Capital City Gaming Con is the Des Moines area board gaming convention. It is a weekend full of fun and games held annually.

We believe in bringing people together through board games. The more people we can bring into the hobby, the more vibrant our local gaming scene will become. Capital City Gaming Con is a one-stop shop for all things board games in the Des Moines Metro area. Meet with local vendors, attend events hosted by local businesses and influencers, and make new friends.

We strive to provide a welcoming atmosphere for you to sit down with friends, new or old, to play some great games!

Badges for Capital City Gaming Con 2024 will go on sale in May 2024.

Library and Play-to-Win

We are excited to have Board Game Wagon provide our game library. They will have a curated selection of more than 1500 games for you to choose from! Library Hours (approximate): Friday 12pm-11pm; Saturday 8am-11pm; Sunday 8am-3pm

We will also have a bunch of play-to-win games that you could take home with you just by playing them.

Events & Tournaments

Badge holders can reserve tickets for the events and tournaments during Capital City Gaming Con. The tickets are free (except for some special events where listed) and allow the badge holder to reserve a seat at the table for that particular event or game. Event signups close a week before the con and we will transition to in-person signups for events. The event sign-ups will be located in binders at the registration desk. Reserving tickets is a great way for people new to the convention to get started.

Capital City Gaming Con will also host a series of "special events" that includes tournaments (with prizes) and events hosted by the con or community partners like local/regional board game businesses or influencers. We strive to offer a variety of experiences for badge holders.

Badge holders can also host events. Attendee submitted events will open September 1st and will be publicly available for signups October 1st. Tabletop.events can be used to schedule games and events that require special setup. For regular pick up type games, we will be using the Meeple Meet app (available for iPhone and Android) as a tool for attendees to schedule their own games both before and during the convention.

Food

Due to our contract with the hotel, we are not allowed to bring in food trucks or other food sellers. The hotel offers breakfast from 6am-10am and dinner from 6pm-10pm. One of the bonuses to the hotel’s location is its easy access to 60+ food options within 1.5 miles. Many of these offer delivery through third party delivery services like Door Dash, Uber Eats, and Grub Hub.

Map of Local Restaurants

Parking

The best place to park is on the north end of the building, where there is a separate entrance for our convention! There is also parking available near the hotel entrance on the west side of the building, or around the back of the building on the east side.

Children

Children ages 5-10 can register for a $5 kids badge or get a regular badge. Kids badges cannot be used to checkout games or be entered into the Play-to-Win drawing. Children 11+ will need a full badge.