ConCarolinas 2026
Updated: Jun 20
May 30, 2026
GridCore was played at ConCarolinas in a 45-minute Open Play session.
Three players sat down: William, Chris, and Chase. The game ran through all six Records, followed by a feedback discussion.
One result stood out.
William successfully matched all six of his Cores.
Chase matched only two.
Chase won.
The difference was prediction.
Throughout the game, Chase consistently read the other players correctly and collected enough Footnotes to overtake someone who had perfectly matched his own Cores.
That single session reinforced a few design signals:
Prediction matters.
Players come away having learned something real about each other through play.
Two of the players came as friends; by the end, the game had quietly surfaced the values they share.
The first convention session is in the books. A huge thanks to William, Chase and Chris for their openness to sit down, and for helping to shape the game.
What a great day! The work continues.
Picture taken and published with consent.
The ConCarolinas playtest highlights how prediction and understanding other players can shape a game's outcome. Chase's win despite matching fewer Cores shows the value of reading people, much like Neo and Trinity costume choices reflect recognizable characters and the connections that make science fiction fandom and cosplay engaging.