If you want to role-play and study social science at the same time, don’t miss this weekend’s HeroCon in Glen Burnie, Maryland. (FYI: This is a convention for the Hero System role-playing game, not the NBC show Heroes).

Admittedly, there are plenty of games at HeroCon that won’t feed your curiosity about politics and economics. But there are several that will. I’ll personally be running two social science-themed games on Saturday: “The Magdalene Candidate” (a superhero scenario about papal politics) and “Punctuated Equilibrium” (an end-of-the-world scenario set in Washington, DC).

Oh, and on Sunday, I’ll fulfill my long-term dream of joining the Japanese mafia. Sounds educational, don’t you think?

Bottom line: If you’re square, be there.