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That’s conpulsion 2023 done, and I think it’s pretty safe to say we’re back, and there’ll be another edition of the con next year! Things are likely to go quiet here for a few months while a new committee gets sorted out and they put their basic plan in place, but keep your eyes peeled for news in the summer.

In the meantime I’d like to sign off my time here by thanking everyone who had anything to do with the con, be that staffing, running one of the lovely trade stalls, running any of the cool demo games, looking after any of the brilliant events that make the con more than just 2 days of role playing, gming games for us, or simply turning up and (hopefully) having a good time! You’re all amazing and wonderful people.

You also all played your part in raising £3375 for Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, which is a genuinely outstanding tally and 3 times our goal at the start of the event!

It’s been a great time, and we look forward to seeing you all next year!

The conpulsion 2023 Committee

We’re excited to say that our schedule for this year is now live, with 65 games being run by our amazing GMs accross the 4 different timeslots!

You can see the full games list and the details of each here.

In a few days we’ll start emailing out the game pre-registration form to ticket holders. If you’ve not bought a ticket yet then they’re avaliable for purchase here. Don’t worry if you need to wait before picking up a ticket for some reason, most games also have a few slots being saved for on the day signups too.

Today’s update is some very sad news I’m afraid. Chris Baylis, a long-time friend of the convention and quiz master for many of its early years, passed away in February 2023 at the age of 72.

Chris was a cheery soul, proudly from Basildon, who loved games, gaming and gamers. He edited Games Gazette for an astounding 42 years, providing industry news and honest game reviews, and also promoting conventions locally and further afield.

This naturally drew him to Conpulsion, where he put his encyclopaedic knowledge of games of all sorts and their rules to great use hosting the pub quiz. He was also a deft charity auctioneer, usually with some exclusive card game design as a lot that drew attendees into fierce bidding wars.

Chris leaves a legacy of games to the world, including Station Master, which was actually first play tested at Conpulsion as Cats & Dogs. His games were published globally from the mid-1980s onwards by companies such as Mayfair Games, Avalon Hill, Calliope and Standard Games amongst others, and they were translated into many languages.

He was a well-kent face and popular guest at many major conventions too: at GenCon in the US, Spiel in Germany and more recently, and closer to home, running the bring-and-buy for several years at UK Games Expo.

Chris made the Conpulsion pub quiz a key part of the con, and it continues to be so with Craig Oxbrow at the helm. So we are proud to recognise and remember Chris by naming the pub quiz winners trophy in his honour.

We’re happy to announce that Conpulsion tickets are now live! You can buy a day ticket or weekend ticket, with or without a limited-edition black “Conpulsion 2023” t-shirt from our Eventbrite page.

The Conpulsion Committee is pleased to announce that this year’s Conpulsion charity partner will be the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC). Established in 1978, the ERCC offers free and confidential emotional and practical support, information and advocacy in Edinburgh, East and Midlothian. They provide support to women, all members of the trans community, non-binary people and young people aged 12-18 who have experienced sexual violence at any time in their lives. This includes rape, sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation. You can find out more about the ERCC, their mission, and their specialist support services on their website.

Good news everyone! We’re pleased to announce that Conpulsion 2023 is happening and, for the first time since 2019, is going to be a fully in person con! The room bookings are now in place and I’m happy to say that we will be running from the 14th to the 16th of April, in the traditional venue of Teviot Row House.

You can expect some more posts over the next few days as we update our website, open GM signups, and generally let you know a bit more about what we have planned!