Board Games at the Beach 2024
With just a little under two weeks to go we wanted to give everyone a rundown on what to expect at this years Board Games at the Beach!
For those who have never been, BGatB is a time for old friends and new to get together and spend the weekend playing board games. Most of our convention is based around sitting around and playing games which we all refer to as open gaming. Folks bring games that they've been itching to play, CFG brings games, and we have a massive Play to Win section (which we'll dive into down below). We have a spreadsheet which you can check out here to mark what games you're planning to bring and what games you are hoping to play!
There will always be tables for you to play games of your choosing throughout the entire weekend. We will have tabletoppers that anyone can grab that indicate whether you are searching for a teacher or maybe you are searching for players. We are always striving to make sure you get to play the games you want!
For those who have never been, BGatB is a time for old friends and new to get together and spend the weekend playing board games. Most of our convention is based around sitting around and playing games which we all refer to as open gaming. Folks bring games that they've been itching to play, CFG brings games, and we have a massive Play to Win section (which we'll dive into down below). We have a spreadsheet which you can check out here to mark what games you're planning to bring and what games you are hoping to play!
There will always be tables for you to play games of your choosing throughout the entire weekend. We will have tabletoppers that anyone can grab that indicate whether you are searching for a teacher or maybe you are searching for players. We are always striving to make sure you get to play the games you want!
Kickoff Party - Thursday, May 9th at 6PM
Join us for our Board Games at the Beach Kickoff Party the night before the convention begins at The Sideboard. It's the perfect way to meet folks before the convention begins and chat about what games you're hoping to get into. We will have a badge pick-up station for folks that want to grab their passes early.
Convention Hours - Friday, May 10th at 10AM - Sunday, May 12th at 9:00PM
Board Games at the Beach will open it's doors at 10:00AM in the Soundview Ballroom at The Shell Island Resort. Attendees will have access to that space morning and night until Sunday evening. We have the meeting space until Sunday at 9:00PM, so you are welcome to hangout playing games until then. Everyone can rest assured throughout the weekend that they can stay in the space and play games at all hours of the day!
Weekend Long Events
Play to Win
One of our favorite parts of the convention is our coveted Play-to-Win section. Play-to-Wins are where board game publishers send us games for folks to play during the convention and be entered for a chance to win that game! That's right, we have over 50 games that YOU have a chance to walk home with just for playing it. When players play one of the Play-to-Win games we ask that they provide feedback on what they thought of the game so that we can provide publishers with useful feedback on their games! We love to see folks trying new games they might not have thought to try before or that they've been dying to get their hands on.
We will announce Play to Win winners on Sunday, May 11th at 1:00PM. You must be in attendance to win!
Learn Games with Across the Board Game Night
This year because we have so many games and ones that have a high difficulty, we thought we'd bring in the big guns to help teach you the rules so you can spend more time playing instead of reading! Our friends Robert and Cheryl from Across the Board Game Nights will be at the convention Friday and Saturday to help you get games to the table quicker! See a game you want to try but the rules seem daunting? They are here to help! Robert and Cheryl will have sign-ups at their table for you to pick a slot to have them teach you a game. They'll also be around to help you find groups to play with!
Ding n' Dent Market
One of attendees favorite parts of BGatB is our Ding n' Dent corner. Throughout the year we receive games from shipments that are often dented, dinged, and bruised. Since we can't sell those with their imperfections we save them for this time of year, for our attendees to purchase at a massive discount! The Ding n' Dent Market opens at 12PM on Friday, so don't miss out on snagging your favorites early. The Market will be available as long as there is product, and we sure do have a ton!
Scheduled Events
On top of giving space to open gaming, we also host several events throughout the weekend.
Competitive Events
We host two competitive tournaments that earn the winners a chance to prove they are the best of the best out in the USA! We host a World Series of Board Gaming tournament and a Catan Regional Qualifier.
Cascadia World Series of Board Gaming Tournament - May 10th at 5:00PM
This year we are hosting a Cascadia Tournament on Friday, May 10th at 5:00PM that will earn the winner a $250 voucher to the World Series of Board Gaming. The World Series of Board Gaming is a five-day tournament held in Las Vegas, Nevada, that brings together the worldwide board gaming community and crowns the world’s best all-around board gamer. Cascadia is one of the 16 games being played at WSBG in Las Vegas this September. The winner of WSBG will win $25,000 and a special tournament bracelet.
Our tournament will be capped at 16 players and will consist of two rounds. The first round we'll have up to four games of Cascadia happening where the first player of each game will move on to the final round. The player that wins the final round will earn the $250 voucher to WSBG and get to compete amongst the best of the best.
CATAN National Championship Qualifier - May 11th at 12:00PM
A staple of BGatB is hosting a Catan Nation Championship Qualifier. The Qualifier Winner will win a guaranteed seat at the 2024 CATAN United States National Championship Tournament, location and dates TBD.
Our Catan Qualifier is capped at 16 folks and will consist of three preliminary rounds. We will take point totals from each game and the four players with the highest total of points will move to the final round. The winner will earn a seat a the Catan National Championship as well as limited edition Catan Merchandise!
Cascadia World Series of Board Gaming Tournament - May 10th at 5:00PM
This year we are hosting a Cascadia Tournament on Friday, May 10th at 5:00PM that will earn the winner a $250 voucher to the World Series of Board Gaming. The World Series of Board Gaming is a five-day tournament held in Las Vegas, Nevada, that brings together the worldwide board gaming community and crowns the world’s best all-around board gamer. Cascadia is one of the 16 games being played at WSBG in Las Vegas this September. The winner of WSBG will win $25,000 and a special tournament bracelet.
Our tournament will be capped at 16 players and will consist of two rounds. The first round we'll have up to four games of Cascadia happening where the first player of each game will move on to the final round. The player that wins the final round will earn the $250 voucher to WSBG and get to compete amongst the best of the best.
CATAN National Championship Qualifier - May 11th at 12:00PM
A staple of BGatB is hosting a Catan Nation Championship Qualifier. The Qualifier Winner will win a guaranteed seat at the 2024 CATAN United States National Championship Tournament, location and dates TBD.
Our Catan Qualifier is capped at 16 folks and will consist of three preliminary rounds. We will take point totals from each game and the four players with the highest total of points will move to the final round. The winner will earn a seat a the Catan National Championship as well as limited edition Catan Merchandise!
Casual Events
Not everything needs to be competitive! We know that most folks are trying to play their own games but we also know it's nice to come together and engage in something a bit more casual. That's why we have casual events you can pop into all weekend long.
Social Deduction Nights - Friday and Saturday at 8:00PM
On both Friday and Saturday evenings we host a big group game of Social Deduction! In years past we've run Two Rooms and a Boom and Werewolf. This year we're happy to say we're bringing back Werewolf, as well as one game we're waiting till the weekend to announce!
Play Test with Local Game Makers CakePie Games - Saturday at 2:30PM-4:00PM
CakePie Games is bringing their game Beach Day to Board Games at the Beach! Local publisher CakePie Games will be running a demo event on Saturday. Not only will they teach you how to play, but you'll have a chance to compete for prizes as well! Including games and gift cards. The game can be taught and played in less then 30 minutes so you'll have plenty of time to game your heart out!
CFG Staff Run Games - TBD
It comes as no surprise that all of us CFG Staff love to play board games. We love them so much that we're going to be popping up all weekend to run some of our favorite games for folks to pop into! We'll announce who will be running what at the Kick-Off Party on Thursday Night!
On both Friday and Saturday evenings we host a big group game of Social Deduction! In years past we've run Two Rooms and a Boom and Werewolf. This year we're happy to say we're bringing back Werewolf, as well as one game we're waiting till the weekend to announce!
Play Test with Local Game Makers CakePie Games - Saturday at 2:30PM-4:00PM
CakePie Games is bringing their game Beach Day to Board Games at the Beach! Local publisher CakePie Games will be running a demo event on Saturday. Not only will they teach you how to play, but you'll have a chance to compete for prizes as well! Including games and gift cards. The game can be taught and played in less then 30 minutes so you'll have plenty of time to game your heart out!
CFG Staff Run Games - TBD
It comes as no surprise that all of us CFG Staff love to play board games. We love them so much that we're going to be popping up all weekend to run some of our favorite games for folks to pop into! We'll announce who will be running what at the Kick-Off Party on Thursday Night!
We're so excited to share in this years beachside convention with you! You can look forward to everything mentioned above and more at this years Board Games at the Beach. We're doing a kick-off party at The Sideboard on Thursday, May 9th so stop on by, pick-up your badges, and get your gaming on early!
Don't forget to join our Discord and follow our BGatB Facebook page to chat with the community and plan your weekend of gaming!
