Tabletop Game Convention Preview: Dragonmeet 2025 (London)

Tabletop Game Convention Preview: Dragonmeet 2025 (London)

Where Worlds Collide, Dice Sing, and Stories Come Alive

It may sound corny, but it’s true: Dragonmeet has always been a convention where the tabletop community feels less like an audience and more like a family. With its move to a far bigger venue – ExCeL London, which currently also houses The Friends Experience, Squid Game: The Experience, Elvis Evolution, and The Last Days of Pompeii: The Immersive Experience – one might fear that some of its warm demeanour might suffer, but rest assured: we’ve been visiting since its inception and we’re sure the various exhibitors will be able to show off the most beautiful of booths, while the fanbase is sure to mount a gaming party and extravaganza which will take off at 9:30 in the morning. Although the trade hall closes at 18:00, there will, as always, be ample chances to keep gaming in the surrounding area for hours afterward.

Expect publishers to showcase their newest and boldest releases, designers to premiere their Kickstarter and Gamefound projects, indie creators to promote their passion projects, and tens of thousands of gamers to join at tables full of expertly crafted 3D tabletop terrain and colourful boards, all joining in unison to rejoice and acknowledge the continued success of their common favourite hobby. There will be playtests, demos, lectures, and debates, while attendees will be able to explore fresh settings and venture into worlds and new universes still hot off the proverbial anvil. We are looking forward to reconnecting with friends, conducting interviews, and walking through a trade hall that is bound to be filled with limited editions, hot new games, stunning handcrafted accessories, imaginative polyhedral dice, and the kind of games you tend to talk about all year long once you discover they exist.

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Panels, Playtests & A Growing International Presence

Even though Dragonmeet officially starts on Saturday, gamers and – especially – (budding) professionals would do well to already visit the night before, as various live shows – such as Terry Pratchett’s Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork live roleplaying show (in The O2, no less!), and various marketing and gaming industry live events are sure to warm up the water to boiling levels.

On Saturday, expect everything from fast-paced comedy panels, industry news, and even seminars about therapeutic gaming. Oh, and definitely check out the Employee Ownership with Mongoose panel, as we not only have a soft spot for Mongoose Publishing’s owner Matthew Sprange and writer-editor Bella, but our PR company has also helped the company with quite a lot of PR campaigns, such as the Kickstarter for hard SF TTRPG Pioneer.

One cool thing about the hobby is undoubtedly that publishers won’t only unveil expansions and new settings, but that both the bigger houses and smaller studios are sure to unveil strong settings, expand on older ones, and introduce experimental mechanics that stretch the definition of what a tabletop game can be.

One thing seems certain: Modiphius Entertainment is sure to draw a LOT of attention yet again – not only with the aforementioned and brand-new Terry Pratchett’s Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork, but also with Chris Birch’s passion project, Cohors Cthulhu, Paranoia: Five Clones from Alpha Complex, and new Fallout products, amongst other things. Companies like Chaosium can be expected to make another strong showing, as well, and we haven’t even mentioned the almost 200 (if we counted right) other exhibitors yet. There will be more global partnerships, a noticeable rise in cross-media projects spanning tabletop RPGs, novels, audio dramas, comics, and even indie animation!

LifeBytes Magazine at Dragonmeet 2025

Of course, like every year, LifeBytes Magazine will once again be on the floor, capturing the pulse of the convention from the inside out. We will be conducting interviews, highlighting must-see booths, exploring upcoming releases, and offering behind-the-scenes looks at the creators who drive this industry forward. We’ll have a lot of post-event coverage rich in insights, photos, reviews, and exclusive conversations with some of the most exciting voices in modern tabletop gaming.

Why 2025 Matters

2025 might just turn out to be somewhat of a turning point: a year of consolidation after an unusually explosive and very welcome global tabletop RPG growth, but, quite possibly, also a year of experimentation. As digital tools, virtual tables, and AI-enhanced play spaces mature while others are put to rest because players have shown they still prefer to meet live around an actual table, Dragonmeet 2025 stands as a meeting point between tradition and innovation. It’s a celebration of the stories we share around real tables with real people – and the evolving tools that help us tell them.

Mark your calendar. Bring your dice tower. Pack your minis. London is calling and this time it’s not just to the faraway towns.

More info: www.dragonmeet.co.uk

Text: Dirk Vandereyken

Pictures: © Dragonmeet