Game Designer Panel & Play
Schedule
Mon Mar 30 2026 at 07:00 pm to 10:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
The Bard and Bear Games Cafe Hamilton, James Street North, Hamilton, ON, Canada | Hamilton, ON
About this Event
There's a lot that goes into making the games we love to play: generating ideas, creating a prototype, play testing and refining, not to mention all the steps of getting it published and distributed to stores and players...
If you've ever been curious about the world of tabletop game design, this is your chance to learn about it all!
THE EVENT
The evening will begin with a Q&A Panel moderated by one of the owners of The Bard and Bear Games Cafe (Megan and Steven still need to duke it out for who gets to run it!). We'll hear from our 5 local designers about the design and publishing process, about their current works-in-progress, and whatever other questions you and your fellow attendees think to ask.
Following the Panel, it's time to Play! The designers will set up with their games, and you'll be able to mix and mingle board game social style and sit down at a table to learn something exciting and new with the creators themselves!
P.S. Don't forget your allowance, as some of our designers will have copies to add to your personal collection if (when!) you fall in love with a new favourite game.
THE DESIGNERS (& THEIR GAMES)
James of Tin Robot Games
James has run numerous successful Kickstarters for the"unapologetically casual" games he creates through Tin Robot Games, and is also the host and creator of the Board Game Binge Podcast. Of their many games, James will be showcasing Garden Geckos, a tile-placing game with the best gecko and bug meeples you've ever seen, and Cities of Venus, which brings together worker placement, tableau building, and resource gathering with a neat SciFi theme. You can check out the Tin Robot Games website here.
Matt of Funner Games
Matt is a Bard and Bear regular and avid game designer with a number of games out in the world and many many more in development. Published games include Threesy, a quick-and-cute two-player featuring aliens, astronauts, and unicorns, and The Nicators IV, a card-collecting game "with personality." Check out the Funner Games website here (and get a bunch of free games) or find them on Instagram @funnergames_ca
Scott of BSGames
Scott is one half of BSGames, a design duo that create games that aim to teach concepts and skills while you have a great time playing. Scott will be bringing their two published games, the abstract strategy game Sinoda (which puts d4 dice to work in a new way) and the equation-based head-to-head Mathemagician's Duel, as well as their new project in development, The Stupidest Game Ever! Check out the BSGames website here or find them on Instagram and Facebook as BSGamesCA
Dave of Tree Bear Interactive
One of three friends behind the indie game studio Tree Bear Interactive, Dave is about to finish the Game Design program at Mohawk College. Tree Bear's games include Equilibrium, a social-deduction shapes-and-colours card game, and Waning Light, a life-sim deck-building card battler that highlights the struggles of young adults with depression. You can check out the Tree Bear Interactive website here or find them on Instagram @treebearint
Hugh!
Another Bard and Bear regular (and beloved facilitator of our consistently sold-out Improv for D&D workshops), Hugh has a number of games in the development and play-testing stage, including Movie Movie Movie, which is all about improvising movie pitches!
THE SCHEDULE
6:30 - Doors open. Come settle in, polish your questions, and maybe place that initial food and drink order to get ahead of the curve.
7:00 - Q&A Panel begins. Ask away!
8:00 - Play time! Join the designers and some brand new friends to try out the games you've just heard so much about.
10:00 - The official end of the event (though there's a little bit of leeway if you happen to be in the middle of your game when the clock strikes the hour).
11:00 - The absolute and definitive end. If anyone is still here playing by this point, we're declaring an arbitrary winner and sending you home to bed.
Looking for more fun and games? Check out !
Where is it happening?
The Bard and Bear Games Cafe Hamilton, James Street North, Hamilton, ON, CanadaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 19.56
