It’s been a joy to see a dramatic growth in the UK tabletop gaming scene in recent years. Accompanying this growth has been a growth in conventions for tabletop players and creators.
To help keep track of these conventions, David Wright, Convention Director of Tabletop Scotland, created a master spreadsheet of all the most noteworthy tabletop conventions in the UK and Ireland. I would highly recommend anyone interested in the tabletop gaming scene in the UK and Ireland to check this out.
I have selected my favorites from this list for you to check out. Who knows, there might be at least one closer to home than you think!
AireCon – Harrogate
AireCon is an analogue gaming festival dedicated to accessible community gaming experiences. Attendees will have access to a massive library of over 500 tabletop games, courtesy of Travelling Man, to play with friends and strangers alike. For a £10 deposit, you can get access to any of these available games on the day.
Aire Con is a brilliant chance to take part in fun and friendly communal gaming.
You can also use their G.A.M.E System to book games and sessions before the event. AireCon make use of stickers and displaying light sabers as markers. These markers can show you which games are full and which are looking for other players.
As well as that, there are a whole load of exhibitors selling top quality tabletop games and merchandise. These include the likes of Parable Games and Rowan, Rook and Decard.
If you’re looking to enjoy a good tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) run by an experienced facilitator, you can head over the the RPG Zone and book one of the Friday, Saturday or Sunday sessions.
Tickets are on sale for its Harrogate convention at the Harrogate Convention Centre, running from Thursday March 14th – Sunday 17th.
Leprecon – Dublin
Leprecon is Ireland’s oldest games convention, tabletop or otherwise. They focus on ‘freshly baked’ RPGs, live action roleplays (LARPs), board games, wargames and card games. By freshly baked, they mean literally completely new for the convention. They advertise for game creators to create new RPGs and LARPs specifically for the convention.
Leprecon boasts its freshly baked games and support for student gaming societies across Ireland.
There is also a wealth of established tabletop games for people to have casual games or competitive tournaments with. They are especially keen to support college gaming societies across Ireland to attend through their Intervarsity Cook-Off. This scheme provides funding for societies to attend and take part in a tournament that combines all the above mentioned tabletop genres.
Leprecon will be held in Goldsmith Hall in Dublin and will be running from Friday 22nd March – Sunday 24th.
Dungeons & Flagons Weekender – Manchester
Dungeons & Flagons is a very active tabletop gaming events group in Manchester. Throughout the year, they organize events ranging from casual socials to team building events and even weddings! They also have Weekender conventions throughout the year. These are open to the public and offer a whole lot for tabletop gamers experienced and new.
Dungeons & Flagons host regular events in Manchester featuring live shows and games aplenty!
Like AireCon, attendees are treated to a whole host of games to enjoy. They can also attend raffles, pub quizzes and live Saturday night shows. Previous evening shows have included John Robertson’s The Dark Room, Party Games and Karaoke with DJ Flash and Jollyboat, the hilarious comedy pirate troupe!
Dungeons & Flagons Weekender events happen much more frequently than any of the other cons on this list. You can attend one on any of the following dates: March 23rd – 24th, May 18th – 19th, June 29th – 30th, August 24th – 25th, October 26th – 27th and December 14th – 15th.
MCM Comic Con – London/Birmingham
Ok, so this one isn’t actually on the spreadsheet, nor is it a convention primarily dedicated to tabletop games. However, the increased presence of tabletop gaming at MCM Comic Con has been a joy to see, making it very worthwhile for fans to attend. 2023’s MCM London had an incredible line up of spaces to play, live Actual Plays to attend, creators to interact with and merch to browse.
Seeing the Oxventurer’s Guild’s latest escapades is just one of the many tabletop treats at MCM Comic Con!
Whilst it’s too early to get details on the schedule for May, there will be a dedicated Tabletop Realm, which promises a variety of tabletop goodies. These include getting involved in boardgame, RPG, card game and miniature painting sessions, as well as live shows and chances to meet your fellow creators. Here are a few of my highlights from last October’s MCM Comic Con.
MCM Comic Con is set to return to the ExCel Centre in London from Friday May 24th – Sunday 26th. Each year, they tend to do a second Con in London in October and another one in Birmingham in November, so those are well worth looking out for as well.
UK Games Expo – Birmingham
The UK Games Expo is the largest hobby games convention in the UK and a brilliant place to engage with a massive variety of games creators.
The UK Games Expo has a wealth of exhibitors and unique events to check out.
Like with many other tabletop conventions, you can get involved in gaming sessions with friends and strangers alike, sometimes with the games’ creators on hand to help out. If you head over to the playtest area, you can even play currently in development games before they’re released to the general public! On top of that, you can take part in seminars led by industry professionals along with live shows and unique events. These include performances from No Rolls Barred, joining a game of GIANT Risk, playing Starship Simulator, as well as a whole host of tournaments and megagames!
The UK Games Expo will be running at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham from Friday May 31st – Sunday June 2nd.
Tabletop Scotland – Edinburgh
Tabletop Scotland is a convention that hosts a wide variety of tabletop events and has a strong charitable wing to it. It shares a lot of similarities with other tabletop conventions with its exhibitors, seminars, live shows and game sessions to get involved in.
Join Tabletop Scotland for a grand array of games, stalls, leagues and creative jams!
It also has a lot of unique events, including its D&D Adventurers League and tutorials for hobby crafting. What intrigued me the most was the opportunity to take part in one of their game jams, where you can create a new game from scratch, on your own or in a group with mentorship and guidance from industry professionals!
Tabletop Scotland will be running out of the Royal Highland Centre close to Edinburgh Airport from Friday September 6th – Sunday 8th.
Dragonmeet – London
Dragonmeet is a vibrant one day tabletop gaming convention that supports and celebrates indie developers in particular. You can expect to discover a lot of hidden gems here from talented up and coming creators. It is also a great place to meeting some of your favorite Actual Play groups in person as well as discovering new ones. You can expect great talks and seminars from professionals in the field as well as live Actual Play goodness!
Dragonmeet is a great place to browse indie titles, attend talks from the experts and enjoy some top quality Actual Play!
For more on Dragonmeet , check out this overview article, including a close up with Operations Director, John Dodd.
This year, Dragonmeet will be running Saturday November 30th out of its usual venue at Novotel Hammersmith in West London.
And there you have it! My top 7 picks for UK and Ireland tabletop conventions to check out in 2024. This is by no means exhaustive and you are welcome to check out David Wright‘s master spreadsheet.
What tabletop conventions are you most looking forward to this year? Let us know in the comments and keep an eye on KeenGamer for more from the world of gaming!
