I’ve been interested in the history of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) in Puerto Rico for a long time. Back in 2017, I started an initiative to track down exactly how Dungeons & Dragons arrived on the island and map out the scene in the late 70s and early 80s—the era before I even picked up dice in 1986. Those efforts were put on hold after Hurricane Maria upended life for so many of us, shifting my priorities both professionally and personally. But now, as I celebrate “40 Years a Gamer,” I’ve decided to pick up those threads again.
Did you know that Puerto Rico hosted a dedicated TTRPG convention way back in 1990? To my knowledge, it was the first—and perhaps only—event of its kind at that time.
And here is the kicker: I knew about it back then. But I didn’t go.
As I confessed in a post from 2011, I had recently started dating my high school girlfriend, and let’s say hormones trumped gaming.
Even though I missed it, I remembered friends who attended. So, in 2019, I started digging and eventually connected with the Convention Director, Alberto Martínez, PhD. We grabbed lunch at a Mexican restaurant with his friend El Mago Velasco (a local illusionist and Call of Cthulhu enthusiast), and he shared his memories and documents from the event.
The Details
Based on Alberto’s records, planning began in 1988, with a pre-convention meeting in May 1989. The event, titled Puerto Rico at Last, finally took place from Thursday, February 8th to Saturday, February 10th, 1990. The University of Puerto Rico Student Center was the point of contact for the original organizer, Henry Miller. Tickets went on sale in early December for just $5, which covered participation in all events.
The Tragedy of a Nerd in Love
At the time, I had been playing TTRPGs for four years. I was a junior in high school (11th grade), and my gaming circle had evolved. I was no longer playing only with my original group of neighbors; I was also rolling dice with high school classmates like Luis and Gary, and my friends from my Boy Scout Explorer Post, like José Anes and Manuel Clavel (you can read his literary and social analysis blog in Spanish following this link), also played.
One of them had a flyer. I really wanted to go, but I was intimidated. I was just a high school kid, and this was a university event. Since it ran Thursday through Saturday, school ruled out the first two days.
Saturday was my only shot. But—and here is the irony—there was a Model United Nations event that same day. My girlfriend and I were both active in our school chapters, so I chose Model UN over the first TTRPG convention in Puerto Rico. Priorities, right?
The Artifacts
Dr. Martínez showed me the organizers’ contact list. Looking at it 36 years later, I recognize the names of friends who went. In fact, someone must have put my name down for future contact, because there I am: my name, my home phone, and even my grandparents’ number.
They even managed to get listed in Dragon Magazine #154’s Convention Calendar.
Below is the original welcome letter included in the program, as well as a translation:
At Last!
I never imagined it would take this much work. The idea was born in late 1988, between sessions of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. After fourteen years of playing RPGs and attending hundreds of conventions in the US, it was time for Puerto Rico to have its own.
More than a year has passed since then, and it has involved countless hours of work and far too much money.
Behold the convention. It features an art exhibition, a model-making contest, miniature combat, a diverse array of events and competitions, and the island’s first AD&D tournament with roughly $500 in prizes.
Even so, it feels like the time wasn’t enough; it always seems too brief when you are getting a lot done, or when there is still so much left to do.
And to those new to this world, take a moment to explore other realms—to contemplate a past that never existed and a future that never will be.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible.
Enjoy the games!
Alberto Martínez Convention Director
Looking Back
I don’t have final attendance numbers or a list of exactly which games were run. I’ve reached out to a few people from that contact list, hoping to dig up more memories. But the fact that this event happened in Puerto Rico in 1990 is worth remembering and celebrating.
I need to thank Alberto Martínez (who went on to become a professor and author—check him out at scientifichistory.com) for his generosity in sharing these archives. A fun bit of trivia: Alberto also had a cartoon published in Dragon #163 in the “Dragonmirth” section, right above the long-running strip Yamara!
I eventually made it to other conventions—Gen Con twice —and to plenty of local events with the Puerto Rico Role Players. I am proud to support our local community however I can.
But I will always regret missing Puerto Rico at Last!
