Next Level Night | 2025
CTGA’s End of the Year Fundraising Party
It’s been an incredible year of events here at CTGA! From the Daggerhart launch to learning the secrets of Mynarrh from Anjali Bihmani to building our first adventures through the Windy Realm, we’ve gotten to meet so many incredible gamers here in Chicago. 2026 is going to be packed with even more events, but to make that happen, we need to raise a little cash.
That’s where you come in!
Just over 100 of the best TTRPG players, GMs, and enthusiasts in Chicago came out to Next Level Night on December 11th, 2025. This marked our last event of the year and a major fundraiser for our 2026 event roster.
The night started at 7 pm with an introduction from our president, Madeline Black, and two of our newest members: Mo Sanderson and Rayne Whitington (that’s me!). Attendees gathered to toast to the past year, scope out the raffle table, meet other excited gamers, and work together to create a Mega Dungeon.
“Next Level Night was exactly what I hoped it would be. We set out to celebrate our first year and invest in what’s ahead. Watching our community fill the room, eager to connect, and genuinely excited about what we’re building together was so incredible to see. While raising funds for 2026, we also proved that Chicago’s gaming community is hungry for something meaningful and sustainable.”
Next Level Night was held at Koval Distillery in the historic Ravenswood arts district. Koval is the first distillery to open in Chicago since the late 1800s and is also a beautiful cocktail lounge and event space. Mitch, one of the bartenders, led two tours of the distillery, teaching attendees about the history of the company.
Attendees had the full Koval drink menu open to them at the bar, but many of them went for the custom drink of the night, the Dirty Twenty.
This drink could be made with any of their made-in-house spirits (gin, vodka, whiskey, or rum), ginger liquor, lemon juice, allspice syrup, and Angostura bitters.
“It was great catching up and reminiscing with other Chicagoland gamers outside of a typical session. The community has grown so much this year! Each time I attend an event, I recognize more friendly faces.”
The catering for the event was done by Rojo Gusano, a neighbor of the Koval distillery. Their team brought an amazing spread of three kinds of tacos, rice, beans, and chips — freshly made all night long. They even had hand-pressed blue corn tortillas.
If you’ve never been there, I highly recommend treating yourself to some of the best tacos in Chicago.
Will Hindmarch, lead designer on Till the Last Gasp, was there talking to fans and introducing new gamers to what Darrington Press has to offer.
He brought the core Daggerheart sets for people to check out and drool over the art. Darrington Press was also a generous donor to our raffle!
The MegaDungeon: A Dream Come True
It was a surprise for Brent Webb, CTGA’s co-founder and Vice President-Operations, that attendees could contribute a room to our collaborative megadungeon. In celebration of Brent’s latest TTRPG hyperfixation, we built a dungeon that stretched on forever, each room designed by a different person.
Throughout the night, attendees drew out the dungeon room of their dreams (or nightmares) to help bring this vision to life. Those unlucky enough to find their way into this dungeon would find terrible monsters, strange underground markets, and a totally normal unlocked treasure chest.
Dozens of Raffle Prizes Cap the Night
CTGA has been blessed to be supported not only by our community members but also by local businesses and TTRGP creators around the world. They donated source books, modules, handmade dice, maps, and dozens of other prizes for our raffle.
Throughout the night, attendees purchased tickets and prayed to their various gods for success; winners were drawn at the end of the party.
Thank you to all of our sponsors for their generous donations! We couldn’t have done it without you! If you’d like to see your company listed amongst such illustrious philanthropists, reach out today!
Donors for CTGA's Next Level Night 2025
The Best Part of the CTGA is You
The heart of Next Level Night, and every CTGA event, is our community. Chicago truly does have the best that the TTRPG world has to offer, and we’re continuously amazed by the depth of the talent and compassion of the people we meet.
“As someone who is regularly involved in community building and mutual aid, I was so excited to be a part of the magic that was last week’s fundraiser [Next Level Night]. I love how wonderful, diverse, and supportive the tabletop community is – and I am looking forward to being more involved in building the future that CTGA envisions.”
So, from all of the board members to all of you, thank you so much for supporting the CTGA in all the vibrant ways that you do. And an especially big thank you to all our volunteers!
We can’t wait to see you in 2026! Keep an eye on our Events Page to see what we have planned. And if you haven’t already, join us on Discord!
Our community is warm, intentional, and refreshingly authentic. These are folks who show up not just to roll dice together, but to build something meaningful together.” –Madeline Black, CTGA President
Written by: Rayne B. Whitington
Photography by: Nick Garcia
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