fee refunded toward their Star Island room & board if they leads 2 (or more) 4-hour sessions. No application needed, this will be assigned based on game submissions.
Religious Professionals Grant Program
Sponsored by the Isles of Shoals Association Unitarian Universalist, Inc (ISAUU), the Religious Professionals Grant Program is open to members of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association (UUMA) or Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) who are Parish or Community Ministers or Ministers of Religious Education, or Religious Educators serving congregations at 20 hours or more, and who have not yet been to Star Island and are not associated with official conference programming. Applications are recommended by January 31st and decisions will be communicated by February 15th.
Registration
The Star Island Corporation manages registration for all personal retreats and themed conventions, such as StarCon. Upon registration, attendees are required to submit a deposit which covers the program fees (noted in the pricing section) and a $100 per person (6 years or older) toward the room and board. The remaining room & board balance is paid at the front deck on the island by the end of convention.
For StarCon, underage attendees must be registered with an adult (18+).
If you have any questions about registration, including financial issues for the deposit, please contact StarCon’s Register or Star Island’s Register. The Island’s cancellation policy can be read here.
Click here to register for StarCon!
Schedule
Our convention schedule includes Croupier-led games, open play, island activities, meals, and social activities (all of which are included in the general admission ticket price). The hosted gaming sessions are dependent on community input, so they will change year-to-year. Click here to view last year’s schedule.
For those that want to socialize, there are lots of group games, family-style meals, and social hours. For those that enjoy more alone time, you can claim a rocking chair on the Oceanic Hotel’s giant front porch or find one of the many beautiful and secluded places on the island to relax and unwind.
Community
We know that people from all walks of life enjoy gaming, but unfortunately not everyone always feels safe and welcome at gaming events. In particular, many women, people in the LGBTQIA and BIPOC communities, older people, and people with disabilities have experienced exclusion and discrimination.
Shoot the Moon strives to build a supportive community with space at the table for everyone. In everything we do, we consider how our choices will impact others. Areas of focus include accessibility, inclusivity, and community outreach. We will not tolerate harassment of any kind.
Please see Star Island’s Safe Community Policies and Beloved Community Project for more information about their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Croupier
Want to join our amazing team of Croupiers (game masters)?
Croupiers facilitate games for participants that would like a guided experience. StarCon, like all gaming conventions, relies on amazing individuals who run the 50+ hosted sessions throughout the convention. We are grateful for our fantastic Croupiers and recognize that StarCon wouldn’t be possible without them! Make sure to indicate that you want to be a Croupier during the registration process.
To thank our Croupiers, they all will receive a Shoot the Moon t-shirt to wear during their session. Additionally, any Croupier who leads 2 (or more) 4-hour sessions will have their convention program fee refunded toward their Star Island room & board!
Shoot the Moon 