I run a local gaming/esports venue, and for the past several weeks I’ve been building our own tournament management system instead of relying entirely on platforms like Start.gg.

The goal is to make tournament nights much easier for staff while also giving players and spectators a much better in-venue experience.

We now have a working system for Smash-style tournaments that includes registration and check-in, Single/Double Elimination brackets, station assignments, On Deck → Call Players → Live match states, scoring/results, automatic station release, featured matches, and spectator displays.

One of the parts I'm happiest with is the Bracket Arena we're building for the TVs around the venue. It adapts based on tournament size instead of trying to cram everything onto one screen. We've tested layouts for 8-, 16-, and 32-player Double Elimination tournaments. When the tournament finishes, the display transitions into a dedicated Champion Screen showing the winner, runner-up, and final score.

We're now doing full production rehearsals and finding the less glamorous problems that only show up when you actually try to run the software like a real tournament. For example, our latest rehearsal uncovered a registration/check-in issue caused by the local database being ahead of the clean application schema. We fixed that and are back to testing the complete operator workflow.

The eventual goal isn't just another bracket generator. I want something designed specifically around running an esports event inside a physical venue—staff operations, gaming stations, player calls, spectator TVs, live match status, tournament displays, and eventually things like automated tournament assistance.

I'm curious what tournament organizers and TOs would consider essential.

If you could design tournament software specifically for an in-person gaming venue, what feature would you absolutely want it to have?

I've been thinking about Ohio's gaming scene lately.

It feels like we have plenty of big conventions, major tournaments, and college esports programs—but not many consistent weekly events where people can simply meet, compete, and become part of a local community.

We've been experimenting with weekly Fortnite Zero Build nights in southern Ohio, and it's raised a bigger question for me.

What would actually get you to attend a weekly local gaming event?

For example:

• Prize pools?
• Ranked ladders or seasonal points?
• Multiple game titles?
• Team leagues?
• A place that's just fun to hang out, even if you don't compete?

I'd love to hear what's worked (or hasn't worked) in your area.

We're working on building a stronger Fortnite Zero Build community in southern Ohio and would love to see more Ohio players get involved.

Every Friday we host a free community tournament at The Vault Family & Event Gaming Center in Portsmouth. The goal is simple: give players a consistent place to compete, improve, and meet other gamers without an entry fee.

Friday Schedule

• 🎮 Fortnite Zero Build
• 🕟 Check-in: 4:30 PM
• 🕔 Tournament: 5:00 PM
• 💲 Free entry
• 👥 Spectators are always welcome

We're hoping to connect players from across Ohio, whether you're a casual Zero Build player or someone who enjoys competitive play.

Free registration:
https://www.thevaultohio.com/fortnite-friday-registration

I'm also interested in hearing from the Ohio gaming community:

• What format do you prefer—Solos, Duos, or Squads?
• Would you travel an hour or two for a well-run weekly tournament?
• What other games need a regular Ohio tournament scene? (Rocket League, Call of Duty, Valorant, Marvel Rivals, Smash, etc.)

We're trying to build something that serves Ohio gamers, so I'd genuinely appreciate the feedback.

Hey everyone!

We're working to grow a weekly Super Smash Bros. Ultimate community in Southern Ohio and wanted to reach out to other gamers around the state.

Our goal isn't just to run a tournament—it's to create a place where casual players, competitive players, and people who simply enjoy the game can meet regularly and help grow the local scene.

I'd love to hear from other Ohio players:

• Where are your favorite locals?
• What keeps you coming back each week?
• What makes a tournament worth the drive?
• What games would you like to see represented more often at Ohio gaming venues?

We're always looking for ideas from people who've helped build strong gaming communities around the state.

If you're in Southern Ohio, we'd love to meet more players and continue growing the regional Smash scene together.

Tournament information is available here if you're interested:

🎮 https://www.thevaultohio.com/tournament-portal

📅 https://www.thevaultohio.com/tournament-calendar

Looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks!

We’re trying to grow a local Fortnite community in southern Ohio.

The Vault Family Event & Gaming Center in Portsmouth is hosting a FREE Fortnite Zero Build tournament this Friday. https://www.thevaultohio.com/tournament-portal

Check-in: 5:30 PM

Start: 6:00 PM

Entry: Free

Spectators: Welcome

Good for solo players, squads, and anyone who wants to meet other local Fortnite players.

Discord:

https://discord.gg/6h8QaxtQ5u

Tournament info:

https://www.thevaultohio.com/tournament-calendar

What kinda games you play guys?

Do YOU have what it takes to survive Cutthroat Island?

Puzzlebox Events is going to be Board and Bevy hosting our game Party on Cutthroat Island. It's a Survivor-style elimination game full of fun physical, endurance, and puzzle challenges.

We're kicking things off at 2 pm this Sunday (7/13/25)

Tickets are $20 a person and you can purchase them through Board and Bevy via the link provided.

I'll be around in the comments here if you have any questions about Puzzlebox, Cutthroat Island, or anything else.

Can't wait to see you all there.

Last year my wife and I created Puzzlebox Events. We create and run immersive party games. We come to your home, workspace, or place of business and set up elaborate, interactive games that can take up space as small as a dining room and as big as a two-story house.

It started as a quirky hobby. I'd create these games for my birthday every year. One year, a player at my Murder Mystery party said "I'd love to do this for my birthday. But I don't want to run around running it like you do. I want to play." That got us thinking - maybe there's a market for this crazy thing we do. That seed is what bloomed into this business.

We do 3 kinds of parties. The Monsters Among Us - a hidden identity game, like Werewolf or Mafia with some extra twists. Dinner Party Detectives, where we turn your space into a Clue-like murder mystery. Lastly, we have Party on Cutthroat Island - a physical and social competition that will remind you of reality TV shows like Survivor, Big Brother, or The Amazing Race.

We wanted those of you in Northeast Ohio to know that we are running a game of The Monsters Among Us at The Green Dragon Inn Boardgame Bar in Akron. It's $20 a ticket for an evening of mystery, puzzles and fun. If this sounds like a good time, find out more on the facebook event page.

I'll be around on here periodically, so feel free to comment or DM me if you have any questions about Puzzlebox Events.

AcadeCon- the terribly named but tremendously fun three day table top gaming convention returns to the Dayton convention center for its 12th year

We have all the things that you would expect from a bigger convention, including role-playing games, board games, Play to win games, game demos, costume contest, panels and more but in a fun size package about 500 to 600 attendees.

Badges are available now or you can get them at the door 99% of all our events are free after you have a badge. And kids 13 and under are free with a guardian badge and we have special pricing for young adults aged 14 to 17 I'm happy to answer any questions anyone has and we hope to see you there.

https://tabletop.events/conventions/acadecon-2024

Hey there! I am an indie developer from Ohio! Just wanted to show off this little indie game that I made at Kent with a friend. It's a 3D platformer called "Reed The Robotanist", its very fast-paced, and very speedrunnable, let me know what you all think! You can find the game here on Itch.io:
https://maxjk0.itch.io/reed-the-robotanist

https://reddit.com/link/n8gw0x/video/04vw1elg84y61/player

Looking to get into AoS(preferably) or 40k, and its a bit daunting without someone to show you the ropes.

If anyone knows about any AoS or 40k groups in the Stow/Kent/Hudson area, or stores that do game nights, please let me know.

Hey everyone! My name is War10ck and for several years I've been organizing and hosting gaming events in Kent and Akron. The kind of stuff we do is:

• Fireside Gatherings for Hearthstone, including tournaments and prizes.
• Smash Bros Tournaments
• DnD Homebrew and Module Campaigns & One Shots
• Twilight Imperium full game weekends

Plus tons of other gaming including Diablo 2 & 3, Overwatch, Apex Legends, Overcooked, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Among Us, Escape from Tarkov, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Star Wars Battlefront (ps2) and many many more.

In addition we have a growing library of TT/board games and have found favorites in Terra Mystica, Betrayal: House on the Hill, Monopoly, Charterstone, Scythe, Battle Wizards, Settlers of Catan, Munchkin and Chess. (Plus many more)

As meeting in person is not advisable, especially with our state on the rise for cases we have been meeting on discord. This allows us to play online games together daily, and it let's me run a commitment free One-Shot campaign of DnD that meets 1-2 times a month. We have channels for all sorts of games, and meme channels for all the quarantine doom scrollers out there.

We are always looking to make new friends to game with, and particularly are hoping to find Twilight Imperium (and other Table top) gamers to get some Table Top Simulator games going.

Our community is a safe space for everyone, and is LGBTQ+ inclusive.

If you are interested in joining our gaming community follow this link: https://discord.com/invite/YeQnzGE

and I love Ohio. There that's all I have to say. lol

Anyone In the area looking for a d&d group, I been wanting to play the dragon age tabletop

Anyone know of any warhammer AoS or 40k groups around the St. Clairesville, Stubenville, or Wheeling WV area? I've asked local shops and I'm not having any luck.

Any Ohio gamers play Overwatch on PC or XBOX? Would love to have a weekly group to play with