Nashville Game Design Fair 2024

We are partnering again with Game Makers Guild Nashville to support the game design community. The first Nashville Game Design Fair was a smashing success in 2019 and will finally return in 2024. Nashville Game Design Fair 2024 will be a one day event focusing on designer networking and playtesting prototypes. Nashville Tabletop Day brings in a few hundred attendees all around the Southeastern USA so we will have more playtesters than ever! We look forward to seeing you soon!

Register for Nashville Game Design Fair 2024!

Nashville Game Design Fair will be held on April 20th from 11am-8pm.

The address is:
Boone Event Center
Trevecca University
333 Murfreesboro Pike
Nashville, TN 37210

There is a non-refundable table reservation fee of $25 for designers. The deadline for registration ends on Sunday, April 14th.

Designers register here

Nashville Game Design Fair Spring 2024 will be held in conjunction with Nashville Tabletop Day which means the potential pool of playtesters will be dramatically increased. Registration for Nashville Tabletop Day is free!

Attendees register here!

Schedule

Saturday, April 20th

10:30am – 11:00am Designers come in early to set up
11:00am – 3:00pm Playtest Block 1
3:00pm – 4:00pm “Power Publishing” Keynote by AJ Porfirio, President of Van Ryder Games
4:00pm – 8:00pm Playtest Block 2
8:00pm – 10:00pm Open playtesting until close

“Power Publishing” Keynote by AJ Porfirio

AJ Porfirio is the founder and President of Van Ryder Games, a board game publishing company he started on his own as a side hustle in 2011, which has now grown to an 8 employee 7-figure revenue company.

AJ has a bachelors degree from Rice University and an MBA from Lipscomb University. He has designed and co-designed many of the games in the Van Ryder Games catalog like Popcorn Dice, Hostage Negotiator, and the most well known one of all, Final Girl.

AJ recently started a program called Power Publishing, where he teaches aspiring and existing Game Publishers how to build and/or grow a successful board game publishing business.

Confirmed Designers

The following designers have been confirmed, along with the titles they plan on playtesting.

Designers will be announced as they sign up.

FAQ

Who are we? – Meeple Mountain produces high quality board game media, and runs well known events like Nashville Tabletop Day, and Nashville Game Night. Game Makers Guild Nashville runs Nashville’s premier game design events, with several published designers as regular participants.

Why are we doing this? – Board gaming in Nashville is growing by leaps and bounds, but the current landscape primarily centers around the average gamer. We want to offer the same high quality events Meeple Mountain is known for to the game designers.

Who can attend? – Nashville Game Design Fair playtesting is open to all Nashville Tabletop Day attendees, but designer tables are limited to 14 approved submissions.

What do I need to do to sign up as a designer/attendee/publisher? – Attendee, publisher, and playtester tickets are free. Designers will be charged a $25 reservation fee.

I don’t live in Nashville, where can I stay, and what can I do while I’m there? – Nashville is an amazing and vibrant city; full of wonderful food and even more wonderful people. You’ll find plenty of things to do, and places to stay while you’re in town. Don’t forget the hot chicken!

Why should I attend if I’m not a designer or publisher? – Tickets for attendees and playtesters are free, tell your friends! Plus the game design process is fascinating. Nashville already has a number of published designers, so Nashville Game Design Fair will be a perfect place to see games that might show up on shelves next year.

Where can I game in Nashville while I’m here? – You can find out more information on the Meeple Mountain Nashville gaming directory page.

Privacy Policy

Meeple Mountain is the sole owner of the information we collect. We only have access to/collect information that you voluntarily give us via email or other direct contact from you. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone. We will use your information to respond to you, regarding the reason you contacted us. We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization. Unless you ask us not to, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about other events.

Code of Conduct

Meeple Mountain is dedicated to providing a harassment-free and inclusive experience for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, gender identity or religion. Therefore, we do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Please familiarize yourself with our definition of harassment, and what we expect of attendees.

Harassment includes offensive verbal comments; sexual images in public spaces; deliberate intimidation; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

If you, as an attendee, feel harassed, you may inform the offender that you would like the harassing behavior to stop immediately. If you are not comfortable doing this, you may contact a staff member who will address the concern.

If you, as an attendee, are asked to stop behaving in a way that is interpreted as harassment, you are expected to stop, immediately. Arguing about the situation or trying to convince someone that your behavior is not harassment will not get you anywhere. Just stop. If you disagree that your behavior is harassment, that is fine, but the behavior should stop anyway.

If anyone engages in harassing behavior, staff may take any action they, in their sole discretion, deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion.

Staff will be happy to provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference. We value your attendance.

Read our 3 part series to find out how to run a board gaming event of your own.

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