March Newsletter
Could you be a TIN moderator?
Hi folx,
What a year it's been already! My 'to do' list has grown, UK TIN is thriving, and ZineQuest is coming to an end.
March is going to be busy month as we start the ball rolling on UKGE prep so keep an eye on our Discord server, social media channels, and possibly this very newsletter for more information on that.
We are still looking for volunteer moderators to join our lovely team and make sure the Discord server is a safe, welcoming space. If you are interested, a list of duties is included in the application form here: https://forms.gle/Z7V8vV9S9n8uGz2f9 This is a volunteer position, but you’ll get first dibs on exhibiting through us at conventions, along with our Patreon supporters, and we’ll promote your projects in our newsletter whenever we’re able. We're particularly keen for applications from folks from marginalised communities.
There's no video summary of this newsletter as I'm currently on holiday.
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 tumblr, on Twitter, and on Instagram.
Meetups & Events
Our upcoming meetups are:
London: Thursday 6th March, 7pm (first Thursday of the month)
@ The Arcanist’s Tavern, 87-91 Hackney Road, Shoreditch, E2 8FEGlasgow: Friday 7th March, 10am and Friday 21st March, 10am (fortnightly)
@ Beco Building, 62 Kingston StreetManchester: Saturday 1st March, 1:30pm (now on the first Saturday of the month)
@ KRO BAR, 325 Oxford Rd, M13 9PGNorwich: TBC
Virtual Coffee Mornings: Wednesday 5th March, 10.30am (usually first Wednesday of the month) and Sunday 16th March, 11am (third Sunday of the month)
@ coffee-morning channel in the UK Tin Discord server.Creatives of Colour virtual hangout: TBC
@ PoC-Lounge channel in the UK TIN Discord server (remember to ask a Discord mod for the “creative of colour” role for access)
Remember to keep an eye on our social media channels for any updates to these expected times or locations.
TIN Talks are on hiatus, but recordings of all our previous TIN Talks can be found at the TIN Talks Archive.
Crowdfunding Campaigns ENDING SOON
Escape from the Tower of Dusk is a solo RPG from TIN champion Mikhail! Returning to his Fishbone Archipelago setting, this game locks you in a cursed prison and throws away the key. The goal of the game is to escape.
The game uses a d6 dice pool system. Your allies and secrets provide modifiers to your dice rolls, helping you in your escape attempt. Establish connections, gather allies, uncover secrets and make your escape!
There's less than 10 hours left of this Kickstarter, so back it NOW if you're interested!
Mappa Mundi from Three Sails Studios draws players into the fantastical world of Ecumene, an ecosystem in flux and at risk of collapse. The characters act as chroniclers who seek to record and understand this rich world. With an emphasis on careful observation over interference, Three Sails Studio presents a play experience that minimises violence and empowers players to shape the world their characters record.
Mappa Mundi has already funded, but if you want to back it, it's only open until March 4th.
Something Rotten is an early level goblin bashing adventure for D&D 5E. Inside you will find lore, backgrounds, NPCs, villains, maps, rules for starting your own goblin cult and interesting side quests for DMs to incorporate, all in a fully illustrated 48 page book!
A foul smell emanates from the area surrounding the Inn of Ill Omen, the well water is rancid and ale shipments, livestock and building supplies are going missing. This can only mean one thing. Goblins… and a very unfortunate troll.
The project runs on Kickstarter until March 5th.
New & Recent Releases
Dance of Seasons, the latest expansion for Blackwell Games' 'Apothecaria' is out now. Just in time for spring! Play through more than 450 new seasonal events, gather special reagents that only grow once a year, and snuggle up in your cosy witch's cottage while storms rage outside. 'Dance of Seasons' adds a huge amount of new content to an already rich game.
Other Bundles, Crowdfunding, & Subscriptions
Beyond the Woods is a new dark fantasy setting and exploration system designed for 5e. Inspired by Irish mythology, it features new hexcrawl and survival rules as you explore ancient forests and haunted ruins.
As an add-on to 5e, it comes with new character classes and player lineages, as well as new monsters from Irish myth and legend to battle.
It’s launching on the 11th of March, so sign up to be alerted when it goes live.
We already know that commuting can be hell, and in system-flexible TTRPG This Blighted Isle: TERMINUS, the horror begins when you tap your travel card. People have been disappearing at Tottenham Court Road, but all anyone can talk about is the opening of the Elizabeth Line. Can you solve the mystery and face the dread of the London transport system? Get your ticket here until March 20th!
What We Found Beyond the Stars is a GMless hard Sci-fi TTRPG about cooperation and discovery. Take the role of a research and survey team, dispatched to probe worlds for potential terraforming. Draw gameplay events from a mutual tarot deck, including setbacks and developments to your character’s backstory. Navigate setbacks and investigate alien planets with a standard set of dice, each representing your level of skill.
The project runs on Kickstarter until March 29th.
Sail the Oceans Queer is a 2-4 player TTRPG from La Lionne Publishing based on Caltrop Core, with all-new art by FaelDraws.
A game about finding found family and connected queer identity, it lets you create characters quickly with a fast-paced, unique character creation system and jump into the life of a magical, queer pirate crew. Be gay and do crimes on the high seas!
Support the project on Backerkit, launching March 13th.
Upcoming crowdfunder The Red Lion Hotel sees players explore a luxurious hotel in the early 20th century. Fuelled by a box of gorgeous tarot-sized prompt cards, players are encouraged to let their imaginations run wild in describing the hotel and addressing the narrative challenges that emerge. Follow the crowdfunder to check in!
A 2-pack of 2nd editions, the Kickstarter for Cold City Hot War gives both a tense Cold War thriller of a TTRPG in Cold City, in which players are monster-hunting agents for major world powers in a fictional secret conflict in post-WW2 Berlin; and a post-apocalyptic game in Hot War, in which players are survivors in a horror-ravaged Britain in the aftermath of that secret conflict.
Last is Disposable Bags of Meat, which is one of the more evocative titles we’ve seen in a while.
This game sets the players as ordinary humans, fighting against horror movie monsters that are bigger, stronger, and deadlier than they are. Their only chance of survival comes down to grit, ingenuity, and luck.
It’s launching on Backerkit in March, so sign up for when it goes live.
UK Tabletop Industry Network has a Patreon! All contributions help us support up-and-coming creators in the tabletop industry without a paywall or other barrier to entry. Patreon funding is the main way we cover up-front fees for conventions and events. 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 gamers that might otherwise miss them.
If you support the Patreon at the £5 tier or above, you’ll get free access to a growing selection of great games contributed by our members, the latest of which is All Bastard by Sam Armstrong. Other games for Patreon members include LadyBeaste by Michael Duxbury, Drama Llamas by Yvris Burke, Biome by Black Armada Games, and Slasher by Sam Armstrong.
Contributors to this month’s edition of the TIN newsletter were Ryan Wheeldon, 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.