Why we're doing this
Jonathan Grabert started Board Game Bash in 2011 and ran it for twelve years. He kept us coming back to the same hotel ballroom, year after year, with nothing but games, goodwill, and a new d6. He passed in October 2023.
We're not trying to bottle the past. We're setting the tables back up, in his room, the way he would have. We'll take it from here.
Board Game Bash: 2011–2022. JGBGB: 2026.
Small on purpose.
JGBGB is a hundred-ish people in one ballroom, and that's the whole point. No vendor hall, no badge-scanner line, no floor plan you need a map to read. One room, three days, and more board games than you'll get to.
Most board gamers spend the year explaining what hobby games even are. For one weekend, you don't have to. Everyone here already gets it.
Come with friends, or solo. Many tables here start when someone sits down and asks what you want to play, and by Sunday no one is a stranger anymore.
What a weekend here looks like
One badge, no event tickets, no upsells. You show up, you play. Everything below is included.
Tickets
Registration is handled by Tabletop Events; the button takes you straight there.
Every badge includes
- All three days, Friday through Sunday
- Open gaming
- Every tournament and hosted event
- The 2026 convention die (yours at check-in)
- A room full of people who don't need the rules explained twice
The things people actually ask
Answered straight. If yours isn't here, email and it will be.
- I've never been. Will I actually be comfortable?
- Yes, and you won't be the only first-timer. This crowd is welcoming; there is literally an award for it. Sit down at a table, say you're new, and someone will teach you something before you finish the sentence.
- Can I come alone?
- Plenty of people do. Board games are the fastest icebreaker ever printed; you can have a regular group by Saturday lunch.
- How is this different from the big conventions?
- It's intentionally small, and grassroots rather than corporate-sponsored. A badge is $55–75 instead of triple digits. You can know everyone by Saturday.
- Where exactly is it?
- The Austin Marriott South, 4415 South IH-35 Frontage Road, just southeast of downtown off I-35. Open it in Maps. It's the same hotel the Bash always used, and there's free parking on site.
- Where should I stay?
- Wherever suits you. There's no room block this year, so you're free to book the Marriott itself or anything nearby — plenty of people split a room, and plenty drive in each morning.
- Should I bring my own games?
- Yes, please. The games on the tables are the ones people carry in, so bring a few favorites — there's no better way to finally get that one you love played. Don't feel you have to bring a crate, though. People are generous here, and there's always more on the tables than you'll get to.
- Who was Jonathan Grabert?
- He founded the Bash in 2011 and ran it for twelve years, until he passed in October 2023. JGBGB carries his name because the weekend was always really his. More about him above.
- What does registration involve?
- It's all on Tabletop Events: grab your badge, pay, done. About a minute, and the early-bird price holds until the first 30 are gone.
- What if I can't make it this year?
- Then come next year — this is annual again, and 2027 is already the plan. There's a place to leave your email just below.
Hear about 2027
Not this year? No hard feelings — it's a long drive for some of you. Leave an email and we'll send a message when the 2027 dates are set.
October 23–25. We can always play. So we never do.
A hundred-ish seats, three days, and no other plans. That last part is the hard one. One of those seats has your name on it, and a die Jonathan would have put there himself.
Register on Tabletop Events