Eight days. That is how long until the doors open at the NEC. If you are anything like me, you have already checked the exhibitor map more times than is strictly healthy, made a list, reorganised the list, and then started a second list for the games that didn’t fit on the first one. This … Read more
There is a specific kind of evening where you have about two hours, everyone is already sitting down, and someone suggests a board game. This is the moment that separates quick setup board games from everything else on the shelf. A game that takes 25 minutes to set up has already lost half your table … Read more
So the big question… Is UK Games Expo worth it? It is a fair question. Tickets, travel, parking, possibly a hotel, meals across a long day, and then the actual games you come home with. The costs of attending UK Games Expo add up, and before you commit to the weekend it is reasonable to … Read more
The gloriously daft party game where you steal pigeons, flick dice, and lose all dignity in about twelve minutes. It’s super quick and easy to teach too. First Impressions I am not going to pretend this is a game for serious gamers. It is not. Oh My Pigeons! is a brightly illustrated box of chaos … Read more
Stop Telling People How to Enjoy Their Hobby, Gaming is Gaming I came across a post recently that stopped me mid-scroll. The argument, roughly, was that video gamers are unattractive to potential partners, that they’re wasting their lives, that anyone worth anything is too busy with their career, their kids, and their ambitions to spend … Read more
Everything you need to know before you queue, buy, or sell. The UK Games Expo Bring and Buy is billed as the largest second-hand games market at any games convention in the world. That is a significant claim and, standing inside Hall 5 on a Friday morning watching the queue snake back through the building, … Read more
Pandemic turns up on a lot of beginner lists, and I think that’s mostly right. But it comes with a couple of caveats that those lists don’t always mention, and they’re worth knowing about before you buy. The short answer is yes, Pandemic is a good game for beginners. The slightly longer answer is: it … Read more
UK Games Expo is two weeks away and the to-do list is already unmanageable. This is the first part of my UKGE2026 Picks There are stands I want to visit, demos I need to book, and a running list of games that keeps getting longer every time I go near the exhibitor page. If you … Read more
TL;DR The Expo Solos group, started by @boardgameaddictuk, is a free, friendly community for solo visitors and couples at UK Games Expo who want people to play with. There’s a set meeting spot in open gaming. You just turn up. It made my entire 2024 Expo, and it will likely do the same for you. … Read more
The box says 60 to 120 minutes. That is technically true in the same way that “some assembly required” is technically true on a flat-pack wardrobe. Technically correct. Not the whole picture. So, How Long Does a Game of Catan Actually Take? We’ve played Catan in 45 minutes with the right group. We’ve also played … Read more
