There will be a wide variety of games and activities at The Gamers’ Gaming Getaway 2024, all of which will be free as part of your overall attendance ticket (which you will soon be able to buy here).
The information below is from The Gamers’ Gaming Getaway 2023. We expect an even more varied programme in 2024. We will soon publicise the submissions process for those who would like to offer to run games and activities at The Gamers’ Gaming Getaway 2024.
Timetable of 2023 Scheduled Events
The activities from 2023 are summarised below. Most scheduled activities can be signed up for in advance (by clicking on the buttons by the activities below) or in person at The Getaway, although we encourage you to sign up as soon as possible to guarantee your place and to help plan your time in line with the overall timetable.
Open Gaming
There are many different places to play a wide variety of games throughout the 95 hours of A Gamers Gaming Getaway. We encourage everyone to welcome others and meet new people over games. There will be ‘Players Wanted’ signs available and the opportunity to publicise games in advance via our Facebook group and/or the event desk. Please feel free to bring your own games or borrow some from our board games library which is provided by Herefordshire Board Gamers.
Starship Bridge Simulator
Conan Daly of Hexheart Games will be running various mission scenarios using the Orion Sphere LRP Starship Bridge Simulator. Each session is for 6 people who each control a different role on the Starship. The rig will remain set up throughout the event to give maximum opportunities for people to give it a go.
“The Test”: A Clockwork Watch Escape Game
The acclaimed Escape Game designer Liz Cable of Time Games (and author of Unlocking the potential of puzzle based learning) will be returning to the Getaway this year with her co-designer Toby Jones to run a new Escape Game with a Steampunk theme. “The Test” is set in the Clockwork Watch universe – a non-colonialist version of Victorian Britain.
It will take about 90 minutes for the experience to include briefing and feedback. Goggles provided.
Games Design & Development Workshops and Seminars about Games
Kedric Winks of Ghastly Games boardgame design wiill again be running Games Design and Development Workshops on the Saturday afternoon. These are condensed versions of a 9-week game design and development course which he has run to great acclaim for his local gaming club. Part 1 will be focused on game design (going form zero to having a game). Part 2 will focus on games development (going form having a game to having a product). The workshops are designed to follow-on from each other, with a break in-between, so we suggest that if these appeal then you book them together.
Dr Alino Potemska, Lecturer in Games Art, game designer, and illustrator, will give a seminar on Game as a form of Art on Sunday afternoon. This will explore: What is the difference between creating games and creating independent art? What defines art? Which criteria should we use to call game an art? Looking into those questions she will discuss cognitive function in gamesand look into a list of games in museum collections around the world and why they appear there.
Game for a Game – In-character Tavern – Empire LARP Social Event
‘Game for a Game in the Black Well Tavern and Hearth’ is an in-character social evening set in the live action role playing (LARP) world of Empire. This will be an opportunity to play suitable games such as those by The Guild of Good Games and the Journey Deck whilst in costume and to interact in-character. Meanwhile there will be a campfire outside (subject to the weather) around which you can socialise, tell tales and sing songs. You do not need to know anything about LARP to participate and there will be some costume available to borrow for those who do not have their own. Please bring a tankard, goblet or other appropriate drinking vessel.
Arsenic & Lies (Chamber LARP)
Arsenic & Lies is a 3 hour larp designed by Karolina Soltys for 5-12 players inspired by Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie novels. Rather than being a classical whodunnit, it focuses on the emotions, relationships and secrets of the characters involved: solving the murder might be less important to the characters than pursuing their clandestine affairs, arranging marriages of convenience or blackmailing their enemies.
It is set on New Year’s Eve 1919 – please feel free to wear 1920s costume if you wish, although this is not required.
Dungeons & Therapy (Chamber LARP)
Dungeons & Therapy is a 3 hour larp designed by Bez for 6-9 players. It’s black comedy in which players explore a subversion of D&D, where the heroes were maybe the villains and the ‘monsters’ were just trying to live a peaceful life. It explores issues of betrayal, murder, deception. Will you play one of a party of adventurers, the town’s mayor who hired them, one of the survivors from the dungeon they ransacked, or the dragon who is paying for the therapy session you’re all now attending in an attempt to bring reconciliation? Costume is not required.
Heroquest Adventures (Outdoor LARP)
Rob Buckley and Alun Jackson will run short Heroquest fantasy live roleplaying adventures on Friday and Saturday mornings in the 50 acres of grounds surrounding Blackwell Court. These will be suitable both for experienced Heroquesters and for those who have never tried live action live role play (LARP) before but want to experience a taster of traditional outdoor linear live roleplaying, including fighting with latex weapons. If taking part, please bring fantasy, dark age or medieval-style costume and LARP weapons if you have any – if you do not have any costume or weapons, then it should be possible to borrow some basic kit – though please wear sturdy footwear, dark/neutral clothing and a leather belt. Expect mildly strenuous outdoor exercise.
Blood on the Clock Tower
Adam Best of Herefordshire Boardgamers is an experienced storyteller facilitator who will be running this popular social deduction bluffing game where no two games are alike.
Table Top Role Playing Games (TTRPGs)
There will be a wide variety of TTRPGs run during the weekend. Dan Marriott will be running “Vasen: Suffer not the Witch“: a 19th Century gothic horror game set in the mythic north, that will contain adult themes and language, on the Firday morning. Followed by a series of four “Wrath and Glory” games set in the Warhammer 40K universe. These are Send Reinforcements (Friday pm), Thunderhawk Down! (Saturday am), The Things We Believe In (Saturday pm) and Flames of the Warp (Sunday am).
Allan Wroe will run two sessions of Jurassic Pork a scenario for The Secret Files of Section D: a tongue-in-cheek pulp espionage setting for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. This one shot scenario is designed to be fast furious fun, light hearted, and not taken too seriously. using the Savage Worlds system.
Jason Reast-Jones will run two sessions of Alice is Missing, a silent role playing game about the disappearance of a high school girl in a sleepy Northern California town. During the game, players use their phones to send text messages to each other as they unearth clues about what happened to Alice. Hauntingly beautiful, deeply personal, and highly innovative, Alice is Missing puts a strong focus on the emotional engagement between players, immersing them in a tense, dramatic mystery that unfolds organically through the text messages they send to one another.
Meanwhile Matthew Horne will be running four 1-2 hour demos of Pathfinder 2nd Edition during Saturday, and Stephen Turner of Brittannia Game Designs will be running demos of Chivalry & Sorcery. Please get in touch with Dave or Catherine if you would also like to run a TTRPG at the event.
Playtesting
There will be opportunities to playtest games throughout the event. For instance, Richard Denning of Medusa Games will be playtesting a near-final version of Oranges and Lemons (here’s a quick overview), Mike Ibeji of Guntower Games will be playtesting Pandora Celeste and Chris Backe of Entro Games will have several new designs to test (HMS Treasure Trove, Chekhov’s Gun, and Rift Valley Reserve). The Getaway will begin with a mass playtest of Dave’s new ‘Workplace Expansion’ for ‘A Game About Making Wordy Connections‘ by Bez of Stuff by Bez – everyone present will be able to join in this quick and lively way of meeting each other (no need to book in advance).
Please let Dave know if you’re a games designer who would like to playtest or demo games at the event.
Daily 2pm Bezzy Events
Bez Shahriari of Stuff by Bez has a tradition of running events at 2pm at conventions she attends. So each day we’ll hold a 2pm Bezzy event which will be a chance to try out some of her many games and win prizes donated by her. These short, lively games will be run by friends of Bez since she is unfortunately not able to attend the Getaway in person this year but we hope she’ll be able to join us virtually. Bez is well-known in the board gaming community for always wearing red, so feel free to wear something red if you wish. Her games will also be available to play on the red table in the Exhibition Hall throughout the event.
Shape Invaders Tournament
Knock your opponent’s mothership out of the galaxy into outer space in this engaging flicking dexterity game designed by Robert Firebreath. The tournament will use the Hyperspace Edition table which will be available from Camden Games through Kickstarter next year. Many thanks to Camden Games who have donated prizes for the tournament.
Flick Fleet Tournament
Flick Fleet is a 2 player space combat dexterity game where you flick your ships into position and then flick dice at your opponent’s ships to damage them.
Life-Size Games
We will have life-size ‘Tsuro’ & ‘Hey Thats My Fish’ provided by Herefordshire Boardgamers where you become part of the game.
Poi Workshop
Phire Clarke of Dice & Balls, the Nottingham-based Boardgames and Entertainers Hub, will run a Poi workshop for those who wish to learn how to spin poi.
Wargaming and Skirmish Games
Please feel free to bring wargames and skirmish games if you wish to run them over the weekend.
“Dice or Die?” Deadly Dice Fight
The Getaway will start and end with giant dice fights. Inspired by an impromptu dice fight around the Camden Games stand at UK Games Expo this year, we’ve designed ‘Dice or Die?’ especially for the Getaway. We’ll take over the entire Exhibitors Hall, turn tables into barricades, and hurl large squishy dice at each other.
The Opening Night: Deadly Dice Fight on Thursday evening and will be All vs All until there’s just one Survivor (or we all die laughing). The Closing Fight: What Grammar is Right? on Sunday afternoon will be Team vs Team, with Thursday night’s Survivor deciding which side will be ‘The Dice Team’ (who passionately believe that “dice” is acceptable as both a plural and singular word) and which will be ‘The Die Team’ (who believe equally passionately that “die” is the only acceptable word for singular use). Both teams will be ready to die for grammar!
Charity Quiz and Raffle
We will be running a charity quiz on the Friday evening and a charity raffle on the Saturday evening with all proceeds supporting good causes you help to choose.
Trading
There will be a small number of traders and exhibitors at the event. These will include LARP trader Irregular Props, Brittannia Games Design (publishers of Chivalry & Sorcery) and Shirts and Merch Studio (specialists in premium T-shirts for board gamers). There is no charge to trade or exhibit although we do ask for a contribution to our charity raffle. Please contact Dave if you would like an exhibitors’ table.
Bring and Buy
The Bring and Buy will operate on a DIY basis. Items will be displayed with the seller’s contact details and price. Buyers should contact the seller to pay them direct. We ask that both buyers and sellers each make a contribution of 10% of the sale price (minimum £1) to the charities which the Gamers’ Gaming Getaway is supporting.
Running your own game or activity
A Gamers’ Gaming Getaway is all about having fun, meeting people and learning about games. Please contact the organisers if there is a game or activity which you would like to run at the event which you think would contribute to this.