For the third Origins Avalon Hill’s wish was fulfilled.  The torch was passed to SPI in 1977 to host the show at Warner College in Staten Island, New York.  The convention had some growth over its first two years, with 40 vendors, more than triple the number of events at 53, and a reported attendance of 2,300.  Though the gameplay at this show was similar to those of the previous two, Origins had now officially become a traveling show.  Though the overall interests of the convention would still be managed by Avalon Hill for the time being, this would be the last time Origins would be hosted by a game publishing company. 

Looking at the programs from the first three Origins, you can tell they were put on by companies accustomed to promoting their products.  The content of the booklets was well laid out and carefully managed and it focused on the games.  This changed in 1978 when the convention made its way to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the Metro Detroit Gamers (MDG) took over.  The group had experience running conventions, as they had been running 2 conventions, MichiCon and WinterCon, annually in Michigan since 1972, but they also knew they had to push more than just the games of the convention but also its host city.  Perhaps they took selling the city a little too far, as in an effort to make attendees feel truly welcome within the city they included a brief guide on where to find illegal drugs and both straight and gay sex near the University of Michigan campus that hosted the convention. 

This year also pushed what may have been once considered a cold rivalry between Gen Con and Origins to hot status.  Though Origins had been on the east coast for its first three years it was now in the midwest and took place just a few weeks prior to the competing show.  Michigan was essentially in TSR’s backyard for Gen Con which was held for the first time in 1978 at the University of Wisconsin Parkside campus near Kenosha, Wisconsin.  Gary Gygax of TSR saw this as a direct shot at their convention, and he was not happy about it.  It did not help matters when Origins final attendance of 3,400 outshined Gen Con’s 2,000.  Gygax was worried that Origins would pull people from Gen Con this year, and his fears may not have been unfounded.  Though this controversy over which show, Gen Con or Origins, deserved to be recognized as THE national convention was not new, things were going to get worse post 1978.