Tabletop Emporium, Cardiff’s only TTRPG-focused hobby shop, is at stand 3-670
TTRPGs (tabletop roleplaying games) can feel like a daunting thing to get involved in. Even if you’re a pro now, I’m sure you remember that initial nervous excitement when you started out. The first thing Bree – of specialist shop Tabletop Emporium in Cardiff – would like you to know about TTRPGs, is that they are for everyone. She’s eager not only to bring the work of small, indie creators into the spotlight, but also to help create a safe space in which anyone can enjoy them.
TTRPGs aren’t all that different from board games. They are about having fun with friends, sharing an experience and storytelling. And there are so many different genres, complexities and themes that there is something for you. To get started, as with a board game, you just read the rulebook! Roleplaying itself might come naturally to you, or you might need to practice, but that’s okay.
If a TTRPG is another world in your hand, ready to come alive on the tabletop, then Tabletop Emporium is more than a shop. It’s a magical launchpad, where you can find portals to all kinds of worlds you’d never imagined. Tabletop Emporium doesn’t sell board games, Warhammer or trading cards. It sells TTRPG books and zines and is one of only a handful of shops in the UK and Europe to do this.
Finding stock is a quest in itself. Scouring the internet, delving into community Discord servers, Kickstarters, Reddit, Indie Press Revolution, keeping in touch with creators they have met through the years and going in person to conventions, helps them curate a collection of the most interesting worlds to bring to their customers. Some of the toughest ones to get hold of so far have been Thousand Year Old Vampire, Ten Candles, Cartograph and Mothership. After successfully procuring it a few times, Mothership is back on the wish list again, alongside Good Society and Lancer.
Dungeons & Dragons remains Bree’s most played and favourite TTRPG. These days, as well as trying out random indie games, some of her other favourites include, Vampire: The Masquerade and Thirsty Sword Lesbians. Some of the newest notable mentions go to Biosphere Guardians 2050, The Librarian’s Apprentice and Rom Com Drama Bomb. She is always happy to talk to anyone about games and make recommendations if they’re not sure where to start, or where to go to next.
As well as the shop, they publish Dungeons & Dragons adventures as Fumble Folks. They now have six adventures in physical format, alongside the award-winning Ritual Spellbook and Witch Class for D&D 5e. They run regular events including learn to play D&D and solo TTRPG book club, and have a mystery zine subscription service called Tabletop Sub Club. It’s a fantastic opportunity to discover new indie TTRPGs every month.
By far the biggest challenge is time. Finding enough time to do everything you want in the hobby: playing games yourself, discovering new treasures to sell, running events, bringing new people into the hobby, going to conventions – Bree says there’s never enough time for it all!
It would all be impossible without those wonderful customers who support local shops. Tabletop Emporium might be unable to match the prices of big retailers, but the knowledge, love and passion they have is unrivalled. When an order is placed with them, Bree says, “Unlike those online giants, we do a little ‘whoop!’ Every time!”
You can find Tabletop Emporium In Hall 3 of UK Games Expo, at stand 3-670.
Written by Emma Garrett
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