CritCon 2026

Yesterday we ran our first ever CritCon, and it went better than we could have hoped. Around 150 people came through the doors of the Lincoln Bishop University Student Union between 10am and 4pm for a day of demo games, trading, workshops and the kind of conversations that only happen when you get a room full of people who love this hobby.

The Warboot Bring and Buy

Fifteen traders set up for our Warboot™ bring and buy sale, and it was busy from the off. If you came looking to shift some old stock or grab a bargain, hopefully you left happy on at least one of those counts, it was great to see so many people buying, selling and trading across the day.

Demo Games

We had demo tables running all day covering a really solid range of games. If you played something new today, we are always happy to see you down at the club to play it in the future. 

The highlights included a Konflikt '47 demo table run by the manufacturers themselves, Warlord Games, who gave up their Saturday to come and show people what the game is all about. That kind of support means a lot and the table was busy throughout. It also included the folks from Fast Panda Gaming  demoing Infinity on beautiful table and Alix demoing Shatterpoint on another fantastic looking thematic table.  Alongside that we had demos of Warhammer 40,000, Blood Bowl, Trench Crusade and Malifaux, all run by people who clearly love the games they were showing off.

DM Workshop

Sixteen people spent the whole day in our Dungeon Masters workshop run by Ben, Kristy and Jim learning how to run tabletop RPGs. A full day is a real commitment and everyone who stuck it out should be proud. The tabletop scene always needs more GMs and DMs, and with any luck a few of today's attendees will be sitting behind the screen for the first time very soon.

The People

One of the best things about the day was the mix of people who came through. Plenty of complete newcomers to tabletop and roleplay gaming trying things for the first time, plenty of people returning to the hobby after a break, and plenty of long-time veterans who just wanted a good day out. All of them are welcome and all of them made the event what it was.

Thank Yous

A big thank you to all our traders and retailers who took part in the Warboot, and to every volunteer who ran a demo table or helped the day run smoothly (including Nick, Danish and Alice). Events like this only work because people give their time and enthusiasm, and today had that in abundance.

We had an absolute blast, we're exhausted, and we're already thinking about doing it again. Given the reception on the day, it won't be long. Watch this space.

In the meantime, join our Discord to stay in the loop on everything Crit Happens, including the next CritCon when it comes around.

Crit Happens is a tabletop gaming club and venue based in Lincoln. We run weekly club nights, events and now conventions. Come and find us.