Protospiel Indy 2020

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.

Tell Me More

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.

Want Even More Details?

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.

Badges & Pricing

Here are the prices for attending Protospiel Indy:

Designer 3-Day Badge - $60, or $50 if you register by May 4th!

Designer Friday-Only Badge - $25

Designer Saturday-Only Badge - $30

Designer Sunday-Only Badge - $15

Playtester 3-Day Badge - $10

Press Badge - Contact us to request a free badge.

Publisher Badge - If you have published a game which you did not design, contact us to request a free badge.

Venue

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.

Lodging

Hotels nearby include:

Quality Inn - Inexpensive hotel across parking lot from venue

Homewood Suites - Recommended by venue staff

Fairfield Inn & Suites - 10 minutes away, rated as a best value

Schedule

The event will run according to the traditional Protospiel structure, which is open design, collaboration, and play testing:

Friday 9am-6pm - Registration open

Friday 11:45pm - Doors close for the day

Saturday 9am-3pm - Registration open

Saturday 11:45pm - Doors close for the day

Sunday 9am-11am - Registration open

Sunday 4pm - Convention ends

Policies

See our attendance policy page for details.

Sponsors

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.

Publishers Attending

Cephalofair Games publishes great games like Gloomhaven and Founders of Gloomhaven. They will be an attending publisher this year.