Thousands flock to Tabletop Scotland 2024 at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston

Like many other geeks, Girdy and Birdy headed to the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston this weekend to partake in Tabletop Scotland 2024. Here’s an overview of Friday and Saturday.

This year, Tabletop Scotland came to Edinburgh, to its new home at the Royal Highland Centre – so, of course we here at Edinburgh Reviews had to be there!

Since it first started in 2018, Tabletop Scotland has quickly grown into one of biggest and most beloved gaming conventions in the UK. Despite this (and as someone who’s fairly new to gaming) it’s actually been my first time experiencing the event.

Myself and Girdy have spent the past couple of days there talking to gamers, game creators and stall holders to get an overall feel of how Tabletop Scotland is settling into the new venue. We’ve also got some considerations for if you’re planning to get there for the final day of the convention tomorrow.

Getting to Tabletop Scotland

Probably the most efficient way of getting to Tabletop Scotland is via the tram to Ingliston Park & Ride. Myself and Girdy ended up taking what we thought might have been a shortcut through a field, but in reality it wasn’t much of one. So, don’t do that!

Field or not, we did find it a bit of a trek, with the routes not always the most pedestrian friendly, and the signage often being less than obvious. As of now (Saturday), Girdy is still confused about the blue signage supposedly taking us to the north entrance of the Royal Highland Centre, which seems to vanish after a while.

However, it’s not too much of a trudge once you know where you’re going, and with the benefit of Google/Apple Maps, you shouldn’t get too lost.

The stalls: A spectacular spread of weird, wonderful and fun!

The main hall is the main draw of Tabletop Scotland, where you’ll find all of the stalls, be able to chat with game creators, experience demos, and browse and buy everything from dice (including dice made of bone!) to games, zines, art, puppets and so much more!

It’s easy to see how you could spend an entire weekend looking through all the fabulously fun stalls – and maybe going back to them when you decide that, actually, you do really need that set of dice you were umming and ahhing over.

There’s also the Bring & Buy table, which I hear were giving people 10-minute slots to browse and buy what they wanted – which I’ve seen someone refer to as “Supermarket Sweep for nerds”!

Gaming at Tabletop Scotland 2024

Another big draw of Tabletop Scotland is the ability to book in for games! Some games you definitely want to book in advance for, and others you can simply turn up for on the day – just be sure to book in before all the spaces are gone.

Edinburgh Reviews joined in on a couple of games. Usually taking place upstairs in the mezzanine area, they’re held in a comfortable, casual setting with many other games going on around you. Everyone’s there to have fun, and everyone’s welcome, whether you’re a newbie like me, or a vet like Girdy.

Secure your seat for a seminar

There are also multiple seminars to attend at Tabletop Scotland. Edinburgh Reviews attended one based on Fantasy & Folklore, but there are also discussions taking place around subjects such as mental health and solo gaming.

Interested in attending? It may not be too late to book a space for tomorrow’s seminars, although these can no longer be booked online and must be done at the venue.

Thoughts on Tabletop Scotland 2024

Myself and Girdy spoke to a few stall holders to see what they made of this year’s experience at the Royal Highland Centre. Here’s what they had to say:

Annabelle from Modular Realms: “It’s our first time! Really fun! A different vibe to UK Games Expo, but I like it, it’s chill. Plus, it’s also nice seeing different stall holders around.”

Andrew from female-led zine company Nevermind the Dicerolls said: “Best con we’ve ever been to, certainly in terms of organisation! We’re from London, so Perth was a bit far for us, but this location suits us a lot better.”

Judson Cowan of Tettix Games said: “Friday was a bit slow, but it’s a lot busier this year compared to Perth. It seems like there’s a lot of space to grow as well!”

Garry Harper of The Role Play Haven added: “I see a fantastic future for Scotland in the tabletop industry. This event is good for the community; they’re listening to people here and a lot of shows don’t listen to people. Dave who runs this is doing it from the heart, doing it by listening to people, and that’s the way to run a show. If only every business would listen to people.”

And, of course, this wouldn’t be complete without Tabletop Scotland veteran Girdy’s take on it.

I’ve been to Tabletop Scotland Perth, where the convention was born, several times and liked it. That’s why I kept on going back. I took the time off work. I get a train ticket and a hotel room. I explored Perth’s hospitality for lunch and dinner while making friends, playing games and having a good time.

Tabletop Scotland Edinburgh is the same but different. The general vibe of the convention has been maintained! People are friendly, fun and welcoming. It feels like a gaming convention rather than a comic con knockoff. That vibe, that gamer family atmosphere, was what I wanted, so I’m pleased.

Tabletop Scotland Edinburgh is different, though; there’s no high street around the corner from the Royal Highland Show, and no late-night restaurant to pile into with new friends. Perhaps that’s a task for Edinburgh locals and Edinburgh businesses to step up to, though. Maybe next year we’ll see shops and hospitality offering discounts for people with Tabletop Scotland passes in a bid to be the hosts of the after party!

Overall

We found the feelgood vibes of Tabletop Scotland to be unchanged, whilst the convention itself is also quite different – which was an inevitability considering how much of a different setting there is this year.

It’s the first year of being hosted at the Royal Highland Centre, so it’s always going to be a bit of a learning curve, and maybe there will be improvements for next year (such as better signage, ways to socialise via local businesses after the event etc.), but overall it’s looking very positive for the event.

There’s space for it to grow (but not too quickly!), and we’ve seen many friends and acquaintances from Edinburgh getting very much into the spirit this year, and vowing to book in for games next time.