About us
Golden Gate Gamemakers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that brings together board game creators and players in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Together we run 200+ events a year all over the Bay Area, including: San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley, Oakland, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Dublin, Fremont, Santa Cruz, Mill Valley, Petaluma, Concord, Mountain View, and more!
We support playtesting, co-working, promotional, and educational opportunities for tabletop gamemakers, as well as interested players. Help local designers make great games and have fun doing it!
Whether you are a first time or veteran game designer, industry professional, tabletop game enthusiast, casual player, or just want to check things out, we welcome you to our events and are happy to share our knowledge.
If you have any questions, please message @Velgus or your event host, or contact through our website.
Our Code of Conduct:
Code of Conduct - Living Document
Our Website:
Golden Gate Gamemakers
Our Discord:
Golden Gate Gamemakers
Featured event
KublaCon Prime - Board Game Convention and Protospiel
KublaCon Prime board game convention is happening Memorial Day weekend, and with it the KublaCon Protospiel! Join in for 4-days of fun at the Bay Area's largest board game convention.
Tabletop Games of All Kinds!
- Board, Card, Miniature, Historical, and more!
- RPGs and LARPs
- D&D, Pathfinder, Starfinder organized play
- Seminars and Panels
- Paint and Take, Painting Classes
- Seminars and Panels
- Special Events
- Protospiel Playtesting
- Vendor Hall
- Flea Market
- Raffles and Giveaways
- Huge Game Library
The convention continues non-stop Friday 12pm - Monday 4pm.
Sunday 6:30pm-8:00pm: If you work in the game industyr, come by the Protospiel Room for an Industry Mixer.
COST - You MUST have a KublaCon badge to enter the convention, which can be purchased online in advance or on site as long as the con doesn't sell out. The Protospiel is a convention event that requires no additional cost.
Additional Protospiel Information:
Running nearly the whole con in the Harbor Ballroom!
The Protospiel is a mostly open format, drop in and out for designers and players anytime. This is an excellent opportunity to try new board / card / tabletop games in development, get feedback on your own prototypes, meet others in the game industry, and learn how games are made, all in a relaxed supportive atmosphere. Designers, publishers, and interested players welcome, no experience needed!
This is a popular event! We have had 100 participants in the room at our peak, and are expecting 50+ designers with games of all sorts. Tables are shared among the designers, and if at capacity designers will have to vacate their table after a session so everyone can get their tests in. Designers are expected to give as much as they get and playtest others's games as well.
We are also having several tables dedicated to scheduled playtests that will appear on the convention schedule, which you can submit on the convention website and search for by selecting the Protospiel category.
As an additional incentive to play test games, for each game you test you will get a raffle ticket for a chance to win some fabulous board game prizes!
KublaCon Protospiel Team: Scott Caputo, Velgus, and friends.
Upcoming events
135
Board Game Playtesting at Guildhouse San Jose
Guildhouse, 420 First St, San Jose, CA, USCome to Guildhouse, San Jose's coolest gaming venue to playtest some games in development! This is a monthly event happening every 3rd Wednesdays.
This is a relaxed chance to try new board games and card games in development, get feedback on your own prototypes if you're a designer, and get advice on the games industry. New designers and interested players welcome! Drop in and out anytime during the night.
Please be courteous to other designers and stay to test their games if you are bringing your prototype to be tested.
We typically run a small raffle each night for participants to win new and used board game prize.
Organizer: Jordan Nichols
Cost: Free! Though consider buying some tasty food and drinks from the venue to enhance your stay.
Parking: There are many metered spots in the surrounding several blocks, that are free after 6pm. Keep in mind the area can get busy for parking, consider coming a bit earlier to get a great spot, the venue opens at 5pm if you want to hang beforehand. There are a few nearby paid parking options if needed.
See GGG's full code of conduct here.
Up-to-date details and our many other events can be found at meetup.com/playgoldengate
9 attendees
Board Game Design Deep Dive - 3rd Wednesdays San Francisco
Gamescape, 333 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA, USJoin us at Gamescape SF on 3rd Wednesdays for a night of gaming and design discussion.
This Month's Topic: Trick-Taking
These games tend to have players play cards from their hand to the table in a series of rounds, or “tricks” which are each evaluated separately to determine a "winner". Most tricks are won with a high card, sometimes using the concept of a trump suit which takes priority. Most trick takers make plaeyrs "follow suit" restricting the cards they play on their turn to a suit established earlier that round.Popular games in this category include:
- The Crew
- The Lord of the Rings Trick Taking Game
- Skull King
- Arcs
- For Northwood
- Sail
IMPORTANT: This is a limited capacity event. You must RSVP on the Gamescape website to guarantee a space and pay the $5 event fee.
Design Deep Dive is an event where we will be playing published games within a certain scope (a specific mechanic, genre, designer, etc) and discussing the design and experience of those games. There will be a selection of games provided as options, and attendees may also bring their own games to share if they fit the month's topic. We are assessing published games, no playtesting allowed for this event.
The event is led by a regular host to greet and coordinate, as well as a rotating "Dive Instructor" that will provide a short presentation and guide discussions on the monthly topic.
This is a fantastic and unique opportunity to play fun games while breaking down what makes them fun. No experience in designing or playtesting is needed.
Organizer: Chaz Glassmaker
See GGG's full Code of Conduct here.
Up-to-date details and our many other events can be found at meetup.com/playgoldengate.
2 attendees
Board Game Playtesting at Black Diamond Games Concord
Black Diamond Games, 1950 Market St suite e, Concord, CA, USCome to Black Diamond Games in Concord to playtest some games in development! This event is 3rd Thursdays and run along the regular board game night - you may participate in both.
This is a relaxed chance to try new board / card / tabletop games, get feedback on your own prototypes, and learn about the game industry. Designers and interested players welcome, no experience needed.
Please be courteous to other designers and stay to test their games if you are bringing your own prototype to be tested.
Drop in any time, and leave when you'd like. RSVPing by using the Attend button through Meetup is very appreciated, yet we get walk-ins and those that don't RSVP all the time.
Organizer: Velgus
- COST - The store charges $5 to access their regular Board Game Night. Anyone attending board game night may freely participate as a designer and/or player for Board Game Playtesting being run in the same area upstairs.
- PARKING - Free and plentiful parking in adjacent lot.
See GGG's full code of conduct here.
Up-to-date details and our many other events can be found at meetup.com/playgoldengate
3 attendeesKublaCon Prime - Board Game Convention and Protospiel
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, 1333 Old Bayshore Hwy, Burlingame, CA, USKublaCon Prime board game convention is happening Memorial Day weekend, and with it the KublaCon Protospiel! Join in for 4-days of fun at the Bay Area's largest board game convention.
Tabletop Games of All Kinds!
- Board, Card, Miniature, Historical, and more!
- RPGs and LARPs
- D&D, Pathfinder, Starfinder organized play
- Seminars and Panels
- Paint and Take, Painting Classes
- Seminars and Panels
- Special Events
- Protospiel Playtesting
- Vendor Hall
- Flea Market
- Raffles and Giveaways
- Huge Game Library
The convention continues non-stop Friday 12pm - Monday 4pm.
Sunday 6:30pm-8:00pm: If you work in the game industyr, come by the Protospiel Room for an Industry Mixer.
COST - You MUST have a KublaCon badge to enter the convention, which can be purchased online in advance or on site as long as the con doesn't sell out. The Protospiel is a convention event that requires no additional cost.
Additional Protospiel Information:
Running nearly the whole con in the Harbor Ballroom!The Protospiel is a mostly open format, drop in and out for designers and players anytime. This is an excellent opportunity to try new board / card / tabletop games in development, get feedback on your own prototypes, meet others in the game industry, and learn how games are made, all in a relaxed supportive atmosphere. Designers, publishers, and interested players welcome, no experience needed!
This is a popular event! We have had 100 participants in the room at our peak, and are expecting 50+ designers with games of all sorts. Tables are shared among the designers, and if at capacity designers will have to vacate their table after a session so everyone can get their tests in. Designers are expected to give as much as they get and playtest others's games as well.
We are also having several tables dedicated to scheduled playtests that will appear on the convention schedule, which you can submit on the convention website and search for by selecting the Protospiel category.
As an additional incentive to play test games, for each game you test you will get a raffle ticket for a chance to win some fabulous board game prizes!
KublaCon Protospiel Team: Scott Caputo, Velgus, and friends.
9 attendees
Past events
903
