Prop suppliers

It is a good idea to buy props well in advance. If you wait until the day before to buy that vital UV pen, you will find that every branch of Ryman's and Maplin has run out of them.

London prop suppliers (bricks and mortar)

Chocolate coins

• Hamleys has these as of June 2009.

Costumes

• Good comprehensive range to buy or rent: Angels Fancy Dress, 119 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8AE

http://www.fancydress.com/content/london_store (as of June 2009)

• Party Superstores at Clapham Junction; full-on costume rental, plus a lot of cheap props and hats and makeup

http://www.partysuperstores.co.uk

• Steampunk/vintage costumes: Prangsta, 304 New Cross Rd, SE14 6AF

http://www.prangsta.co.uk (trading as of June 2009)

Electronics and technical

• Maplins is a good bet.

Toys

• Hamleys is worth wandering round for inspiration until you get a headache. There's an amazing number of cheap toys which suggest gimmicks for games. The staff are not very good at knowing what is actually on sale outside of their little department.