PAX AUS 25 Tabletop Hall Bursting at Seams
Year over year, one of the my favourite aspects of PAX AUS that continues to grow is the Tabletop Hall, with both dedicated vendors and a range of designers and publishers on hand to provide demos and competitive play. For PAX AUS 2025, new Presenting Partner eBay is looking to make it a year to remember with giveaways and some of the biggest names in tabletop gaming on hand.
Kicking off with familiar faces, Magic: the Gathering will be taking over the Friday night of PAX AUS 25 with the Magic: the Gathering Live Play event that promises food, drinks, special guest and much more. That’s not all – the much-anticipated Marvel’s Spider-Man set will also be playable in the Play Area, where PAX AUS attendees can take part in beginner demonstrations and receive a free MtG Welcome deck to get them started. Across the whole weekend, eBay will be rewarding attendees competing in Tabletop Challenges with limited edition prizes to celebrate the platform being the Number One choice of Australian gamers for CCG buying and selling. In this spirit, MetaZoo TCG makes it’s PAX AUS debut with the team on hand to give demos and discuss why Bigfoot is no match for the legendary Aussie Drop Bear in this cryptid themed trading card experience.
Paint and Take returns courtesy of sponsor Two Thin Coats, running special events on both the Friday and Saturday nights as well as being open on the show floor each day from 10AM – 6PM. Free minis, paints and plenty of fun are promised for those willing to get creative and is a highlight for many attendees. Those who hunger for hotness can play the latest titles from publishers like Dungeons and Dragons, Stonemaier Games, Good Games Publishing, Keymaster Games, Chaosium Inc. and more, with ever elusive Convention promos to entice players to every booth.
Bandai Card Games are once again bringing fan favourite anime card games to the forefront with One Piece, Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World, the Digimon Card Game and the hotly anticipated Gundam Card Game on the floor for purchase and play. Star Wars Unlimited will be showcasing its latest set, Legends of the Force which launches in July. Not to be outdone after taking the show floor by storm in 2024, publisher Ravensburger will once again have Disney Lorcana for demo and purchase, expanding to include a wider range of Ravensburger games and toys alongside exclusive promos. TAK Games will be hosting with special Lorcana evening events planned for PAX AUS attendees.
But there’s one more enormous bit of news – for the first time ever at PAX AUS, Games Workshop will be on-site bringing both the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40K universes Down Under with painting workshops, learn-to-play sessions and exclusive items for purchase at their booth. As the largest tabletop miniatures game in the world, it sits alongside Magic: the Gathering as two titans of tabletop taking over the Hall in 2025 and ensuring it’s a weekend no Aussie game will want to miss.
There’s of course many retailers, independent designers, Indie Showcase winners and more that will do their part to make the PAX AUS 2025 Tabletop Hall the place to be in Melbourne across October 10-12. While 3-Day badges have sold out, there are still individual day badges available through PAX AUS, but be quick – even these won’t stick around forever!
Images in this article are credited to Sydney based photographer Maria Boyadgis – check out their official site for bookings and more!
