Charity-driven gaming convention sponsors KantCon again for 2026

By Brendan Howard

Every tabletop gaming convention is dedicated to fun. But not every one of those wargame-miniature-moving, tabletop-RPG-playing, board-game-winning conventions is dedicated to an even bigger cause.

That’s why Meeple-A-Thon stands out, a 501(c)(3) charity gaming convention dedicated to supporting Kansas City’s at-risk and disenfranchised community members. And why it’s always a special pleasure to announce Meeple-A-Thon’s return as a sponsor for fellow tabletop gaming convention KantCon’s 2026 event July 16-19 at the Overland Park Convention Center.

David Watts is Meeple-A-Thon’s director of strategic operations, a bigger role after his work organizing a wargaming section back in 2024. It’s only gotten bigger, he says.

“Back when it started, it could all fit in the space of a few basketball courts,” Watts said. “Now, we’re to the point of attracting national vendors, more games, and we’ve moved to the Kansas City Convention Center.”

Watts said it was fun enough to help bring more and more war games and miniature games (like Warhammer 40K, Freeblades, and Age of Sigmar) to life at the convention previously focused on tabletop RPGs and board games, but it’s even more meaningful to help a convention whose marketing, charity raffle, and proceeds help support a variety of charities, including A Turning Point, a Kansas City organization dedicated to feeding, clothing, and educating at-risk locals.

Meeple-A-Thon’s efforts at making a local difference also inspired the miniature-painting Lavender Brush Competition. Lavender Brush was organized in memory of Michelle Farnsworth, who died in 2024 from cancer and asked only that any money raised in her name go to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through Extra Life. And that’s what they’ve done.

Watts remembers that Farnsworth inspired his own interest in miniatures and games as a fellow student at the University of Kansas. One day, in a graduate school class, Farnsworth brought in a little black box to school.

“I'm like, ‘What could you possibly have in this box?’" he said. "So she opens it up, and she shows me, and it's just this big goblin model. She told me about the games she played, and I thought my son at the time might like to get into it.”

A visit to a local game store, a starter box of miniatures, and big imaginations led to years of enjoyment.

Watts now hope that Farnsworth’s love for the hobby can transform into something even bigger.

“We’d love for Lavender Brush to bring people from all over the United States to compete,” Watts daid. “We want it to be in the pantheon of painting events with Warhammer 40K’s Golden Demon or NOVA Open’s Capital Palette.”

Meeple-A-Thon is already bringing a Lavender Brush-inspired paint-and-take event with miniatures at Kantcon again this year. Its sponsorship of Kantcon’s own event July 16-19 is sure to inspire attendees to give to charities, to welcome newbies to gaming, and to support and grow the tabletop gaming community at events like this year-round.

“We’re all just trying to make sure the community has healthy avenues to enjoy gaming and introduce others to it,” Watts said. “Come to Meeple-A-Thon and enjoy some games.”

Brendan Howard is a freelance podcaster, writer, and editor based in Olathe, Kansas. He was recently ordained as a rabbi by the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute in New York City. His podcast is brendanhoward.podbean.com.