2026 NASAGA Conference Schedule

Wednesday

• 9:00am - 4:00pm: Pre-conference workshop: Applied Tabletop Role-Playing Game Facilitation Lab

• 4:30pm - 6:00pm: Newcomer Orientation

• 6:00pm - 8:00pm: Welcome Reception

  • Snacks provided

• 8:00pm - 10:30pm: Game Night

Thursday

• 8:00am - 9:00am: Breakfast and Networking

• 9:00am - 10:15am: Keynote

• 10:30am - 12:00pm - Breakout Session 1

  • Kobolds Ate My Nervousness: Flexible Thinking Through Kobolds Ate My Baby - Dr. Maryanne Cullinan

  • The Dream Game for Transformational Leadership - Mia Cellucci

• 12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch on your own

• 1:00pm - 3:30pm: Breakout Session 2

  • Gaming to Enhance Trans Empathy - Jasper Wojtach

  • CTRL+ALT+CONNECT: Rehumanizing Learning Through Play - Nakia Avery

• 3:30pm - 5:00pm: Rapid Fire Breakout Sessions 1

  • Building Resilience and Connection through Play - David Chametzky

  • Playing Through Uncertainty: Game Mechanics for a BANI World - Anna Heinrich

  • Building Connection and Mastery: Tabletop Roleplaying Games for Children and Patients - Timothy Kreider

  • EscapeIF: Using Storytelling and Found Objects for Low-Resource Escape Games - Scott Nicholson

• 6:00pm - 10:30pm Dinner on own and Game Night

  • Details to follow

Friday

• 8:00am - 9:00am: Breakfast and Networking

• 9:00am - 10:30am: Breakout Session 3

  • Creating the Friendship-Building Sabotage Game - Julia Bueno

  • For Those Who Come After: Processing Grief and Loss through Games - Brian Stauber

• 10:30am - 12:00pm: Breakout Session 4

  •  Riddle Race - Jessica Andrews-Wilson

  • 200-Year-Old Vampires: Reflecting on Motion Picture - Christopher Jeansonne

• 12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch on your own

• 1:00pm - 4:00pm - Private Tours of Strong Museum of Play

• 5:00pm - 6:00pm: Interactive Expo and Poster Presentations

• 6:00pm - 8:00pm: Silent Auction, Gala, and Annual Business Meeting

• 8:00pm - 10:30pm - Game Night

Saturday

• 8:00am - 9:00am: Breakfast and Networking

• 9:00am - 10:30am: Breakout Session 6

  • Serving The Table: Building Belonging and Community for TTRPGs - Mark Bylancik

  • TBD

• 10:30 - 12:00: Rapid Fire Breakout Sessions 2

  • Immersion Beyond Visuals: Storytelling Through Pressure Meter - Christyana Walker

  • Raymond A. Kimball - "Plastic Pals": AI Assistants for Educational RPGs

  • TBD

  • TBD

• 12:00pm - 2:00pm: Lunch and Keynote 2

  • Negotiating with Dragons: An experiential negotiation game exploring how creativity and connection emerge - Dr. Joe Lasley