Indianapolis, Indiana
Kappa Delta Pi
3707 Woodview Trace, Indianapolis, IN 46268, USA
800-284-3167
Please park in the lot on the north side of KDP. Overflow parking is available in the lot east of the building or the Kiwanis lot (north across Woodview Trace).
Use entrance #3 on the west side of KDP for direct access to the large conference room.
The country's best game design convention is returning to Indianapolis!
If you are a game designer looking for professional-level feedback, this is where you want to be. There will be lots of other designers for you to learn from as they playtest your designs and you playtest theirs. And the friendships you'll make will last a lifetime.
If you're a gamer who likes to try out new things, then Protospiel is amazing. You'll see dozens of new designs in a single weekend. And your input will help shape them before they hit the shelves of stores or launch in a crowdfunding campaign.
Protospiel is a casual event where amateur and established game designers get together to test their tabletop game prototypes in a supportive, cooperative environment. It's a great way to find where your game breaks and how to make it even better.
Don't worry about the appearance of your game: it isn't as important as the functionality. Some prototypes will be polished, others will be pencil scrawls on note cards. Either way, we'll help you make your game great!
The general 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 people try to follow it. If you are looking to promote a complete game and not play anyone else's prototypes, Protospiel is NOT the event for that.
Protospiel Indy is organized by Carl Klutzke. If you see me, please introduce yourself!
The Protospiel Milwaukee website has an informative FAQ page.
The Protospiel group on Facebook is a great place to connect with Protospiel enthusiasts.
Protospiel.events has info about various regional Protospiels.
The Published Protospiels list on BoardGameGeek lists over 100 published games that were playtested at Protospiel events.
Also, if you're in the Indianapolis area, join the Indianapolis Tabletop Game Creators on Facebook! We meet to playtest at least once a month, usually on the third Saturday afternoon.
Here are the prices for attending Protospiel Indy:
Protospiel Indy will be held in the large conference room at Kappa Delta Pi headquarters, on the north side of Indianapolis (near the iconic Pyramids). Outside food is allowed, but there is a strict no-alcohol policy. There are several restaurants nearby. Parking is free.
Hotels nearby include:
The event will run according to the traditional Protospiel structure, which is open design, collaboration, and play testing:
See our attendance policy page for details.
These great companies make sure you have the best possible experience at Protospiel Indy.
The Game Crafter provides print-on-demand services for tabletop game designers. They are a long-time supporter of many Protospiels.
Kolossal Games publishes great games like Western Legends, Omen, and Kami-sama. They are a returning sponsor this year.
GravityDrive provides UX research, design, evaluation, and support services to help your products drive a great user experience. They are a returning sponsor this year.
Cephalofair Games publishes great games like Gloomhaven and Founders of Gloomhaven. They will be an attending publisher this year.