They were helping each other slay mythical beasts, embark on epic quests, find treasure and defeat the evil empires on the weekend at the University of Guelph.
Or, if you wanted, playing Monopoly.
Gryphcon 2016 attracted a couple of hundred gaming enthusiasts from all over to the University Centre, where they signed up or dropped in on sessions dedicated to some of the popular board games.
Zombicide, Pathfinder, Settlers of Catan and Magic might be double-dutch to most people, but to gamers they are passionate portals to fun, relaxation and meeting new people.
"It's really exploded over the last 10 years," said Ian Whitton, a teacher from the Owen Sound area and avid gamer.
"There's games that take 10-20 minutes for a family to play and then there's the heavy hitters, that can take six or eight hours to play," Whitton said.
"There's very mellow games to very cutthroat games, where you are aggressively picking on people. It's all across the gamut," Whitton said.
Whitton said he has probably spent $1,500 on games in the last two years, "but I have enjoyed every single one."
Dean Martin, who along with wife Crystal ran this year's event, said it's all about being around fellow gamers and making new friends.
"People come to Gryphcon to play with friends, play with different people, try new games or just hang out with people who love the same things they do," said Martin, "and it's $20 for the weekend. Your really can't beat the price."
"This is one of the better ones," Geoffrey Peart said of Gryphcon.
Peart is part of the Ontario Pathfinder Society, devotees of the communal, non-competitive game Pathfinder where players work together to defeat a mutual in-game enemy.
"People come here to have fun. That's why it's been around for 30 years," Peart said.
While some games are competitive, many are not. Instead it's about working towards a common goal. It's a release. An escape.
Martin said convention goers range in age from 10 to 60. Men, women, children. Teachers, salesmen, students, stay-at-home moms, families and even a local councillor.
"It's a good family, fun experience," Martin said. "It's not competitive in the sense that fights break out. There are competitive games. But many of them just have you working towards common objectives and goals."
Martin said this year's event will draw around 200 participants. A few years ago they peaked at roughly 400 and he hopes to get back to that level at some point.
Harold Scheiper was one of the founders of Gryphcon in 1988.
He and some like-minded souls used to gather at the old Boo's Sports Bar on campus to play games, cards, pool, arcade games and early strategy games like Risk and Dipomacy. Eventually the University of Guelph Games Club and the Guelph Adult Gaming Association got together to launch the first Gryphcon and it has been held every year since.
Gaming has come a long way since Dungeons and Dragons, "the granddaddy of them all, as Whitton calls it," launched gaming into a whole new level 30 years ago. Computers fuelled the fire.
"There are millions of people playing online, but conventions like this allow you to physically play board games with other people. That's the fun of it," Scheiper said.
Gen Con, North America's largest gaming event, drew over 60,000 to Indianapolis last summer. The world's biggest, held in Germany, attracts 200,000 people, Martin said.
Gryphcon includes sessions featuring numerous board games, card games, role playing games, LARPing, electronic games, movie showings, vendors, artists and miniature games.
There are also games not yet on the market, being tested by the companies that produce them. They can also be as simple as a glorified deck of cards that cost less than $10, up to more complex games complete with plastic figures that retail for $90.
One of the most popular sessions on the weekend was Magic, a card game where players battle between "wizards" who use spells, artefacts and mythical creatures to wage battle.
Whitton said the popularity of Magic, which continually updates and brings out new levels and decks, is what keeps a lot of game and comic book stores open.