Special Events and Game Design Track
BGG.CON is focused on Open Gaming, so we try not to have too many scheduled events, but we know that "variety is the spice of life" and have a few special events that we have scheduled to help break up your gaming. This week's update will highlight some of those.
- Attendee Scheduled Events
- Game Design Track
- BGG Sponsored Events
- Casual Games Insider
- Previous News Updates
Attendee Scheduled Event Submissions
We have provided an opportunity for those of you that enjoy scheduling your gaming to submit events to the schedule. This is not required, but some games either require a bigger space, a different kind of space or frankly, you just want to make sure you get to play particular game to make your BGG.CON a special event for you. Instructions for submitting Events can be found in last week's News Update or on the "Hosting a Game Page" (Attend > Hosting a Game).
UPDATE on Submissions - As we did last year, we are separating the 18xx games from the Quiet Games. "Quiet Games" will now be a special request similar to Larger Breakout, or 5" round table. If you have a game you want to host in which the normal volume of the attendees of the game can be "Quiet", then you may select this special request.
AND DON'T FORGET - to get your seat at the table. Instructions on getting a seat or claiming a reserved seat can be found here:
Game Design Track
This year's Game Design Track will be hosted by Geoff Engelstein, game designer and President of Tabletop Game Designers Association and Dan Nichols, game designer and publisher with Gadabout Games and host of the HomeGrown Games Market. They bring their expertise and connections to help other game designers figure out good game design and small market publishing.
We are working the final list of panels and seminars that will be available, but in the meantime, we'll focus on ProtoAlley and how that will be structured this year.
Open Playtesting Events
Thursday, Friday and Saturday - Any and all playtesters are welcome at these events. It is a come-playtest what you want-and go format. If you would like to remind yourself to go, get a ticket.
Featured Playtesting Events
The "Featured" Homegrown Games Labs will have some curated designs available to for review. Designers, to be considered for this event, please apply on their website. Applications due by November 7.
HomeGrown Events
In addition to the open and featured playtesting, the following special events are currently scheduled:
| Event Name | Date & Time | Event Description |
|---|---|---|
| Autopsy Brunch: Designer Meet & Greet | Thursday, Nov 19 • 10:00 AM-Noon | Meet your fellow game designers and grab some grub over a discussion of the games that shaped us! Come hungry and with a published game in mind to autopsy. |
| Homegrown Games Jam | Thursday, Nov 19 • 7:00 – 9:00 PM | Anyone can become a game designer — and you’re going to prove it by creating a board game from scratch in the wildest session of the week. |
| Win Condition: Game Design Clinic | Thursday, Nov 19 • 9:00 – 10:00 PM | Bring a game you're working on and a specific challenge you're struggling to solve, and we'll put our best brains on it! |
| The Pitching Game | Friday, Nov 20 • 7:00 – 9:00 PM | Can you sell someone on your game without letting them see it? Find out in this exciting designer game show! |
| Homegrown Games Market | Saturday, Nov 21 • 7:00 – 9:00 PM | Unique, experimental games made in small batches are sold directly by their designers in this pop-up market. Whether you're browsing or buying, you'll discover something new. |
ADDITIONAL Playtesting
To get a few more eyes on your Prototype feel free to list them on the Prototypes page. (Instructions HERE)_
If you would like to do additional playtesting outside of the HomeGrown Games Lab, you may submit your event using the instructions above for Hosting a Game.
Guidelines for Prototypes as Scheduled Events
- Games MUST NOT not be for public sale (either crowdfunding sites or through other distribution channels) - please note the guidelines for Exhibitor/Publisher/Designer Demos
- Games can be in any stage of development
- Make sure the EVENT TYPE is listed as "Game Design Track"
- The game description must include notice that this is a PLAYTEST.
- The number of playtests is LIMITED to 2 per day of the convention outside of the HomeGrown Games Lab.
BGG Sponsored Events
And now we get to the oldies but goodies, the traditional BGG.CON events you know and love... BGG Sponsored Events
Tournaments/Competitions
Feel Good Events
Just for Fun
- Photo Booth
- MegaGame: Den of Wolves
- The Big Group Game at the CON
- Puzzle Hunt: Dallas, We Have a Problem!
- Battling Tops
Meet New People
Money to Spend
And we're working on another event or two that should show up on the schedule soon.....
Casual Games Insider
Since 2012, Casual Game Revolution has been the ultimate guide for casual board game fans. We champion the best easy-to-learn, quick-to-play games that still offer fascinating decisions and light strategy. Our beautifully designed digital magazine, Casual Game Insider (CGI), along with our blog, is your go-to source for insightful reviews, exclusive interviews, hot convention coverage, and engaging explorations into your favorite hobby. Thousands of gamers trust us to cut through the noise and find their next tabletop adventure.
BGG.CON has typically been granted several physical copies of the Casual Games Insider Magazine to share with those who might be interested to pick it up from our flyers table. The CGI Magazine has now gone digital and all of our attendees can access its great content and use its helpful reviews and information to help inform their purchases.
In this issue: Face your fears, collect cheese, and escape a mousy nightmare in Bézier Games' new ladder-climbing and card-shedding game, Haunted Mouse. Plus: best board games for the non-convert, how 'game feel' shapes the emotion and experience of gaming, the evolving trend of two-player games, tips from an educator about teaching game design in school, an interview with Happy Camper's Jason Schneider about his trek from circus performer to indie game publisher, and a FREE print-and-play game: Tooth & Talon by Aaron Lambert. Our readers also discuss the games at the top of their wishlist.
In this issue: Cascadia: Alpine Lakes by AEG and Flatout Games brings tile stacking, new scoring conditions, and a bigger challenge to Cascadia in a standalone sequel. Plus: the mechanics of Origins 2026, how Gen Con 2026 weathered the storms, the unlikely origins of the cult-classic VHS game Atmosfear, smart storage solutions for your games and game components, an inside look at the partnership and creative direction of IELLO and Blue Orange Games, and a FREE print-and-play game: Hello Autumn by Radosław Ignatów. Our readers also discuss the games they paid way too much for.
Previous News Updates- In case you missed it...
10/1/2026 - (Limited) Additional Hotel Rooms Available
9/28/26 - Event Submissions, T-Shirts, Blood Drive, BGG.Spring 2027
3/20/2026 - Hotel Booking links were provided for various blocks on this date. Most attendees should see the link in their badge confirmation email. A hotel block review will be done within the next week or so and any rooms from other blocks will be added to the general attendee block at that time.
