Protospiel Bay Area (Day 1)

DESIGNERS: get your prototype on the table, get feedback, and meet other designers!
PLAYTESTERS: see up-and-coming games in progress, see how games are made!

PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA is a multi-day family-friendly tabletop board gaming event of playing unpublished board games. Previously known as Protospiel San Jose, the last Protospiel took place in 2019. During that time, Protospiel San Jose occurred annually, with a peak of over 700 attendees!

Golden Gate Gamemakers is excited and proud to be bringing this annual event back to the Bay Area in 2026!

• DESIGNERS: $20 registration. This will come with a 6 hours of scheduled playtesting (2 hours each day). You can also sign up for any open spots each day. Register here!
• PLAYTESTERS: $0 free! Registration still required. Register here!

PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA June 26-28, 2026 at Sports Basement’s Community Space, The Grove, in Redwood City at 202 Walnut Street Redwood City, CA 94063.

EVENT DETAILS

• Event hours are Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-7pm. Lookout for evening events at nearby places (hotels, restaurants).
• The format is SCHEDULED PLAYTESTING. Designers will be given timeslots to run their games. We will provide signs to designers to visually inform playtesters of the time for your game (including teach and feedback). We encourage designers to play other games as much as they run theirs.
• Raffle tickets are earned for every 1 hour of playtesting. Raffle tickets can be used to win games.
• Other activities will include Game Design Basics, Make a Game!, AMA Industry Panel.

VENUE DETAILS

• Sports Basement is located in a plaza (lots of parking) with various food options. Food IS ALLOWED inside the venue space.
• Downtown RWC and CalTrain ~15 min walk.
• Lodging options include: (​​5-15min walk or 5min drive): (CLOSEST) Courtyard Marriott Redwood City (600 Bair Island Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063). Good Nite Inn (485 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94063). Kasa Niche Hotel (868 Main St, Redwood City, CA 94063). Redwood Creek Inn (1090 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063). Sequoia Inn (526 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063).

Golden Gate Gamemakers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that brings together board game designers and playtesters in the San Francisco Bay Area. Support and donate!