For those unfamiliar, UK Tabletop Industry Networking (or UK TIN for short) is a network and knowledge-sharing group for UK Tabletop professionals and aspirants.
In recent years, the UK tabletop gaming scene has been absolutely blossoming and many indie creators have emerged to share their unique creations with us. However, as the industry is still quite new, starting out as an indie games creator can be difficult. Recognizing this, TIN have made it their mission to support creators by offering advice, guidance and promotion as well as setting up opportunities for networking and collaboration.
I caught up with Michael Duxbury, organizer of TIN, and TIN members, Mikhail Malkin and Freddie Watkins, to find out all about how the organization works.
The History of TIN
As someone who was there from the beginning, Mikhail was able to give me a great rundown of TIN’s origin story. It begun back in 2019 as a small support network between tabletop creators in London called London TIN. Initially it was run by Jinn Hermiston who organized it as a mutual support network between industry professionals to share advice and contacts.
Every month, they would host a TIN Talk where someone could share their expertise with the group. This is a tradition that proved very popular and useful for TIN members and still exists today.
From the beginning, it was important that TIN be an accessible and ethical organization. This meant making sure there wasn’t any paywall that would prevent less well off creators from joining the network. It also meant pushing for and exploring environmentally friendly ways of producing TTRPGs.
Michael and Mikhail representing TIN at its first convention stand at Dragonmeet 2022.
Like most organizations, TIN struggled during 2020 as lockdowns and public safety restricted peoples’ abilities to meetup. By this time, TIN was run by Nick Whitney, who faced the significant challenge of keeping TIN afloat. Nick explored ways of TIN adapting to COVID times and continuing to connect and support creators. Part of the solution was creating online spaces and tools to continue to share expertise and connect with one another. As lockdowns eased, Nick oversaw a slow return to in-person events, though the digital aspect of TIN has continued and allowed more people to enjoy its benefits.
Michael Duxbury eventually took over from Nick. Having survived the worst of COVID, the challenge Michael concerned himself with was how to make TIN a self-sustaining organization that could benefit tabletop creators all over the UK. Michael looked to GAMA (Gaming Manufacturers Association) in the USA for inspiration. GAMA has a huge amount of resources for supporting its members, funded by membership fees. However, Michael wanted to keep TIN as an organization with no paywalls. Instead, he sought out sponsorships and started a Patreon. In 2022, TIN took part in Dragonmeet where it had its first convention stand. It is now a regular sight at MCM Comic Con too. As well as that, London TIN became UK TIN with a look to organizing meetups across the UK. Freddie Watkins became a point of contact for organizing events in Manchester, where TIN now has a decent presence.
Who Can Benefit from TIN?
Let’s have a bit more of a look into what TIN can offer people; both creators and players alike!
Creators
Being a part of TIN means being a part of a network of highly skilled creators in the tabletop industry. All together, the wealth of knowledge within the network is staggering. Whether you want to know about publishing, crowdfunding, marketing, there are so many people you can turn to.
In London and Manchester, there are monthly in person meetups for creators to get together. These are great opportunities to share works in progress, swap advice and build working relationships. There is also a discord group that you can join. Their many chatrooms allow you to engage with all kinds of conversations about the tabletop scene in the UK. This ranges from seeking editors and artists, to sharing job opportunities and useful creative resources.
There are also the aforementioned TIN Talks, which now take the form of informal, online seminars. Recent talks include crowdfunding project advice delivered by Matt Sanders of Rowan, Rook and Decard and a graphic design talk from Virginia Garcia McShannock.
TIN has supported and mentored people through the entire process of game design, creation, community organising, publication and marketing. Michael, Mikhail and Freddie all spoke about how grateful they are to TIN for getting their own games published. This includes Michael’s LadyBeaste, and currently crowfunding game: Me, The Singularity. As an illustrator, Mikhail has gotten so much work out of his involvement with TIN. Thanks to their support, he is now crowdfunding his project, Fishbone Archipelago: Lost Lighthouse. Freddie has also published his post-apocalyptic TTPRG, the_bookmarked, with the support of TIN, along with many others including Marx Sheppard (A Loud Noise in a Quiet Place), Chris Bissette (The Wretched) and Matt Jones aka Ursidice (You Meet in a Tavern, You Die in a Dungeon).
TIN’s stand looking bigger and brighter than ever at Dragonmeet 2023!
Players
TIN also has a lot to offer players, by providing them with top quality TTRPGs from their members. Michael likened TIN’s stalls at conventions to farmer’s market, where you can buy homegrown games directly from creators. Michael was very proud of the quality and diversity of games TIN’s members produce.
We are proud to present niche games that you wouldn’t normally find elsewhere. Our stands are a riot of colors, tones and genres that offer games for every occasion, whether if it’s for you and friends, your partner, your long distance friend or a meditative experience you can have with yourself.
On top of that, they often sell games in bundles, meaning you can easily indulge in a variety of well put together games without breaking the bank.
What’s the Future for TIN?
Currently, TIN has a strong presence in London, having been established there for 5 years. More recently, it has been gaining a presence in Manchester where it has run networking events and linked in with local groups like Dungeons & Flagons. The plan going ahead will be for TIN to have a presence all over the UK to facilitate in-person meetups and link in with conventions across the UK.
In order to make sure that TIN can continue to grow and provide for its members, whilst not keeping itself behind a paywall, Michael is exploring ways of qualifying for funding and support. This includes sponsorship from supporting organizations and running outreach events.
To keep up with TIN, and the UK TTRPG scene in general, you can subscribe to their monthly newsletter on Substack. You can also join their Facebook group, follow them on Twitter or even join their discord. If you would like to support their efforts and get extra membership perks, such as preferential treatment on their stands, you can also join their Patreon.
Whether you’re a gamer or creator, TIN is certainly an organization well worth keeping an eye on!
