What's the DMV?

Learn More

It’s the DC-Maryland-Virginia area. The borders of the DMV are nebulous at best and encompass numerous communities. To us, the DMV is anywhere we can conveniently gather in-person for events and meetups, especially if it’s accessible by public transit.

Why Should I Join?

Learn More

We help each other make games and we help each other sell games. We provide a place to talk shop and get feedback on work in progress, both online and at regular in-person meetups. Whether you’re deciding how to incorporate feedback from a public playtest or you want to commiserate about a printing order showing up damaged, we can relate from experience. We also work with retailers in the DC area, providing a single catalog that helps them stay up to date on locally-made games they might want to stock, whether through a distributor or direct sale.

Who Can Be a Game Designer?

Learn More

Anyone! If you’ve ever changed a rule in a boardgame or a couple setting details in a D&D adventure, you’re a game designer. We currently include people who have published award-winning games and people starting work on their first game. We use the word designer to refer to anyone who works on a game, whether you’re involved in designing rules, writing, layout, editing, art, or production. We’re also open to anyone gaming-adjacent: podcasters, streamers, professional GMs, or people who just like thinking about games.

What kinds of games do you make?

Learn More

All kinds! We welcome designers of tabletop role-playing, board, card, LARP, and even video games. We don’t dwell too much on drawing sharp boundaries and are always open to something new.

How do I join?

Learn More

Just hop in the Discord or show up to an event! As an artist’s collective, we don’t draw hard boundaries. Designed in the DMV aims to be welcoming to people of all backgrounds. There are no fees or permanent commitments, and we work to provide as much accessibility as possible for all of our events.

We use a “stone soup” model. If someone wants to make something happen – a workshop at a library, a newsletter, an anthology zine, a playtest – they let everyone know they’re making soup, and what resources they’re going to contribute. Anyone else who feels like helping can volunteer.

This model ensures designers are only involved in things they’re genuinely interested in, prevents burnout, and accommodates the schedules of part-time and hobbyist designers. So far, it’s worked to create regular public events, our catalog, our newsletter, and our website. It’s even landed our works on the shelves of the DMV’s finest game stores.

How did you get started?

Learn More

Designed in the DMV started in 2024. Stickydoodler (Gene Koo), already an active member of Break My Game and Unpub, wanted to put together a game fair at his local bookstore – somewhere people with published games could sell their wares. Meanwhile, Lyme was looking to start a meetup for people who wanted to talk about the games they were making. The two groups converged. On a beautiful fall day, over a dozen designers came together to sell their games in the parking lot of People’s Book in Takoma Park, then listen to a panel by some local board game celebrities. The success of the event lead to the formation of Designed in the DMV.

Download Our 2025 Free RPG zine

---

Calendar of Events!

---