July Newsletter
Under new management
Hi folx!
Before kicking things off, let’s take a moment to congratulate Michael on his new position, leaving behind the void he was gracious enough to offer to me.
I’m Ryan (they/them) and I’ve been vibing in the tabletop rpg space for a few years. I’m all about removing barriers to entry where I can so I couldn’t turn down Michael’s offer, or Taylor’s (more on that below), and I’m hoping that I can lead UK TIN to even greater heights.
My immediate background is in video content, so I’m hoping to expand TIN’s YouTube and Twitch presence. If you have any ideas for either, swing by the Discord and pitch them!
That’s it for this month! Read on for meetups, retrospectives, and crowdfunding campaigns!
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Meetups & Events
On Thursday 20th June, the East of England chapter of UK TIN held its inaugural meeting in at Café Bar Marzano in Norwich. We had 12 people attending, including a mix of existing TIN members and new recruits. There were lively discussions on the game industry, current tabletop projects and UK TIN's recent stall at UKGE (more on this below!), so it's safe to say we'll have plenty to talk about in the future. The next meeting will be on the evening of Thursday 18th July, place and precise timings TBC!
Our upcoming meetups are:
London: Thursday 4th July, 7pm (first Thursday of the month)
@ The Arcanist’s Tavern, 87-91 Hackney Road, Shoreditch, E2 8FEManchester: Saturday 6th July, 2.30pm (first Saturday of the month)
@ KRO BAR, 325 Oxford Rd, M13 9PGGlasgow: Friday 12th July, 10am and Friday 26th July, 10am (fortnightly)
@ Beco Building, 62 Kingston StreetNorwich: Thursday 18th July, precise time and place TBC.
Virtual Coffee Morning: Sunday 21st July, 11am, (third Sunday of the month)
@ coffee-morning channel in the UK Tin Discord server.
For our next TIN Talk, Chant Evans of Ex Stasis Games will be hosting a guide to freelancing in the TTRPG industry on our Seminar Stage of the UK TIN Discord (date TBC, although likely to be the 18th). Chant has years of experience as a freelancer, producer, and publisher in the RPG industry, having worked on solo projects as well as with Rowan, Rook and Decard.
Chant will talk about how to find freelance opportunities, what to expect (and what not to put up with), as well as providing tips for building a portfolio, and continuing your freelance career after a big project ends. Join the chat to learn some insider tips, and to put your own questions to Chant.
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.
Creatives of Colour
Hello everyone! My name is Taylor Navarro (pronouns: she/her) and I come with exciting news!
As TIN grows, so does the Discord! We’re pleased to announce the “Creative of Colour” role, and with it an exclusive channel on the TIN Discord for BIPoC members to discuss the creation of TTRPGs, upcoming conventions, and more. As a Puerto Rican-British game designer, I feel strongly that this channel is needed for and should be led by people of colour, giving us a comfortable space to meet creatives with experiences similar to our own. TIN is a wonderful resource for self-published and freelance game designers, and my hope is that over time we see a growing number of designers of colour creating TTRPGs in the UK in independent, freelance, and full-time positions.
If you are a Creative of Colour (Black, Asian, Indigenous, Mixed, or other), please join the TIN Discord if you haven’t already and ask a moderator to give you the “Creative of Colour” role, which will also unlock the PoC Lounge channel for you. I look forward to seeing you there!
UK Games Expo retrospective
From 31st May to 2nd June, TIN was tabling at UK Games Expo 2024, and it was a blast! Thank you to all of those who stopped by to say hello, and check out some awesome games. It was an awesome experience to work with everyone involved, and meet tons of new game lovers! While TIN’s overall income was a little disappointing, several of the creators who provided games for the stall made a lot of profit on sales. We also had great success with our collaborative project: Stamp Quest.
This year we teamed up with Josh of Hive Mind Games and Harri Leith of Leith Illustration to bring you Stamp Quest 2024, a scavenger hunt that sent convention-goers around the halls to collect stamps from 28 awesome stallholders (and maybe discover a new game in the process), for a chance to win a big care package stuffed full of indie games and merch.
You can watch the Stamp Quest prize draw, plus con retrospectives by the TIN directors and our fellow stall colleagues, at the UK TIN YouTube channel.
Congratulations to our runner up winners Nicholas G and Cynthia O, and to our grand prize winner James W!
We hope you’ll join us again at UK Games Expo 2025!
Bundles, Crowdfunding, & Subscriptions
Forbidden Psalm is a miniatures game that lets you use any mini you own, playing as a warband of renegades at the end of the world. Inspired by Mork Borg, it’s grimdark fantasy at its grimmest. The new module Endless Horror from Between The Stars, currently on Kickstarter, puts a cosmic horror spin on the game, letting you play as an evil cult attempting to summon Something from the void to destroy the world. There are also rules for playing as the good guys trying to stop that, if you’re boring.
The module has smashed all its stretch goals, but there’s still time to back it before the Kickstarter ends on 28th June.
Big Lizard Games is currently kickstarting The Outsiders, a game about mutant misfits. Inspired by comics like Watchmen and X-Men, the game revolves around interesting characters that can be created in seconds.
Each game session tells one part of an overarching narrative that is built and shaped together by the players and the game master through unique worldbuilding mechanics, with new characters featuring each session.
You can get a preview on Itch, or back the Kickstarter now for the full game. The Kickstarter ends on 4th July.
Contributors to this month’s edition of the TIN newsletter were Ryan Wheeldon, Taylor Navarro, Jack Terry, Josh Gane, Eleanor Hingley, 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.