The Tabletop Network Shop'n'Club Map It's even easier than founding a club to join an existing gaming group. Here you'll find all clubs, associations and gaming groups currently registered in the Tabletop Network, there's bound to be something near you too. So if you fancy a game or are looking to connect with like-minded people, you've come to exactly the right place. Often, however, the local tabletop shop also turns out to be a meeting point for like-minded people and offers you gaming space for relaxed tabletop gaming, not infrequently even as a replacement for a (non-existent) clubhouse. These shops are of course also entered on our map as gaming venues. Of course, it is still far from complete and is regularly expanded and updated. So feel free to pop by more often. Logically, how up-to-date it is always depends on clubs, gaming groups and shops getting themselves registered — so if you are not yet represented here, just get in touch. Of course, registration is free of charge and without obligation.

What is Tabletop? A question every one of us has been asked at some point: “What exactly are you doing there?” So let's get to the bottom of this question: What the hell actually is this “tabletop”?

The TNT (“Tabletop-Network-Treffen”) For years, the Gilde der Fantasy-Rollenspieler (“GFR e.V.”) organised the “PogoCon” in Pulheim near Cologne, named after the local youth centre “Pogo”. The event had been established for years, but visitor numbers were noticeably declining. In the end, it was an event without any noteworthy number of guests. So it was questionable whether the traditional con could and would continue to exist. The Bergheim tabletop club FAT DADS AND THE BITCHES FROM HELL had already previously helped shape the PogoCon, when suddenly the question arose whether it would have a future at all. At the same time, the FAT DADS were looking for a suitable venue for a first meeting of the growing Tabletop-Network Facebook group. So it made sense to first test a first TNT (“Tabletop-Network- Treffen”) as part of the PogoCon 2013, and the response absolutely exceeded expectations. Encouraged by this, we repeated it in 2014, this time as a pure tabletop event, and were again confirmed that the concept has a future. In cooperation with the Gilde, we were able to run the TNT in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and also in 2023 as a standalone event — and they were really great events!

We want you..! The basic idea behind the Tabletop-Network is to bring together players, clubs and gaming groups. A meeting “in real life” is of course perfect for that. Most cons and trade fairs primarily offer manufacturers and distributors a platform to present themselves and new products. But with the TNT we want to set a different focus and put the focus on you, the clubs: Come along and present your club, show people what a great community you are, make contacts with other gaming groups in your area and inspire people to join you. Plan tournaments, flea markets or cross-club campaigns. Get in touch with us, so that you can make yourselves even more present and even more active in our hobby world. See you online or at the next TNT!

Strategy games that are played without a conventional game board, like the one you know from “Mensch ärgere Dich nicht!”, and in which mostly not plain, shapeless playing pieces are used, but miniature models, are called “tabletop games”. After all, the term means nothing else than: table surface. So you play on a table. That's a good start. Most of the time, these miniature models are moved around in lovingly designed terrain, and normally it is about a battle in one form or another — whether with a single figure, with a handful, or with literally hundreds of miniatures. In the extreme case, each single one of these miniatures could have individual rules regarding movement and activities on the playing field — or whole blocks of models fall under the same regiment rules. There are dozens of different possibilities. Just as different, of course, are the players and their views: There are people for whom measuring their own strategic skills against those of their opponent is the appeal of the game. Others value detailed painted miniatures, others again don't play at all, but devour one novel with the corresponding background stories after another and collect the corresponding miniatures. Others again see their calling in designing first-class model terrain. Our hobby obviously has dozens of different facets and people set different priorities. These are of course reflected in how they deal with the hobby. But every single one has their place in the Tabletop Network. We would of course like to thank Denis at this point for allowing us to use his video.

Our Community Tabletop is a very social and extremely communicative hobby. You don't play at home, hidden behind a smartphone or monitor with anonymous or even imaginary fellow players, but you meet up for a sociable evening, prepare the game together with friends, discuss scenarios and play together: Tabletop just doesn't work alone. It's most fun in a group. Besides the increased fun factor, that also has very tangible advantages — you can share the costs of buying painting and crafting materials (and also organise very nice painting and crafting evenings with your friends — just remember which cup has cola in it and which cup has paint water in it!), you can help each other out with tips and tricks, build one big shared gaming table together and a thousand other things... As a club, you of course have significantly expanded possibilities — whether you are a gaming group or a registered association (“e.V.”): Searching for a gaming location (or fellow players), for example, is just as much easier in a group as organising events.