Go Play NW is a convention where folks come together to play tabletop games, including roleplaying, story, board, and card games. We’ve been around since 2007, holding in-person conventions once a year in Seattle, and holding online conventions on our Discord server since 2021. We’re a 501(c)(7) non-profit organization—a recreational/social club, so we exist to host social events for our members. Who’s a member of Go Play NW? Anyone with a badge, especially you! 

We welcome games of all kinds, but we love the weird, old, obscure, and still-in-playtest. If you have a game in the back of your bookshelf you’ve always wanted to play, but never found the right group, Go Play NW is the place to try it out. We focus on creating a welcoming atmosphere for playing fun games and making new friends!

Find out more here!

Go Play NW is coming up July 26–28, 2024! We'll be returning to the Centilia Cultural Center and El Centro de la Raza, right next to the Beacon Hill Light Rail Station in Seattle, Washington. This year, in response to your feedback, we're increasing Go Play NW's access to outdoor gaming space!

Both Centilia and El Centro’s historic building exemplify Seattle’s complex history and welcoming community, and we’re honored to host our event there for a second year. We’ll have spacious rooms in both buildings along with better access to the outdoor spaces throughout the weekend. Learn more about El Centro de la Raza and Centilia Cultural Center on their website at https://www.elcentrodelaraza.org/.

Crowdfunding offers us the opportunity to increase accessibility by reducing our ticket prices while providing fun rewards for contributing the extra support we need. Historically, Go Play NW has been funded solely through event ticket sales and donations. We haven’t made any sponsorship deals or offered paid merchant table space because our core mission—bringing people together to play games and make friends—is most important to us.

Based on our event in 2023, here's what we think our cost breakdown will look like:

 

This crowdfunding campaign will assist us with our annual operations fees—primarily space rental for our in-person event in July. In addition, some money goes to logistical support for the event, like COVID safety supplies such as masks, tests, and CR boxes; some goes to rental equipment, badges and signs, other supplies, and event insurance; and some covers the costs of this campaign, including physical rewards, stretch goals, and fairly compensating our artists.

A small amount of funding covers our organization costs for the year, such as licenses, taxes, and internet services. Additional funds beyond our budget are used first to sponsor members who otherwise can not afford to attend (in addition to tickets donated by members) and second to build up reserves for next year’s needs.

Go Play NW is an entirely volunteer-run organization, and neither board members nor staff receive financial compensation for their time and efforts.

Small scale: We’re building community by keeping things small, so you have more opportunity to spend time with your old friends and play games with new ones, not be overwhelmed by massive crowds. Go Play NW is committed to keeping our convention a friendly size, so attendees can forge close connections through playing games year after year.

Participation: We provide the space and help you organize; you bring the games. You’re never obliged to run a game, but almost all of our games are run by our members. We love trying out new games we’ve never even heard of before. We hope you do, too! 

Designer-friendliness: Go Play NW grew out of a community of game developers and design enthusiasts, and we love when designers share their works-in-progress with us, at any stage of the process. Some attendees have even been inspired to try their own hands at game design for the first time during our events!

The Donut: Go Play NW features a mix of scheduled games and pick-up gaming organized through our “world-famous” Donut, a live pitch circle. We want to give everyone the chance to play a game every session, so at the start of each session, we count up the people available and ask volunteers to come forward and pitch games they’re excited to run. It’s a great way to take a chance on something new to you!

To maintain a welcoming space, we expect all attendees—visitors and volunteers alike—to uphold our Code of Conduct. Please be sure to review our policies at https://goplaynw.org/code-of-conduct/.

Additionally, we strive to maintain an environment where our community members feel comfortable expressing themselves freely and respectfully. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide separated space for all-ages gaming. You must be 18 years or older to attend Go Play NW, regardless of parental consent.

Maintaining that comfortable environment includes respecting people’s rights to privacy and security. We expect Go Play NW attendees to ask permission before photographing, filming, or recording other Go Play NW attendees, volunteers, and staff; venue staff and volunteers; or other venue patrons.

Lastly, it's important that all members of our community be able to access our space and play as safely as possible. That's why we’re requiring proof of vaccination within a year of our convention dates or documentation of a negative COVID test within the last 72 hours. If you cannot access a COVID rapid test, we will have a limited number available at Registration. In addition, we require KN95 and/or N95 level masks or better in all indoor play spaces (provided gratis upon request), and we're providing ample outdoor convention space. We're also placing CR boxes in all indoor spaces without updated HVAC infrastructure.

Any pledge including a badge to attend our in-person event in July grants you membership in Go Play NW for 2024.

While Go Play NW is a registered nonprofit organization, unfortunately your pledges to this campaign are not tax deductible.

Get a Go Play NW 2024 dungeon for your gaming group! Go Play NW co-founder, artist, and game designer Tony Dowler is well known for drawing dungeon maps with wit, whimsy, and wonder. We’ve asked Tony to create an 11”x17” dungeon map for Go Play NW 2024, themed around our history, locations, and games, and you can get it digitally as a PDF when you pledge at this level. The dungeon can also be added onto another pledge. 

Join us this July 26–28 at Go Play NW! Pledging at this level grants you membership to Go Play NW for 2024 and attendance at our in-person event. You can also tack a badge onto any other pledge as an add-on.

Lend a helping hand, and spot somebody a ticket to Go Play NW 2024! This pledge allows us to grant membership and attendance to someone who otherwise would not be able to attend. You can sponsor a badge as an add-on, as well.

Note: This pledge level is for our general sponsorship pool; if you want to get a badge for someone specific, purchase a 3-Day Badge as an add-on.

Carry around your games in style! We’ve asked artist Sovanny Vorn (Star Crossed: Love Letters) to design a canvas tote for us. With this pledge you’ll get the tote bag along with your membership and attendance at the event.

It’s always good to have a map to find your way! Bring Tony’s dungeon into the physical world with a risograph print poster, printed locally in Seattle. With this pledge you’ll get a print (and PDF) of the dungeon map along with your membership, attendance at the event, and the tote bag.

Help someone else attend, and help us put on the event! Your pledge will allow us to grant membership and attendance to someone who otherwise would not be able to attend, and help us meet our costs for 2024. We’ll also list your name on our website as a sponsor of the event. You can sponsor the con as an add-on.

Help bring gamers to the table! We’ll feature your name on a sign at a gaming table to show our thanks for your extra support—and of course you’ll also get membership and attendance at the event. You can add a table sponsorship onto another pledge, too. 

Enter the dungeon if you dare! With this pledge Tony will incorporate your name into the dungeon map as a character or feature. You’ll also get a poster print and PDF of the dungeon map along with your membership, attendance at the event, and the tote bag.

Give our attendees a place to play! We’ll feature your name on a sign at the entrance to one of our gaming rooms to show our thanks for your extra support—and you’ll receive membership and attendance at the event. You can also sponsor a room as an add-on. 

This one’s for all the marbles! With this generous pledge, you’ll be a big help in covering our costs for 2024, and we’ll give you all the rewards for your support: membership for Go Play NW 2024, attendance at our event in July, your name worked into the dungeon map, the dungeon map PDF and poster, the tote, your name listed on our website as a sponsor, and our eternal gratitude.

$20—Dungeon PDF

Get a digital copy of the Go Play NW 2024 dungeon map! 

Get a three-day badge to Go Play NW 2024!

Help someone else attend the con! We’ll put a ticket into our sponsored badge pool, set aside for someone who needs it.

 

Help bring games to the table! We’ll show our thanks for your help by featuring your name on one of our tables.

Help someone else attend, and help us put on the con!

 

Give our attendees a place to play! We’ll show our thanks by featuring your name on a door sign leading to one of our game rooms.

$10,000- Badge zine
Level up the badge with us! When we meet this goal, we’ll transform our ordinary badges into a miniature eight-page zine program, just like we had in 2023. They’ll fit right into your badge holder, and help you know what’s what and where’s where!

Zine contains: 

$12,500- Full program plus in-con badge zine game

Help Go Play NW up our game! When we meet this goal, we’ll turn the badge zine into a mini game authored by the convention staff (including Star West) and produce a separate, larger program booklet for the con.

Larger program includes:

Zine Game: 

Support a bigger Go Play NW! When we meet this goal, we’ll contract for more gaming space in El Centro de la Raza to accommodate all our gaming needs and make for a less overwhelming convention.

We’ll be able to add: 

Run a game! Go Play NW happens through the efforts of our community—that means coming together to play, run, and facilitate games. One of the best ways to support Go Play NW 2024 is to sign up to run a game during the weekend. Scheduled games give our attendees an opportunity to plan in advance and get excited about all the cool games they’ve locked in. They also give facilitators and GMs an opportunity to share games they’re excited about!

Volunteer! We also need help making sure the event runs smoothly throughout the weekend: our wonderful volunteers. We need people to help us set up and break down the event, staff the registration table and the COVID safety station, assist with running the Donut, or just be a friendly face! For more information and to fill out the volunteer sign-up form, see our Volunteer with Go Play NW page at https://goplaynw.org/volunteer/.

Last but not least, spread the word! Tell your friends about how excited you are for Go Play NW, and encourage them to attend! Bring a friend! Take some photos (with permission—see our Photo Policy) during the con and post them to social media with the hashtag #goplaynw.

Foreground: Go, Go Play NW's mascot is pictured seated surrounded by our motto, "Meet new people; play fun games!" 
Background: A sampling of games played at Go Play NW in 2023. (clockwise from top left: this person should not exist by Speak the Sky, Isotope by Tony Dowler, Barbara Cartland: A Romance Boardgame by Cory Glaberson, Spindlewheel by Sasha Reneau, Favor: Gods of Oethera by Peter Norton, Agon 2 ed. by Sean Nittner and John Harper)