#UKTTRPGCONS
I’ve reined in on Refereeing at conventions.
No - that’s not the truth - I’ve been reined in on Refereeing at conventions by being limited in the number of sessions I’m allowed to submit.
I’ve been limited on the number of sessions I’m allowed to submit because conventions…
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Original swing shift character sheet. Old fashioned. Lots of boxes
More modern Swingshift character sheet. Very few lines. Clearer layout with bold white on black headers. B&W
Full colour character sheet. Clear clean, exciting.
#UKTTRPGCONS
I’ve decided to tidy up my “Choose Your Adventure” set-up. I’ve decide to trim the “up front” on-show display to 4 genres, Superheroes, SciFi, Steampunk and Fantasy.
There’ll be a core 5 of characters ready to go on updated and attractive character sheets.
#UKTTRPGCONS
#CONPULSION (11th/12th April, Edinburgh) have just opened registration for their games. I submitted my games for this convention well in advance and forgot about them.
I noticed three things:
1) I seem to have gone all “Iron-GM” again and am running a game in every slot.
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#UKTTRPGCONS
It looked for a long time that my quest to fill EVERY weekend was going to founder around Easter.
But then I came across EasterCon. A SciFi convention called iridescence this year. At the NEC (well, the Hilton).
Free travel!
Despite me missing out on all the pre planning …..
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Poster advertising a Peter Cushing Weekend in Whitstable on 23rd and 24th May 2026.
#UKTTRPGCONS
You can’t squeeze TTRPGs into every event.
Pity, it’s the weekend before Expo and I can’t find anything else to do around then.
(So I’ve sent an email……)
#UKTTRPGCONS I’ve managed to keep myself really busy. Planning for all of these wonderful events I’m going to is causing me to take my eye off looking ahead. I have no gaps in my schedule until 16th May - the week after #Northstar and two weeks before #UKGAMESEXPO.
After that it’s spotty.
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#UKTTRPGCONS
I was reminded at #Airecon at the weekend that there are wonderful people who turn general gaming cons into general gaming cons that also offer TTRPGs as a forethought, not an afterthought.
There a brand new boardgame convention in Chester this coming weekend. #Victrix.
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#UKTTRPGCONS
Playing TTRPGs at cons is great fun. Refereeing TTRPGs at cons is even better.
#UKTTRPGCONS
Note to self. If you’re going to do character generation at the table, make sure you have a completed example character/pregen using exactly the same sheet as the players are using especially if you’ve updated it.
#UKTTRPGCONS
I completed my GM Orientation for UK Games Expo last night. So I’ve uploaded the 6 games I’m offering to Referee - in blatant disregard of their advice not to offer more than 5 because that leads to burnout. 2 games each on Fri, Sat, Sun. I can’t offer any Fri/Sat night.
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#UKTTRPGCONS
I asked the organiser for the last convention I attended for the feedback he’d received and for a testimonial.
I’m planning to build up a bank of quotes I can send to future conventions:
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#UKTTRPGCONS
Did any of my mutual got to #CONCRETECOW on Saturday? Let me know how it went. I missed it.
Do any of you fancy writing a short report I can post on my blog? I’ll happily take one from you @savagespiel.bsky.social but lets wait to see if I can squeeze one out of an actual punter.
Grey Cap, grey waistcoat, yellow and grey tartan shirt
Grey cap, long sleeved black t-shirt with white writing in capital letters: FREE 1-HOUR RPGS NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED JUST SIT DOWN AND PLAY
Chubby old man in glasses with unruly hair stuffed into a grey hat standing in front of a banner holding a book.
#UKTTRPGCONS
No one commented on my standard vs new TTRPG personae. I’ll ask again and give proof of what I think is the biggest problem with getting people to sit down and play and why I never post personal photos
#UKTTRPGCONS Different conventions require different preparation but I’m finding have a standardised preparation is helping me.
Apologies for all those people that know and already do this.
I have a separate post if folders prepared for each game I’m offering to run. This contains:
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A table stuffed with STUNNING WH40Kmodels
A table of amazing SciFi models.
#UKTTRPGCONS
You know what? If a game convention offers TTRPGs we’re lucky. They could carry on successfully whether or not TTPGs were offered.
We add value. But not THAT much.
What other gamers do esp. Wargamers is amazing!
#UKTTRPGCONS
Saturday 16th May. Saturday 23rd May. What have they got in common?
They’re the only weekends between now and June that I don’t have a convention to go to. We are truly blessed for conventions in this country.
But why are 16th and 23rd May fallow? (Don’t answer that. I know.)
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#UKTTRPGCONS
An observation - made without any judGenentech either way. More than once I’ve had a convention organiser express to me their disappointment that more local people don’t support their event.
I guess that if, for example, you have a regular meet-up every weekend, you might feel…
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Banner bearing the words “Choose your adventure”. Black writing with red letters at the beginning and end. Black female fantasy warrior front and centre. Cluster of Steampunk figures to the left. Cluster of SciFi figures to the right. Both with black female figures front and centre.
#UKTTRPGCONS
Different conventions require different types of preparation. Though I was “demonstrating” 1-hour games last weekend at #PARADICE, this weekend I’m resurrecting my old “Choose Your Adventure” where the players get to choose the genres. So I need to have more sets of pregens ready.
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#UKTTRPGCONS
Dedicated TTRPG cons are the best! All the games are organised for you and you have a solid day or weekend of gaming.
But you only meet fellow role-players.
General gaming cons might seem less successful for TTRPGs but that’s where you meet people who are new to the hobby.
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#UKTTRPGCONS
We’re actually pretty lucky in our hobby. Things are usually all organised for us before we get there. And we have stuff to DO all weekend.
Most hobbyists going to their cons have to organise themselves decide where to go and what to look at & fill their own time choosing stuff.
Fin.
#UKTTRPGCONS
Is anyone aware of any UK TTRPG cons that struggle to Find enough Referees to offer enough games?
Is anyone aware of any UKTTRPG cons with plethora of games on offer that struggle to find enough players to fill them?
#UKTTRPGCONS
Last week at #DUDLEYBUGBALL I used WarHorn. This week at #PARADICE I’m using the G.A.M.E. System. UKGE has its own booking system. Garricons use elbow grease and spreadsheets. Many conventions use Ticketing systems to book games.
How many different systems are there, I wonder?
FIN
#UKTTRPGCONS
I probably have a degree of autism. I have difficulty spotting social cues.
This may or may not have a bearing on what I’m about to say.
People who organise TTRPG cons for my pleasure - I love ‘em! They do things and take risks that I wouldn’t like to have to take on.
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#UKTTRPGCONS
I’m starting to travel the country again attending cons - oft in places unfamiliar or completely new to me.
OK there are sometimes delays and buying a ticket on a train or place last minute is very pricey.
But overall, the pubic transport system in this country is pretty good.
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#UKTTRPGCONS
Costs for going to cons are tickets, travel and digs - in that order. (I don’t include food because you have to buy that even if you stay at home. It might be more expensive.)
Weekend conventions are the most expensive to go to. Do you REALLY need to stay for the Sunday?
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#UKTTRPGCONS
At a convention players can choose the games they want to play in and the Referees they want to play with - if they know the Referees.
Referees can choose the games they want to offer but not who turns up to play in those games.
Fin.
#UKTTRPGCONS
No two conventions are exactly the same. There are ones out there trying to copy the success of UK Games Expo. There some operating to a template - the Garricons and our attempt to clone Concrete Cow when we ran Spaghetti ConJunction. There are some that run according to what their…
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#UKTTRPGCONS
These are my posts/threads right? I can do what I want. I’ve been pondering which con to post about but I can post three things if I want.
Firstly, and please repost for reach, is anyone going to
eastercon2026.org ?
Science Fiction Con. NEC. I was too late to submit ideas. 1/x
#UKTTRPGCONS
My blog post for #Revelation is now done.
rpgs4all.blogspot.com/p/revelation...
(Don’t bother telling me there are some inconsistent font sizes. I can’t work it see it and I’ll fix it as soon as I work what’s happening.)
TLDR. PbtA. I played 5 games. Was not a Ref. Still enjoyed it.
