'The exhibition itself is a game': Lincoln Museum enters the unknown of board gaming history
A choose-your-own adventure-style branching pathway to see the exhibits? Yes please
Far from squinting at faded 19th-century boxes behind a Perspex screen, an exhibition is encouraging its visitors to be a part of a game itself.
Lincoln Museum and Usher Gallery’s Games: Enter the Unknown not only explores the history and importance of the hobby, but features a choose-your-own adventure-style branching pathway to see the exhibits and allows attendees to create their own role-play characters and play titles in the collection.
We spoke to Laura Garner, a member of the museum’s exhibitions team, to find out more.
What was the inspiration for holding a tabletop game exhibition at the museum and why is it important to explore its history?
LG: It began with a Viking Hnefatafl piece and grew into an exhibition. Games: Enter the Unknown explores the links between extraordinary ancient games in the museum’s collection, well-known boardgames and contemporary tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG).
Throughout history, humans have met, got to know each other and socialised across a board game.
The exhibition is a celebration of the games and the players, the objects and the communities that use them and love them.
What can visitors expect to see?
They can discover ancient and unique artefacts from the museum’s collection such as the Viking Hnefatafl piece that inspired the exhibition, alongside a selection of Roman dice, and even modern board games made during important moments of the 20th century from the Museum of Lincolnshire Life.
Alongside this are a changing display of costumes made by members of the gaming community following an open call for fantasy costumes. The costume display changes weekly ensuring that there is always something new for visitors to enjoy and be inspired by.
There are two new artworks on display that were created especially for the exhibition: GG Good Game is a large digital artwork created by Nottingham Queer artist collective Moonbuns. This beautiful artwork depicts an epic, multi-figure and multi-landscape world that celebrates the variety of worlds that make up the history of gaming and the variety of players who inhabit them. More on the other artwork later…
What has the response been from the public? What kind of people has it drawn in and have you had visitors from further afield?
LG: Our regular visitors have enjoyed the exhibition and having the rotating costume display has brought in the local cosplay, D&D, steampunk and LARPing communities.
Taking place over the summer holidays the exhibition has attracted a family audience for both the seasoned gamer and newcomer alike.
There's a choose-your-own-adventure element to the exhibition? Can you tell us more about this, as well as its other interactive, gamified additions?
LG: The exhibition itself is a game. Upon entering, you can choose to visit each area as you please or let the dice decide for you.
We have created a passport for people to chart their course through the exhibition and to act as a keepsake. For each area there is a task to complete before stamping your passport. These tasks add to the gamified feel and the artwork in the Chance section was created especially for this exhibition for visitors to play, titled Roll for Art by Laura Mabbutt.
Where there any grail games that you really wanted to exhibit but were to rare or difficult to find?
LG: We went down the route of asking staff to choose their favourite games giving the selection a nostalgic feel – the only one we were unable to track down was the elusive (but no doubt lacking popular appeal) Dream Phone.
We worked with a local organisation supporting young people aged 18-25 years of age who run a group called the Nerd Herd. Members of the group selected their favourite games, with insight into their choices – you can play these in our Community Corner gaming area.
Tabletop gaming is going through something of a golden age at the moment, particularly post-pandemic when people have picked up the hobby. Is this reflected in the exhibition?
LG: Absolutely – it has been a pleasure to learn more as a team about tabletop and role-playing games, and to give something back to the communities that we have worked with.
Which games have been chosen for visitors to play and why those?
LG: We did create a brand-new game for the exhibition inspired by the Lincoln Museum collection – this was made by our young people’s group The Creative Collective and is called MUSEO. It asks its players to work together to build the best museum possible – this has been a real hit with visitors.
If someone wants to curate or exhibit their own exhibition, what tips could you give them to draw people in and to ensure that, while people can play the games, they won't get damaged?
LG: Find and focus on your unique selling point: Why would people come to see your exhibition? For us, it was our artefacts. But it will be different for everyone – I think it’s also important to remember that the gaming community is very passionate and engaged but broad – don’t claim to be the authority, present the exhibition as your view or a certain way of seeing things and invite discussion and debate.
Our exhibition is invigilated so we have staff present to ensure that everyone has a positive and enjoyable experience. There will always be damage though so you could have replicas made for people to play with so that precious originals are not harmed.
Don’t put anything out for people to play/ handle that you can’t afford to have damaged!
You could also do set handling sessions with smaller numbers and plenty of staff on hand to minimise damage.
What's the plans for the collection once the exhibition is over?
LG: Our artefacts will go back into storage. Any games that have been loaned by staff will be returned to them, others may be kept for use at events, and anything no longer needed will be donated to charity.
Games: Enter the Unknown, runs until October 13. For more information, visit lincolnmuseum.com
What a great idea! As soon as I read Lincolnshire, I knew the museum wasn’t in the US. Oh well, I still enjoyed your post. 😊😊