This edition we have two new old school RPG conventions, a battle LARP with no battling, a games market and a semi-academic LARP convention all about theory.

Note: You might be wondering why it's been a while since the last edition of this newsletter came out. The monthly format proved to be a bit problematic and real life got in the way so these will now be coming out on an as needed basis.

Melbourne Dungeon Con 2026

Date: Sunday 27th September | 11am - 7pm
Location: Sabby, 60 Leicester St, Carlton
Price: Free

Tom's note: The below description is from the organisers. Of particular note is that this is being hosted at (but not by) Sabby - a co-op I'm part of that's hosting a lot of fun in person events around art and gaming, definitely check it out. Also, this team is still looking for GMs to run games, at the moment there are a lot of people keen to come buy not enough games yet so please sign up if it sounds interesting.

Dungeon Con is a free, community-driven TTRPG convention with an emphasis on the small, old-school, weird, wacky and new. It's a day-long event where you can play or run games, meet new people and share the stuff you've made.

Tickets and GM signups are open now! Bring your DnD group, claim a table and play a one-shot with them, then mix with the other groups at the event and play some more games over the rest of the afternoon!

• Doors open 10.30am till 7pm
• Game slots from 11am, with zine swap at 2pm
• After party at a pub nearby!
• Any system; but a de-emphasis on the big ones like D&D 5E or Pathfinder

Please consider running a game! You could run...

• A game you've never tried before!
• A session of your regular open table, for new or returning players!
• A table of the official tournament module – The Horror of St Keye!
• The adventure or game you cooked up for the zine swap!

If this sounds cool, send it to your friends! Our goal is to contribute and help grow the community here in Melbourne, and we'd love to see your group come and play some games with us!

• Our website: https://melbournedungeoncon.com/
• If you or someone you know is interested in being a vendor: https://forms.gle/5dwwNbcnCeus1uff7
• Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/mdc-2026
• GM submissions: https://aftergame.app/events/620dabe5-4d6d-43bf-a089-ef69f7ff4171

Relics and Renegades

Tom's Note: Description from the organisers.

Relics and Renegades is an afternoon and evening of the finest in old-school D&D, OSR and NSR gaming. We've dug up TTRPGs from throughout the OSR and NSR scene, from weird-punk sci-fi post-apocalypse to classic D&D and original-edition Dungeons & Dragons. We've gathered together a dozen of Melbourne's most experienced and capable GMs to take you through worlds of exploration, treasure, and death defying adventure. No matter if you are the most grizzled grognard or you're entirely new to the hobby, we will have a game that will fill you with awe and terror. Join us on October 24th, 2026 at the The Depot, Donkey Wheel House for a day of adventure like nothing you've ever seen before, at Melbourne's Premier OSR and NSR gaming convention! We've started Relics and Renegades as a chance to bring the old and new takes on classic gaming to everyone in Melbourne. Everyone is welcome to bring dice, snacks, and their wits with them and test themselves against the dangers of the deepest delves. https://relicsandrenegades.com/

Enclave Battle LARP + Special Non-Battle Event

I talked about this group in my previous post but now I've actually attended and wanted to talk about the experience of being a new player is like. As a quick recap, this is a battle larp where each Friday a field becomes a battleground filled with armored fighters competing in rounds of battle attacking each other in teams with foam weapons. This is the smaller option in Melbourne compared to the more established Swordcraft and is a good option if you want quicker rounds and a less chaotic battle.

My friends and I were able to rock up one Friday, no gear, no experience and then be happily smacking people with foam swords within 40 minutes. You get shepherded through new player training, then put on a team with some experience players to guide you and then you're in!

The game is split into pretty quick moving rounds where the field has been set up with a bunch of markers showing different types of terrain and obstacles. Sometimes it might be low walls that can be fired over, sometimes it might be mud that will slow down armoured players or more fantastical obstacles likes walls of flame.

Each round goes by pretty quickly so if you die you're back in very fast, I personally found it to be some pretty good exercise. The community seems to be really friendly and although I think once was probably enough for me, some friends of mine have fully jumped into it and are having an awesome time.

These battle larps are definitely light on the roleplay but if you're interested in a game that has a bit more RP in it there is the:

Enclave Special Non-Battle Event

Something that the group at Enclave have been doing is hosting "Fables" which are their special day time events where they delve a lot more into the roleplaying. Their second one is coming up in September and has NO FIGHTING and is also new player friendly.

More info about the event here: https://events.humanitix.com/enclave-fable-courtlands
Enclave discord here: https://discord.gg/CGNEvkVKyY

Playful Agenda Symposium

Date: 28th and 29th of November
Location: 208 Wellington Street, Collingwood VIC
Cost: Free
New pitches on August 18th

This is a new semi-academic conference all about the meta-level of what goes into LARP. It's about LARP creation and design and culture, something that Australia actually has a pretty rich history of - but which it can be difficult to find out about as a lot of the discussions have been happening either in private or at pubs after games.

They're still looking for more pitches - be that Panels, Workshops, Written Publications, or Posters. The impression I get is that since this is a new conference they're keen for creative submissions, about anything related to the meta of creating and running LARPs.

For more information, check out their discord: https://discord.gg/Hypey3zyf6

Conquest Games Market

Date: 12 September 2026
Location: Coburg Town Hall
Cost: Only what you buy

It's on again! I went to this last year and got some great art and a few adventure zines. They also have lots of dice, local or historical games to buy, all kinds of cool stuff.

More info about Conquest and their events: https://www.conquest.asn.au/links/