UK Games Expo 2022

I just got back from the UK Games Expo and I thought I’d write a bit about my experience as a first time visitor over the three days I spent there.

Initial Impressions

My initial impressions the expo was overwhelming, there’s a lot to take in, and it was busy from the minute we arrived. After two and a half days of visiting I definitely don’t think we saw even close to everything. I was surprised about the mix of things available, whilst I assumed it would be mainly board game convention there was a significant amount of war gamer and RPG content.

Highlights

There was a ton of opportunities to play games both as a demo, from the library, or just games that had been bought at the venue. Over the weekend I managed to play:

• Bitoku
• Wild: Serengeti
• SCOUT
• Blue Lagoon
• Arabella: 18XX Roll and Write
• Long Shot: The Dice Game
• Star Wars: Outer Rim
• Unmatched
• Netrunner

I definitely enjoyed the vast majority of the games I played, with special exception to the two playtest games we played - neither of which were strong games and aren’t listed above. The experience of visiting and playing games was definitely improved by having friends with us for days one and two of our visit. I’d recommend bringing someone along.

We also got to watch a live Shut Up and Sit Down podcast recording, which was a nice break from wandering around and playing.

I also enjoyed getting to visit the stands of Dungeon Bones, Senet, and Folding Space who I’ve used the products of before!

Regrets

I would’ve loved to have played Dune Imperium, the Arkham Horror LCG, and Final Girl, but I didn’t have a chance to test them. For Arkham Horror LCG and Dune Imperium I’m not too fussed - I can do that again at a board game café, but Final Girl would’ve been nice to try given how difficult it is to get a copy of.

My biggest regrets are not buying things early! Long Shot: The Dice Game sold out by 11am day 2, and I had the chance to purchase it but waited until having a chance to play it. Final Girl sold out in the first 3 hours, and I definitely could have sold it on if I didn’t enjoy it.

Thoughts for Next Time

It’s definitely worth planning ahead and making a list of stands to visit or try. I’d also prioritise shopping early, specifically for rare, hard to find, or frequently out of stock games. I’d also be more willing to try game I hadn’t heard of or games I was unsure of based on promotional material.

Bringing cash is also super important and we forgot to do so. Most people deal in card machines but the board game library and the Bring and Buy operate exclusively in cash.

Purchases

I ended up purchasing:

• No Thanks!, a simple bidding card game.
• Star Wars RPG: Speeders and Starships, a used collection book from the Bring and Buy.
• Scout, a small Oink Games card game.
• Startups, another small Oink game.
• The Folded Space Brass organiser, to make Brass easier to set up.
• A Dungeon Bones set of status poker chips, I already own a few inspiration chips and I love the concept.
• Senet Magazine Issue #2, the issue I was missing!
• NISEI System Gateway, I played Netrunner and got drawn in again!
• Kanban EV, the big impulse purchase from the weekend. I’ve wanted to play a Vital Lacerda game for years and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to buy one here.
• Natural Twenty Tables Leaf Box, after communicating on and off with the guys at Natural Twenty Tables about getting a leaf box I let them know we were going to the expo, and they made one for us so we could take it away on the day!

I also got a couple of freebies:

• The Split looks like a fun game that I got given whilst learning a bit about Blaseball: The Card Game.
• I also got a hyena meeple from the Wild: Serengeti stand.