We're inviting Icefield Energy the chance to join our mission and become the presenting partner of the Spiel Gauntlet.
Ember & Hailstone is a small, dedicated crew of Yukoners who've spent the last few years bringing people together to sling dice and shuffle cards with one simple directive. We're reaching out through Victor Randell — part of our organizing collective, and someone who already knows the table Icefield plays at.
We design events and board games that build real community, from total novices to seasoned strategists — no one gets left out in the cold. DEFCON III is the world's 2nd most northern board game convention, after Tromsø in Norway, and last year's sold-out debut is why we're back this year, bigger than ever, running Nov 20–22, 2026. It's not a tournament or a store event — it's a genuine gathering: great games, new friends, and an honest celebration of what modern board games can do.
The Spiel Gauntlet is DEFCON III's marquee tournament — a bracket every attendee can enter, and the loudest table in the room by Sunday. This year it's doing double duty as a fundraiser: every dollar raised goes toward a permanent 3rd space for the Yukon.
DEFCON III has already confirmed professional board game designers and facilitators for 2026 — the kind of guest list that doesn't happen without real momentum behind it.
For over three decades, Icefield has turned industry challenges into opportunities — pioneering tools and technologies across Mining and Oil & Gas from Canada to Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia. DEFCON III is a much smaller story cut from the same cloth: people who saw a gap, built something nobody else was building, and kept pushing it further.
Icefield calls itself a team of dedicated professionals committed to making a difference — DEFCON III is run entirely by volunteers giving hundreds of hours because the Yukon deserves this. And this year, that commitment goes further: the Spiel Gauntlet puts sponsor dollars toward a lasting piece of Yukon infrastructure — the Yukon Film Society's bid for the Cinema — the same long-view investment Icefield has built its name on.
Three ways to back DEFCON III — and this year's Spiel Gauntlet fundraiser for the Yukon Film Society's Cinema campaign.
We'd love to connect — whether that's a quick call, more detail on the Spiel Gauntlet and the Cinema campaign, or just a chance to say thanks for taking the time to consider us.