Guild Update
Guild Playtest Meetings
*** The Provo meeting takes place @ Riftgames now. The graphic will be updated.
We have a playtesting meet up each 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month via BGDG of Utah’s Discord if you can’t meet in person or prefer virtual playtesting then this is a great way to playtest your game and playtest the designs of others!
Discord and the Guild
The BGDG of Utah’s Discord is a great way to get to know those in the guild and discuss all things game design! If you’ve not joined yet, we’d love to have you come and participate with us!
BGDG of Utah Social Media
We have active Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts now! Please follow and start using #bgdgofutah in your game design related posts and they will be liked, retweeted etc!
Upcoming/Current Events
ProtoCON will take place January 29-30th 2027 at the Megaplex Event Hall, West Valley, UT. ProtoCON is an event where board game designers and public playtesters come together to play unfinished prototype games. Get your tickets now while our early bird special is live.
Current Design Contests
| Contest | Host | Deadline | Restrictions | Judges | Prizes | Contest Link |
| Road to Essen | Everjoy Publishing | 11/15/26 | None | Community Participants | 500 million Vietnamese Dong (nearly $20,000) shared by the winner and finalists to support publication and sales at Spiel Essen 2027 | Contest Link |
| Mini Roguelike Hand-builder | Dextrous | 11/21/26 | make a roguelike hand-builder card game that plays in under 30 minutes and uses up to 120 cards | design community & industry participants | subscriptions to Dextrous and other services, meeting time with industry professionals & more | Contest Link |
| 18 Card Challenge: Fear | Button Shy | 11/30/26 | 18-card games that convey the sense of fear | Industry panelists | $100 and publication consideration | Contest Link |
| 2026 Roll & Write Game Design Contest | BGG | 12/01/26 | roll & write game | BGG Community | Geek Gold | Contest Link |
| 2026 Traditional Deck Game Design Contest | BGG | 12/31/26 | standard deck of playing cards | BGG Community | Geek Gold | Contest Link |
| 2027 In-Hand Game Design Contest | BGG | 01/1/27 | games that can be played without a table | BGG Community | Geek Gold | Contest Link |
| Premio Archimede 2027 | Studiogiochi | 02/28/27 | none | industry participants | €3,500 advance on future royalties | Contest Link |
Contest information gathered from https://cardboardedison.com/contests
Current Projects by Local Designers
Dog Pile
Get ready to pile on the pups and push your luck! Dog Pile is a fast and fun party card game where players compete to build the biggest (and most valuable) pile of dogs before claiming it at just the right moment.
Play a dog card, keep an eye on the pile, and jump in when you have a match…even when it’s not your turn! But don’t delay; with limited small dogs to claim the pile, you’ll have to decide when to play it safe and when to risk it all.
Collect the best piles, rack up the most points, and prove you’re the top dog!
Designed by Neil Hooper, Art by Sarah VanDam
Plays in 15 mins for 2-6 Players
Sir Ineptious Bungler has invited you all to a weekend of frivolity at his family’s private island. Hailing from a long line of Bunglers, Ineptious was one of the few living members of the family. Each member subsequently met their demise in strange questionable incidents. Typical for Ineptious to think of himself immune to such an unintentional goof but here we are. Considering the long history of accidents, you’d think inviting a large group of his accident prone friends would have been a good idea to avoid. Too little too late I suppose! The poor fellow has met his demise and one of you is guilty. Who here is innocent? Question and converse about everyone’s whereabouts to see who could have been involved. Ask yourselves… Have I Committed Murder?!
The object of the game is to collect the most Star Cards. But you’ll also notice that each Star Card has 4 unique activities listed on it, one associated with each Character Group. These come into play during the Star Bash and Flabberbash, where they match up with the Characters in order to determine the wackiness that will be performed.
