eledonecirrhosa: Astronautilus - a nautilus with a space helmet (Default)
2020-03-05 11:44 am
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Roleplaying Games in Bristol (UK)

 There were quite a number of people at Concord Games Con last weekend who said things along the lines of I've just moved to Bristol and am having trouble finding an RPG group to play with. So here is a handy list!

If anyone knows of groups I have missed, or has more information on accessibility or costs, post a comment and I'll update the list. 

This is to help people identify resources to:

  •  Locate other roleplayers in Bristol (UK). 
  •  Find venues for roleplaying games in Bristol (UK).

 

FINDING PEOPLE TO PLAY RPGS WITH

The Bristol & Bath Meetup:

https://www.meetup.com/shadowrun-90/

If you are looking for a GM or to find other players, ask on the Discussions page.

The fortnightly RPG sessions held by Concord Convention at Bristol Independent Gaming (see below) are usually advertised through this meetup group – look at the Events page for some old ones.

RGPers social get togethers are also organised a few times a year through the Meetup – these are for chatting about games, getting to know people and asking if anyone knows of games with spaces.

 

Roleplayers in Bristol Facebook group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/33449242589/

 

Vanguard Wargaming Club

https://bristolvanguard.com/

They have a roleplaying games subsection on their discussion forums. See below for their venue, The Old Duke pub.

 

The Tavern RPG forum

https://gamingtavern.eu/index.php

This is national forum rather than local to Bristol. It has a ‘people and looking for a game’ subforum.

 

University of Bristol (Ubris) Gamesoc

https://www.bristolsu.org.uk/groups/gamesoc

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ubugamesoc/

A student society which plays RPGs, CCGs and boardgames at the Student Union on Queens Road in Clifton. They play on Saturdays and Sundays, during university term times. You have to be a student or have purchased a Student Union membership (associate membership) to join Gamesoc.

 

University of the West of England (UWE) Roleplay and Wargames Society

https://www.thestudentsunion.co.uk/soc/roleplay/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/uweraw/

 

Bristol Pathfinder Lodge

http://paizocon.co.uk/index.php/local-groups/127-pathfinder-lodge-bristol

Also does Starfinder.

Play at Excelsior Games (Bond Street, BS1 3LZ) and at the Famous Royal Navy Volunteer pub (King Street, BS1 4EF).  Costs £3 per session.

 

FINDING PLACES TO PLAY

St George Liberal Club, 134b Church Road, Bristol BS5 8HH (the building with the colourful mural on it).

https://www.facebook.com/stgeorgeliberalclub/

There are RPG groups playing at this social club on Monday evenings (the Monday Knights) and Tuesday evenings (yes, you guessed it, they are called the Tuesday Knights). The club opens at 19.00. It has a small bar. The gamers share the space with snooker players and cribbage players.

The deal is that you can try the social club out for a couple of weeks for free. After that, you have to get another member to ‘sponsor’ you, and you pay an annual membership of £7.  

Accessibility – there are 2 or 3 steps to get into the main social area/bar. The ladies toilet is up a narrow staircase. Bar staff say it is okay for women to use the gents downstairs – the female bar staff do that when they can’t be bothered to climb the stairs.

 

The Old Duke pub, King Street, Bristol BS1 4ER

http://www.theoldduke.co.uk/

The Old Duke is a jazz pub. Vanguard Wargames group have got their first floor function room booked out permanently, with large tables set up for wargaming. They are okay with roleplayers booking a table for an RPG game, and some groups play there regularly.

The deal is that you pay £2 per person into the collection tin. The pub doesn’t mind if you bring your own food or drink in, so long as you take all your rubbish away with you. There is an online booking system for tables. It is found here: https://bristolvanguard.com/the-old-duke/table-bookings/

Accessibility – the function room is upstairs, the toilets are downstairs. There is a step down then a step up to get to the ladies loo, which is small and cramped.

 

Bristol Independent Gaming (BIG) – 16 Clothier Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 5PS

https://www.bristolindependentgaming.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/wargaming.bristol.independent.gaming/

This is a wargames venue and shop. They sell snacks, including bacon rolls and fruit.

The Concord Convention folks organise RPG games here every second Sunday. Keep an eye on the Bristol & Bath meetup group for details.

Accessibility – there is a ground floor gaming room, but that gets used for wargaming and CCG tournaments. The RPGs are played on the first floor. There is a unisex toilet on the first floor.

 

Excelsior Games – Bond Street, Bristol BS1 3LX

https://excelsiorgamesandcomics.co.uk/collections/rpgs

They have a games shop and a comic shop on the same street. RPGs are played in the first floor function room of the games shop on one evening a week. Possibly Tuesdays? 

Accessibility – the RPGs are played on the first floor.

 

Lincombe Barn Wargames Society  – at Downend Folkhouse, Overndale Road, Downend BS16 2RW

http://www.bristolwargaming.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/bristolwargaming/

They meet on Sunday afternoons, 3pm to 7pm, at the Folk House in Downend. There have been RPG campaigns played there in the past, but I don’t know if anyone is playing there now.

There is an annual membership fee and a weekly subscription fee to cover hire of the venue (including use of the kitchen). Free parking on site.

Accessibility – the big rooms are all on the ground floor, as are the toilets and kitchen. There are smaller rooms upstairs.

 

The Mana House – board games café on Whiteladies Road in Clifton, BS8 2NT

https://www.themanahouse.com/

Open noon to 11pm every day.

Cost to book a table – I don’t know. It doesn’t say on the website. You’ll have to book to find out!  

Accessibility – don’t know.

 

Chance’N’Counters – board games café on Christmas Steps, just off Centre, BS1 5BS

https://www.chanceandcounters.com/

Open 10am to 11pm (later at weekends).

Cost to hire a table is £5 per person for a 4 hour slot.

Accessibility – the tables in the back of the café are up a few steps, as are the toilets.

 

Replay Bristol – board games bar, Cheltenham Road, Bristol BS

https://replaybristol.co.uk/

Open 6pm to 10.30pm weekdays, plus during the day at the weekends.

Costs £3 per person for a 3 hour slot.

They run an After School Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3pm to 6pm.

 

Horfield Methodist Church – Churchways Avenue, Bristol BS7 8SN

http://www.horfieldmethodist.org.uk/

Are okay with RPGers or board gamers hiring their church halls.

They charge £25 per hour for the large hall and £11 to £17 per hour for the smaller rooms.

  

Bishopston Library

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bishopston-library-games-evenings-tickets-88962064931?aff=erelexpmlt

Has a games evening for adults, 19.00 to 21.30 on some Mondays and Wednesdays. It only mentions board and card games, but you could ask if they have space for RPGs. £2 charge to help them buy more games. No need to book.

 

LEARNING TO PLAY

Rules of Play

https://rulesofplay.co.uk/pages/rules-of-play-bristol-board-games

This is a board games shop with a small selection of RPGs. They run ‘learn to play D&D’ sessions and other gaming events (some of the events are in Cardiff not Bristol).

https://rulesofplay.co.uk/pages/events

https://www.facebook.com/pg/rulesofplay/events/

 

GAMING CONVENTIONS

Concord

https://concordgamingconvention.com/

A weekend convention which happens annually in the last weekend of February. RPGs and boardgames. Signing up to play an RPG costs the price of your convention ticket plus an extra £4 per game. If you GM a game you get a reduction on your ticket price.

 

Roll Dice Gaming

They held a con in July 2019. Mainly wargames, but RPGs were mentioned.  I don’t know if there will be one in 2020.

 

Bristol Anime & Gaming Con

https://spring.bristolanimecon.com/

Not sure if they do RPGs. I guess they will be anime themed RPGs if they do!

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eledonecirrhosa: Astronautilus - a nautilus with a space helmet (Default)
2017-05-01 03:40 pm
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Conquord 2017 (Bristol)

I had terrific fun at the Conquord gaming convention, which was in the Rip-Roar Comedy club in central Bristol. The turn out wasn't great despite the organisers telling every local group they knew about it. (Bad Bristol gamers - no biscuit!) However, they made enough cash to cover their costs.

Saturday morning I ran my Troop Ship Down scenario (military science fiction) using Cortex+. I had 3 players, which is fine for a 'survivors of a crash' situation. They were more interested in saving stuff than looking for survivors - this is the first group I've run it for who haven't checked the cockpit to see if the pilots are still alive, and who haven't checked the lake for drowning squad mates. However, when they discovered that the local aliens are addicted to caffeine, they did spend a chunk of plot points to retcon saving an entire case of coffee from the wreckage! Which led to the quote of the con: We can drug smuggle our way to safety!"

Saturday afternoon was an anime style expedition to "Kong Island" (Code of Shojo and Shonen) run by Simon Paul Burley. I was basically playing Bob Peck's character from Jurassic Park. 'Kong' turned out to be a giant spider. I think we were all supposed to get superpowers, but the first player to discover the maguffin which granted them kept the info to himself. We were therefore incapable of fighting the giant spiders and instead spent bennies to invent bigger monsters to eat the spiders. Then even bigger monsters to deal with those. Gary Loveridge pointed out the game had turned into There was an old woman who swallowed a fly... By the end we'd inadvertently unleashed hordes of things which would destroy the world.

Because the venue is a comedy club, it was unavailable in the evening. So a mob of us headed out to a nearby eatery for geeky chat and food. Several of us then headed back to my place and I facilitated a game of The Gentle Ladies' Tea, Monstrosity Destroying and Quilting Circle Auxillary. It was entertainingly silly, though embarassingly we all swooned and had to be saved from one of the monsters by Donald Trump!

Sunday morning I ran Maschine Zeit - the scenario I've run at cons before of looking for a missing movie star on a haunted space station. The game went rather slowly, as some people just didn't seem to want to roll their dice simultaneously with everyone else, and then were slow to decide what skill to use. So I had to drop a couple of scenes in order to fit in the end confrontation with the movie star. By that time the livelier players were more obsessed with internal feuds than the plot, so it mutated from a showdown to a race to the escape pods after one player rigged the space station to explode.

Sunday afternoon I played Delta Green. Normally I'm a bit wary of Cthulhu, but I pre-signed up to this as it was a military game set in Afghanistan. The GM, Paul, had never run a con game before, but he was bloody brilliant! Kept it pacey, nice interactions with NPCs, proper military tactics and protocols AND no pointless dice rolls which stall the plot when you fail. The ending was a bit rushed, since my Maschine Zeit had overrun by 20 mins, plus we kind of started twice when a player joined in late. However, since the end was the usual Cthulhu stuff of going barkingly insane and/or getting eaten by a gribbly, I don't think we lost much of the impact of the game!
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