June 2025 - Playtest games at Geeky Teas!

Players and game designers wanted for this open house style event!

Hi gamers! If you haven't attended First Play for the past couple months, there have been a few changes! Peter will still be providing his guidance and leadership, but Damon and Cassandra are taking over primary moderation responsibility for these events. Please read the event schedule, and all members, new and old, should check out the Code of Conduct at the bottom of this text.

FEE: $8 to play at Geeky Teas - payable at the event to Geeky Teas at front desk. Once paid, you're covered to play games ALL DAY.

Games on the Menu:

# Session One

• Bob W
  Monster Merchant Marine
  Sail your squad of ships safely back to seaport before submerged sea monsters surface, strike and swallow your sight-seeing passengers while sending your own semi-servile serpent out to snack on unsuspecting ships!
• Scott W
  Scheme
  Scheme is a cross between a social deduction game and a improv party game with a bluffing element. One player has a secret “scheme,” and, as the game progresses, others are incentivized to act increasingly strangely so that others will suspect them of being the schemer.
• Scott R
  Perilous Planks
  Yo Ho! A pirate's life is a dangerous one and you never know when you'll have to walk the plank! Play cards to feed your pirates to sea monsters for a shiny coin rewards!
• Robin W
  Slice! The Tennis Card Game
  A Tennis meets Uno, lite + card game that simulates Singles (1v1) and Doubles (2v2) Tennis matches with a fun fruit theme!
• Daniel F
  Moon Base
  Build a base on the moon! A competitive worker placement game where players must work cooperatively to succeed.
• Harrison R
  The Island of Dr. Moreau
  A beast building, card battling strategy game where you compete against your colleagues for scientific supremacy on Dr. Moreau's island.
• Robert H
  Exemplar
  A competitive card game where you lead a Great House on a campaign to earn the title of "Custodians of the Void." Strategically play cards to locations to build your control there and earn Renown (VP). Similar to The War of the Ring: Card Game, Smash Up, and Marvel SNAP.

# Session Two

• Manny V
  Elementary
  You are magical monster kids swapping snacks from your lunchbox to get the best kids to sit at your cool table! Roll dice for snacks, brag about what you have and bribe your classmates.
• Keaton D
  Control
  Control takes the tactics of chess, and blends it with the economy and diplomacy of civilization. Players must consolidate their gold and use cunning to achieve victory.
• Tim W
  For Queen & Colony
  Fulfill orders for the ant colony’s various factions to earn the Queen’s favor, or just bring her treasures. Either path may be successful in this deck building pick-up & deliver game.
• Peter H
  Fractured Aether
  A worker placement game about repairing the magical substrate of a Zelda-like world.
• Andy A
  Pale of Settlement
  Play as teenagers on a magical adventure through the wild west of Russia, circa 1860, to find the legendary Golem before the Czar or his minions do.
• Damon S
  Tag Tower
  Compete to be the most infamous tagger by adding graffiti words of your color to a 3-dimensional skyscraper. Create words, tag, over other player’s words, and try to dominate every side of a building in this competitive, speed-based word game.
• Gabe G
  Hit the Deck
  A pirate card game of Pick-up-and-deliver, where you race to retrieve treasure from the four corners of the sea, build ships, and raid your opponents to be the first to haul home 36 doubloons.
• Ben H
  Pass The Brain Cell
  You are working together to control a drunk man navigate a social setting. Saying and doing awful things will make you lose points

SCHEDULE:
Game days have 3 segments. You do not need to come for the whole day! However, it is good etiquette if you are testing your own game to stay and test at least one other designer's game as well.

11:00am - 1:00 pm
OPEN PLAY TESTING
This is unstructured play time, ideal for short games (45min or less), 2 player games, and games that require a quieter environment. If you're a designer, grab an available table and let people know you are looking for players. If you're a player, just sit down at a game and play!

SESSION ONE 1:15pm - 3:15pm
SESSION TWO 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Scheduled sessions are the core of First Play! Each event we have two scheduled sessions, with about 5-7 games running during each time slot. Following moderator announcements, each designer running a game will have the opportunity to do an 'elevator pitch' to players. After which, players decide which game they want to play. Sessions are ideal for games that are 60-90 minutes, and have been playtested at least once before. After play, be sure to leave time to give and receive feedback. Oh, and sometimes we give away prizes!

5:30-6:30pm
DINNER BREAK

6:30-10pm
THE SKUNKWORKS
This is unstructured time to test your wildest ideas. Bring the game that may break in 5 minutes, the one that requires 10 people, or the one that may involve crawling on the ground. Bring objects that could be games, half baked ideas, and untested print and plays. Take risks, be silly, and most importantly, have fun!

SPECIAL NOTES: No outside food is permitted but there are snacks/drinks sold at Geeky Teas. Also, FYI - There are cats at the store, roaming but keep to themselves.

Please read these guides, especially if you are new to design or playtesting-
How to do better playtesting!
How to explain rules for your confusing game prototype!

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. Three 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!