Simon Burley 🔜 BEDFORD TABLETOP EXPO (Keynote Speaker)

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

“I used to play Golden Heroes.

“we had a friend who liked it. He made us play.”

The BUILDINGS. £700 ish to buy off the shelf. £150 3D printed at home.

Dunno the cost of the figures.

Marvel model street layout.

#BEDFORDTABLEOPEXPO

“What did that cost? £500-£1000?”

“£150. I 3D printed it and got the wife to paint it. The figures cost more. Commercially £700 ish.”

(I paraphrase.)

A mock book cover, Captain Black's guide to Birdwatching, with Captain Black surrounded by a Red Kite, Gull, Tawny Owl, Blackbird, with a Sparrow on his shoulder and a Bluetit on his head.

Banner for charity providing model making as therapy for injured service personnel

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

Heroes!

Front of stand. Two explanatory notices on stands with hardback books standing behind.

Table with six Rulebooks or posters of book covers with dice and pens.

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

I had thoughts yesterday. I can’t compete visually with the other stands to attract the first look. Not much I can do overnight but loading all the pregens sheets on the table may have been too much. So trying a more minimal initial layout today.

2

Head down. Keep pressing forward no matter what. Press every red button. Loud and relentlessly optimistic.

I’ve rolled it a couple times since then. It makes a change not to be clever and cynical.

So, what do you switch to when you recognise you’re getting samey?

2/fin

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS

1

Do you have deliberate alternate TTRPG persona?

I wrote refer to my how my PCs always seem to aim to achieve the objective - trying to be “clever”, avoiding direct combat etc.

Recently I accidentally discovered an alternate When i was handed a barbarian pregen.

1

He called the cost of the game “a pittance”!

And they both clearly enjoyed it.

I am a good Referee.

Ps. I suspect Bluesky isn’t the best platform for these “at con” reports. Instagram maybe?

2/2

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

My game finished 25mins early. Perfect for any ”normal” TTRPG session - 3hrs 35min but this was a paid game. I apologised for the early end but the 2 paying player were having nothing of it. 1 had played “a couple” of TTRPGs, the other had booked this as his first TTRPG.

1/2

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

2 players plus 1 staff member. Going well but with three players the game runs short. I should have added an extra scene halfway through instead I’ll have to busk and additional one at the end but I have an idea…….

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

Just setting up my table for the evening game and you know what?

This IS a Premium game! Well worth the ticket price.

A table stuffed with STUNNING WH40Kmodels

A table of amazing SciFi models.

#UKTTRPGCONS

You know what? If a game convention offers TTRPGs we’re lucky. They could carry on successfully whether or not TTPGs were offered.

We add value. But not THAT much.

What other gamers do esp. Wargamers is amazing!

….at home and hand cut. They looked so professional! Some people are so talented.

Played well too. Keep an eye out for this. Another Kickstarter I may need to back. (Would that make 4?)

Evening game. Looks like two players but the organiser will over an event staff member to make up numbers.

2/2

Setup and card layout for DRAGGOS card game.

My hand of DRAGGOS cards. Two cheeses, a sheep and a toy.

The DRAGGOS table in play.

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

I ran one game. It was great fun. I had one player. Needed a second. “I’ll play yours if you play mine!”* A family of 3 made the table up to 5 after I started with 2.

* DRAGGOS a card game of collecting cute dragons. Every illustration hand drawn. Every card printed….

1/2

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

points to my d6 Hack book. Says to boyfriend. “We played that! Rebecca ran it!”

Thank you Rebecca, whoever you are!

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

Talk over. Audience of 4 rising to 5 including the AV guy. Luckily HE has several TTRPGs he’s play testing. Went on for 30 mins. I enjoyed it. Apparently it was “entertaining”. Now FORCING myself to take a break before reopening my table.

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

morning session over. I’ve had to close the table to grab some lunch and set up for my talk.

No games in the morning but some chatting and learning.

Next report may be after my talk if I get time.

Stand with buildings cars and superheroes

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

eyes on my stand?

Not with Marvel Crisis protocol opposite.

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

Just had child pull his dad over to point at the art on my banner.

Just be clear, that’s 14 choices of genre/setting. Each one has a choice of at least 5 pregens….

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

10:05. Hardly people flooding in. Slow start.😬

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

The tables next to me arrived at 9:40 for a 10am start. Found things “a bit tight” and now the excellent organiser is having to rearrange stands with 20 mins to go to accommodate them.

No comment.

Two people at a dice stand

Dice of the seeker business card

Dice of the seeker qr code.

Empty table

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

One of my neighbours sells dice!

The other hadn’t turned up yet either less than 30mins to go so forget them!

Table all set up

14 game choices

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

All set up. FOURTEEN choices of game. Too much?

Hall with people setting up tables

Bare table labelled with my name

Speech area

Radio mike

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

I’m in, setting up.

It’s a radio Mike in the speech area!

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

I had a lovely Breakfast watching swans and multiple rowing team of various sizes sculling up and down the river with the market in the distance. Picture postcard.

Down the road our of sight I know the town seems to be in decline, alas!

Its not necessarily an old trick, but the only thing that springs to mind is shutting the fuck up. Quality rather than quantity when it comes to contributions. I used to be quite dominant and then learned to be more inclusive, and now its a super power I apply everywhere. Listen, then speak.

#BEDFORDTABLETOPEXPO

Just received an email to tell me my table has been moved from the edge of the room into the centre. Apparently another table needed access to power sockets.

Do I care?

3

Do you have any old tricks you wheel out at the table to make things easier for you?

3/fin