Play, laugh and learn in panels and talks at Tabletop Gaming Live – see the full schedule here

We’re excited to announce our full line-up of fantastic live talks, workshops and panels taking place as part of Tabletop Gaming Live 2018!

Free admission to all of the panels and talks below is included in the price of your ticket to Tabletop Gaming Live, although some may have limited space or other requirements.

Tabletop Gaming Live takes place in London’s Alexandra Palace this September 29th and 30th. See more about what's happening during the weekend convention on the Tabletop Gaming Live Facebook page – or search 'Tabletop Gaming Live' using the box above.

Tickets are on sale now from just £10, with family and weekend passes available – visit The Ticket Factory to get yours today.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 29TH

10am Painting the ‘Miniature’ drop-in workshop
Follow Deathwatch Studios’ Andy Leighton as he paints some awesome miniatures – or have a go at painting one yourself! Andy will be on hand to answer any questions on painting and his past guides featured in Tabletop Gaming magazine. Plus, come and take a look at some of the miniatures painted for previous issues to get inspiration for your own painting schemes.

11am Gaming for the Greater Good: Using games to raise awareness of mental health
Phil Tottman and Tom Dryland, creators of Book of Beasties, discuss the creation and origin of the mental health awareness card game, and why using gaming to broach serious issues like mental health is the future for this type of education for young people. They’ll be joined by Anna Williamson: television presenter, TalkRadio broadcaster, life coach, counsellor, Master NLP practitioner, author of the number one bestselling book Breaking Mad and ambassador for Mind, Childline and The Prince’s Trust. 

12pm Calling Cthulhu
Join Mike Mason, Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu line editor, and game writers Paul Fricker and Scott Dorward to hear about the latest news about the RPG, how to start playing and how to craft adventures. 

1pm Play It Smart: What we can learn from games (and why they should be used to teach us)
Manchester Metropolitan academics and Games Research network co-directors Dr. Paul Wake and Dr. Sam Illingworth, plus guests, talk about the role that games can play in education and engagement.

2pm Tips for Teaching Games with Gaming Rules!
Gaming Rules!’s Paul Grogan reveals the ways you can become a better teacher of games, including tips on how to get people playing quickly and making it fun and engaging.

3pm Building a Better Tabletop Community
The gaming explosion has seen the hobby become incredibly diverse, with players from all kinds of backgrounds getting in on the fun. Journalist, author and critic Owen Duffy is joined by game designer Bez, associate professor of Games Research at Staffordshire University Esther McCallum-Stewart and more to discuss ways that the tabletop industry and community can encourage civility, inclusiveness and respect, and why that ultimately results in better games.

4pm Putting the Warhammer Down: James M. Hewitt talks going solo with Needy Cat Games
The Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower, Gorechosen and DreadBall designer reveals why he left Games Workshop behind to open his indie board game studio and takes us behind-the-scenes of some of the projects he’s working on, from Hellboy: The Board Game to Blitz Bowl.

5pm Rolling on the Floor: Should games make you laugh?
Tabletop Gaming contributor and game designer James Wallis (The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen) is joined by a panel of very funny folks from across the world of games to talk about games that give players the giggles – and no doubt crack a few gags of their own along the way.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH

10am Playing the Oldies: 5,000 years of games in under 60 minutes
James Wallis is joined by history buffs and gaming experts to take us on a whistle-stop tour of gaming history, from its early origins centuries ago to the emergence of modern designs and the tabletop innovations leading us into the future.

11am Catan: Global Warming – an unofficial expansion play session
Come and play the Catan: Global Warming scenario with its creators and see if you have what it takes to settle the island sustainably. Recommended for players with previous Catan experience. Limited to 24 people.

1pm The Tabletop Gaming Podcast: Live!
Tabletop Gaming editor Matt Jarvis hosts the first-ever LIVE episode of the Tabletop Gaming Podcast, discussing with guests what they’ve seen on the show floor, what they’re playing and more!

2pm Handcrafting Games 
Have you ever wanted to make a game? A print-and-play game? A prototype? During this seminar Jackson Pope will show you how he handcrafts high-quality games. You’ll learn tips and tricks from his 12 years’ experience of handcrafting games to a very high standard and stories from his experiences running two board game publishing companies, during which he’s handcrafted over 600 games and sold over 8,000.

4pm UK Indie RPG League: Making and selling indie RPGs in the age of Kickstarter
A panel of British indie RPG makers – including James Iles (UFO Press), Chris Longhurst (Certain Death) and Grant Howitt, Mary Hamilton and Chris Taylor (Rowan, Rook and Decard) – talk about their experiences getting their games made, funded and delivered to players. They’ll discuss the different ways you can do that, the various challenges and opportunities presented by making indie RPGs in the UK instead of the US, and how to interest the public in you – and your games – when you’re first starting out as a designer.