Greetings, fellow designers!

It’s time to register for the Game Designers Workshop! We’re off to a late start this year, so please respond immediately. We have to give a go/no-go decision to the hotel by the end of next week. This year we will be at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel near Union Square in San Francisco, on the weekend of September 29 and 30.

If you’ve never been to a GDW, read the FAQ, at the end of the email, to find out what wonders await you! Or visit the GDW website for boatloads of additional information.

The period between signing the contract with the hotel and getting enough registrations to cover the minimum guarantee is the period which gives your GDW organizers ulcers and insomnia. So be kind to us and send your checks to Bob (address below) as soon as possible.

Cost

 The registration fee is $479. This covers:

There are also optional dinners on Friday and Sunday for early arrivers and late departers. Payment for those will be collected in cash on the spot. We’ll collect RSVPs for those dinners as we get closer to the event. And, for early arrivers, there will be a fun outing on Friday afternoon.

Our meeting room has space for 30 people; once we get 30 payments we’ll start a waiting list, since there are usually a few people who drop out at the last minute.

Lodging

You’re responsible for booking and paying for your own lodging. We’ve negotiated an amazing discounted rate on rooms at the Sir Francis Drake:  $190/night. This price does not include taxes, but it does include a waiver of their “Guest Amenity Fee,” which gets you free in-room wifi, a $10 credit in the hotel restaurant, use of the Business Center, Wine hour every evening and morning with coffee/tea service, in-room Yoga mats, and Fitness Center privileges.

If booking by phone, guests can call our In-House Reservations at 1-877-858-1881 or our Central Reservations number at 1-800-795-7129 or email CAReservations@kimptonhotels.com. It is important that each of your guests identify themselves as part of your Group, and provide us with guest name, requested type of room, requested bed type (i.e. single bedded room, double bedded room, etc.) and check-in/check-out dates.

If booking online, use the following special link that has been set up for our group:  Game Designers Workshop 9/28-10/1

(Confusingly, when you go to book online, the website says that the Guest Amenity Fee has been waived, but it still appears on your estimated charges and will show up on your reservation as a “Service Charge.”  The hotel has assured me this fee will not be charged: “no deposits will be taken from guests when they book and we will waive the fee upon check-in. Please let your guests know, that they won’t be charged for the fee.” )

There are a limited number of these discounted rooms. If we use them up, they may make more available pending non-GDW demand. The sooner that happens, the better our chances are of getting more discounted rooms. So please make your reservations ASAP. In any case, the discount ends on 8/28/2018.

What Do I Need To Do Right Now?

1. Mark the weekend of 9/29/18 and 9/30/18 on your calendar.

2. Reply to me (Bob) right away, checking a box below so we can start getting a room count:

     [  ] I’ll be there! I'm sending a check to Bob immediately and plan to stay at the Sir Francis Drake.

     [  ] I’ll be there! I'm sending a check to Bob immediately, but I’m staying elsewhere.

     [  ] I’ll probably be there. I'll let you know for sure ASAP.

     [  ] I probably won’t be there this year. I'll let you know for sure ASAP.

     [  ] I definitely won’t be there this year, but please keep me on the GDW mailing list.

     [  ] I won’t be there, and please remove me from the GDW mailing list.

3. If you’re coming, please send a check for $479, made out to “Bob Bates”, to:

Bob Bates

5207 Honeysuckle Ct.

Centreville, VA  20120

Thanks, and we hope to see you in September!

--Bob (bobbates@bobbbates.com)

--Steve (steve@boffo.us)

--Gordon (gordonwalton@hotmail.com)

--Noah (nfalstein@gmail.com)

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q: Why San Francisco?

A: We have the GDW in different cities, generally wherever the game industry tends to congregate. We surveyed the membership this year, and San Francisco won the vote.

 

Q: What should I expect when I attend a Game Designers Workshop?

A: It’s like a two-day GDC roundtable, except one where the people around the table are the world’s most experienced (and good-looking) game designers. Each attendee gets to pick a topic and moderate the discussion for 1/Nth of the weekend, generally around 40 minutes. In addition to that, there’s fine food, schmoozing, drinking, and playing games late into the night.

 

Q: $479! Why so much?

A:  Basically, hotels are thieving bastards. We try to run the event at a break-even – no one is making a profit on the Workshop.

 

Q: Can I bring my spouse/significant other/buddy to dinner?

A: Friday and Saturday dinners are members-only. On Sunday, which tends to be smaller, we allow spouses and significant others (although most would rather do anything else rather than hang out with a bunch of inebriated game designers).

 

Q: I know a good game designer… can I invite him or her to the Workshop?

A: The workshop is invitation-only through a time-tested system. We are always looking for new designers to add to our group. If you know of a good candidate, send a recommendation to Noah, Steve, Bob, or Gordon – please do not just invite them yourself.

 

Q: Do I have to pay by check?

A:  Bob prefers checks, but can handle PayPal.