October Newsletter
Scarily good news ahead!
Hi folx,
Another month, another newletter, and this one is getting in just under the wire. I’m going to say this still counts though as it’s technically September still! What a month this has been. Wheels have started spinning for Dragonmeet so expect to hear more about that Soon(TM) and in next month’s newsletter.
I wanted to address why I include full hyperlinks for the video summary and other important things: my understanding is that it helps screen-readers distinguish the link, making it more accessible.
A video summary of this newsletter is included here:
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Meetups & Events
As ever, there are several options around the country for networking and socialising with other folks in the UK tabletop industry this month. Our upcoming meetups are:
London: Thursday 3rd October, 7pm (first Thursday of the month)
@ The Arcanist’s Tavern, 87-91 Hackney Road, Shoreditch, E2 8FEManchester: Saturday 5th October, 2.30pm (first Saturday of the month)
@ KRO BAR, 325 Oxford Rd, M13 9PG (TBC)Glasgow: Friday 4th October, 10am and Friday 20th October, 10am (fortnightly)
@ Beco Building, 62 Kingston StreetNorwich: Thursday 24th October, 6.30pm
@ Albion Games Café, 21 St. Benedicts Street, NR2 4PFVirtual Coffee Morning: Sunday 20th October, 11am (third Sunday of the month)
@ coffee-morning channel in the UK Tin Discord server.Creatives of Colour virtual hangout: Saturday 12th October, 8pm
@ 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.
Our next TIN Talk will be last month’s advertised talk, which was unavoidably cancelled. Taylor Navarro will be presenting “It’s Dangerous to Go Alone: Why and How to Make Games with Other People”. Given Taylor’s experience collaborating with others (including the game Not Yet with Poorna M., which we featured in last month’s newsletter), this should be a valuable talk for budding game designers. The TIN Talk will be held on Thursday 10th October at 7.30pm 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.
New & Recent Releases
He Ain't Gonna Jump No More is a new release that’s very different to other OSR games we’ve seen recently.
Set in Europe during World War 2, the players play as paratroopers behind enemy lines, engaged in guerilla warfare to set the scene for D-Day. Players move from hex to hex causing as much trouble as they can, with each player keeping a list of their achievements for a final score. This encourages risky play to gain extra points, and as the game has classic OSR high-lethality, there’s sure to be some memorable moments.
The game has been meticulously researched, with pages and pages of information to help with running a game set at such a pivotal moment in history, as well as detailed maps for hex-crawling through France.
You can download the game on itch now.
Bundles, Crowdfunding, & Subscriptions
The Wanderer’s Tome is creating DEADLINE - A Clockwork Press. From the creators of ENNIE-nominated Flabbergasted! comes a new GM-less TTRPG. Play solo, or with up to four players, taking the role of journalists in the largest publishing house in the city.
Define your own steam-powered city inspired by the industrial revolution and low-magic fantasy. Explore key events from the perspective of the newspapers that help to shape the city and its inhabitants. From advances in technological progress and encounters with the arcane, to political unrest and social class divide.
You can find the project over on Backerkit, where it has unlocked all of its stretch goals. It runs until October 2nd.
Our next spotlight is a board game, but we (and many of you) like those too, and this is one we think many of you may be interested in.
Isla! is a competitive game where you explore an uninhabited island, trying to discover the most new flora, fauna, and fossils, before your supplies run out. Balancing risk and reward is a big part of the game, and its unique exhaustion mechanic brings something new to the table.
It’s crowdfunding on Kickstarter until October 8th, and has a heap of stretch goals, so check it out and consider backing it if you’re interested!
Argo-0 by Hatchlings Games is a tabletop roleplaying game inspired by Ancient Greek mythology, 80s sci-fi cartoons such as Ulysses 31 and classic anime the likes of Mobile Suit Gundam and Cowboy Bebop.
The players take the role of crewmembers aboard the Argo. Players decide their crewmembers’ Outpost Origins, then embark on investigative missions along a string of Asteroids to find the coordinates to the golden moon, and return home as heroes.
Argo-0 uses the Paragon system (developed by John Harper and Sean Nittner for Agon 2nd edition) for a rules-light game focusing on cinematic storytelling. It’s launching this month on October 15th.
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 LadyBeaste by Michael Duxbury, Drama Llamas by Yvris Burke, and Biome by Black Armada Games.
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.