For your consideration....

I used to maintain a list of conventions on my blog. However, since I discovered this wonderful list maintained by David Wright, gave up:

 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p5iZrLlU7EthiItODGO5ZweyhCIOVFu7ULj2c25iPQU/htmlview#

I publicise those as much as I can and advise you all to check it regularly.

Recently, however, I've realised some things:

1. the list contains raw data. It just gives raw basic facts. Nothing to help you choose one over another.
2. Though I report on a lot of conventions here, if you like a report and think "I'd like to go THERE" you've usually got 12 months to wait.
3. My reports are intended to highlight the good things about this hobby. I don't tend to say anything negative about an event on the "if you can't say anything good..." principle.

But if you're think of trying out some TTRPG conventions, you might find some more proactive information useful.

So here is a list of upcoming events in the UK with some quick comments. It's my intention to highlight some hidden gems, encourage you to come and enable your planning.

I haven't listed every event. Some because I don't know about them and some for the reason I stated above. Just because I don't list an event that you find out about doesn't mean YOU shouldn't go.

I'll tell you which of these events I intend to visit. Remember that in between these I'll be going to SciFi, Steampunk, Comicons etc. promoting TTRPGs.

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CONPULSION - Edinburgh Fri 5th-Sun 7th April
Basically the Edinburgh University student union convention but it's been running for years passed from committee to committee with an excellent set structure. Punches well above its weight with games, traders, seminars, quizzes, auctions and other events. Superb venue - student union with bars with cheap beer and food in an historical building.  Getting to Edinburgh and finding accommodation there can be pricey. I used to absolutely LOVE this event because it had slightly shorter game slots with seminars in between which let you do BOTH. At most events you had to choose. I was happy to pay to fly up from Birmingham. Recently they extended the game slots so now you have to choose between gaming and  seminars like at most events. This plus it conflicting with Seven Hills (below) means I'm not going this year. Oh, and it's lists itself as a Friday to Sunday convention but not much happens on Friday.

But I still highly recommend it - especially if you're local.


SEVEN HILLS - Garrison Hotel, Sheffield Sat 8th to Sun 9th April
You'll notice I list the venue as well as the town with some conventions. That's because The Garrison has become a TTRPG fixture and you can pretty much guarantee any event there is going to be great. 7 Hills is actually the little brother of the immaculate FURNACE (see below). Well organised. General TTRPGs - not much 5th Ed etc here. It's USP is the fact that each year has a theme - this year it's "historical" - which forces the excellent referees to be super-inventive. In fact so many superb referees attend that they have to make sure no one offers too many games. So I'll be offering two games and playing in three.  The organisation and co-ordination with the hotel is seamless.

Oh, and it advertises itself as a two day convention but the Friday night, slot zero, chat in the bar is well worth turning up for.

Close to perfection.


DEVACON. - Chester Sat 27th Apr
A well-meaning one day, three game slot event at a proper hotel in Chester, organised by Stygian Fix a small publishing house. Wide range of systems on offer and a well organised and friendly event. Punching slightly below its weight given the quality of the venue. (If you're a "grown up" and you're now used to your comforts, you'll feel happy here.) An event that is trying to do everything right and deserves more attention and needs to grow a bit.

I'll be going to this one, probably treating it as a day out - arriving in the morning, offering two games and then going home before the evening slot.

If you're free this Saturday can get to Chester  it's well worth your attention.


CONTROLL - Dorchester Sat 27th April
Another well organised three game-slot Games day. This time in the historic "Corn Exchange" in Dorchester. When I went the USP was that food was included which meant everyone queued and ate together in between games making it a really friendly event with a real family feel. Lovely. Alas it's too far away from me to be treated as a day out and I can't justify the travel and accommodation  costs for one day of gaming, no matter how good.

If you're free this Saturday and can get to Dorchester  it's well worth your attention.


(Aside: I think I've just found one thing the Romans DID do for us - gave us a couple of great TTRPG venues.)


NORTH STAR - Garrison Hotel, Sheffield Sat 11th - Sun 12th May
Science Fiction themed event at the Garrison Hotel with all the superb organisation this implies. I was going to this one but then a personal event conflicted. (I DO have a life outside TTRPGs, apparently.) I've never been to a North Star but I know it's going to be good because - hey - it's at the Garrison. A no-brainer especially for SciFi TTRPG buffs.


UK GAMES EXPO - Birmingham NEC Fri 31st May - Sun 2nd Jun
The big one. Everyone should go to Expo. They do everything right. The only issues are that it's so big that it can be overwhelming and that the catering is provided by the convention centre and attached hotels and their aim seems to be the gouge the captive audience. But both of these are worth putting up with because this event is just so bloody good.

In fact it's TOO good. You could split yourself into 5 clones and still not do everything. You have to plan your event in advance to get the best out of it. You can just turn up and you'll have a fantastic time, guaranteed. But you'll end up going away feeling you missed something.

I'll be there. I usually run EIGHT TTRPGs across the weekend but this time I'm going to try (try) to limit myself to a mere five so that I can attend some of the other stuff at UKGE.

If it's your first time, I'd plan to come for one day. Friday preferably. (Saturday gets really busy and Sunday doesn't have an evening slot.) Travel down early and back late. Bring a packed lunch.  Or eat at the food huts the organisers have set up in the car park outside the Hilton Hotel. Still a bit pricey but, unlike the Exhibition Hall fare, well worth the money. Do the trade hall in the morning, book into a TTRPG in the afternoon, book into a show/event in the evening and travel home at night. You'll arrive home after midnight, knackered but the happiest you've ever been.

If you want to do the weekend, remember there's open gaming on Thursday night. It's well worth turning up Thursday evening to collect your tickets early (much less queuing) and start the event early. I wouldn't pay for a hotel on the NEC campus. They're expensive enough normally but for Expo they seem to double their prices. There are plenty of cheaper options nearby. You came easily travel in and out by train each day from nearby locations - even Birmingham city centre itself.

You have no reason NOT to come to EXPO.


SUMMER STABCON - Stockport Fri 5th - Sun 7th Jul
Large long running family board game and TTRPG event in a cheap hotel Stockport. The level of integration between the hotel and convention is at Garrison levels. I love it. It's one of my regular events, like a comfy old T-shirt. I don't recommend it for beginners, though it's incredibly welcoming and friendly. If you do get along and get in (it's very popular) expect to get hooked and find yourself coming twice a year every year. Missing a StabCon would be like having one of my arms chopped off. I'll be running 5 games and playing in one. (It's the only event where I look forward to playing in a game.)


LONGCON - Garrison Hotel, Sheffield Sat 6th - Sun 7th Jul
A grand experiment and wonderful idea for a convention. You play one game for the entire weekend. A whole campaign in two days. I've attended twice. Once the campaign I offered didn't garner players. The second time I found out that - even though can run 8 separate games in a weekend and once ran a game for a solid 72 hours without sleep - I'm no longer match-fit for this long form gaming. The game I ran was good but was not as magnificent as some of the other memorable  ones offered at the event.

And that's the point. If you come LongCon you will almost certainly play in game that's so immersive that it will stay with you for the rest of your life. I may not think that I can cut it as a Referee here (and fortunately StabCon has stopped me having to decide whether to try again or not) but the other referees here CAN.

It's well worth coming. It might be best to try to book into a game with a referee you've played with before and trust and with at least one other player that you know well, rather than picking a game merely from its description.

It's at the Garrison hotel so you know it's going to be good. Though it IS in the summer so the Napoleonic Gaol Cells - which are such perfect TTRPG venues normally - do get a bit hot and are best avoided.

This is a bold idea and deserves to succeed. Expect a further post in the future waxing lyrical about this event and exhorting you to attend.


GRAND TRIBUNAL - Cheltenham Fri 17/8 - Sun 19/8 August
Originally a convention devoted to the Ars Magica game, this event is now so much more.

The Friday is usually a social meet up at a local eatery and/or hostelry. Nice but not essential. Saturday starts with a short LARP/FreeForm game. It might not be to your tastes - it's not to mine - but it's only a couple of hours and makes a great ice-breaker. And this is what Grand Tribunal is really all about, being sociable and making friends.

After that it's just two days of solid TTRPGs. The games sessions are 2-3 hours in length in place of the usual 3-4 of most conventions, so there are a lot more games which are all short and punchy. Which suits my tastes.

It's  still called Grand Tribunal and there are some hold overs from the old days. There is at least one Ars Magica game offered in each slot and there are a lot of Scandanavian attendees. But there are also several other TTRPGs offered in each slot - Cthulhu/BRP has a good showing but there are others. - so you can do the whole event and not play a single Ars Magica game. (Though the short, often experimental, AM games offered here can be fun. These guys really push the boundaries of the game.)

Cheltenham is a bit pricey to stay at but is pretty accessible from most places. This event is incredibly inclusive and friendly.  It's like it throws its arm around you and welcomes you as an old friend as soon as you get there. It's in a small community centre. The organisers will look after you with offers of lifts, fetching a fish and chips supper etc.

I'm not going this year because it clashes with an SciFi con I HAVE to do.

Alas the event seems to be dwindling a bit so expect further post from me waxing lyrical about Grand Tribunal and exhorting you to go. This is a true hidden gem which most people don't even consider. And they should.


REUNICON - Brighton 31st August
A very good one day, three slot, games day in Brighton. I've been a couple of times and can highly recommend it, if you're local (and I consider commuting from London to be local enough.) Alas it's too far from Birmingham for me to justify the travel and accommodation costs. I HAVE done it as a "day out" in the past, travelling down, doing two slots and travelling back. But with the state of trains in this country, I can't guarantee getting home. (That's a fact, not sarcasm or hyperbole).

A good day out.


CONCRETE COW - Wolverton, Milton Keynes Sat 14th Sep
For me the perfect, essential, one day, three slot games day. The one that wrote the rulebook. The one everyone should attend.  It's a fixture on my convention calendar. I usually treat it as a day out, travelling down in the morning, offering games in two slots and travelling back in the evening. It's so good, though, that I sometimes pay for a hotel just to get to do the third slot.

Everyone should attend Concrete Cow. So it's surprising to find numbers a bit down on its hey-day. Expect me to wax lyrical in future posts about this wonderful event, exhorting you all to attend.


THE OWL AND THE WIZARD'S STAFF - Leamington Spa Sat 21st Sep
I shouldn't post about this as I've never been. I think it took place for the first time last year and seems to be devoted to nostalgically looking back to the old days of TTRPGs. However, the good reviews and the fact that it seems to be growing before my very eyes is making me consider throwing my hat into the ring as a referee. One to watch.


WYNTERCON - Eastbourne Sat 28th - Sun 29th Sep
This is a real anomaly and I'm not even sure if I should list it here. Wyntercon is like a ComiCon without the superheroes. Or a sort of Frankenstein merging of a SciFi, Steampunk and Comic Con. It's not a TTRPG con as such and maybe should be listed under the same heading as the other non-gaming events I attend.

Except that something, strange, wonderful and unique happens at Wyntercon. The one hour intro to TTRPG demo games that I usually struggle to offer alone at most conventions have become a fixture here - not through anything I did. It happened in a year I gave the event a miss. There's a whole team of Referees organised by a wonderful and enthusiastic couple who just keep feeding us groups of players. "Here's a family of 7. They want a Superhero game." "These two young ladies want something like Harry Potter." It's non-stop and fantastic. There must be people in Eastbourne who play TTRPGs once per year for an hour at WynterCon as treat, I guess.

So not one to attend if you're a TTRPG player so much. But if you're a TTRPG referee addict like me, it might be worth seeing if there are any slots available for a new referee.


DRAGONDAZE - Newport Sat 5th Nov
This is a large full-on gaming Convention. It promotes itself as also being a ComiCon but it isn't really. I mean there ARE comics there but they're not front and centre. Large trade hall (the main room at a large leisure centre), board games, cosplay, Wargames, attractions (eg. starship simulator). The TTRPG offering is good with plenty of referees willing to offer great games but has struggled because the local TTRPG community don't seem to want to turn out to play something new. They stay home with their usual games.

If you come as a player, you WILL get a great game. If you come as a referee you might not get players. Offering a popular system or IP might might make it more appealing. I work quite hard as the TTRPG "Captain" on the day for this one and take up is slowly beginning to grow. Again expect further posts on this event nearer the time.


FURNACE - Garrison Hotel, Sheffield Sat 12th - Sun 13th Oct
The first and grandest of "The Garrison" conventions. Two days, five game slots. Perfect synergy between the convention and the hotel. Simple things like a pre-order form for food so that there's no mad rush when a game session finishes. It's a great venue, with the Napoleonic era Gaol cells being the perfect evocative venue for a Fantasy or Horror game. Seamless organisation.

Though it's billed as two days, the Friday night "slot zero" in the bar is usually well worth attending. I'll be there, offering two games and playing in three. (There are so many great referees offering games that we all have to ration ourselves.)

Pretty much an essential for anyone who's ever been. If you enquire now you might find the hotel booked out. If it isn't, book a room immediately. If it is, there are other hotels nearby and you can still come. Well worth it.


SPAGHETTI CONJUNCTION - Birmingham Sat 19th Oct
One day, two slot games day at a Geek Cafe. I'm involved in organising this one so won't comment much. Come if you want, you'll be very welcome.

Side note: I hate raffles at conventions. And the prizes at SCJ tend to be worth more than the value of the convention. More than one person has gone home in the past with prizes worth more than the cost of their day out. Madness!


GROGMEET - Manchester Sat 9th Nov
Largely, but not exclusively, organised by the producers of the popular Grogmeet (nostalgic?) TTRPG podcast and supported by its listeners. In fact I think it's already virtually sold out, mainly to Patreon supporters of the podcast. So a popular one day, three slot Gamesday that's probably well worth attending if you're local and can get a ticket.

I only mention it because it's been hinted that I could have a refereeing slot if I offer Golden Heroes - and I'm seriously considering the offer. These are good guys that know what they're doing and what their audience wants.


DRAGONMEET - London Sat 7th Dec
Another big one. Everything you could want from a Games Convention - including a very strong TTRPG track - all in one day. It's always been good, and an essential part of most people's annual diaries. But there's always been a nagging feeling that it could be even better. Well I know a few people behind the scenes involved in it who have thought the same and have finally got all their hands on the knobs and dials. (We're talking John Dodd and his team, here.) DM 2018 was already an improvement on previous years and DM 2019 looks like it's going to be something really special.

The perfect pre-Christmas treat. The gaming equivalent of opening and eating a whole tin of Quality Streets in one go.

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If I've missed listing an event you're organising and/or want to go to - I'm looking at you here Tabletop Scotland (you look as if you're going to be fantastic but I've never been and don't know enough about you to commend you to people) - then please feel free to post, add comments, wax lyrical etc. below.