Conpulsion


Conpulsion is the oldest gaming convention in Scotland, hosted by the Edinburgh University Roleplaying Society (GEAS) annually in Teviot Student Union, Edinburgh. It predominantly features role-playing games and live action role-playing games, but also includes wargames, board games, collectible card games, and non-collectible card games. The convention also has a strong focus on giving money to charity, in a similar vein to many Irish conventions.
WWW conpulsion.org

History

Conpulsion began in 1987 as Dungeon Aid, in a nod to Band Aid and Live Aid, with the intent to raise money for charity through gaming. After the first few years it was renamed Big Con, then later Conpulsion in 1995. After growing gradually in popularity through the late 80s and 90s the convention moved from The Pleasance buildings to Teviot in 1999, where it has been held since.
The 2005 event played host to the launch of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition.
In 2012, Conpulsion began "themeing" the event, starting with Apocalypse in reference to the Mayan Apocalypse predicted for December that year. This continued in 2013 with Espionage, 2014 with Innovation, and 2015 with Overboard. The 2015 closing ceremony announced the theme for 2016 would be Underworld.

Banquo Award

Starting in 2004, and annually since 2007, Conpulsion has hosted the award ceremony for the Banquo Award, which recognises those encapsulating the "Spirit of Scottish Gaming".
NameYear
Morgan Davie2004
John Wilson2007
Janet Kerr2008
Malcolm Craig2009
Sean Maguire2010
Sandy Douglas2011
Paul Bourne2012
Craig Oxbrow2013
Sophia George2014
Gregor Hutton2015
Iain Lowson2016
Phil Harris2017
Hugh Hancock2018
Jon Hodgson2019
Bez Shahriari2020
Dave Allsop2021
David Wright2022
Tanya Floaker2023

Griffie Awards

Since 2012, Conpulsion has annually presented two awards for the best RPG and best Board/Card Game released in the past year, voted on by attendees.
GamePublisherYear
Dark Harvest: Legacy of FrankensteinCubicle 72012
Dungeon WorldSage Kobold Productions2013
MindjammerMindjammer Press2014
Pirates & DragonsCakebread & Walton2015
Call of Cthulhu 7th EditionChaosium2015

GamePublisherYear
Ora et LaboraLookout Games2012
Android: NetrunnerFantasy Flight Games2013
Eldritch HorrorFantasy Flight Games2014
MascaradeRepos Production2014
Frankenstein's BodiesYAY! Games2015
Astral Peaceformat 152016

Reception

In a review of the 2014 Conpulsion in Black Gate, M Harold Page said "Conpulsion always feels like a place rather than a fleeting confluence of people, a home to anybody who knows that there are more kinds of dice than six-sided ones. I'll certainly be back next year and plan to spend as much time gaming as possible."