What Is Play & Win?

Play & Win gives attendees the chance to take home the very games they play during the convention. Each Play & Win title can be checked out from the library, played at DARECon, and logged to enter you into the draw for that game at the end of the event.

General Rules

You can only win one Play & Win game.
A checked-out game must be returned within 4 hours for your play to qualify.
Only one Play & Win game per group may be checked out at a time.

Please don't "hoard" games — Play & Win titles are for playing, not sitting idle. If multiple games are checked out and not being played, those entries may be disqualified.

A short overlap (e.g. checking out the next game while boxing up your current one) is fine — just make sure no game is left unused.

How to Take Part

Check out a Play & Win game at the library desk (badge required).
Play the game at DARECon with your group.
Return it within 4 hours.
Log your play at the Play & Win desk.
Repeat — the more games you play, the more chances you have to win!

Winning & Eligibility

You can win one Play & Win game and still be eligible for door prizes.
When logging your play, you can choose to tick "Don't want to win" if you prefer to opt out of that game's draw.
Game ratings are optional, but please add them — your feedback helps us curate future Play & Win selections and encourages publishers to support DARECon.
Your rating has no impact on your odds of winning.

The Draw

At the end of the convention, each Play & Win title will be awarded through a random drawing:

A play is chosen at random.
From that play, a player is chosen at random.

Only players who did not tick "Don't want to win" are eligible.

Checking Games In and Out

You can't check out another Play & Win title until your previous one has been scanned back in.
Please return games properly — if a title is left on a shelf without being checked in, your play may not be counted.

"Game Hoarding"

Hoarding means holding multiple Play & Win games at once. Since you can only play one at a time, this prevents others from participating and goes against the spirit of the event.

If staff notice hoarding, your entries may be disqualified.
See a stack of unplayed Play & Win games? Let a DARECon volunteer know and we'll handle it discreetly.

Replaying a Game

You can play a game more than once, but you'll only receive one entry per checkout. Remember the four-hour play limit still applies.

Number of Games

Our Play & Win collection is scaled to fit the size of DARECon. This year's library is launching with support from Stonemaier Games, who kindly donated the wonderful Finspan, Stamp Swap, and Tokaido — and there will be more exciting additions to be announced soon!