Dungeons & Flagons has been running board game events in pubs around Manchester since 2017. This has expanded to also include the Manchester Board Game Festival, a Friday to Sunday event run approximately 5 times a year.
I had an opportunity to ask a few questions of James Oxley, the founder of Dungeons and Flagons and the creator of the Manchester Board Game Festival.
Talk us through the story of MGBF. How did it start, and how has it changed over time since then?
Dungeons & Flagons started back in 2017 and has been running ever since, apart from a brief pause during the pandemic. During that time we moved our community online, hosting quizzes, games nights and social events through Discord to keep people connected when meeting in person wasn't possible.
Shortly after the pandemic, I made the decision to take D&F full-time. At that point we were running regular all-day gaming events at weekends, but attendance was growing quickly and we needed more space. We moved to Manchester Metropolitan University Students' Union, which gave us room to expand and try new things.
After only a few events there, it became clear there was an appetite for something bigger. Our attendees wanted more gaming time, more activities and more opportunities to meet people, so the D&F Weekenders were born.
Towards the end of 2024, a change in management at the Students' Union meant the venue would no longer be opening at weekends, leaving us without a home for our larger events. We began searching for a new venue in Manchester city centre and eventually discovered Manchester Conference Centre at Pendulum Hotel. The venue offered everything we'd been looking for: large open gaming spaces alongside dedicated rooms for RPGs, social deduction games, seminars and quieter gaming.
It was exciting, but also a little daunting. The venue was significantly larger than anything we'd used before, and we knew we'd need to offer more than ever to make it work. That was the moment we decided to think bigger and rebrand the event entirely. Manchester Board Game Festival was born.
At around the same time, I also discovered the event floor at Sachas Hotel. We took a chance on running a Christmas special there in December 2024, and the response was fantastic. Then came the first Manchester Board Game Festival at Pendulum in February 2025, which exceeded our expectations and confirmed that there was demand for a larger-scale board gaming event in Manchester.
Originally, MBGF was only intended to be an annual event. However, after speaking with attendees and seeing the success of the first festivals, it became clear that people wanted it more often. We carried out some research, looked at the demand, and made the decision to expand to five festivals a year. Today we split our events between Pendulum Hotel for the summer festivals and Sachas Hotel for the winter editions, making the most of what each venue offers.
As the festival grew, so did what it offered. What started as a board gaming event evolved into a much broader celebration of tabletop gaming and geek culture. Alongside hundreds of board games, we introduced dedicated RPG spaces, social deduction games, seminars, playtesting opportunities for designers, and the Geek Fayre, giving independent artists, creators and small businesses a platform to showcase their work. We wanted to create something that felt more like a true festival experience than simply a room full of board games.
Today, MBGF welcomes attendees not just from Greater Manchester but from across the UK. Every festival brings together families, friendship groups, hobby veterans and people attending their very first gaming event.
What has remained constant throughout all of this is the community. Dungeons & Flagons has always been about more than just games. Our mission has been to create welcoming spaces where people can meet new friends, build confidence and feel like they belong. Board games are simply the tool we use to bring people together. In a world where social isolation is becoming increasingly common, creating opportunities for genuine face-to-face connection has become more important than ever.
MBGF has grown because people keep coming back, bringing their friends, recommending the event and helping us shape what it becomes next. Every festival has taught us something new, and we've continued to evolve based on what our attendees tell us they want. That's why the event feels very different today than it did in 2017, while still staying true to the same core goal: bringing people together through the power of play.
What was your reasoning behind holding this event? What was the biggest hurdle that you've had to overcome to get it or keep it running?
I've always enjoyed bringing people together. Long before Dungeons & Flagons, I was organising gigs, club nights and community events, which eventually led me to study Event Management at university. Over the years I've worked on all sorts of events, from weddings and conventions to helping organise a heavy metal festival.
D&F was really a natural combination of three things I love: organising events, building communities and playing board games. What started as a hobby quickly became something much bigger because I realised board games are an incredible tool for bringing people together. They create conversations between strangers, help people build friendships and give people a reason to leave the house and connect with others.
The reasoning behind MBGF was very similar. We could see our existing events growing and we knew people wanted more than just a single day of gaming. We wanted to create something that celebrated every corner of the tabletop hobby while still feeling welcoming and approachable. Whether someone is a lifelong gamer or has never picked up a modern board game before, we want them to feel comfortable walking through the doors.
The biggest challenge has probably been balancing accessibility with sustainability. From the beginning, it has been incredibly important to me that our events remain affordable and accessible. At the same time, the costs involved in running events have increased dramatically over the years. People naturally think about the cost of board games, but there are also venue hire fees, storage, equipment, insurance, licences, marketing and countless other behind-the-scenes expenses that attendees never see.
As an independent business, that creates a constant balancing act. We've had to make some difficult decisions around pricing over the years, but we've always tried to do so carefully and transparently. Ultimately, I'd rather build an event that offers genuine value for money and remains accessible to as many people as possible than simply chase the highest ticket price. I think we've managed to find a good balance between creating sustainable events and delivering an experience that attendees feel is worth every penny.
The other challenge is growth without losing the atmosphere that made people fall in love with the event in the first place. It's one thing to increase attendance numbers, but it's much harder to maintain the welcoming, friendly and community-focused environment that people value. As MBGF has grown, we've worked hard to preserve that feeling. We still want first-time attendees to feel just as comfortable walking through the doors as someone who's been attending for years. In many ways, protecting that sense of community has become just as important as growing the event itself.
You have the support of quite a few board games companies, are there any that have gone above and beyond that you want to shout out?
It's always difficult to answer this question because there are so many companies and individuals who support what we do, but if I had to single out one organisation, it would probably be Hachette Boardgames UK.
Flav and the team have been incredible supporters of Dungeons & Flagons and Manchester Board Game Festival over the last few years. They've attended as many festivals as possible, showcased new releases, taught games to attendees and generally thrown themselves into the event. What I appreciate most is that they don't just turn up with products to sell; they genuinely engage with the community and help create the welcoming atmosphere we're always striving for.
We were also completely blown away by the generosity of Themeborne Games, who donated ten collector's editions of The Last of Us: Escape the Dark for us to use as prizes and giveaways throughout the year. Support like that has a huge impact on an independent event like ours.
Then there are the fantastic smaller publishers and creators who regularly support us. Companies like Hive Mind Games, Heartborn Studios and Ingenium Games have become familiar faces at our events. Whether they're running demos, hosting sessions, sponsoring activities or simply spending time with attendees, they add so much to the festival experience and help make MBGF feel unique.
Beyond those examples, there are countless other publishers, designers and businesses who contribute in different ways. Some support our Demo Zone, some donate prizes to our charity fundraising efforts, and others help us expand our games library so attendees can discover something new. Every contribution, big or small, helps us create a better experience for our community.
One thing that has consistently impressed me throughout this journey is how generous and supportive the tabletop gaming industry is. Time and time again, people have gone out of their way to help us succeed, and MBGF simply wouldn't be what it is today without that support.
I'm guessing these events are a bit of a frenzy for you and your team. Can you give a walk through of the weekend from your perspective?
That's certainly one way to describe it! But if I've done my job properly, the frenzy should actually be fairly limited. Most aspects of the festival are planned months in advance and, thanks to an incredible team of volunteers, the event itself usually runs remarkably smoothly. Without those volunteers, Manchester Board Game Festival simply wouldn't be possible.
I won't bore you with the countless hours of spreadsheets, emails, planning documents and venue visits that happen before the festival, but let's just say there's a lot of work that takes place long before the first attendee walks through the door.
My festival weekend usually starts bright and early on Friday morning. Alongside my partner Zoe and my friend Kevin (editorâs note: not me), I head off to collect the van before making our way to the D&F storage unit. We load up hundreds of board games, signage, equipment, furniture and all the other bits and pieces needed to transform an empty venue into a board game festival.
Meanwhile, Kelly is usually already at the venue, checking rooms, making sure parking arrangements are in place and welcoming the first volunteers. By the time we arrive, everyone is ready to get stuck in.
The next few hours are a whirlwind of unloading, moving equipment, building gaming spaces and making sure everything is ready for the first attendees arriving at 3pm. Then, almost suddenly, the festival begins and all the planning starts to come to life.
Throughout the weekend, my role is largely about keeping an eye on the bigger picture. I make sure bookable sessions are running on time, volunteers have what they need, traders are happy and attendees are having a great experience. If everything is running smoothly, most people probably won't even notice what I'm doingâand that's usually a good sign.
Saturday is always the busiest day. The festival is in full swing and we also welcome dozens of Geek Fayre traders. That operation is led by some of my fantastic crew, including Leah, Joe, Joe and Jasper, who help get everyone set up and ready to open.
One of my favourite moments of the weekend is running our charity pub quiz on Saturday afternoon. It's become something of a festival tradition and is always a highlight. Sunday brings more gaming, more RPGs, more traders and our charity bingo session before we begin saying goodbye to people and preparing for pack-down.
By Sunday evening, after the final giveaways have been drawn and the last games have been packed away, the attendees head home and the real exhaustion starts to kick in. But before we all disappear, there's one tradition I always look forward to: getting together with the volunteers and crew for pizza and drinks. It's a chance to relax, share stories from the weekend and celebrate what we've achieved together.
Then Monday morning arrives and it's back to reality. We load everything back into the van, return it all to storage and begin preparing for the next festival.
What's funny is that, despite the festivals getting larger, they're actually becoming easier to run. As the event has grown, we've been able to invest in better infrastructure and equipment. There was a time when D&F operated out of our first-floor flat and I was carrying games down the stairs and making multiple trips to venues in our personal car. Today, everything fits into a single Luton van, and our latest improvement has been moving the library onto wheeled shelving units. It's amazing how much time and effort something like that saves.
For me, that's one of the most rewarding parts of the journey. Every improvement, every new piece of equipment and every new system has only been possible because people keep coming back to support the festival. What started as a handful of friends getting together to play games has grown into something much bigger, but at its heart it's still powered by the same thing it always was: an amazing community of people who love spending time together around a table.
My favourite part of the weekend is usually not a specific game, event or activity. It's seeing complete strangers sit down together on Friday and leave on Sunday having become friends. Those moments happen at every single festival, and they're a reminder of why we do all of this in the first place.
What are the biggest hits from the board game library? Did any gamesâ popularity catch you by surprise? Are there any that you think deserve more love than they're getting?
 According to our library software, the most checked-out game since MBGF began is Doomlings, which doesn't really surprise me. It's one of Pablo's favourite games, and they're constantly recommending it to attendees. When you've got enthusiastic volunteers championing games they love, those games tend to find their way onto a lot of tables!
The next most-played title is Harmonies, which also makes perfect sense to me. It's one of those games that's incredibly easy to learn but offers plenty of depth once you get into it. It appeals to experienced gamers and newcomers alike, which is usually a recipe for success at a festival.
One thing I really enjoy seeing is smaller publishers holding their own alongside some of the industry's biggest names. Games like Ravine, Aethermon Collect and Fetching Feathers have all proven incredibly popular with our attendees, which is fantastic because it shows people are willing to try something new rather than simply sticking to the games they've already heard of.
One game that surprised me by not appearing higher in the rankings recently was The Gang. Every time I walked around the festival I seemed to see people playing it, so I suspect a lot of attendees were bringing their own copies rather than borrowing ours from the library. It's certainly one of the games that has generated a lot of conversation within the D&F community.
As for a game that deserves more love, I'd probably pick After the Empire. It's one of my personal favourites and I think it's criminally underrated. I love worker placement games, I love tower defence games and I really like castles, so it almost feels like it was designed specifically for me.
Despite that, it sits surprisingly low on our checkout lists. I'd love to see more people give it a try because I think it's a genuinely excellent game.
One of the interesting things about running a large games library is watching trends come and go. Sometimes a game arrives with huge hype and quietly fades away, while other times a title you've barely heard of suddenly develops a following and ends up becoming one of the most-played games of the weekend. That's one of the things I love most about the library: it's constantly introducing people to their next favourite game.
Do you have any advice for anyone considering running their own board game gathering?
I think the biggest piece of advice I'd give is to be genuinely welcoming and genuinely available.
For me, D&F is my full-time job, so I don't expect everyone running a gaming group to take it quite as far as we do. But one thing I've always believed is that people should never feel like they're interrupting you when they arrive. At our events, I never sit down to play games myself. I'm usually greeting people, introducing attendees to one another, answering questions or helping people find a game. At the festivals, our welcome desk is staffed from opening until closing, so there's always a friendly face available if somebody needs help.
At smaller groups, something as simple as having a designated greeter can make a huge difference. Having someone keep an eye on the door, welcome newcomers and act as a point of contact helps remove a lot of the anxiety people can feel when attending for the first time. It doesn't have to be the same person all night either; you can rotate the role between members of the group.
At D&F, our hosts wear T-shirts that say "Host" and our festival volunteers wear crew lanyards so they're easy to identify. But it doesn't need to be that formal. It could be a badge, a hat, or simply someone making the effort to stand up, introduce themselves and say, "If you need anything, just come and find me." Those small gestures can make a world of difference to someone walking through the door for the first time.
The second piece of advice is something we talk about a lot at D&F: don't tell people they're wrong for enjoying something that doesnât harm anyone else.
We have a phrase for it internally: "Don't poop on someone's parade" (although we usually say it slightly less politely).
If someone comes to one of our events and tells me Monopoly is their favourite game, I'm never going to tell them they're wrong, even though it's not a game I personally enjoy. Usually there's a reason people love something. One of my friends enjoys big, complex modern board games, but Monopoly will probably always be one of his favourites because it reminds him of family game nights growing up. That's a perfectly good reason to enjoy a game.
I think sometimes people in hobby spaces can be a little too quick to tell others what they should and shouldn't like. I've never found that particularly helpful. If someone enjoys Monopoly, great. If they enjoy Warhammer, great. If they enjoy a heavy four-hour strategy game, also great. My job isn't to tell people their fun is wrong.
Instead, if they ever decide they want to try something new, then we'll be there with recommendations.
Ultimately, people come back to gaming groups because of how they're made to feel, not because of how many games are on the shelf. If you create a welcoming environment where people feel comfortable, respected and included, everything else tends to follow from there.
