Norwich Games Convention - a brief preview

Norwich games expo – What’s taking your fancy?

This Saturday sees the *first of what hopefully will be a regular games convention in Norwich

So in this **unpaid preview, what exciting things are on offer?

Doors open at 10am and for those dropping off games in the Bring and buy, this may well be a first port of call. Hopefully not the mile-long queue of the UK games expo....

Will you be dropping games off to make space for other games to replace them, or browsing what’s on offer to find the grail game you’ve always wanted, or a bargain or three?

 

There are stalls open from 10am – 6pm, covering a range of interests. Quite a lot of focus on Role playing games (RPGs) and accessories, with more dice than a mad chef on speed. Art, T-shirts and even a tattoo artist also on offer. Norwich businesses are strongly out in support, including Norwich VR, The Games table, Slice and Dice, Zatu and Black Tower Games, along with others from nearby such as Crit It and the wonderful couple who run Badgers games from Kings Lynn.  Quirkiest stall perhaps the Lazy bug rugs stall – go get your knitted dinosaurs…!

Also starting at 10am, are roleplaying games in the historic ***crypt, but note these do require pre-booking, so find a topic that appeals and get signed up. There’s good variety, showing the hobby is much broader than mere dungeon-crawls, and there’s even a ‘Miss Marple’ style murder mystery RPG.

 

Throughout the day there will be live auctions, and even if not bidding, it’s a chance to see/experience a big variety of auction styles…. And no, don’t worry about scratching your nose or touching your ear counting as a bid.

 

There’s also charity gaming for the Benjamin Foundation in Blackfriars hall at 2pm – 6pm

 

The event listing is here https://www.norwichgames.uk/whats-on, with additional info on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NorwichGamesCon

 

Perhaps if biggest appeal is the opportunity for all-day gaming, with the gaming area expanding significantly at 6pm when the market stalls pack up, and the gaming takes that space over as well. Will you stay for this and if so, are you aiming to grab that opportunity to dust off a copy of Game of Thrones or Twilight Imperium and settle in for the evening? Maybe a chance to game with friends or with strangers?

 

There’s going to be food and drink available for the majority of the day, so no need to leave the building and risk sunburn, drowning or mixing with the happy shoppers in the city.

 

Finally, if you do see John Anthony or Stacey (Staceface) Sanderson, give them a smile of encouragement, as they’ll probably be rushed off their feet all day, and indeed that goes for the other organisers.

 

Hope to see you there? If so, what's most exciting for you?

*whilst we’ve had Diceni for years, that does have a more tabletop gaming focus, albeit with a board game and cosplay element.

** However if there were any gold bullion available, it would as ever be appreciated.

*** I’m assuming a similar vibe to downstairs in the Louis Marchesi, possibly with more reliable electricity

**** or orctions as they call it. Not sure if there’s more teef involved.