WonderCon 2026
d4: Tabletop Creative Conference @ WonderCon 2026
d4: Tabletop Creative Conference returns to WonderCon® with an exciting offering of tabletop industry programming.
San Diego Comic Convention, the organization that brings you WonderCon and Comic-Con International®, beacons for the popular arts for over 50 years, looks to bring creators from across the tabletop gaming community together for d4: Tabletop Creative Conference. d4 will feature panels with industry experts, game designer playtesting, pitch panels, tabletop actual plays, and networking events.
For 2026, programming has expanded to include an additional room to support the growing tabletop role-playing space, with speakers and panels on storytelling, RPG game mechanics, world-building, and actual plays. Listen to experts across the tabletop industry and learn how to level up your games and gaming experiences.
The range of topics includes:
Design :
The creation of play patterns, artwork, and graphics that elevate the gaming experience
Develop :
Encompassing testing and improvement of games towards publication.
Discuss :
Marketing and media in the tabletop game space, from podcasts to promotion and everything in between.
Discover :
An emphasis on helping players and publishers identify emerging trends and hot new games that define the future of the hobby.
FIRST PLAY GAME LAB
North Building
Room 152 (First Level)
Ever wanted to play a board game before it becomes a hit? Join us at the First Play Game Lab (North 152) for a look behind the curtain. We’re hosting an open-house playtest session where you can dive into the next generation of board and card games.
Come play, give your input, and help shape the next big thing in gaming! Are you a designer with a prototype to share? Come grab a table! Whether a game is polished and ready for retail or just a wild new idea scrawled on index cards, we want to see it!
Schedule:
Friday
Programming
North Building
Room 151 (First Level)
2:00 PM – RPG Gamemaster Workshop
3:00 PM – Our Seats at the Table: BIPOC Representation in the Tabletop World
4:00 PM – Tabletop Role-Playing Game Design for Publishing
5:00 PM – From Daggers Till’ Dawn: A Daggerheart Actual Play
North Building
Room 153 (First Level)
2:00 PM – SlugBlaster
4:00 PM – Crowdfunding Best Practices for Tabletop Games
demos & events
North Building
Room 152 (First Level)
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM – Creators Assemble: Charisma Check, A Networking Event
5:00 PM to 9:00 PM – First Play Game Lab
Saturday
Programming
North Building
Room 151 (First Level)
11:00 AM – Spotlight on Ben Brode
12:00 PM – The Artistry Behind Tabletop Games
1:00 PM – Designing Tabletop Board Games
2:00 PM – Shattering the Fourth Wall: Breaking into a Gaming Career
3:00 PM – Venture Forth D&D – Live Play
5:00 PM – Not Another Horror TTRPG One Shot
7:00 PM – ProgCore: Classic Fantasy meets Modern RPGs
North Building
Room 153 (First Level)
11:00 AM – An Improvised TTRPG featuring Knights of the Rolled Table
1:00 PM – StoryQuest Live: Oops All Dungeon Masters!
2:00 PM – Shattering the Fourth Wall: Breaking into a Gaming Career
3:00 PM – Creating Seats at the Table: The Responsibility of Producers and DMs to Create Welcoming, Diverse spaces in the Tabletop World
4:00 PM – Daggerheart: Behind The Scenes
5:00 PM – Story Over Stats: The Narrative TTRPG Shift
demos & events
North Building
Room 152 (First Level)
10:00 AM to 9:00 PM – First Play Game Lab
SUNDAY
Programming
North Building
Room 151 (First Level)
11:00 AM – Spotlight on Spenser Starke
12:00 PM – How to ACTUALLY start an Actual Play: Round Table Discussion
1:00 PM – Rolling with the Story: How to Improv in TTRPGs
2:00 PM – Queer Gaming: Adventuring with Pride
North Building
Room 153 (First Level)
12:00 PM – The Wandering Path: D&D Live!
2:00 PM – The Legend of Taylore
4:00 PM – Let’s Make a Board Game!
demos & events
North Building
Room 152 (First Level)
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM – First Play Game Lab
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM – Tabletop Games Pitch Panel
FIND THE MOST UP-TO-DATE game & panel DESCRIPTIONS ON OUR WEBSITE
