First Play: L.A. Board Game Playtesters

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About us

Join a community of local board game designers, publishers, and gamers as we test upcoming board and card games! Whether you are a professional designer, a hopeful newbie, or just a person who loves games, this is the place for you!

This group may be right for you if:
- You are looking for a community of creative people serious about game design
- You are respectful, curious, and humble
- You love playing games
- You are able to give kind and constructive feedback
- You are as willing to receive feedback as you are to give feedback
- You would like to play other people's games as much as you would like to test your own

First Play FAQ’s
How to do better playtesting!
How to explain rules for your confusing game prototype!

Upcoming events

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WONDERCON D4 Protospiel Game Lab!
Fri, Mar 27 · 2:00 PM PDT
Annaheim Convention Center, 800 West Katella Avenue, Annaheim, CA, US
It's time for the second annual D4 tabletop event at WonderCon! This is an opportunity for both players and designers to get in on the ground floor of a new SoCal focused convention.

First Play will be hosting public playtesting/Demoing at WonderCon-D4! Find out more about the event here!
March 27-29
Anaheim Convention Center

DESIGNERS CAN SIGN UP HERE: https://tinyurl.com/d4firstplay

What can I bring?
-Prototypes, at any level of polish. Any length is fine, just be aware people may not want to randomly sit down at a 4 hour long game.
-Your indie, self-published game. We are allowed to demo indie games in this space but NOT sell! What you CAN do is have a QR code that will allow people to purchase your game online. For real, do not bring inventory.

Please check off any time you want to playtest/demo. This is a huge space, and we will likely be able to accommodate any time slots you wish, but we will let you know if a particular time is unavailable. Designers will receive a free badge for the entirety of WonderCon!

FEE: $50-60 for a ticket to WonderCon if you are a player. FREE three day badges for designers who demo at least one day!

We'll try and keep a running list of games offered by designers here, for prospective players considering WonderCon!

Code of Conduct Rules
1. Be kind.
2. Seriously, be even more kind than you think you need to be.
3. Read the guidelines for giving and receiving feedback.
4. Respect the rules of our venues (Geeky Teas, Paper Heroes, Odyssey, etc). We will continue to be welcome as long as we continue to be good guests.
5. New members must come to First Play as a playtester at least once before having the opportunity to run a game.
6. If you have RSVP'd to run a game, show up for your time slot. If you do not show up for your time slot, you will get a strike against you. Two strikes and moderators will discuss next steps with you about if you will be allowed to continue running games.
7. Be respectful of other community members- give as much as you receive. Playtest other peoples' games, not just your own.
8. In the case of an unresolvable or continuing conflict, please let a moderator know so we can determine next steps.
9. You will receive a warning if a legitimate complaint is lodged against you. In the case of a continuous issue, a group of at least 3 moderators will discuss and determine next steps. Consistent bad behavior will lead to a group ban.
See you soon!

Have questions?

For FAQ's, please see here - First Play FAQ’s

For a specific question please email cassandra@ixiongameworks.com

For community conversations join the Cardboard Alchemy Discord: https://discord.gg/2pYk3TT - find the #first-play-la-chat channel!
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