UK Games Expo 2015

 

The map of tabletop gaming is a lot like the map of these Great British Isles. To the south we have the sophisticated and learned board games, the far reaches of the north hold the great untamed wilds of the collectible card game, over the hills to the west there be the dragons and wizards of roleplaying games and from Nottingham the kings of miniature war games hold court. And right in the centre of it all is the UK Games Expo.

The UK Games Expo is held at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole from the 28th to the 31st May 2015, and is the biggest tabletop gaming convention in the UK and it’s nearly upon us. Crammed full of publishers, designers, traders, Stormtroopers and Daleks and, most importantly, gamers, the UK Games Expo contains the best of UK tabletop gaming, as well as the best gaming from further afield.

Exhibitor Halls

The exhibitor halls make up the majority of space at the UK Games expo and it’s not all about trading. You’ll be able to chat with your favourite game designers and publishers as well as artists, authors and maybe even the odd celebrity (geeky of course). Absolutely everywhere people will be playing games, whether it is demos of the latest prototypes, Esdevium’s run through of popular games or just grabbing a table in the open gaming area or RPG rooms.

Keep an eye out for the impressive display stands for miniatures and role-players. Last year had some extremely detailed display boards for Battle Systems, Triple Ace Games and this year we should be seeing some Dwarven Forge.

And let’s not forget the ample opportunity for shopping; make sure you’ve sorted out your overdraft because you’re going to be tempted by loads and loads of games, cards, miniatures, dice and rulebooks.

Bring and Buy Sale

If the exhibitor’s halls weren’t enough to satisfy your shopping needs, or if you need to find a way to fund your latest purchase, there are plenty of opportunities in the Bring and Buy sale. This year’s system promises to be more streamlined and better organised than last year’s, which sometimes got a little hectic. It’s a great way to clear some space on your gaming shelf and possibly pick up a bargain.

Events

No gaming convention is complete without some competitive gaming and the UK Games Expo is no exception. There’s simply too much for me to mention here, hell there are 26 miniature game tournaments alone and that’s not including RPG, card and board game tournaments. Highlights include the international Warzone Resurrection tournament, UK heats for X-Wing and the UK Warmachine Steamroller Tournament.

But that’s not all. There are also loads of seminars with everything from board game design to writing your own novel. There’s a cinema, open gaming areas, game design competitions and loads of RPG games to get stuck into, seriously there are 300 RPG events!

Interviews and play-throughs

Along with the lovely people at the UK Gaming Media Network, I’ll be running all kinds of interviews, reviewing demos and generally taking photographs of absolutely everything. If you’re an exhibitor at the Expo and want some coverage like our video and audio interviews from last year please get in touch via Facebook, twitter or using the email address at the top of the page.

Also if you have an event you want advertised, please get in touch.

Is it time to start getting excited yet?