August Newsletter
New ways to get invovled!
Hi folx,
What a month this has been! I’m keeping my intro short this month with two calls to action:
If you went to UKGE, you may have filled out a survey for TIN. If you HAVEN’T filled out that survey, can you please fill this one out: https://forms.gle/Kew2nVBxeG7E54sh7 It will help me decide where to take TIN in the future.
I’m disabled and can’t easily get to cons, so I’m looking for a group of responsible people to act as my representative. Full details and ‘application’ form here: https://forms.gle/WGkmEdwg4D9bc3vVA
Anyway, onto the regularly scheduled newsletter, which is available as a video summary here:.
To support us, join our Patreon or give a one-off donation on Ko-fi.
You can also find us on Discord, on Facebook, on Bluesky, on Twitter, on tumblr, and on Instagram.
Meetups & Events
The August meetup for the Northern TIN branch will be shifting slightly to coincide with both AireCon NorthWest (at the Manchester Central Convention Complex between the 16th and 18th August) and Multitudes Zine Fest (at Sachas on the 17th, where TIN might even have a table presence). Whether you’re attending one or both or neither, the TIN social will be a great place to chat with like-minded folks and find out what’s going on.
Our upcoming meetups are:
London: Thursday 1st August, 7pm (first Thursday of the month)
@ The Arcanist’s Tavern, 87-91 Hackney Road, Shoreditch, E2 8FEManchester: Saturday 17th August, 7.15pm (usually first Saturday of the month)
@ SOCIETY, 100 Barbirolli Square, M2 3BD (not our usual location)Glasgow: Friday 9th August, 10am and Friday 23rd August, 10am (fortnightly)
@ Beco Building, 62 Kingston StreetNorwich: Thursday 26th July, precise time and place TBC.
Virtual Coffee Morning: Sunday 18th August, 11am (third Sunday of the month)
@ coffee-morning channel in the UK Tin Discord server.Creatives of Colour: Saturday 10th August, 8pm (see below for more info).
Remember to keep an eye on our social media channels for any updates to these expected times or locations.
For our next TIN Talk, Eryk Sawicki will be talking about the Game Workers branch of the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain. The TIN Talk will be held on Thursday 8th August on the Seminar Stage of the UK TIN Discord.
If you can’t make it, remember that this talk (as well as all our previous TIN Talks) will be available at the TIN Talks Archive.
Working in collaboration with Hive Mind Games once more, UK TIN will be appearing at Tabletop Scotland from 6th to the 8th September. If you’re going and looking for games by TIN creators, the Hive Mind Games stall is the place to check, drop by and say hi!
If you’re a creator, anyone wishing to sell stock over the course of the con will need to sign a consignment agreement and make their own arrangements to get stock to the con and collect it afterwards. Josh of Hive Mind Games has kindly offered space on Hive Mind's pallet for anyone who can get their stock to them before 30th August (but would appreciate it if you could collect unsold stock ASAP afterwards!). You can find out more about how to do that in our Discord server.
Hello everyone! Taylor (She/Her) here again with more exciting news for Creatives of Colour!
On Saturday 6th July, the UK TIN Creatives of Colour had our first virtual hangout in the PoC Lounge voice channel on our Discord Server. It was wonderful to meet so many new creatives who shared some incredible games, including Bludgeon, Your Parents Never Wanted You To Be An Adventurer But You Did It Anyway: The RPG, Mappa Mundi, and Agents of Hue. There was a lot of interesting discussion on math in game design, completing and publishing games, and sharing of experiences in TTRPGs.
The event was so successful, we will be making the virtual hangout a regular occurrence! Our next meeting is on Saturday 10th August at 8pm. Virtual hangouts will occur on the first or second Saturday each month, so keep an eye on our events list and the PoC Lounge chat to find out when the next one will be!
If you are a PoC creator and are interested in our PoC Lounge Discord Channel or the virtual hangouts, please join our Discord server and ask myself, Ryan, or any other mod for the “creator of colour” role to access our PoC-only digital spaces. I look forward to seeing you there!
New & Recent Releases
Fan of mecha anime or manga? Don't miss this new release from W.H. Arthur.
S.W.O.R.D. Pilots From Europa is a system-agnostic setting where players take the role of a student at Europa Interplanetary Academy, a prestigious school for the upcoming leaders of the Free Planets Association, where disputes are handled with S.W.O.R.D. (Supportive Worker Operated Robotic Device) duels!
Explore school life, fall in love, make alliances and enemies, plus battle with giant mechs!
Not Yet 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. It’s a unique system that can tell a complete story in a single session.
Designed and written by TIN’s own Taylor Navarro as well as Poorna M., we highlighted Not Yet back in April during its crowdfunding stage, and it’s now available for purchase on DrivethruRPG!
Bundles, Crowdfunding, & Subscriptions
Did you know that the UK Tabletop Industry Network has a Patreon? All contributions via the Patreon (or to our Ko-fi for one-off donations) go towards our goal of supporting up-and-coming creators in the tabletop industry without a paywall or other barrier to entry. In particular, Patreon funding is currently the main way we cover up-front fees for conventions and events (partly reimbursed by a cut of sales). The more funding we get, the more events we can attend, and the more games by aspiring creatives we can put in front of excited games that might otherwise never see them!
What’s more, if you support the Patreon at the £5 tier or above, you’ll get access to some great free games, such as Michael Duxbury’s LadyBeaste and Yvris Burke’s Drama Llamas.
This month, Patreon backers can grab Biome by Black Armada Games. Biome is a short, mindful game of growing life and changing ecosystems. Start with a simple map, determine your climate, terrain and the creatures and people who call it home. Watch as your decisions shape the world. Slow and gradual, or fast and violent? See how the world's inhabitants adapt to survive.
Stone Saga by Lost Haven is a solo journalling game about Dwarves. Specifically, about one dwarf’s mission to transport a sacred flame. There are obstacles to overcome, and an age of new beginnings to influence. The game uses six-sided dice and Elder Futhark runes to help determine what happens next.
It is on Kickstarter until Tuesday 6th August, and has just unlocked its first stretch goal.
Dice Hard by Done, Not Perfect Productions is a fast-paced game designed for zero prep and easy pick-up for people who want to roll All The Dice. You can do anything, but only if you never do it the same way twice! What’s more, Done, Not Perfect Productions has put diversity, inclusivity and accessibility at the forefront of their design, and that’s something we believe in at TIN as well.
Dice Hard is on Kickstarter until Thursday 15th August. It has smashed through its existing stretch goals and is still going strong.
Contributors to this month’s edition of the TIN newsletter were Ryan Wheeldon, Taylor Navarro, Josh Gane, Jack Terry, and Stephen Morffew. 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(dot)com.