Golden Gate Gamemakers

Board Game Playtesting at Black Diamond Games Concord

Thu, May 21 · 6:00 PM PDT

Black Diamond Games, 1950 Market St suite e, Concord, CA, US

Come 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

KublaCon Prime - Board Game Convention and Protospiel

Fri, May 22 · 12:00 PM PDT

Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, 1333 Old Bayshore Hwy, Burlingame, CA, US

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.

Board Game Playtesting - Online!

Mon, May 25 · 7:00 PM PDT

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Online

Online

The Golden Gate Gamemakers would like you to join us ONLINE to playtest board games in development!

When: The last Monday of each month from 7-9 pm PT we host an evening of virtual board game playtesting.

Where: Join the GGG Discord Server and visit the "Alpaca" and other Room voice channels between 7-9 pm PT.

SCHEDULE
7:10 pm - Presentation on using digital prototyping or playtesting
7:30 pm - General discussion
8-9 pm - Unscheduled playtesting of online prototypes in any of the five available rooms in the GGG server. (attendees may stay later on their own as desired too)

If you are joining our Discord Server for the first time, you will need to go through the onboarding process and wait 5 minutes before being able to join the Voice Channels along the left bar.

You will need to select a role to join, if you haven't during the onboarding process, go to the top of the left bar, click Channels & Roles and choose a role such as Gamemaker.

Who: We welcome you whether you're a designer with a prototype, an interested playtester, or you'd just like to observe and check things out.

Prerequisites: No experience needed. Connect, play, and give feedback - let's make better games together and have fun doing it!

Web: To lower any barriers, we encourage the use of web-based digital prototypes built on Screentop or PlayingCards IO.

Format: Each session we will rotate through games and share constructive feedback to help designers refine their games. If we don't get to your game, you'll be prioritized next meetup.

RSVP: Appreciated but not required.

Organizers: Greg Pool (Haole Boy Games) and Jason Parmele (The Misplay).

Cost: Our Discord server is FREE to join and use. Digital playtesting platforms like Screentop and PlayingCards IO have basic plans that are free for playtesters and designers.

Rules: GGG's Code of Conduct

More events: More GGG events at meetup.com/playgoldengate

Board Game Designers Meetup at 11th Hour Coffee in Santa Cruz

Tue, May 26 · 6:00 PM PDT

11th Hour Coffee, 1001 Center Street, #1, Santa Cruz, ca, US

If you are a board game designer, this event is for you! Come to 11th Hour Coffee in downtown Santa Cruz, for a board game designers meetup! Put on by the southmost chapter of the Golden Gate Gamemakers, the Game Designers of Santa Cruz.

This event is for game designers who are currently working on a board game. It is an opportunity to get advice and ask questions to game designers about your own game and help others!

Please comment on each event if you are going and what you would like help with.

Examples:

• I would like my sell sheet to be reviewed.
• I would like a more pinpointed playtest for part of my game with designers to help work on a particular mechanic or problem.
• I'd like help in learning how to pitch my game, what companies/contacts, and what scripts.
• I'd like to talk about how a certain mechanic, theme, or gameplay can work in ___ circumstance.
• I'd like to do a Game Jam.

We also hope to do a quick ice breaker/hot take or 5-min game to start some thought-provoking discussions, as well as go around the room to see where everyone is with their game design journey.

Then you can test out your game at our every 2nd Tuesday Playtesting Events at Peoples Coffee in Live Oak from 6pm to 10pm.

**Cost**
This is a completely free event! Attendees are encouraged to buy food or drink from 11th Hour Coffee.
Coffee bar closes at 7:30pm.
Regular bar closes at 9pm.
Chubbs Chicken food vendor closes at 9pm.

**Parking / Travel**
There is free parking, and meter parking (til 8pm) around downtown.
One of the locations of free parking is in the downtown library parking lot.

Note: There are two 11th hour Coffee locations. One in downtown Santa Cruz (the main one and where our event is hosted), and one on the westside. The westside location has the word westside in it.

See GGG's full code of conduct here.

Up-to-date details and our many other events can be found at meetup.com/playgoldengate

Point of contact and organizer: Courtney Laschkewitsch