The Donut (Online)

What is the Donut?

The Donut is Go Play NW’s pick-up-and-play pitch circle. It gets people together to play games without needing to schedule them in advance.

At Go Play NW we make it our mission to ensure that everyone gets to play a game—we want all of our attendees to have the opportunity to game every session. Since we don't always have enough scheduled games planned in advance, the Donut provides that oppotunity!

When you join the Donut, you’re taking a chance. You might not get into exactly the game you want, but there will be a spot for everyone! Many folks have found great games they would never have discovered by joining a game that wasn't their first choice! Of course, if you don't like any of the available options, you can always bow out; joining the Donut does not mean you've made a promise to play.

Simply put: it’s a great way to meet new friends and games!

Online Donut FAQ

• When is the Donut?
• How do I sign up for a Donut?
• How does the Donut work?
• Tips for a good Donut
• How can I help with the Donut?

When is the Donut?

For Go Play NW Online, the Donut runs during every scheduled game session. You can view our event schedule here.

How do I sign up for a Donut?

You don't need to sign up for the donut in advance!

Once you've joined Go Play NW's Discord server, you can check into Go Play NW Online through the ✅-event-check-in channel. Once you're checked in, all you need to do is keep an eye on the 🍩-donut-official channel for an announcement that the Donut is about to begin! Once you see the announcement, hop into the Donut Stage, and follow the directions!

How does the Donut work?

1. Just before the Donut starts we'll post an announcement to the 🍩-donut-official channel.
2. Everyone who wants to participate gathers at the Donut Stage, which will appear a few minutes before the session starts.
3. The Donut Assistant posts a poll to the 🍩-donut-official channel to take a headcount of how many folks are participating, while the Donut MC calls the Donut to order.
4. The Donut MC will ask for volunteer game facilitators to fit the available number of players and guide these volunteers in pitching games to the rest of the Donut.
5. Each of the game facilitators takes a turn pitching games they're excited to run to the rest of the Donut and posts a summary of their pitch to the 🍩-donut-official channel.
6. Once everyone who wants to has given their pitch, our Tech Support volunteers will post a sign-up list to 🍩-donut-official channel and alerts the Donut that they can sign up for games by reacting to the game they want to play.
7. Game facilitators each create their own private game room by clicking ➕ Create Game Room.
8. Sometimes certain games are more or less popular. In the instance that a game is overfull or doesn’t fill, the Donut MC will try to help players and facilitators find a solution that works best for them.
9. Players find the game room created by the facilitator for their chosen game (sometimes with a volunteer’s help) and play their games!

Tips for a good Donut

• If you’re new to pitch circles/musters, we recommend you don’t pitch a game your first time. Games need players and facilitators to run, and it can help to watch before doing.
• If there’s a game you really want to see played in the Donut, the best way to make that happen is to pitch it!
• Don’t worry if you forget some information in your pitch. The Donut MC will help!
• Don’t feel up to pitching but still have a burning need to play? If the Donut is low on facilitators, sometimes requesting a game can be all the inspiration someone needs! You can put it in the chat channel during the Donut or before in the hangout channel.
• You are never obligated to play in any games at Go Play NW. Joining the Donut does not require you to join a game. It’s always okay to bounce!

How can I help with the Donut?

Although games in the Donut are spontaneous, you can help things run smoothly by preparing a bit ahead of time.

Here are a few ways you can support the Donut:

1. Volunteer with us!
   Go Play NW is always looking for helpers! Find out more about how to volunteer for the Donut here.
2. Think about games you want to pitch!
   Facilitators are an essential part of the Donut! Without them, there would be no games.
3. Play a game!
   Games don’t work without players. You don’t have to facilitate a game to help out; just show up with enthusiasm and openness to meet new people and try new games!

Illustration by Star West-Morgan, 2022