Mini 2027:
Jan 22-24, 2027
10 am Friday – 5 pm Sunday
Registration Opens Oct. 3, 2026
8 am CT
Peru, 1936
It’s been three days now, and we are close. The map I stole from the Khan in India has led me here, to this tiny lakeside village a few miles west of the mysterious arch. It’s clear that people have been here before me… many people. I find their signs everywhere. Tiny little colored cubes lying discarded on the ground, wooden effigy people painted in bright colors, and so many thick paper boards with irregular shapes punched through them. Clearly the people who once inhabited this village were deeply religious, and took their strange rituals seriously. It seems to have consumed their lives. Perhaps this is what eventually led to their extinction.
But a few remnants of this civilization remain. I can hear them now, chanting inside the building that serves as some sort of temple. They keep repeating a simple phrase in their long-dead language: “Gee Kway Tutha West.” I don’t know what it means, but it sends chills down my spine.
I’m about to enter their shrine. My eyes are peeled for traps, because I know their kind doesn’t take well to intruders. I’ve dressed like one of them, in a “t-shirt” and “sweatpants,” and I hope to blend in. I’ll write more later, when I can.
(Hastily scrawled final entry): They found me! They must have heard my scream of alarm when their trap startled me. Why did it have to be a roll and move?
Geekway Mini
Geekway Mini is a small and local convention that takes place in January of each year, also near St. Louis, Missouri. The focus of Geekway Mini is just playing games — as such, there are no vendors and the only activity is Play and Win. Geekway Mini is also much smaller, with an attendance cap of only 400.
The smaller venue and attendance cap means this event sells out very quickly.
Geekway Mini Details
Badge Cost: $115
Venue (Convention Location and Hotel)
Sheraton Westport Chalet
191 Westport Plaza Dr., St. Louis, MO 63146
⇢ Get directions to hotel
We reserve a block of rooms at special pricing, which is available starting in October prior to Mini.
Food, Drinks and Alcohol
You can leave to go eat at any of the nearby restaurants in Westport Plaza, or bring food, drinks and alcohol into the gaming room. (But please make sure to clean up after yourself and throw trash away.)
Play and Win Games
Check out the growing list of ⇢ Mini 2027 Play and Win games on Board Game Geek.
What is Play and Win?
As far as we know, Geekway to the West was the first convention to formally offer a “Play and Win” selection in our library back in 2008 or 2009. We started with only five games, all donated by publishers to support our tiny little convention. (If you know differently, let us know!)
Play and Win is pretty simple in concept. There is a lineup of games which can be checked out and played. For each play, you get a chance to win the game. Toward the end of the convention we run a drawing (computerized) and every one of the Play and Win games are given away.
Summary:
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Check out a game
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Play the game with your friends
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Check the game back in
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Enter the play at one of the kiosks
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Go back to Step 1
Details:
Checkout: Decide what game to play and one person in your group checks it out. To check out a game, you will need your badge, which you should have with you at all times. A Geek Guide at the table near the door will scan your badge and the bar code on the game. Note this is the bar code on the Geekway sticker and not the UPC bar code on the game box. That’s it. Go have fun.
Play the Game: No explanation needed here. To help avoid games being checked out for long periods of time, there is a 4 hour time limit for a game to be checked back in. If that time limit is exceeded, the play is disqualified from the drawing. For most games this is plenty of time, though for the few long/complex games on Play and Win, you might need to be careful to wrap up your play in time.
Check In: Take the game back to the Play and Win room and have it scanned by one of the Geek Guides at the table near the door. Only the game needs to be scanned. Then place it back on the shelf in its proper location. Games are arranged alphabetically and the shelves are labeled.
Enter the Play: After check in, you can enter the play at one of the kiosks. You can do this at any time, though best to do it right away so you don’t forget about the play or who all participated.
Next: If Play and Win is still open, repeat the process with another game.
For more details, answers to the most common questions and eligibility, check out the Play and Win FAQs and Policies page.