Homegrown Brings Indie Tabletop to BGG.Spring 2026
Three Nights of Play, Prototypes, and Small-Batch Games at the Homegrown Games Market
Dallas, TX — May 2026 — Homegrown Games is proud to announce the premiere of the Homegrown Games Market, a three-event celebration of independent tabletop game design hosted at BGG.Spring 2026, May 21–25 at the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport.
From first-time designers to seasoned creators, the Homegrown Games Market invites players to step into the development process: Creating, testing, and discovering games you won’t find anywhere else.
Events at BGG.Spring 2026
Thursday, May 21 • 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Anyone can become a game designer—and this is where it happens. Participants will create a tabletop game from scratch in just 90 minutes, embracing wild ideas, rapid iteration, and creative chaos. Whether you’re a designer, player, or curious observer, the Jam is a fast-paced celebration of making games together.
Friday, May 22 • 7:00 – 11:00 PM
Indie designers are always experimenting. The Games Lab offers attendees the chance to play new prototypes, provide feedback, and directly influence the future of upcoming tabletop games. Expect bold mechanics, unfinished edges, and meaningful conversations with the creators themselves.
Saturday, May 23 • 7:00 – 9:00 PM
The heart of Homegrown Games. This pop-up market features unique, experimental tabletop games sold directly by their designers. These titles are self-published, unavailable through traditional retail, and produced in extremely limited quantities—sometimes as few as 20 copies. No crowdfunding. No mass distribution. Just small-batch games with big ideas.
Featured Games at the Homegrown Games Market
Attack the Stack
A dice-stacking tower defense game where players attack rival stacks while reinforcing their own. Stack fast, stack smart, and survive ten rounds to claim victory.
👥 2–4 Players • ⏳ 30–60 Minutes
Created by Preston Weden, Cody Johnston, Alondra Garcia & Brenna Weden
Barbarians at the Gate
Build your kingdom tile by tile while surviving escalating barbarian invasions. Only the strongest — and smartest — kingdom will endure.
👥 1–4 Players • ⏳ 15–30 Minutes
Created by Jimmy Varley
CATASTROPHE: Operation Mongoose
A darkly comedic strategy game inspired by real CIA plots against Fidel Castro. Sabotage rival agents, plan doomed operations, and make everyone else look worse than you.
👥 2–4 Players • ⏳ 90–120 Minutes
Created by Deron Steinbrecher, Brandon Durbin & Alex Beattie (Whippin 8s Games)
Culture Cue
A storytelling-driven board game focused on sharing personal experiences and reaching “generational enlightenment” through connection and conversation.
👥 2–4 Players • ⏳ 60–90 Minutes
Created by Paul Quinones, Lisa Poon & Rene Zelada (Gathered Here to Game)
Hill Country Grocers
Compete to dominate the Texas Hill Country grocery scene by expanding chains, improving value, and maximizing profits.
👥 3–5 Players • ⏳ 30–60 Minutes
Created by Jake Stanley
Ventures & Villainy
A game of secret roles, deception, and whispered schemes. Identities remain hidden, alliances shift, and truth only emerges when the rules demand it.
👥 4–7 Players • ⏳ 30–60 Minutes
Created by Brett Yanoski, Austin Tesmer & Scott Craig (Tablebound Games)
We Built This City
A communal city-building competition where players construct roads and buildings to earn points and claim the title of city manager.
👥 2–4 Players • ⏳ 30–60 Minutes
Created by Dustin Dade (Oil Lamp Studio)
Whiskers & Blades
A fast-paced blend of hidden identities, deduction, and push-your-luck. Animal Ninjas sneak into a guarded castle to complete secret objectives—without getting caught.
👥 4–8 Players • ⏳ 30–60 Minutes
Created by Michael Lindon (Nitroglycerin Games)
Wild Wastes
Lead a gang of outlaws through a post-apocalyptic wasteland, collecting powerful anomalies and battling rival gangs for notoriety.
👥 2–4 Players • ⏳ 30–60 Minutes
Created by Kyle Armstrong
Event Location
BGG.Spring 2026
May 21–25, 2026
Hyatt Regency DFW Airport
2334 N International Pkwy
Dallas, TX 75261
About Homegrown
The Homegrown Games Market is dedicated to supporting independent tabletop designers through community-driven events, rapid creation, and direct-to-player markets. By removing traditional barriers to publishing, the Homegrown Games Market empowers creators and invites players to discover what’s next in tabletop gaming.
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