Hi there! Michael here, musing on how long ago Zine Month feels now.
This month has been quieter in comparison, as several of our members put their heads down to deliver Kickstarters or find new projects. But it’s the calm before the storm. Two months until UK Games Expo, with a few smaller events along the way, including Conpulsion and non-exhibitor visits to Salute and MCM London Comic Con.
In London, the big event is the opening of The Arcanist’s Tavern, which will host our future socials. We love to see new and old friends at any of our socials, but the 4th April meetup feels particularly important - we want our friends to have as strong an opening month as possible. It’s been a weird year or so since we left the Escape Bar in Stratford, but I’m delighted we finally have a new home to properly settle into. We hope that you will join us there.
If you’d like to know more about TIN and what we do, find us on Discord, on Twitter, or on Facebook.
To support what we do, join our Patreon or give a one-off donation on Ko-fi.
Meetups & Events
Our next London social is on Thursday 4th April, from 19:00, in the upstairs bar at The Arcanist’s Tavern, Shoreditch. We’ve been looking forward to this place launching for a long time, so we’re delighted to finally be able to hold our monthly meetups there. There aren’t nearly enough spaces like this in London, so we hope you’ll come along and give them your support.
Our next Manchester social is on Saturday 6th April, from 14:30, at The Wharf Pub in Castlefield (the usual location). If you’re up north, stop by and say hello!
London meetups are usually the first Thursday of the month (next one is 2nd May) and Manchester meetups are usually the first Saturday of the month (next one is 4th May). Watch this space for future dates and more information about socials in other cities.
Our next TIN Talk is on Thursday 11th April, from 19:30, on the UK TIN Discord. Matt Sanders and Maz Hamilton from Rowan, Rook and Decard will discuss their experiences at GAMA Expo, providing their perspective on the US’ biggest tabletop tradeshow, the Game Manufacturers Association, the American game market, and other lessons learned. Please join the chat to be part of the discussion, and to propose questions for the Q&A.
Last month’s TIN talk was by Steph, aka StickyHunter, who showcased the importance of art briefs when working on creative projects, and featured useful advice for communicating with art teams and ensuring consistency with creative briefs. You can catch up on Steph’s talk, or other previous TIN Talks, at the TIN Talks Archive.
Conpulsion is one of the biggest roleplaying events of the year in Scotland, and this year TIN will be there! We have a table in the trade hall, and we’ll be offering many of your favourite small-press indie games from TIN’s members around the country. Conpulsion is running the weekend of 30th-31st March at The Pleasance in Edinburgh.
The wargaming convention Salute is at London’s ExCeL centre on 13th April. TIN isn’t there officially, but plenty of our members are, so join our Discord to stay in touch with folks as they organise an ad-hoc meetup!
Bundles, Crowdfunding, & Subscriptions
Not Yet by Taylor Navarro and Poorna M is a GM-less, two-player game where you play as two characters fated to meet and fall in love… but who don’t meet. Designed as a one-shot system, you tell a tale of two people battling destiny to meet and fall in love over the span of months, years, or even an entire lifetime, in just a few hours of play.
Not Yet is fully funded and live on Kickstarter now, but only until Saturday 30th March, so check it out now if you’re interested!
The Long Road Home by Alex White is a game of classic fantasy adventure but with a twist. When the adventure is over, the journey home seems so much longer.
Use prompts to weave a collective narrative, recounting the good times, and the bad. Will they return as triumphant heroes, or dastardly villains?
There’s still time to back The Long Road Home on Kickstarter before it ends on Wednesday 3rd April.
What’s this, crowdfunding for TIN itself? Yes, because the UK Tabletop Industry Network is on Patreon! We firmly believe in accessibility for new and aspiring creators in the tabletop industry; we want to keep supporting them and connecting them to experienced professionals in the industry, without erecting a paywall barrier. But we need your help to keep doing this for the foreseeable future. Whether you’re a TIN regular, or just want to show your support, our Patreon is the best way to help us grow and thrive. (Patreon backers at the £5 tier or above will also get access to free RPGs, such as, in the most recent update, the one-shot 80s fantasy RPG LadyBeaste by Michael Duxbury.)
If regular financial support isn’t feasible, you can make a one-off donation via Ko-fi, join our Patreon for free to receive updates, or donate your time and experience as a volunteer (please leave a comment in the #tin-volunteering channel on our Discord).
Contributors to this month’s edition of the TIN newsletter were Michael Duxbury, Stephen Morffew, Josh Gane, and Jack Terry. If you would like to contribute to the newsletter, drop a message in the #tin-volunteering channel of the UK TIN Discord or contact Stephen Morffew via email at stepintorpgs (at) outlook.com.