UK games union brings industry dispute and tabletop worker advocacy to Tabletop Scotland

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) Game Workers branch has made its convention debut at Tabletop Scotland 2026, setting up an official presence at stand I-09 in the Royal Highland Centre. While the union represents more than 2,000 workers across the United Kingdom primarily based in the video game sector, this appearance marks the democratic, worker-led trade union’s formal public expansion into physical games. Tabletop Scotland runs through Sunday 6th September, with attendees able to speak directly to union delegates on the show floor.

The presence reflects an active shift in the UK tabletop landscape following high-profile organising efforts. London-based studio Rowan, Rook and Decard, creators of Spire and Eat the Reich, became the first UK tabletop games publisher to formally recognise the union, while designers at Modiphius Entertainment have also organised.

At Tabletop Scotland, union representatives Ben and Dave ran stand I-09 with a dual purpose: building membership among independent creators, while also being an active demonstration site for broader solidarity in the games industry, by selling members’ games – like Familiar Alchemy and Adventure Mart, both designed by union member Elaine Lithgow – to support the campaign and legal team of the fired workers from Edinburgh-based studio Rockstar North, where the parent firm, Rockstar Games, terminated 31 union workers in October 2025.

The Edinburgh studio remains one of the largest video game employers in Scotland, and the dismissals have sparked sustained labour protests across the Scottish tech and gaming sectors over recent months. Representatives also collected donations on the show floor to go towards supporting this noble fight.

Ben and Dave, Union Representatives at IWGB Game Workers, told Geek Native at Tabletop Scotland that many tabletop workers are freelancers. The union helps with legal issues, contract reviews, and the establishment of clear fee structures. Working as an independent creator can be isolating when you are just staring at a screen alone on Teams calls, and having collective support changes that.

The physical presence at an exhibition hall raises the practical question of why tabletop creators need union protection. In video games, employees frequently navigate multi-million-pound corporate hierarchies backed by international venture capital. In contrast, the tabletop roleplaying game and board game sector runs overwhelmingly on independent micro-publishers, self-funded Kickstarter campaigns, and sole traders.

However, as union delegates detailed, that structural fragmentation makes independent tabletop workers uniquely vulnerable. Freelance writers, illustrators, and rules designers regularly absorb irregular pay schedules, vague scope creep, and unclear intellectual property transfers. Beyond contract enforcement and rate guidance, the union functions as a vital professional network for solo developers who otherwise face total professional isolation between sporadic online calls. For tabletop creators attending the remainder of the show, stand I-09 offers membership forms for both staff and self-employed industry professionals.