Protospiel Chicago 2024

SOLD OUT FOR SATURDAY!!

Sept 13-15, 2024

Protospiel Chicago is back for its 8th year in a new location!

We'll be at the Holiday Inn in Countryside.

If you're a game designer looking to get professional level feedback from other designers, there is no better place to get that feedback.

If you're a gamer who likes to try out new things, then Protospiel is the place for you. You'll get to see dozens of new designs in a single weekend. Plus you'll get to shape them before they hit the store shelves or the pages of Kickstarter.

Tell Me More

Protospiel is a casual event where amateur and established game designers get together to test their prototype games in a supportive, cooperative environment. It's a great way to break your game and to fix it. Don't worry about the appearance of your game. It isn't nearly as important as the functionality. Some prototypes will be highly polished, but that's not what's important at Protospiel. Our goal is to help you make great games!

Want Even More Details?

There is an FAQ page for Protospiels in general.

Tabletop.Events is a great place to find Protospiels and Other Game Conventions

Don't forget the Protospiel Group on Facebook

Chi-Bingo will be back!

Everyone's favorite meta-game, Chi-Bingo, will be back for its 5th year. Check back later for details.

Badges & Pricing

Badge prices for Protospiel Chicago 2024 are as follows:

Designer WEEKEND Badge - $60
Designer FRIDAY Badge - $30
Designer SATURDAY Badge - $40
Designer SUNDAY Badge - $20
Play Tester WEEKEND Badge - $15
Press Badge - Complimentary / Email admin@Protospiel-Chicago.org
Publisher Badge - Complimentary / See below.

To qualify for a free Publisher's Badge you must have published two games by designers other than yourself within the last two years and are actively looking for another game design. Please email admin@Protospiel-Chicago.org and include the type(s) of games you're looking for in your request.

Badges may be purchased at the door with cash or credit card. No checks will be accepted.

Tabletop.Event fees will be added to all badge prices.

Last day to refund your badge is September 1, 2024.

Food & Drink

We'll be offering coffee service throughout the day.

There is a restaurant accessible from the hotel and a variety of restaurants nearby.

Hotel

We've secured a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn Countryside.

Details can be found in the Venue section on the right hand side of this page.

Must book by August 13, 2024 to get the group rate.

Parking

Parking is free at the hotel.

Schedule

This will run like the traditional Protospiel, which is open design, collaboration, and play testing. The room will be open as follows:

FRIDAY 9am-Midnight

SATURDAY 9am-Midnight

SUNDAY 9am-3pm

The guiding principle is for designers to reciprocate other designers' time and feedback by playing each other's games. For example, if you need three play testers for your game, you should try to play three other designer's games before the event ends. This is not a hard and fast rule, but the event works best when everyone tries to follow it.

Covid-19 Policy

It goes without saying but we'll say it anyway, if you're sick (whether it's Covid-19 or not) please stay home and take care of yourself. You'll be taking care of your fellow gamers as well. We thank you.

Vaccines are strongly encouraged but not required. Facemasks are optional.