GAMA just announced a nation-wide Game Store Day for fans of tabletop games. I am a casual fan turned more recently into a tabletop game appreciator while designing Shrumans. If your local game store is as fun and cozy as the one near me in Iowa City, check out what events they have for November 1!
I have been partnering with Diversions Tabletop Game Lounge since they opened this year and it was truly meant to be! Their store is a big supporter of local artists and I hope they become a thriving gaming community.
Diversions has a full day of events, which I have added here for your convenience, from Diversions’ Event Calendar:
GAME STORE DAY AT DIVERSIONS TABLETOP GAME LOUNGE
FREE GAMING ALL DAY
Giveaways, including a chance for FOUR free passes to Origins Fair 2026
Special discount deal: Get an additional advantage D20 discount roll for every $50 spent to apply to your ENTIRE order!
A full day of activities!
12pm-4pm will offer demos of Old Salt (Never Board Games - Des Moines), Sylvan Tactics (Random Seed Games - Marion), Burum (Tylee Tisdale - Marion), and Dreyfall (Bickham Games - Indianola).
4pm-7pm, join Tim Ferry—host of Drinks & Designs in Des Moines and designer of Old Salt—for a game jam to build a game from scratch (either solo or in groups) with support and guidance from a knowledgeable instructor!
6-10pm offer another round of locally-designed game demos of Captains & Companies (Charlie Kucera & Tom Flanagan - Cedar Rapids), Challenge War (Potratz Entertainment - Iowa City), Shrumans (Candice Broersma - Iowa City), and two different games from 2Play Games out of Cedar Rapids!
I plan on going to the 6pm-10pm slot to say hi and participate in gameplay discussions. Shrumans is playable earlier as well, but the time slot makes it easier to join a group for playtesting.
Support you local artists and small businesses!