GAME MAKERS’ VILLAGE
Welcome to the Game Makers’ Village, BurgQuest’s home for all things game design. The GMV is the place to be for trying out new games and unreleased prototypes, learning from current developers, and maybe even making a game of your own!
Throughout the weekend, be on the lookout for demo stations where game designers will be waiting for you to playtest their latest games. And between sessions, indulge in a killer lineup of panels and presentations designed for game-lovers at every level of experience.
PRESENTATIONS & PANELS
All listed panels listed below will take place in the Game Makers’ Village.
SATURDAY
12:15 PM - How To Be Someone’s Favorite Playtester
Presented by Bobby Schweizer
Some call playtesting games a science. Others, an art. But in practice it's like an act of magical divination. Hosted by Bobby Schweizer — former game design professor and author of Storytelling for Video Games Using Bitsy — players and designers will explore how game makers share their works in progress, what they might be hoping to understand, and how to give constructive and encouraging feedback. After the workshop, test out your new skills right here in the Game Makers' Village!
2:00 PM - Your Scoring System Is Your Game: Designing for Every Player Count
Presented by Dan Cassar
Your game plays great with two. Then your friend comes over. Same rules, but somehow everything is different. Your scoring system is your game, and not all player counts are created equal because it comes down to simple math: points, resources, effects, alliances and attention all divide differently at three. Award-winning designer Dan Cassar (Arboretum, Blood of an Englishman) breaks down what changes about your game when you add a chair.
4:00 PM - Sarah Elmaleh AMA & Speed Advice
Hi, I’m Sarah, and you can ask me anything. Here are some things I know a little about: I’ve been a professional voice actor for 17 years, focused in videogames big and small, but have also worked a lot in categories like commercials and live-action dubbing. I’ve been helping games teams understand how to work with actors and union contracts as well as directing game voiceover for the last 7 years (lately also live-action dubbing, a fun and opposite beast). I’ve been in union service with SAG-AFTRA for the last 9 years, organizing members and employers alike, and chaired our negotiating committee working to protect actors from AI abuse in games. We were on strike for a long time and we got some really important protections. I’ve been dancing Argentine tango for 10 years, and have danced with friendly strangers around the world, even when we don’t speak the same language. I really love good videogames and good films and good immersive theatre/escape rooms and great food, and I love recs for all these things. I also Iove learning languages - recs for tips and content in French, Spanish, Korean and Japanese all welcome. I can see I’ve transitioned from knowledge I can offer to knowledge I can extract from you. So, more of a conversation, then. I hope! [This session will conclude with a Speed Advice session, where attendees can briefly meet one-on-one with Sarah to ask questions related to the panel.]
6:00 PM - You Should Publish Your TTRPG
Presented by Andrew Pelham
Enigma started as a silly concept and ended as a printed book in my hands, and it cost me almost nothing to get there. In this workshop I'll walk through my actual process — drafting, playtesting, layout, art sourcing, and printing — with an honest accounting of the free and cheap tools that got me to a finished release. If you have a full-time job and a game you've been sitting on for years, this is the session where we figure out how to get it out of your head and onto a shelf. ** Presentation for ages 13+
9:00 PM - D&D Character Creation Workshop
Presented by Sada Hudson, John Gibson, Patrick Basquill, and Jesslyn Wilson
A beginner-friendly, drop-in workshop where attendees can learn the fundamentals of Dungeons & Dragons and build a character with guidance from experienced Game Masters. This session is designed to remove barriers to entry and help new players feel confident joining future games and events.
SUNDAY
10:30 AM - The Neurodivergent Adventurer's Guide to Safe and Inclusive Gaming
Presented by Neal Madsen, Brittany Madsen, Lizz Bunn, and Clinton Rubiano
This panel explores what neurodivergence is and how it shows up at the gaming table, offering practical, science-backed tools and strategies for players and GMs alike to create more inclusive, affirming spaces. Backed by real research and led with insight from a Licensed Professional Counselor, this session will help you understand common challenges, recognize when a fellow player may need support, and build a table culture where everyone can show up as their full selves and play comfortably. No guesswork, just evidence-based approaches to making gaming safer for neurodivergent adventurers everywhere.
12:30 PM - RPG Help Desk Live!
Presented by Jesse Galena
If you've ever wondered what happens when you dispel magically conjured food after someone at it or any other legitimate, bizarre, or eerily-specific question about TTRPGs, RPG Help Desk is the panel for you! Second Wind's Jesse Galena (Grinderbin in Adventure Is Nigh! and host of the weekly RPG Help Desk stream) hosts a Q&A where the panelists will answer any and all of your TTRPG questions with their collective knowledge and humor.
2:30 PM - How to Build a Barbarian
Presented by Zachary Zarow
Did you just finish Delicious in Dungeon and now crave a double helping of D&D? Is your stated goal in every RPG to recreate Guts? Do you dream of being Isekai’d into BG3 specifically to meet Karlach? If you said 'yes' to any of these questions, then wow, what a weeb. But, more importantly, if you said 'yes' to any of these questions, join Sign Guy, professional nerd and reader of at least three books, as we delve into the two archetypal big thicc stronk bois, Tarzan of the Apes and Conan the Barbarian. We'll break down the surprising depth and nuances of their characters to help you make your “big man strong, big man swing axe” husbando dream a tabletop reality (big axe sold separately).
GAME DEMOS
Check out some of the games - including both new and unreleased titles - you’ll be able to experience at BurgQuest!
Arcadian Stars presented by Grant Doney & TuNhi Vo
Pulled across millions of light years, you find yourself adrift in a mysterious nebula aboard a long abandoned war ship. Now you must repair, pilot, and upgrade the ship, turning obstacles into strength, as you plunge deeper into the heart of the universe.
Aurora Punk presented by Carey Lehrte Coleman
Aurora Punk is a rules light TTRPG system that encourages player creativity, invested character history, and limitless character advancement possibilities. This system abandons modern rpg concepts like classes, fixed skills, and rigid magic systems. It replaces them with a simple build-your-own class and make-your-own skills system. It also forgoes the traditional dice and replaces it with a deck of playing cards shared amongst the players. The players and Narrator literally have the fate of their characters in their hands. This game is for fans of rich narrative: people who would rather the rules be light guidelines to structure the story rather than the whole point of the game.
Bring Your Own Rice presented by Jay Sioson
In this asymmetric engine-builder celebrating Filipino food and a growing barangay (community), you must balance personal ambition with a generous heart to become a local legend. Every time you cook, you face a meaningful choice: sell your meals for profit, or serve them "on the house" to turn hungry neighbors into talented, loyal regulars who help your stall and the whole community thrive.
Enigma presented by Andrew Pelham
Enigma is a tabletop roleplaying game inspired by Franco-Belgian comics like Tintin and Blake & Mortimer. You play as daring adventurers, chasing down dastardly villains and their master plans. Your character never dies, and through pulpy luck and comic relief, stumbles into plots much larger than they can imagine.
FigureClimberVR presented by David Rhett & Julia Greene
When Magical Girl Iris suddenly appears in your room and makes you tiny, you have to climb all of the figures you own of her to get back to your normal size! Collect hidden butterflies and learn more about this quirky Magical Girl in this flirty climbing simulator.
Initiative Break presented by Joshua Ross
Initiative Break is a tactical card skirmish game inspired by the dynamic turn-order systems of classic JRPGs. Every decision changes who acts next, creating battles where positioning on the initiative track is as important as dealing damage. Play competitive, cooperative, or solo in a game that's easy to learn but rewards clever tactical play.
Mad Match presented by Andrew Weate, Patricia Weate, & Jacob Weate
A simple multi-player card game in which players steal and move cards around between other players in order to make the most matches of color or shape. Each turn, players simultaneously select their planned move action followed by a simultaneous resolution of all of those moves based on a set prioritization schema. In "Mad Match", all players are playing all the time!
Mischief presented by Dan Cassar
A thinky 30-minute hand management card game from the designer of Arboretum! Faerie nobles manipulate seelie and unseelie fae at a wild royal wedding by encouraging pranks and strategic friendships. 2-4 players; 30 minutes; hand management.
Supernatural Selection presented by Jamie Massie
Play as gods competing over how life evolves. Make amazing creatures which battle to survive in a shared ecosystem. Everyone controls every animal, so Deduce your opponents' secret goals to deny them victory (and manipulate them into helping you achieve it.)
Tarzan: Lord of the Jungle presented by Brice Towell
A turn based board game where 2 to 7 players compete to collect cards to complete goals in an effort to claim the title of Lord of the Jungle.