A quick peek into physical game production. It is interesting to see what is done by hand vs machine. See your copy of Smash Up made before your eyes. Thanks to Mr. Snook for sharing this one.
Haiti Con is requesting game designers to come and run games at the con.
Haiticon
July 15 Fri 7pm-12am
July 16 Sat 12pm-12am
65 Dorland St in SF.
Greetings,
Day one of Protospiel San Jose was a rousing success with a great turn out for Friday.
One the far left is our day one play-testing MVP.
Industry Panel
Saturday at 4 PM we will be hosting a panel with some industry guests. Its a great opportunity to learn more about the business side of board games and how to avoid common pitfalls. Special thanks to Grant Rodiek for organizing and moderating the panel.
Panelists:
- Grant Rodiek - Designer, Publisher, and Moderator
- Peter Vaughan - Publisher, Developer for Breaking Games
- Brian Henk - Publisher, Designer
- Teale Fristoe - Designer, Publisher
- Aldo Ghiozzi - Distributor
- Jeremy Commandeur - Protospiel Organizer
One last request, if you are attending the optional Designer Diner on Saturday night, please bring cash to pay your check
Good gamers play nice with others. In that spirit we are asking all attendees of Protospiel San Jose to park behind Game Kastle or off to the right side (green checks in photo below). Please DO NOT park in front of the store (red x below). Leave that parking for the people who need access to Trader Joes. If you park in back, there is a sidewalk that takes you right up to the Game Kastle entrance. Thank you!
Please park where the green checks are. Leave red X parking for Trader Joe's.
Our final sponsor wants to give you the opportunity to win more free games. Visit Jordan's table to pick up a bingo card related to the prototype games on site. Fill out your bingo card and bring it back to Jordan for the chance to win additional prizes from him (this is separate from the raffle).
Jordan Nichols long time gamer with an endless passion for board games and the entrepreneurial spirit to match. He is starting Game Night a Brick and Mortar board gaming lounge, a comfortable space to play with an extensive library of only the best games with upgraded components and painted figures. Game Night will be a place for the board game community to call home, a place to meet new gamers, host and participate in events, and for designers and publishers to connect with players.
Join him in creating a new way to game and a new kind of board game community. Because everyone deserves a Game Night. For more info visit www.yourgamenight.com.
Jordan Nichols
Greetings,
I'm proud to announce our major sponsor for Protospiel San Jose, Hasbro Gaming Lab! Hasbro is sponsoring Protospiel in an effort to reach out to the indie board game design community and to encourage game designers to enter their Next Great Game Challenge.
Hasbro wants to see your game idea and is offering $25,000 to the game submission they judge to be the best. Five additional finalists will be awarded $2,000 to help them launch their game via Indiegogo.
Key details:
- All submissions must be made via the Hasbro Game Lab website by May 15th. The submission process is on Hasbro's website, NOT at Protospiel.
- Hasbro is looking for games that are "enjoyable for families and casual gamers as well as exciting for long-time enthusiasts."
- Hasbro will pick 15 submissions as finalists on May 27th. The 15 finalists will then be asked to send Hasbro a physical prototype by June 24th.
Find the full details and the terms and conditions for the contest here:
https://hasbrogaminglab.com
This contest is a great opportunity for game designers. Hasbro Gaming Lab is funding Protospiel San Jose and sending a representative to Protospiel to engage our community. Lets thank Hasbro by sending them lots of great game ideas.
Game Design Improv Contest
If you don't yet have a game idea to send into the Hasbro Game Lab contest next month, or if you have never designed a game before, or if you want to have lots of fun playing with lots of cool board game bits, the annual Protospiel San Jose Improv Game Design contest is for you!
When:
Sunday, April 16th at 11 AM.
What:
Designing games is difficult. Too many mechanics here, too few options there... Designing games is almost a game. Here, it definitely is! The third annual game design contest at Protospiel San Jose will pit you and 1-3 of your friends against 9 other teams, as you struggle to make the best game possible in 60 fleeting minutes. Each player will get a bag of components, and put together a prototype to pitch to a panel of judges. Players will be judged on adherence to the theme, originality, and mechanics.
Anyone is welcome to participate, but you must sign up in advance (at the welcome table), as kits are limited. The best game will be awarded a certificate of success and eternal glory!
Thanks to Kellen Snook to organizing the improv contest this year. I asked Kellen to send me a teaser image for the game design kits given to each team. He sent me the following image. It looks like a hilarious combination of crazy board game bits.
These are the bits for the game design contest kits.