Protospiel Bay Area
SEE HOW BOARD GAMES ARE MADE!
PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA is a multi-day family-friendly tabletop board gaming event of playing unpublished board games. Previously known as Protospiel San Jose, the last Protospiel took place in 2019. During that time, Protospiel San Jose occurred annually, with a peak of over 700 attendees!
PLAYERS: $0 free! Registration on Luma still required.
DESIGNERS: Register here to run your games.
PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA June 26-28, 2026 at Sports Basement’s Community Space, The Grove, in Redwood City at 202 Walnut Street Redwood City, CA 94063.
EVENT DETAILS
Event hours are Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-7pm. Lookout for evening events at nearby places (hotels, restaurants).
Designers will have games set up on tables. Playtesters can walk around and try out games in progress. Give feedback and help make games better!
Earn raffle tickets for every 1 hour of playtesting. Raffle tickets can be used to win games.
Note: Children accompanied by an adult do not need to register.
SUNDAY ACTIVITIES
Title: Game Design Basics: Make Your First Game! (Sunday 11:30am-12:30pm)
Description: Come and make your first game! The first 10 minutes will go over basic concepts in game design. Individually or find a group of 3-4 people, receive components with a prompt and spend 40 minutes to come up with ideas and challenge yourself to make a “playable” prototype. Get 10 min of feedback from experienced designers. Keep the components and continue your design by attending the regular designer meet-ups all throughout the Bay Area!
Target audience: first-time or new designers.
Title: Ask Me Anything (AMA) Industry Panel (Sunday 2pm-2:30pm)
Description: Ask questions to professionals who work in the board game industry.
Target audience: anyone who wants to learn more about the board game industry.
VENUE DETAILS
Sports Basement is located in a plaza (lots of parking) with various food options. Food IS ALLOWED inside the venue space.
Downtown RWC and CalTrain ~15 min walk.
Golden Gate Gamemakers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that brings together board game designers and playtesters in the San Francisco Bay Area. Support and donate!