Author: JP Dean

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Program

Cthulhu by Gaslight “Curse of the Swamp Tentacle!” (18+)

  • Games Master: Captain Grey Wulfe
  • Gaming System: Cthulhu by Gaslight
  • Players: 2-6
  • Duration: 3 hours
  • Sign Up at the main Registration Desk in the Atrium Lobby

This Cthulhu adventure in a steampunk setting starts with an emergency SOS for help! Arriving you find blood spilt and your friends missing. Can you use your intellect and skills to rescue them and end this evil plot? Characters provided, rules taught, no experience necessary. Roleplaying emphasized.

Captain Grey Wulfe (AKA Gary Lange) is a game and scenario designer who has been running events for over 20 years. Gary has run events at GenCon, Gamicon, GameHole Con, Chicago Steampunk Exposition and other cons in person and online. He is the founder of Iowa Steampunk and has led many events and extolled the virtues of Steampunk at many cons around the Midwest. With Call of Cthulhu adding both the new Gaslight and Pulp rules, it is now possible to have steampunk adventures with their award-winning rules. Gary encourages roleplaying and keeping the rules to a minimum interference. So, join him in telling a grand story of Steampunk Adventure!

Cthulhu by Gaslight is the Victorian incarnation of the classic Call of Cthulhu RPG. Gaslight provides variations to capture Victorian history and societal norms, but is essentially the same rule system as the original 1920’s Cthulhu RPG. If you are not already familiar with these rules but would like to get better acquainted, click on the cover below to access the free starter kit for the latest edition of Call of Cthulhu.

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Chicago Steampunk Exposition

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Program

Circular Hole Punch Gallifreyan (13+)

Presented by Lady Fontayne Pen-ship – $5 Session Materials Fee 

This is a fun project using circle-punches to spell a word (to be revealed at the start of class) You will make a beautiful card. No prior knowledge of C.G. is required or desired. This class is rated: LP (Low Pressure).

Maximum students: 10

$5 material fee will be collected at the session by the presenters.

Lady Fontayne Pen-ship, Steamstress, has attended Steampunk events in Argentina, Canada, England, Italy, Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin and has conducted workshops at Teslacon for several years and Chicago Steampunk Expo in 2019. When she’s not steampunking, you may find her running 5 k races on airport runways or skywalking (vertical world circuit climbing tall buildings) around the world.

See the Current 2025 Program

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Exhibitors

Odd Boxes

Curious scenes and themes assembled with cigar boxes, wooden boxes, and an array of intriguing objet d’art.

Using recycled, miniatures, vintage objects, toys, book, photos, artwork, light and natural elements, I find their home in one of a kind vingnettes with a twist or two in wooden boxes of all shapes and incarnations.

Click on the banner to learn more about them . . .

 

To see our full lists of confirmed Exhibitors, please visit . . .

Buy Your Discount Exposition Tickets

Chicago Steampunk Exposition

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Program

Podcasting and You (13+)

Presented by Kay Gray & Crysta K Coburn 

Have you ever wanted to start a podcast? Think it’s too hard? Too expensive? Think again! You, too, and get out there and get your voice heard! Join podcasters and authors Crysta K Coburn and Kay Gray as they give their tips and tricks to having a successful podcast!

Kay Gray has been podcasting for five years, and is a short story pro. A So Cal ex-pat who calls the snowy depths of Michigan home, when she’s not writing fantastical stories, one can find her neck deep in research for her podcast, Haunted Mitten, which she co-hosts with her partner in paranormal, Crysta K Coburn. Otherwise, you can be sure that she is surrounded by needy pets while she reads yet another fantasy book.

To get the latest podcasts, head to hauntedmitten.com. To delve into the mind of Kay herself (reader beware), check out her social media @KGrayWrites. And find her last story, The Sharp Mechanical Sheep, in Fairy Tales Punk’d, at a local bookstore near you.

 

Crysta K. Coburn has been writing award-winning stories for most of her life. Her first short story was published at the age of sixteen after winning runner-up in a local writing contest. She earned her bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Western Michigan University in 2005. She is a journalist, fiction writer, poet, playwright, editor, podcast co-host, and occasional lyricist. She served as editor for “The Queen of Clocks and Other Steampunk Tales,” “Cogs, Crowns, and Carriages,” and “Gears, Ghouls, and Gauges” (the latter two with Phoebe Darqueling). She co-hosts the popular podcast Haunted Mitten as well as Cinema Guano. Find her online at crystakcoburn.com as well as Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @CrystaKCoburn.

See the Current Program

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Chicago Steampunk Exposition

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Exhibitors

Sweet Steam

“Purveyors of Fine, Experimental, and Whimsical Confections with traditional and exotic flavourings, created for Appreciation and Consumption by Sophisticated Ladies and Gentlemen”

“We live to create moments of joy and wonder, transforming the mundane to the delightful with every bite.”

Sweet Steam has been creating unique flavors and designs for the Steampunk community since 2012, and we’ve been pushing the envelope of creativity, whimsical surprises, and chocolate choreography ever since. Make sure to stop by their booth for a sample!

Click on the banner to learn more about them . . .

 

To see our full lists of confirmed Exhibitors, please visit . . .

Buy Your Discount Exposition Tickets

Chicago Steampunk Exposition

Categories
Exposition Updates

23 Weeks until the Exposition!

U is for Uncertainty

A third clue has arisen from the ashes of the fire, but what could it spell out? As we countdown to the opening of the portal that invites you to step back in time to 1893 and experience dimensions of the Chicago World’s Fair that neverwas, not only do we bring the latest updates regarding the Exposition’s exhibitors and program, we also slowly unveil the puzzle . . .

Each year there is a mystery to be solved at the Exposition as part of our Steam & Sorcery LARP Game; this time around it began with a fire . . . from ice? Every week between now and the end of May 2025, we shall release another Clue Card to help you solve the mystery game that begins during Opening Ceremonies on Friday, May 30th, 2025.

Save these Clue Cards to a folder on your phone and prepare your investigation into our “Curse of Cthulhu” LARP Game.

CLICK HERE to see all of the “Curse of Cthulhu” clue cards thus far.

Program Updates

Here are some details about presentations that will be part of the program in May 2025.

If you have a presentation, workshop, or some other fun activity that you would like to propose for the 2025 Exposition Program, please fill out our PRESENTER APPLICATION FORM. We are also looking for GAMES MASTERS to run tabletop games, and we are always on the search for talented PERFORMERS.

Exhibitor Updates

Exhibitors at the Exposition are divided into three main locations: The Underground Market (Sienna), The Palace of Fine Arts (Slate), and The Midway Plaisance (Atrium Lobby).

This week we featured the following exhibitors:

Tickets & the Exclusive Pin

Badges and Tea Tickets are already on sale for the 2025 Exposition! Until the end of this year, ALL badges are $10 off the regular price AND the first 100 Weekend Badges sold will receive an EXCLUSIVE brass colored Exposition 2025 pin that matches the theme. The pin design is almost done and we should be able to reveal it in our next countdown update, but we can describe it as the Exposition Ferris wheel and of course . . . tentacles!

Click on the Box Office image below to purchase your tickets today! Please note that for 2025 we will be printing your name (in a fancy font) on the badge, so include “badge names” in the “Order Notes” section of the check out form. In addition to your name, badges will also be labeled with your order number for reference in case lost badges get turned into Registration; that said, however, please remember that lost badges that are not turned in can not be replaced and a new purchase will be required.

Afternoon Tea Parties & Banquets

New for 2025, the Exposition will offer a limited ticket banquet on Friday and Saturday evening. We are currently working on the menu and pricing, but this meal will also offer patrons the opportunity to sit with one of our guests of honor for a meal and pleasant conversation. Details coming in our next countdown update, but meanwhile tickets for our Afternoon Tea Parties are on sale now.

Get Involved!

We are looking for Presenters, Performers, Games Masters, and other people to run sessions for the 2025 Chicago Steampunk Exposition program. Applications are now live; please click on the appropriate image to access the form.

Hotel Rooms

For April 2024, the Exposition hotel was actually sold out. Admittedly not all the people staying at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg that weekend were there for the Exposition, but nonetheless the hotel was sold out. To avoid getting locked out in 2025, we recommend booking your room early (you can always cancel later if needs be).

Social Media

On the Horizon . . .

  • More programming!
  • Who is Steampunk Stanley?
  • Exposition 2025 Design Contests.
  • The new Steam & Sorcery adventure!

Categories
Program

Dungeons & Dragons “What’s in the Swamp?” (18+)

  • Games Master: Rhonda Rehmke
  • Gaming System: Dungeons & Dragons 5e
  • Players: 3 – 7 
  • Gaming Time: 3 hours
  • Sign Up at the main Registration Desk in the Atrium Lobby

Strange things are happening in the forest where the swamp begins and the rumor filled village is getting anxious for heroes to find the cause. When your adventuring party enters town, you begin seeing the villagers reacting strangely it putting you on edge and peaking your curiosity.

Rhonda Rehmke has been playing roleplaying games for more years than she is willing to admit. It began with a group of friends inviting her to play D&D like so many others. Her enjoyment of the game that allowed her to freely express her imagination grew as she began to pass it along to others in her family. Family gaming night became a love of hers and when life got in the way she was sad to see it take a back burner. One day while talking with her sister they decided they would start a campaign with just three other family members and that campaign lasted over two years. Gaming was in her blood again and she’s been playing weekly ever since.

Along with playing she also GM’s from time to time and loves to create her own worlds and stories. She enjoys playing rogues and druids in a fantasy setting but she has played in other settings as well (steampunk, post apocalyptic, and modern world). She currently is teaching her grandkids D&D5e and would love to share with you.

See the Current Program

Buy Your Discount Exposition Tickets

Categories
Exhibitors

Jessica Lucci Books

Jessica Lucci is a poet, steampunk, and historical fiction author who writes about modern issues while maintaining historic integrity.

All of her books feature multi-faceted LGBTQ+ main characters. Her new release, “Triangle House,” takes place in a re-imagined Chicago.

Click on the banner to learn more about them . . .

 

To see our full lists of confirmed Exhibitors, please visit . . .

Buy Your Discount Exposition Tickets

Chicago Steampunk Exposition

Categories
Program

Cephalopodic Cockades (13+)

Presented by the Steampunk Lady Scientists (Danaus & Sidonne) & Bobbin Beth – $10 Session Materials Fee 

Would you like a stylish way to commemorate your heroic acts in fighting the Curse of Cthulhu? You can create a fancy cockade to do just that. You’ll be provided with your choice of ribbon and materials to proudly display evidence of your cephalopodic adventure!

$10 material fee will be collected at the session by the presenters.

Danaus and Sidonne delight in the advancement of knowledge as steampunk lady scientists. When they’re not busy adventuring in pursuit of scientific inquiry, they enjoy sharing their love of making with others in workshops and panels. They are also the creators of the Western Territorial Variant of Parasol Dueling. While they may get a little Rowdy and Howdy at times, they are always ready to act as Deputies to assist in settling matters of honor with their message of dueling for all.

Bobbin Beth is the support behind the scenes when it comes to the Rowdy and Howdy adventures of Danaus & Sidonne. While they’re running about entertaining the crowd she keeps the airship on course and floating true.

See the Current 2025 Program

Buy Your Discount Exposition Tickets

Categories
Exposition Updates

24 Weeks until the Exposition!

H is for Hellfire

Another clue has arisen from the ashes of the fire, but what could it spell out? As we countdown to the opening of the portal that invites you to step back in time to 1893 and experience dimensions of the Chicago World’s Fair that neverwas, not only do we bring the latest updates regarding the Exposition’s exhibitors and program, we also slowly unveil the puzzle . . .

Each year there is a mystery to be solved at the Exposition as part of our Steam & Sorcery LARP Game; this time around it began with a fire . . . from ice? Every week between now and the end of May 2025, we shall release another Clue Card to help you solve the mystery game that begins during Opening Ceremonies on Friday, May 30th, 2025.

Save these Clue Cards to a folder on your phone and prepare your investigation into our “Curse of Cthulhu” LARP Game.

Program Updates

Here are some details about presentations that will be part of the program in May 2025.

If you have a presentation, workshop, or some other fun activity that you would like to propose for the 2025 Exposition Program, please fill out our PRESENTER APPLICATION FORM. We are also looking for GAMES MASTERS to run tabletop games, and we are always on the search for talented PERFORMERS.

Exhibitor Updates

Exhibitors at the Exposition are divided into three main locations: The Underground Market (Sienna), The Palace of Fine Arts (Slate), and The Midway Plaisance (Atrium Lobby).

This week we featured the following exhibitors:

Tickets & the Exclusive Pin

Badges and Tea Tickets are already on sale for the 2025 Exposition! Until the end of this year, ALL badges are $10 off the regular price AND the first 100 Weekend Badges sold will receive an EXCLUSIVE brass colored Exposition 2025 pin that matches the theme. The pin design is almost done and we should be able to reveal it in our next countdown update, but we can describe it as the Exposition Ferris wheel and of course . . . tentacles!

Click on the Box Office image below to purchase your tickets today! Please note that for 2025 we will be printing your name (in a fancy font) on the badge, so include “badge names” in the “Order Notes” section of the check out form. In addition to your name, badges will also be labeled with your order number for reference in case lost badges get turned into Registration; that said, however, please remember that lost badges that are not turned in can not be replaced and a new purchase will be required.

Afternoon Tea Parties & Banquets

New for 2025, the Exposition will offer a limited ticket banquet on Friday and Saturday evening. We are currently working on the menu and pricing, but this meal will also offer patrons the opportunity to sit with one of our guests of honor for a meal and pleasant conversation. Details coming in our next countdown update, but meanwhile tickets for our Afternoon Tea Parties are on sale now.

Get Involved!

We are looking for Presenters, Performers, Games Masters, and other people to run sessions for the 2025 Chicago Steampunk Exposition program. Applications are now live; please click on the appropriate image to access the form.

Hotel Rooms

For April 2024, the Exposition hotel was actually sold out. Admittedly not all the people staying at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg that weekend were there for the Exposition, but nonetheless the hotel was sold out. To avoid getting locked out in 2025, we recommend booking your room early (you can always cancel later if needs be).

Social Media

On the Horizon . . .

  • More programming!
  • Who is Steampunk Stanley?
  • Exposition 2025 Design Contests.
  • The new Steam & Sorcery adventure!