Protospiel Rochester 2027
The 4th Annual Protospiel Rochester is happening January 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, 2027!
This year the event moves to January, at the RIT Inn & Conference Center (the venue is in Henrietta, just south of Rochester, NY). Our goal hasn’t changed: a supportive and co-operative environment that improves the quality of your game. We all like when awesome games hit the market!
Why January?
January is the start of RIT’s spring semester, when game design classes have students building and playtesting games, and it’s one of the slower stretches of the semester, so students can actually make it. It’s also a very good excuse to spend a weekend indoors. You don’t need to be a student to come.
Who attends?
There are three groups of people who attend the Protospiel Rochester events:
- Game designers who have worked on their game(s) and are looking for new people to provide feedback.
- Game players who want to see what games are coming up, are interested in seeing how games are developed, or may have some ideas of their own but aren’t sure where to start.
- Artists & Professionals: artists, editors, copywriters, and marketers who want to meet designers who need their skills. There are three Artists & Professionals tables this year, and table time is included with the badge.
What games should I bring?
Games at all stages of development are welcome.
- If you have something that’s vaguely playable, we want you to bring it!
- Is it nearly done and just needs more eyes on it, we want to see it!
- If you just thought of it while here, grab some parts-and-pieces and scribble down some rules, we’ll see where it goes!
- But…If it’s published and available for sale, please leave it at home. This includes games that are in the process of being Kickstarted.
What’s new this year?
- Announce when you’ll run your game. Designers can pick time slots for running their prototypes, so players know when to find them. You can see the schedule here. Designers get the sign-up link after buying a badge. Announcing a time doesn’t hold a table; reserved 4-hour table blocks are available as “Merch” for a designer badge add-on.
- Coffee on Sunday morning, too. Coffee and tea Saturday and Sunday morning, plus snacks and drinks Saturday afternoon, are included with every badge.
- Guardian Pass. A free pass for a parent or guardian who comes with someone under 18.
- Sponsor levels. Local businesses can help keep the coffee flowing and be listed on our printed handout. See the Sponsors page.
Our sponsors
Thank you to the local businesses keeping the coffee flowing at Protospiel Rochester 2027:
Be the first! Sponsor levels start at $100, and every level is listed here, on the printed handout, and on the event page. See the Sponsors page.
Badges
Tabletop.Events fees are added at checkout. Walk-ins are welcome, but buying ahead is easier for us.
| Badge | Fri | Sat | Sun | Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designer | $20 | $35 | $25 | $60 |
| Player | $5 | $10 | $10 | $20 |
| Artist / Professional | $15 | $20 | $20 | $45 |
Further information, location, and badge information can be found at the TableTop.Events website. You can also check the Prototypes page to see which games are coming.
How can I keep informed?
When registration opens, we will announce on:
- This post!
- Announcements on the Protospiel channel of our Discord server.
- An email sent to our mailing list. It will just be a few emails a year about upcoming events. Unsubscribe anytime.
- There will be announcements on Facebook. Follow us there!
Questions?
Your best bet is to email Kevin or message him on Discor