Protospiel Chicago 2025

Sept 12-14, 2025

Protospiel Chicago is back for its 9th year!

We'll be at the Holiday Inn in Countryside again, but with more space this year.

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 6th year. We anticipate that the prize table may be smaller this year as our generous publishers navigate the tariff landscape. However, it's still a great way to push yourself to play games outside of your usual genres and to meet new people!

Badges & Pricing

Badge prices for Protospiel Chicago 2025 are as follows:

• Designer WEEKEND Badge - $60
• Designer FRIDAY Badge - $35
• Designer SATURDAY Badge - $40
• Designer SUNDAY Badge - $25
• Play Tester WEEKEND Badge - $15
• Press Badge - Complimentary / Email admin@Protospiel-Chicago.org
• Sponsor Badge - Email admin@Protospiel-Chicago.org about opportunities to promote your brand.
• 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, while still available, 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 August 29, 2025.

Food & Drink

We'll be offering coffee service throughout the day.

There is a restaurant in the hotel and a wide 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 12, 2025 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 9:00am-11:45pm

SATURDAY 9:00am-11:45pm

SUNDAY 9:00am-3:00pm

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.

Wellness Policy

It goes without saying but we'll say it anyway: if you're sick (whether it's Covid-19, Flu, etc.), please stay home and take care of yourself. You'll be taking care of your fellow gamers as well. We thank you.

Sponsors

The Game Crafter will be bringing an assortment of game components, which are free to every attendee!

Welcome to The Game Crafter - The world leader in print on demand board games.

Watch this space for additional sponsors!

Protospiel Chicago has been Organized by

Clever Playing Cards