Waterbear Workshop
@waterbear-workshop.bsky.social
Mini Company. Monster Ideas.
Board game designer and publisher providing analog experiences to the Greater Denver Area.
Find us at waterbearworkshop.com!
Board game designer and publisher providing analog experiences to the Greater Denver Area.
Find us at waterbearworkshop.com!
Pinned
If anyone is in the Denver area and looking for an opportunity to support local game designers, artists, and other businesses, then come to The Indie Game Bazaar at Zymos Brewing next month!
Please share with anyone that might be interested, and let's show these Denver designers some love!
Please share with anyone that might be interested, and let's show these Denver designers some love!
Party games, peppers, and poets, oh my!
Colorado welcomes The Good Game Company, with partner Rudiger relocating to the Greater Denver Area! This grassroots #gamepublisher has been making memorable #partygames and #familygames for nearly a decade.
Learn More
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
Colorado welcomes The Good Game Company, with partner Rudiger relocating to the Greater Denver Area! This grassroots #gamepublisher has been making memorable #partygames and #familygames for nearly a decade.
Learn More
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
December 3, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Party games, peppers, and poets, oh my!
Colorado welcomes The Good Game Company, with partner Rudiger relocating to the Greater Denver Area! This grassroots #gamepublisher has been making memorable #partygames and #familygames for nearly a decade.
Learn More
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
Colorado welcomes The Good Game Company, with partner Rudiger relocating to the Greater Denver Area! This grassroots #gamepublisher has been making memorable #partygames and #familygames for nearly a decade.
Learn More
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
Plaay Games has been making games for #Denvergamers for over two decades. Now this sports loving mainstay is joining our lineup of indie game designers and publishers for our first annual #IndieGame Bazaar.
#Shoplocal. Play local.
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
#Shoplocal. Play local.
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
December 1, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Plaay Games has been making games for #Denvergamers for over two decades. Now this sports loving mainstay is joining our lineup of indie game designers and publishers for our first annual #IndieGame Bazaar.
#Shoplocal. Play local.
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
#Shoplocal. Play local.
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
What do heroes, sports, and cats have in common? They feature in engaging, colorful, and competitive #cardgames by Denver's own Studio Sp1cy!
Find unique local gifts for gamers in your life at our first annual #IndieGame Bazaar.
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
Find unique local gifts for gamers in your life at our first annual #IndieGame Bazaar.
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
November 26, 2025 at 5:33 PM
What do heroes, sports, and cats have in common? They feature in engaging, colorful, and competitive #cardgames by Denver's own Studio Sp1cy!
Find unique local gifts for gamers in your life at our first annual #IndieGame Bazaar.
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
Find unique local gifts for gamers in your life at our first annual #IndieGame Bazaar.
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
Play variations of your favorite #cardgames with NimNog LLC's Deck of Shields, a five suit variant home grown in #Colorado.
NimNog will be selling Deck of Shields at our first annual Indie Game Bazaar on December 14th. Check out the Facebook event to learn more!
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
NimNog will be selling Deck of Shields at our first annual Indie Game Bazaar on December 14th. Check out the Facebook event to learn more!
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
November 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Play variations of your favorite #cardgames with NimNog LLC's Deck of Shields, a five suit variant home grown in #Colorado.
NimNog will be selling Deck of Shields at our first annual Indie Game Bazaar on December 14th. Check out the Facebook event to learn more!
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
NimNog will be selling Deck of Shields at our first annual Indie Game Bazaar on December 14th. Check out the Facebook event to learn more!
www.facebook.com/events/85036...
If anyone is in the Denver area and looking for an opportunity to support local game designers, artists, and other businesses, then come to The Indie Game Bazaar at Zymos Brewing next month!
Please share with anyone that might be interested, and let's show these Denver designers some love!
Please share with anyone that might be interested, and let's show these Denver designers some love!
November 19, 2025 at 10:20 PM
If anyone is in the Denver area and looking for an opportunity to support local game designers, artists, and other businesses, then come to The Indie Game Bazaar at Zymos Brewing next month!
Please share with anyone that might be interested, and let's show these Denver designers some love!
Please share with anyone that might be interested, and let's show these Denver designers some love!
Big thank you to Professor David Riche and his students for inviting Waterbear Workshop's Shadoe Konicek to speak with his @uofdenver.bsky.social students about playtesting and rulebook design, many of whom have games in the works themselves!
#boardgamedesign
#boardgamedesign
November 11, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Big thank you to Professor David Riche and his students for inviting Waterbear Workshop's Shadoe Konicek to speak with his @uofdenver.bsky.social students about playtesting and rulebook design, many of whom have games in the works themselves!
#boardgamedesign
#boardgamedesign
Belated Happy Halloween to all those who aren't quite ready to let go of spooky season. We're keeping it going as we prepare for our next publication: Sinister.
#happyhalloween #horrorgames #boardgamesky
#happyhalloween #horrorgames #boardgamesky
November 6, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Belated Happy Halloween to all those who aren't quite ready to let go of spooky season. We're keeping it going as we prepare for our next publication: Sinister.
#happyhalloween #horrorgames #boardgamesky
#happyhalloween #horrorgames #boardgamesky
Excited to double announce our upcoming publication, a social intrigue game about demonic possession in the early to mid 20th century, AND our presence at the Zymos Halloween Market in Littleton, CO!
Come experience the game, find out what sin plagues you, and learn what else we've got in store.
Come experience the game, find out what sin plagues you, and learn what else we've got in store.
October 22, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Excited to double announce our upcoming publication, a social intrigue game about demonic possession in the early to mid 20th century, AND our presence at the Zymos Halloween Market in Littleton, CO!
Come experience the game, find out what sin plagues you, and learn what else we've got in store.
Come experience the game, find out what sin plagues you, and learn what else we've got in store.
We did a podcast! Huge thank you to Mike at @gamesplayedbadly.bsky.social for hosting us.
We chat about the crazy experiment that was self-funding our first project and the importance for brands that otherwise live online to grow roots in their local communities.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCtG...
We chat about the crazy experiment that was self-funding our first project and the importance for brands that otherwise live online to grow roots in their local communities.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCtG...
Game Creators Share BEST Tips for Self-Publishing Success
YouTube video by Games Played Badly
www.youtube.com
October 16, 2025 at 6:15 PM
We did a podcast! Huge thank you to Mike at @gamesplayedbadly.bsky.social for hosting us.
We chat about the crazy experiment that was self-funding our first project and the importance for brands that otherwise live online to grow roots in their local communities.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCtG...
We chat about the crazy experiment that was self-funding our first project and the importance for brands that otherwise live online to grow roots in their local communities.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCtG...
It's an interesting question: What do you get from playing a game if you don't or won't likely win? And what does that tell you about yourself?
I like to make my own satisfying micro-challenges. I play to win with my own little victories along the way. This tells I have ADHD.
I like to make my own satisfying micro-challenges. I play to win with my own little victories along the way. This tells I have ADHD.
Some interesting philosophy around the value of playing to lose to eventually win. Works for all games, but also for surviving the hellscape that is life these days, maybe? 1/3
#ttrpgs #boardgames #cardgames
playerelimination.com/2025/10/06/p...
#ttrpgs #boardgames #cardgames
playerelimination.com/2025/10/06/p...
Philosophy and Board Games: Hopeful Pessimism
Philosopher Mara van der Lugt’s 2025 book Hopeful Pessimism challenges ideas of motivation and the role of despondency. It’s a revelation of sorts, especially for those plagued with ete…
playerelimination.com
October 10, 2025 at 10:05 PM
It's an interesting question: What do you get from playing a game if you don't or won't likely win? And what does that tell you about yourself?
I like to make my own satisfying micro-challenges. I play to win with my own little victories along the way. This tells I have ADHD.
I like to make my own satisfying micro-challenges. I play to win with my own little victories along the way. This tells I have ADHD.
Reposted by Waterbear Workshop
And now for a report from the hellish, war-zone that is Portland
October 8, 2025 at 2:08 PM
And now for a report from the hellish, war-zone that is Portland
Iterative playtesting of a new abstract strategy game and a flight of Belgian beers for date night? Yes please. Happy belated anniversary post to Shadoe, my partner in life and in business. ❤️
September 18, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Iterative playtesting of a new abstract strategy game and a flight of Belgian beers for date night? Yes please. Happy belated anniversary post to Shadoe, my partner in life and in business. ❤️
Reposted by Waterbear Workshop
good morning, i wrote a manifesto about a new direction for game design / play
possumcreek.medium.com/the-expressi...
possumcreek.medium.com/the-expressi...
The Expressionist Games Manifesto
“Work! Intoxication! Brain-racking! Chewing, eating, gorging, rooting up! Rapturous birth pangs! Jabbing of the brush, preferably right…
possumcreek.medium.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:41 PM
good morning, i wrote a manifesto about a new direction for game design / play
possumcreek.medium.com/the-expressi...
possumcreek.medium.com/the-expressi...
Board games are like any other type of art: vessels for self-discovery, creative exploration, and education.
"Like no way in hell I would sit and listen to like an ICU lecture but I would absolutely play this game" @glaucomflecken.bsky.social on Critical Care Game youtu.be/lXSZ7lASYUs?...
What Happens When a Doctor Designs a Board Game? with Dr. Lakshman Swamy | Knock Knock, Hi!
YouTube video by The Glaucomfleckens
youtu.be
September 4, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Board games are like any other type of art: vessels for self-discovery, creative exploration, and education.
Playtesting is a quantum puzzle! Join us in an exploration of playtest strategies inspired by Cat in the Box by @beziergames.bsky.social and quantum theory.
Curious? Take a look- waterbearworkshop.com/blog/playtes...
#boardgamesky #boardgamedesign #playtesttips
Curious? Take a look- waterbearworkshop.com/blog/playtes...
#boardgamesky #boardgamedesign #playtesttips
Playtesting is a Quantum Puzzle: Playtest Strategies Inspired by Cat in the Box
Our playtesting philosophy through the lens of Cat in the Box and its quantum roots. Learn more about why testing different ways matters.
waterbearworkshop.com
September 4, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Playtesting is a quantum puzzle! Join us in an exploration of playtest strategies inspired by Cat in the Box by @beziergames.bsky.social and quantum theory.
Curious? Take a look- waterbearworkshop.com/blog/playtes...
#boardgamesky #boardgamedesign #playtesttips
Curious? Take a look- waterbearworkshop.com/blog/playtes...
#boardgamesky #boardgamedesign #playtesttips
We are wicked excited to announce that we'll be featuring local Colorado game design company Studio Sp1cy for September's First Monday Tournament at Zymos Brewing!
Come mix it up with this bidding, bluffing, deck-building, card-battler! First place wins a FREE COPY!
#denverevents #boardgamesky
Come mix it up with this bidding, bluffing, deck-building, card-battler! First place wins a FREE COPY!
#denverevents #boardgamesky
August 22, 2025 at 1:10 AM
We are wicked excited to announce that we'll be featuring local Colorado game design company Studio Sp1cy for September's First Monday Tournament at Zymos Brewing!
Come mix it up with this bidding, bluffing, deck-building, card-battler! First place wins a FREE COPY!
#denverevents #boardgamesky
Come mix it up with this bidding, bluffing, deck-building, card-battler! First place wins a FREE COPY!
#denverevents #boardgamesky
Reposted by Waterbear Workshop
We will be in the Seattle Area for Dragonflight GameCon August 22–24th. We will be playing Brigade Brawl multiple time during the weekend, so come play a game with us!
http://dlvr.it/TMYPPH #BoardGames #Dragonflightcon
http://dlvr.it/TMYPPH #BoardGames #Dragonflightcon
August 18, 2025 at 5:43 PM
We will be in the Seattle Area for Dragonflight GameCon August 22–24th. We will be playing Brigade Brawl multiple time during the weekend, so come play a game with us!
http://dlvr.it/TMYPPH #BoardGames #Dragonflightcon
http://dlvr.it/TMYPPH #BoardGames #Dragonflightcon
Join us at Rook Rooftop Bar above the Catbird Hotel in Denver's #Rinoartdistrict!
Bring games you've made, games you love, or just a "can play" attitude!
www.meetup.com/waterbear/ev...
#denverbars #denvergamenight #boardgamesky #denversky
Bring games you've made, games you love, or just a "can play" attitude!
www.meetup.com/waterbear/ev...
#denverbars #denvergamenight #boardgamesky #denversky
August 18, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Join us at Rook Rooftop Bar above the Catbird Hotel in Denver's #Rinoartdistrict!
Bring games you've made, games you love, or just a "can play" attitude!
www.meetup.com/waterbear/ev...
#denverbars #denvergamenight #boardgamesky #denversky
Bring games you've made, games you love, or just a "can play" attitude!
www.meetup.com/waterbear/ev...
#denverbars #denvergamenight #boardgamesky #denversky
Join us every 2nd Thursday from 6-9PM at The Tabletop Tap for...
1. Board games
2. New game playtesting
3. Conversation (probably about games)
4. Snacks (no relation to games)
Let's Play!
#denvermeetup #boardgamemeetups #denvergamers #coloradogamers #boardgameevents
1. Board games
2. New game playtesting
3. Conversation (probably about games)
4. Snacks (no relation to games)
Let's Play!
#denvermeetup #boardgamemeetups #denvergamers #coloradogamers #boardgameevents
August 7, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Join us every 2nd Thursday from 6-9PM at The Tabletop Tap for...
1. Board games
2. New game playtesting
3. Conversation (probably about games)
4. Snacks (no relation to games)
Let's Play!
#denvermeetup #boardgamemeetups #denvergamers #coloradogamers #boardgameevents
1. Board games
2. New game playtesting
3. Conversation (probably about games)
4. Snacks (no relation to games)
Let's Play!
#denvermeetup #boardgamemeetups #denvergamers #coloradogamers #boardgameevents
Pogs.
With #GenCon wrapping up for the weekend, we don't want to forget the classic games that came first. Listen to our Best Classic Children's Game Episode today! #gaming #tabletopgames #boardgames #game #gamenight #podcast #monopoly #clue #uno #candyland #chutesandladders champ.ly/XzbM1Tqh
Best Classic Children's Game — Great Pop Culture Debate
The podcast debates 16 classic children's games, including Clue, Go Fish, Monopoly, Mouse Trap, Connect 4, Jenga, Candy Land, Guess Who?, Battleship, Twister, Chutes & Ladders, Scrabble, Uno, Operation, Hungry Hungry Hippos, and Yahtzee.
www.greatpopculturedebate.com
August 3, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Pogs.
What a lovely theme. I could live in this board game...
We purchased Chai Garam from Mosaic Games, an Indian based board game company. All their games are made in India right down the rd from their office. Chai Garam is a game about India’s chai culture complete with Aunties. #GenCon
August 3, 2025 at 4:43 PM
What a lovely theme. I could live in this board game...
We're playing #SkyTeam, a 2-player co-op campaign that puts you in the pilot seat.
Controlled communication and hidden die make the co-op experience challenging, strategic, and fun.
Designer: Luc Remond
Artists: Eric Hibbeler and Adrien Rives
Publisher: Scorpion Masque
#boardgamesky
Controlled communication and hidden die make the co-op experience challenging, strategic, and fun.
Designer: Luc Remond
Artists: Eric Hibbeler and Adrien Rives
Publisher: Scorpion Masque
#boardgamesky
August 1, 2025 at 5:41 PM
We're playing #SkyTeam, a 2-player co-op campaign that puts you in the pilot seat.
Controlled communication and hidden die make the co-op experience challenging, strategic, and fun.
Designer: Luc Remond
Artists: Eric Hibbeler and Adrien Rives
Publisher: Scorpion Masque
#boardgamesky
Controlled communication and hidden die make the co-op experience challenging, strategic, and fun.
Designer: Luc Remond
Artists: Eric Hibbeler and Adrien Rives
Publisher: Scorpion Masque
#boardgamesky
Where cute meets cutthroat. Join Us!
#denver #gamenight #littletoncolorado
www.meetup.com/waterbear/ev...
#denver #gamenight #littletoncolorado
www.meetup.com/waterbear/ev...
The Mire Tournament @ Zymos, Mon, Aug 4, 2025, 5:30 PM | Meetup
Join Waterbear Workshop for an adorably cutthroat competition as they host a tournament for their [debut game](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/440759/the-mire) that has
www.meetup.com
July 30, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Where cute meets cutthroat. Join Us!
#denver #gamenight #littletoncolorado
www.meetup.com/waterbear/ev...
#denver #gamenight #littletoncolorado
www.meetup.com/waterbear/ev...
Major art update for DIECATHLON. Here's a taste. Check us out on @gamefound.bsky.social to see more!
#boardgamesky #gamefound #gamedesign
#boardgamesky #gamefound #gamedesign
July 30, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Major art update for DIECATHLON. Here's a taste. Check us out on @gamefound.bsky.social to see more!
#boardgamesky #gamefound #gamedesign
#boardgamesky #gamefound #gamedesign
If we'd had a wedding, this is definitely the energy we'd bring!
🎲✂️ 37th: With This Game, I Thee Wed (2017). A small 2-player card game designed as a favor for our small wedding. Each card is one of our real-life guests. Take turns seating guests or collecting attendants to meet goals. Based on the multi-purpose card mechanics from my earlier Les Misérables game.
July 28, 2025 at 6:25 PM
If we'd had a wedding, this is definitely the energy we'd bring!