SGCC 2022 round-up: Comics and anime had strong showing but tabletop games carried

They may all be on the same team but tabletop games undeniably have a bigger showing at this year's Singapore Comic Con (SGCC).

SGCC 2022, currently being held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre until 8pm today (Dec 11), has shifted focus away from comic books and anime and given tabletop games space to grow.

And it certainly has.

There's an entire corner provided for Magic: The Gathering (MTG) and an Asia-Pacific (APAC) tournament that is taking place.

The APAC League, which ends today, is separate from the global MTG Championship and World Tour. It will see multiple champions crowned in their respective countries.

But if that's a little too hardcore for you, don't fret — the MTG corner also lets new players try their hand at the game.

Firstly, the new Jumpstart 2022 packs are available for $6 each. The set is designed to help new players get into the game by meshing two 20-card packs together. Secondly, there are also friendly coaches that will guide you through the basics of MTG.

Having had my first MTG game at this booth yesterday, I can safely say that the game is easier to pick up than I originally thought, although the skill ceiling still seems incomprehensibly out of reach (at this point).

Although not quite as musty as actual underground medieval dungeons, you'll find spaces dedicated to teaching you how to play the iconic Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) tabletop game.

Various Dungeon Masters brought their players on epic adventures across their respective universes, regardless of their level of familiarity with the topic.

There was also a live event at the main stage where an hour-long D&D session was held in front of a small crowd of people. The first part was held yesterday with the adventure concluding with Part Two today.

Taking up residence beside the D&D space is the Warhammer booth, where convention-goers got to try their hand at playing the miniature wargame and battling each other.

For those that preferred something of a less competitive nature, the booth also allowed people to learn how to paint miniature figurines.

And what's SGCC without figurines?

Do your part in supporting local by checking out the Mighty Jaxx store at SGCC, where figurines of many different characters can be seen and bought.

There's also an entire section of the store dedicated to football with unique figurines on display.

If figurines aren't really your thing, check out these displays instead. 

Madame Tussauds booth at the SGCC featured two life-sized statues of fan-favourite Marvel characters Loki and Iron Man — both so incredibly life-like you'd swear they breathed.

For many of us, this might be our best chance at getting anywhere near to Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Hiddleston's iconic characters, so be sure to snap a picture together with them!

If Iron Man and Loki don't tickle your fancy, how about Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Bruce Lee?

China-based Infinity Studios also has very life-like busts of both DC and Marvel characters, as well as the Hong Kong film legend himself Bruce Lee.

All of the busts on display at the Infinity Studios booth have an uncanny level of detail — you won't be able to tear your eyes away from the statue of Heath Ledger's Joker from the Dark Knight, or Bruce Lee's iconic nunchaku pose.

If you're more interested in the anime side of things, Tamashii Nations' booth has you covered.

Marked by a human-sized statue of Ultraman, the store has many anime figurines that you can buy, spanning multiple genres from Sailor Moon to One Piece to Digimon.

And for anime fans, it's also worth mentioning that there's a booth for Genshin Impact as well which has a beautiful torii gate at the front and a large, pixellated statue of Paimon on the side.

When mentioning anime, how could we not talk about the amazing cosplay at this year's SGCC?

Aside from the many cosplays of Cyberpunk Edgerunners' David Martinez, we also snapped a few pictures of some cosplayers that really stood out from the crowd.

Additionally, as with any convention here in Singapore, there were many artist booths with stellar artwork for sale and on display.

For instance, Julian Kok, Rachta Lin and Darren Tan (known for their work on MTG) were among the artists at this year's SGCC, sharing their art with the public.

And while each year's SGCC is always different in some way, this year's stood out more than ever before.

Not only is it the first Comic Con since the pandemic began, it's also the first time that tabletop games such as D&D, MTG and Warhammer have been such a focal point of the convention with over three times as much space provided for the genre.

With how hands-on these booths were at the SGCC, it's likely that this year's iteration has given many attendees a memorable and unique experience.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com

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