Celebrate Tabletop Gaming Magazine’s 11th Birthday with Former Editor Matt Chapman: An Epic Celebration

Tabletop Gaming magazine turns 11 today, marking more than a decade of celebrating the very best the hobby has to offer. To mark the occasion, current Editor Matt Chapman looks back on his time in the big chair, from standout covers and unforgettable interviews to the games, moments and industry shifts that defined his editorship.

MATT CHAPMAN

Issues 107+

September 2025-Present Day

Do you have a favourite magazine cover from your time as Editor? 

WeirdCo and CD PROJEKT RED gave us some great art choices for Cyberpunk TCG, so the Issue 113 cover is up there. But who doesn’t love Godzilla? The charismatic kaiju was a neon-blast of joy on Issue 114.

Who was your favourite interview with Tabletop Gaming?  

Getting to sit down with Sir Ian Livingstone to talk about the early days of UK gaming gave me genuine goosebumps. 

What was your favourite game while you were Editor? 

I’ve been searching for great games that never got reviewed in TTG and slipping them in when we can – see Sky Team on page 65, for example. Tatsu (also in this issue, see page 62) has really clicked with me and I’ve started carrying that pocket version when I travel.

Is there a game you always wanted to get involved with, but were too busy creating the magazine to sit down and play? 

I play a lot of Magic: The Gathering so I was hoping to expand into Star Wars Unlimited, but I could never find an opponent when I had free time! I’ve had to admit defeat and let former editor Charlie be the expert for us on that one.

Do you have a favourite game that you still play today? 

Playing Dungeons & Dragons from a very young age is the reason I’m sitting in this big chair. I still run a few D&D games and play whenever I can.

Was there one standout event you went to that made you feel this job is special? 

When I announced my new role on LinkedIn, the fine people at Lucca Comics & Games spotted that and invited me to their event in Italy. I was completely enchanted by my time there and am adding it as a yearly destination.

What was the biggest change in gaming during your time in charge?

I thought we’d reached saturation point with trading card games and it would be impossible for a new game to make an impact in such a crowded market. Since then, we’ve seen the Cyberpunk TCG raise $28.4m (£20.9m), Riftbound establish itself as a major player, Azuki generate an awful lot of interest and even niche titles like the volleyball-based Haikyuu!! Baboco!! BREAK TCG potentially get a Western release.

Did you make any gaming predictions when you were Editor? And were you right?  

As soon as I saw the Cyberpunk TCG, I knew it was going to be super-popular. We featured it on the Issue 113 cover just before the Kickstarter launched, so when it broke all the crowdfunding records for a tabletop game that felt really special.

If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice at the start of your editorship, what would it be? 

Remember, you can’t review everything! That’s what our team of experts is for.

Hear from the other magazine Editors from Tabletop Gaming’s 11-year history:

Rob Burman: Issues 1-6 (Summer 2015-Autumn 2016)

Matt Jarvis: Issues 7-35 (September 2016-October 2019)

Christopher John Eggett: Issues 36-79 (November 2019-June 2023)

Charlie Pettit: Issues 85-106 (December 2023-August 2025)