This year for the first time we had the pleasure of attending UK Games Expo 2024. We will have another blog post coming shortly which will tell you all about the event as a whole and our experiences while attending the show but I wanted to spend some time to write about the Show Preview event which happened the Thursday before the main show started.
For me one of the best things (especially having now attended the full event) that show preview offered me and my colleagues joining me at the main event, was a list of games and stands to look out for when we were walking the main show floor and by the end of the show preview I had a list of games I wanted to go back to either get hands on with or show to colleagues joining that I thought could be of further interest (Spoiler alert, they were!).
One of the first board games that really caught my eye and that I'm really excited to be able to get my hands on and properly play test was called World Order, the game ultimately looks at international relations and geopolitical landscapes and simulates multiple powerful countries around the world where your goal is to get your country to be the most powerful / successful.
The game from the demo we got at the show looked to be simple enough in concept that you could pick it up and understand it, but complex enough and with plenty of nuance and detail to have you and a group of friends competing for a little while. Unfortunately I didn't get to sit down and properly play the game at the show but it's certainly one I look forward to being able to play (and possibly review!) when the game releases.
The next game that I'd made a note to follow up (Though unfortunately in this case neglected to do so due to the event itself being so busy and having so much to see) was called Terminus. This game immediately caught my eye in large part due to having spent quite a bit of time a few years ago playing a computer game called "Overcrowded" which looked quite similar.
I didn't spend a huge amount of time taking to the folks that were exhibiting this game (I fell in love with the idea of it and didn't get any further than that!) and while I didn't manage to find it again during the main show, it has made it onto my list of board games I need to buy at some point!
The next game that caught my eye was Gloomhaven Buttons & Bugs, a much smaller and much quicker (and much cheaper!) version of the original Gloomhaven game and this was one of the games I spent quite a bit of time playing and chatting through and trying to learn as part of the show demo.
My biggest criticism on this game as a whole was how damn impossible it was to actually buy during the show itself, every time we'd get to their stand they'd be sold out for the day and it was impossible to find at any other retailer. Both I and my colleagues (Some of whom had played the much much bigger Gloomhaven original game) were excited to play this.
In terms though of the game itself it was relatively simple to learn and pick up as someone who had never played the original Gloomhaven game, and one thing I really do like with this game is just how quick you can play through a small round, it takes very little setup and can be played pretty quickly and is a great warm up game or just a great little party game to keep things interested.
The next thing I did come across which caught my eye was a new TTRPG Called Untold Destiny, now while I have done a two session one shot of Dungeons and Dragons (sorry DnD fans, I do know that's not 'really' how it's supposed to be played) I never really got into but my partner is into DnD as was the majority of the team attending the show, this was one I nabbed the brosure and made sure we could visit during the main show.
The next game I found was called Split The Horde and was another quick / fast playing game that could be played before / after other bigger or longer board games. This one hasn't quite made it onto my must buy list but is one I'd be keen to properly play through with friends as I didn't quite get a chance to play it during the show and we never actually managed to track it down during the main part of the show in the days after the show preview!
The final game (And in my opinion, the best of the ones I played) was called You Know It! and was a HUGE amount of fun. This proved to be another one of those fairly quick and very much a party game which when we played the demo as a group of four (and spoiler alert when we then played again during the main show) was such a lot of fun.
What for me made this game extra fun is the fact that while it is trivia based, it's not only trivia and as somoeone who is truly rubbish as 98% of trivia and the remaining 2% has always proven to be utterly useless in pub quizzes, I still managed to do well with this game and enjoy it. The game is made up of 5 questions, and for each question you write down what you think the answer is, and based on what you know of the other players how many of them will get it right. You then get a point for correct answers to both of those, in addition you can earn extra points (And either flatter or offend those you're playing with) by betting that someone will know the answer or will not know the answer, giving you the ability to earn a few extra points based on someone elses knowledge or lack there of! I ended up loving this game so much my partner (who I couldn't stop telling that we had to go play it during the show) was kind enough to buy me a copy for my birthday. I am very excited to get my hands on it when the kickstarter ships.
And that's a wrap for the show preview, there were so many incredible games and exhibitors showing off new and WIP games. A huge thank you to the team at UK Games Expo for granting us press passes and the ability to attend this pre-show event, it was a huge amount of fun and really interesting and I hope to be back next year!