UK Games Expo 2023: Live Blog
Come and join us for a weekend of awesome fun here at the UK Games Expo 2023 in Birmingham, UK!
Share Your Experiences On Social Media With #UKGamesExpo & #UKGE2023
Live Blog!
We are running a series of three Live Blogs over the three days where you'll be able to watch all of the interviews that we do with the folks here at the event.
Make sure to follow along as there will often be chances for you to comment on specific videos on the Live Blog in order to win prizes.
Also Watch The OnTableTop Livestream
Over the three days of the UK Games Expo, the OnTableTop team are going to be running a livestream showcasing the best of the UK Games Expo and having some fun too.
Follow Along With The Livestream To Win Prizes!
Tune in over the three days and you can check out the Livestream here, on Twitch, YouTube or Facebook and follow along with all the fun and games from this year's event in Birmingham, UK.
Livestream Times
When to watch...
- Friday - 11am - 4pm
- Saturday - 11am - 4pm
- Sunday - 11am - 4pm
We are going to be at the OnTableTop Main Stage in Hall 2 if you want to come and watch us in person and join in some fun and games.
Livestream Schedule
Here's what to watch out...
- Friday
- 11:00 - Luke Gygax Interview
- 11:40 - CATAN Studios Interview
- 12:00 - Ben Aaronovitch - (Rivers Of London) Author Interview
- 12:30 - Cosplay Parade
- 13:00 - Florian Sirieix - After Us Designer Interview
- 13:30 - £1000 Prize Draw!
- 14:00 - Roll Britannia RPG Actual Play
- 15:30 - Funko Games Interview
- 16:30 - Shut Up & Sit Down - Playing Wavelength With You!
Saturday
- 11:20 - Cubicle 7 - Doctor Who RPG Interview
- 11:40 - Cubicle 7 - Warhammer Roleplaying Games Interview
- 13:00 - Alessio Cavatore Interview
- 13:30 - £1000 Prize Draw!
- 14:00 - No Rolls Barred Q&A
- 14:40 - Alley Cat Games New & Upcoming Games Interview
- 15:00 - Shut Up & Sit Down - Cardboard Courtroom
- 16:00 - UK Games Expo Dragon Off! Andree Schneider & Ralph Horsley Paint Dragons
Sunday
- 11:00 - The Extraordinary Adventures Of Baron Munchausen
- 12:00 - All About Games - Quick Fire Board Game Pitches!
- 12:30 - Cosplay Parade
- 12:50 - Osprey Games - Battle Of Britain Demo
- 13:30 - £1000 Prize Draw!
- 13:50 - Cubicle 7 - Broken Weave Interview
- 14:30 - Warcradle Studios Interview
- 15:00 - UK Games Expo Awards Ceremony
Make sure to tune in and watch the Livestream!
Come Along To The UK Games Expo!
Here is some of the information that you'll want to look out for this weekend.
Make sure to tell us what you're looking forward to this weekend!
UK Games Expo Opening Times
Friday - 9:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday - 9:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday - 9:00am - 4:00pm
You will be able to join us across all three days as we delve into all sorts of awesome goodness from across the gaming spectrum. Tickets are available on the door so if you're inspired to come along, make sure to come along!
Blogging At This Event:
£1000 Giveaway - Sunday's Winner
We wrapped Sunday up with yet another £1000 Giveaway Winner! Each day UK Games Expo gave visitors the chance to win a £1000 shopping spree each day of the show.
Stonesword Games: Daimyo | Stand 1-1025
Another awesome game for you to check out, this time from Stone Sword Games. They have been sticking with the vibe of Feudal Japan and their game, Daimyo. This game was requested by a few folks and is well worth having a peek at!
Parable Games: Shiver RPG | Stand 2-T1
We got to chat with Parable Games about their awesome range of roleplaying games including the hit RPG, Shiver. If you like your Horror on the tabletop then this is the group that you need to go and see. They have some absolutely awesome books packed with gorgeous art and bloodshed!
Meeting The Influencers Visiting UK Games Expo 2023
We got to chat with some of the awesome influencers that turned up at UK Games Expo this year. Justin got to talk to all of them that popped up at the Wayland Games stand. Make sure to check out…
- The Warhammer Girl
- Ironskull Gaming
- Artis Opus
- Pete The Wargamer
- The Painting Phase
- Spens Painting
- Hellstorm Wargaming
Make sure to check them all out and find out more about what they’ve been up to!
Justin Catches Up With Dave From MiniWarGaming!
We couldn’t miss out talking with Dave some more from MiniWarGaming. Justin went along to the Wayland Games stand to have a chat with him.
Holmgard Games Ltd: Lone Wolf | Stand 1-588
The team at Holmgard Games take us through what we have to look forward to when we dive into the Lone Wolf Miniatures Game which is coming soon as well as exploring the options for expanding your current adventures. As fans of the gamebook series, this looks like it could be a lot of fun!
Free League Publishing | Stand 1-538
Free League Publishing have a whole load of roleplaying adventures for you to dive into however today they’re showing off their brand new The Lord Of The Rings roleplaying adventure book.
Atlantis Miniatures Ltd | Stand 2-T27
Justin swings around to Atlantis Miniatures check out their fantatsic range of detailed sci-fi and fantasy miniatures.
Evil Genius Games: Escape From New York | Stand 2-301
Evil Genius have a number of TTRPGs at the show, from their ow IP Everyday Heroes to others such as Pacific Rim, Highlander, Kong, Total Recall and Escape From New York.
Inside Up Games: Earth, Block and Key and Vault Assault | Stand 2-532
Earth from Inside Up Games has been in high demand all weekend with all UK stock brought to the show and sold out quickly. But don’t fret as they have a number of other excellent games available such as Block and Key as well as Vault Assault!
Modular Realms | Stand 2-388
Justin has discovered some brilliant magnetic, double-sided, flat pack D&D terrain which can have any DM knocking a scenario for gamers in no time and when the time has come to pack up the terrain can be quickly disassembles and placed back in its storage box which is disguised as a book.
Waterstones Games 2-302
If you ever ventures into a branch of Waterstones you will likely seen a small selection of board games but not they are expanding the range of games they are selling which includes flagship stores!
Creative Quest | Stand 2-T30
Creative Quest have a wide range of beautiful, handmade RPG accessories at this year’s Expo including flight stands recently picked up by none other than Dimension 20 so hopefully you’ll see them on screen soon.
Hegemonic Project Games: Hegemony | Stand 2-402
Hegemonic Project Games talk to us about Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory, a politico-economic card driven board game where you take control of one of four socio-economic groups – the working class, middle class, capitalist class or the state itself.
Enjoying The Sunny Living History Village
The sun has come out for the weekend and commodorerob has gotten the chance to take a dander around the Living History Village. There have been less Geese wandering about than previous years, did the Vikings get peckish?
Farplace Animal Rescue: Farplace The Game | Stand 2-483
Farplace Animal Rescue have created their own board game to help raise funds for their charity. The game is set collection combined with a race element, with each player moving and playing differently depending on their animal of choice.
For more details on the charity: https://www.farplace.org.uk/
Uncertain Scenery | Stand 2-375
Justin always has to stop off with some of his favourites around UK Games Expo and Uncertain Scenery is definitely one of them! Their terrain is absolutely stunning with so many moving parts you must come and check them out.
£1000 Giveaway - Saturday's Winner
As you may have seen in earlier posts each day UK Games Expo are giving visitors the chance to win a £1000 shopping spree each day of the show. Sunday’s winner has been chosen and is currently deciding how to spend the money before the doors close on this year’s Expo.
Meanwhile as you can see Saturday’s winner has picked up a whole table’s worth of games, hope they brought a car!
DR Games: Rad Zone Totality, Trade Nations and 2D6 Dungeon | Stand 2-376
DR Games have games on their stand for all tastes whether you wish to dungeon crawl or manage resources. They also have post-apocalyptic survival in the form of Rad Zone Totality including the Exhibition Centre Expansion…. wait a minute!?!
Never Yellow Games - Meteor heroes | Stand 2-373
Justin has a chat with Never Yellow Games about their first ever game on Kickstarter, Meteor heroes. Set in Justice City you and your friends compete to be the most famous hero at the end of the game but that doesn’t mean you always have to be a good hero.
The Colouring Competition Winner Has Been Picked! Awesome Work!
Big thanks to Wayland Games for sponsoring the Colouring Competition. One lucky (and very talented) artist has walked away with a £50 Voucher which they can use with the store. Congratulations to everyone who entered as you’ve done an amazing job!
Rubicon Models | Stand 1-375
If you are at all interested in Vietnam era wargaming then you absolutely have to come down and check out Rubicon Models who are demoing their newest ruleset Oscar Mike Vietnam!
The Colour Forge | Stand 1-939
The Colour Forge have a magnificent range of fantastic spray paints that all colour match with your favourite brands!
Camden Games - Asteroid Dice, Pear Shaped and Shape Invaders | Stand 1-729 + WIN A PRIZE!
Camden games have brought a plethora of games for people to try out while they’re here at UK Games Expo. They have even brought their newest game Asteroid Dice with them for people to demo so make sure to come down and give it a go!
TTCOMBAT | Stand 1-342
TTCombat are here at UK Games Expo and they have come with a big stand full of new miniatures to check out. They have brought new Dropzone Commander and new Dropfleet Commander models to show off.
Justin Finds Out What's Inside A Dalek! | Stand 2-794
Sons Of Skaro are a Doctor Who cosplaying group that are clearly very passionate about the universe and the cosplays they build. Justin has a chat to two of the Sons Of Skaro about their incredible Dalek cosplays which look just fantastic.
Battlefront/GF9 | Stand 1-564
Justin has a chat with Battlefront/Gale Force 9 about the newest upcoming releases from them and what they have brought to the show. A few secrets are going on in the background at Battlefront for Team Yankee and World Of Tanks which can’t be shared with us but keep an eye out as they’ll undoubtedly be interesting.
Para Bellum Games: Conquest | Stand 1-970
Para Bellum’s talented team are currently demoing Conquest in multiple languages in Hall 1 while a tournament is also being run for the game in Hall 3. A word of warning however, visitors to the stand may encounter a few Angry Chickens (prefer mine fried to be honest)!
Warlord Games | Stand 1-920 + WIN A PRIZE!
Justin is at the Warlord stand where not only does he find out about their latest releases but also catches up with Tommie Soule whose work can be seen in volume 5 of Dave Taylor’s “The Art Of” book series.
Cubicle 7 | Stand 1-902
Cubicle 7 paid us a visit at the Main Stage yesterday so Justin returned to favour to see how their Expo has been going (I think he used it as an excuse to stay “in character”). If you’re looking to pick up some Warhammer RPGs in either flavour (Sci-Fi or Fantasy) make your way down to Cubicle 7 Avenue in Hall 1.
Ralph Horsely & Andree Schneider's Dragons Up For Grabs!
If you seen the Dragon Off between Ralph Horsely and Andree Schneider yesterday on stream and are attending the Expo today you have a chance to own one of the drawings as they have been kindly donated to the National Kidney Federation next to us at stand 2-774.
Andree’s work can be won via a raffle at £5 per ticket while Ralph’s is a silent auction. The raffle draw and auction kick off this afternoon at 2:45pm.
Justin Pays A Visit To The Viking Village
The Viking village is back at UK Games Expo and it’s bigger than ever! With over 40 tents outside of the show they have taken up all of the ground they can get and it is a magnificent sight. Of course it wouldn’t be UKGE without some sort of game so the Vikings show us some traditional Viking board games.
The shops may be shut but gaming goes on
Halls 1 and 2 have closed for the day but opening gaming and tournaments are taking space in both Hall3 of the NEC and over in the local Hilton hotel.
AWA Game Design Ltd: War on Terra | Stand 2-1168
AWA Game Design are showing off War On Terra, their new table-top wargaming system which has hit it Kickstarter goal and is still live until the end of Monday if you are interested:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/awagamedesign/war-on-terra
Footsore Miniatures pay us a visit!
Footsore Miniatures – the guys behind The Baron’s War – are here at UKGE and they’re here to show us their newest set of upcoming miniatures.
£1000 Giveaway - Friday's Winner
As you may have seen in earlier posts each day UK Games Expo are giving visitors the chance to win a £1000 shopping spree each day of the show. Saturday’s winner has been chosen and is currently deciding how to spend the money.
Meanwhile as you can see Friday’s winner has picked a up nice mixture of board games, 40K and paint. There is one more giveaway on Sunday, for more information CLICK HERE.
CrowD Games, Floodgate Games & PSC | Stand 2-106 + WIN A PRIZE!
CrowD Games, Floodgate Games & PSC have a combined stand with the likes of Kites, Dogfight and Batsu on display.
Gaint Risk is back!
Giant Risk is back for another year on a board measuring 4 metres X 3 metres / 12 feet X 9 feet.
What was originally designed for use an old scout troop has in recent years been made available for events with the aim of attracting new players to historical wargaming via this hybrid board-game come wargame.
Cubicle 7 | Stand 1-902
If you’re looking to pick up some Warhammer RPGs in either flavour (Sci-Fi or Fantasy) make your way down to Cubicle 7 Avenue in Hall 1.
Roll Britannia | Stand 2-1104
If you enjoyed the team at Roll Britannia on yesterday’s live stream you can visit them in the flesh or pick up some merch over on their stand.
Mantic Games - Worms | Stand 1-T83
Mantic Games announced recently that they would be teaming up with Team17 to make a tabletop version of WORMS and even though they didn’t bring any WORMS with them Ben got a good chat about the game with Ronnie Renton.
Bad Squiddo Games | Stand 2-210 + WIN A PRIZE!
Annie at Bad Squiddo Games releaised that the company never actually released a Bad Squiddo but as yuo can see when Justin paid a visit this has now been rectified.
Best Hobby Games: Zeo Genesis | Stand 2-1138
Zeo genesis is a beautifully sculpted range of mech miniatures being made by Best Hobby. Zeo Genesis will be Best Hobby’s first ever game and by the look of the miniatures it will be one to keep an eye on!
Hachette Boardgames UK | Stand 2-538 + WIN A PRIZE!
Hachette Boardgames have something for everyone at their stand, whether it is quizzes on British culture, decking building, Darwinism or Elephant’s walking the plank and that’s just for starters…
Warcradle Studios: Dystopian Wars | Stand 2-702 + WIN A PRIZE!
Justin is at the Wayland Games stand catching up with Chris from Warcradle Studios to find out about the latest releases for Dystopian Wars.
Tinkerbot Games | Stand 2-814
Tinkerbot Games are at the Expo this weekend with not just games, but books based on games and tables to play the games on too!
Gale Force Nine - Star Trek Away Team | Stand 1-564 + WIN A PRIZE!
Gale Force Nine have brought along Star Trek Away Missions to UKGE and it looks incredible! The style of miniatures look great and if you are a Star Trek fan you will absolutely adore this game!
Senior Games: Heroes Of The Shire | Stand 2-473
Heroes of the Shire is a turn-based combat adventure RPG inspired by MMORPG’s which can be enjoyed by 1-6 players in both Scenario mode (PvE) and Arena mode (PvP). The game was successfully funded via Kickstarter and is due to be fulfilled this summer.
Cosplay on Display - Part 1
Every year UK Games Expo attracts many cosplayers and this year our very own Justin got in on the action!
Purple Lantern Games: The Presence | Stand 2-1112
We are in the presnece of Purple Lantern Games to talk about The Presence. A strategic horror-game that puts you in a victorian era ghost story with each game being either fully cooperative or one-versus-all.
Walkies: The Board Game | Stand 2-1124
Catherine Adams works with dogs and has used her experience to create Walkies, a baord to ehlp inform and educate players on how best to look after their pets.
SBG Editions: Cursed Empire | Stand 1-452
SBG Editions take us through a number of games which all all part of the Cursed Empire TTRPG universe – form card games, to a dungeon crawler as well as a Euro-style game too! We also get a quick peak of the posible future of tabletop gaming…
Yay Games: Thunderbirds Danger Zone | Stand 2-649
5, 4, 3, 2, 1…… Ben takes a look a that game which recreates seven episodes of the original iteration of the show. Which Thunderbird is your favourite (which isn’t 2)?
We also get a quick look at One Sheep, Two Sheep, Many Sheep, a card based animal heading game and London Underground Fast Track.
£1000 Giveaway - Friday Draw
Maybe you could be a lucky winner this time around! Make sure to get stuck into the £1000 draw competition over Saturday and Sunday! Find out more information HERE
Open Gaming!
If you’re someone looking to try out a new game OR you’re looking to just have some fun with a game that you already own, make sure to sit down and enjoy some games in the Open Gaming Area in Hall 3. They have a neat system in place where if you’re looking for gamers, you can stick your flag down and folks can come over and join in the fun.
Competitive Zone - Hall 3
A bunch of board, card and miniatures games are getting the competitive treatment this weekend. There are folks sitting down and getting stuck into all sorts of games like One Piece, Star Wars: Legion, Conquest and more. There are actually some pretty awesome tables set up, especially for Star Wars: Legion!
The Bring & Buy Area - Hall 3!
Got some old games to get rid of so you can make way for some new ones? Make sure to check out the Bring & Buy area in Hall 3 where you can find some seriously awesome classic games for your collection!
Phalanx: Unhappy King Charles & Coalitions | Stand 1-424
Phalanx show off the new edition of Unhappy King Charles (no not that one) which they are launching this weekend. They also give us a look at Coalitions which will soon be finding it way to those who backed its crowdfunding campaign.
Raybox Games: Escape From Stalingrad Z & Projekt Riese
Gerry takes another look at Escape From Stalingrad Z which he recently unboxed as well as its expansions and follow up Projekt Riese.
Strong Point Games Ltd | Stand 2-1043
Strong Point is a card based trivia game for 2-6+ players where it isn’t just about what you know, it’s about who knows what you know!
Rebellion Unplugged - Joyride | Stand 1-342
Ben has a chat with one of the co-designers of Joyride an upcoming game being made by Rebellion Unplugged. This fast paced demolition derby has so many possibilities
Prometheus Game Labs - Micro Dojo, Micro Bots and 99 Ninja
Prometheus Game Labs success with Micro Dojo has now brought on two of the newest micro games in Micro Bots and 99 Ninja. Micro Bots having the ability to let you play the full game with all of it’s contents stored in a mint tin. Incredible!
Modular Worlds: Internet Trolls | Stand 2-1058
You may know Modular Worlds for their miniatures and terrain but now they are branching out with their first game, Internet Trolls. A card game with “board game” mechanics, launching on Kickstarter this September:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/modularworlds/internet-trolls?ref=clipboard-prelaunch
Guntower Games - Pandora Celeste | Stand 2-447
We take a trip on the CSS Pandora where players fulfil their secret agenda and escape the Ship whilst dodging a Pandora’s Box of evils in this homage to sci-fi monster movies, complete with air ducts (a necessity for the genre I think you’ll agree).
Planet Smasher and Man O Kent Games - Songs of tales and Hobgoblin | Stand 1-136
Planet Smasher and Man O Kent Games are bringing 3 brand new games to UK Games Expo. Songs of tales and Boarders and Black Flags will be coming to kickstarter next year and Hobgoblin has already been successfully kickstarted!
Loke BattleMats | Stand 1-541
Loke BattleMats show us their releases for the coming months ahead including a box of doors and a playable calendar!
Pandyman Entertainment: Trench Offensive | Stand 2-344
We take a look at the new skirmish game from Pandyman Entertainment, Trench Offensive. In the game players lead their troops into an enemy trench and try to capture the most points.
Paverson Games - Distillers | Stand 1-630
Paverson Games is a one man band led by Dave Beck and his game distillers is absolutely fantastic. You and up to 4 other players face off to see who can make the best alcoholic beverage and who can make the most of it.
Goblin King Games - Moonstone | Stand 2-317
Gerry catches up with Tom from Goblin King Games about what’s happening with the awarding winning Moonstone including news about a new faction.
Echovale Games: Discovery the Expandable Card Game | Stand 2-914
Discovery is an expandable 1v1 fantasy dueling card game that’s elegantly and thematically combining accessibility and strategic depth. The Kickstarter for the game is now live:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/echovalegames/discovery-the-expandable-card-game
Pandasaurus - District Noir, Aurum, Beacon Patrol and Emerge | Stand 2-664
With small card based games like District Noir, Aurum and Beacon Patrol Pandasaurus are here at UK Games Expo with their newest game Emerge!
Mini Mysteries - Medieval Mishap | Stand 2-582
Mini Mysteries the makers of Egyptian Enigma are here at UK Games Expo to show off their newest mini mystery in the form of Medieval Mishap! Both of these fantastic family games find the players delving deep into the pyramids of ancient Egypt and the new cities of the medieval era to find clues and uncover secrets!
Kosmos - Andor and The island | Stand 1-602
Kosmos have brought with them a plethora of games such as inside job, Andor the family fantasy game and Der Herr Der Ringe and much much more so you will be hard pressed not to find something you like!
1 Sick Puppy - Dimday Red | Stand 1-1008
Spiros Drakatos aka 1 Sick Puppy introduces Gerry to Dimday Red, an RPG set in the last years of Earth before it is consumed by the Sun. Don’t forget your sunscreen.
Glasscannon Unplugged - Apex Legends the board game | Stand 2-616
Apex Legends the board game is a battle royale board game where players go head to head in order to achieve the title of legend by any means necessary!
Cerberus studios - Celestial Affinity 54mm medieval fantasy skirmish game | Stand 2-315
► Visit The Show: https://www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/
► Watch Livestreams: @OnTableTop
Celestial infinity is a large 54mm scale skirmish game set in the medieval era but with an added fantasy twist! The models look incredible and with them being so big they will paint up a treat!
AknDesign - Misfits the party stacking game | Stand 2-367
Misfits The party stacking game a very interesting twist on the well known Jenga but with some very strangely shaped blocks and a different way to win!
UK Games Expo 2023 - Open For Business!
Make sure to come on down to UK Games Expo in Birmingham if you can and get stuck into all of the action here. There are some amazing things happening in terms of demo games, the family area and more. Plenty of opportunities for you to enjoy yourself over the course of three days!
Set Up Was Manic Yesterday...
Set-Up was pretty wild yesterday with loads of companies working really hard to bring the entire of the convention centre to life…
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