Tabletop_Gaming__Issue_27__February_2019

February 2019

board games and card games we are really keen to

make ROBIN a celebration of the community and

industry of the region.

Our irst passion is games and not just those of

a historical or miniature variety. As a result we’ve

been very conscious that much of the community

is like us and are keen to experience lots of diferent

games and systems. here are also a number of

fantastic shows in the region that already focus on

the historical scene and we wanted to cast our net a

little wider to welcome in the whole community.

What are the challenges of mixing such different

types of gaming, and how are you making sure they

work together?

We actually think that it’s not so much a case of

mixing diferent gaming types but ofering a space

for the community to share diferent experiences in

tabletop gaming.

he elitism that may have existed years ago isn’t

so prevalent today and gamers are far less likely to

dedicate themselves to a single system or genre,

but dabble in a lot of diferent games. his can

be seen in many of the ‘shelies’ we see on social

media where historical games sit side-by-side with

high fantasy, sci-i, steampunk and Lovecraftian-

themed games. his is only reinforced by how

popular crowdfunding has become as a means to

produce games.

Ultimately, regardless of the system or genre,

there will be common factors that gamers can

relate to and enjoy spending time on the hobby.

Other than gaming, what do you have planned?

As with previous years we’re intending to run a

rale to raise funds for a local charity.

Will you have any special guests?

We haven’t booked any special guests this year but

we will be exploring this for the future and hope to

introduce some seminars in 2020.

When did ROBIN start?

he irst ROBIN event took place in February 2017

and was a result of the absence of a games show

in Nottingham itself, even though the city is the

centre of the ‘Lead Belt’. he original organisers felt

that even though there are a whole host of shows in

the region it was a shame that nothing took place

in the city, and so the result was ‘Red On Blue In

Nottingham’ – the original ROBIN.

Whilst we’ve got changes planned for future

events we’re taking it a step at a time for ROBIN

2019 and building on the previous successful years.

What makes the show unique?

he main diference with ROBIN is that it is

in the heart of what many consider to be the

‘Silicon Valley’ of tabletop gaming. Nottingham

has a fantastic gaming community and that’s in

no small part driven by the number of gaming

companies that reside here. Because of this we

have a great number of friends and colleagues

throughout the business and that in turn means

we have the ability to directly invite people to

attend to demonstrate and show their games.

We’re really lucky to have friends and

colleagues working throughout the industry

and the single reason for that is the Nottingham

connection. ROBIN 2019 is the opportunity

for us to tweak the existing format and test the

water with some ideas. However, we are aiming

to turn ROBIN into a celebration event for the

East Midlands scene and we’re already starting

to make plans for ROBIN 2020 along these lines.

he feedback from the local community for this

is that this would be very welcomed.

What’s new for 2019’s event?

Our biggest change is the introduction of a wider

range of games and systems beyond the traditional

miniature games show. Given the depth and

breadth of talent in the region in genres such as

Nick Livesey from the Nottingham show discusses

throwing open the doors to all sorts of games in 2019

Interview by Matt Jarvis

ROBIN

EVENT REPORT

tabletopgaming.co.uk 93

UPCOMING EVENTS

PAW

Saturday February 2nd to Sunday 3rd

YMCA, Plymouth

The Plymouth Association of Wargamers

returns for its annual celebration of the hobby.

facebook.com/groups/360311624154207

YAPNARTAK

Sunday February 3rd

York Racecourse, York

A day-long trade show and gaming get-

together run by the York Wargames Society.

facebook.com/vapnartak

MANALEAK

Saturday February 16th to Sunday 17th

Manaleak Gaming Centre, Birmingham

Held at the gaming shop and café, the

weekend of Pathfinder and Starfinder

sessions includes a number of tables running

roleplaying campaigns both days.

manaleak.com

ROBIN

Sunday February 17th

Nottingham Tennis Centre, Nottingham

robincon.co.uk

DUDLEY BUG BALL

Saturday February 23rd

Station Hotel, Dudley

The one-day con is back for the first time in

almost two decades and hoping to recapture

its friendly atmosphere.

dudleybugball.org.uk

CONCORD

Saturday February 23rd to Sunday 24th

Holiday Inn, Bristol

Teaching tables, a start-up corner and a new

LAN event expand the tabletop show.

concordgamingconvention.com

AIRECON

Friday March 8th to Sunday 10th

Harrogate International Centre, Harrogate

One of the UK’s flagship gaming festivals

heads back to Harrogate for another year.

airecon.uk

WEST MIDLANDS MILITARY SHOW

Sunday March 9th

Aldersley Leisure Village, Wolverhampton

With decades of history, the massive

Midlands event remains a wargaming fixture..

alumwellwargames.co.uk

CONCRETE COW

Saturday March 16th

The Old Bath House, Milton Keynes

The day of roleplaying run by the Milton

Keynes RPG Club welcomes any game.

mk-rpg.org.uk/concrete_cow

CONCLAVE

Saturday March 16th to Sunday 17th

Skylark Hotel, Southend-on-Sea

Back in a new venue, the Pathfinder Society

roleplaying event includes food and a raffle.

facebook.com/groups/295413090899485