UK Games Expo 2021: Saturday Live Blog

Join us at OnTableTop as we get stuck into Day Two of UK Games Expo 2021 here at the NEC in Birmingham!

The team are going to be have a look at the games, companies and more that are available for you to check out.

Make sure to let us know in the comments what you’re most looking forward to!

It is Day Two here at UKGE, and starting at 9am, attendees have started to make their way into the expo with excitement – with cosplayers guarding the entrance.

Being Saturday, UKGE is expected to be busier than yesterday, with attendees off of work and into the exhibitor halls with dreams and goals to purchase all of the tabletop games, merch and accessories that the event has to offer.

If you are close by, tickets are still available. And if you are attending the event, be sure to give me (Free), Ben, Justin and John a friendly wave.

Justin gets to talk about some of the big games that Medusa Games have planned to show off this year at UK Games Expo. In this video we’re learning about three big games and one that should be getting an expansion soon.

We have Great Fire and it’s Expansion, Tinker Tailor, Oranges & Lemons and finally Nine Worlds. There are some fun games here; fun, thinky Euro games that are well worth adding to a collection.

We were joined by Loke BattleMats to talk about their vast range of incredible modular laminated battle maps.

Players can access many lands with ease, with the ever so popular modular mats contained within a convenient flipbook.

Everybody knows and loves CATAN, and if you are immersed in the world of board games, it is almost a guarantee at one stage in time, you will have played CATAN.

Demoing all weekend, there are lots to see including some very special products and variants of CATAN, including the original version which everybody knows and loves, a cheeky sneak peek of the upcoming release of the 3D version, and CATAN Junior pitched for children and younger gamers looking to break into the iconic game.

All of the above games can be demoed at the booth, so if you are looking for a new variant of CATAN, or want to upgrade the one you already have – be sure to stop by!

Located immediately after the main entrance, you cannot miss the sheep! I certainly didn’t!

Have your dice betrayed you? Make sure to check out Honey Badger Games. You can throw your dice into your mouth rather than letting it fall into the clutches of your dice jail.

If you want to pick up something fun to add into your collection, pick up some edible dice or edible meeples and have fun at the tabletop.

I used to spend so much time in the library as a child, the smell of fresh books always tickled my nostrils and it still to this day fills me with nostalgia.

The smell of a fresh board game fills me with the same sentiment, so if you are looking at renting a board game for the day – be sure to sign up for a library card – where you can rent, play and of course return a plethora of board games with your friends and family.

The Board Game Library is based right next to the food hall, so you will not have far to go straight after you have filled up with nachos and hot dogs!

We get stuck into a couple of fun games from Nuts! Publishing. They have a couple of great Historical games. One of them is very quick, 300: Earth & Water.

The second is a bit larger in scale with This War Without An Enemy. As an English Civil War fan, this one sounds fascinating. We also have a Fantasy release in the form of Mini Rogue! Dive into a solitarie dungeon delving experience in a jiffy.

Want to make the most of your time at UKGE? There are lots of different live shows and events happening across the expo, whether it be a comedy experience you are interested in, a live-action text adventure with the Dark Room or some intrigue into Tom Crosbie’s magical mathematical brain in the Performing Nerd.

There is plenty to see across the weekend, so if you wanted to book in – be sure to head on over to the Events Booking table which is set up right next to the Board Game Library. There you will speak to some lovely members of staff who will take your details, and point you in the correct direction of either the Toute Suite, Main Stage or the Cartamundi Theatre (depending on what you want to see), to prepare you for your UKGE live experience.

Be sure to let us know in the comments if you visited any live events over the weekend, we would love to know what one was your favourite!

We headed over to Full Colour Fantasy, to check out their innovative magnetic modular terrain sheets.

Both textured and untextured, with these inventive sheets – there is no need for a gust of wind, a rogue sneeze or a bitter opponent to push your miniatures off the table, as these mats are magnetic, allowing players to create their own modular dungeon utilising all four walls.

We stopped by Studio H’s Booth, looking at the upcoming cooperative story-driven board game, Oltréé.

Players will take the role of Knights in a Kingdom of peril, working as a collective in a challenging campaign experience.

Are you a creative head, and are daunted by the mathematical output which comes side-by-side with RPGs? We headed over to visit Guy Sclanders with Bounty Hunter – A TTRPG.

Promising creativity and simplicity with simple yes and no questions. Containing zero mathematics and no dice, Bounty Hunters had added alternative mechanics to ensure all different tabletop gamers (regardless of experience) can access the bountiful sci-fi universe.

Oh, how I have missed seeing cosplayers! Attendees all across UKGE have wielded their sewing needles, prepared their foam and crafted their favourite fictional characters to parade whimsically across the exhibitor halls.

Gerry got a chance to sit down with the creator of a Fantasy RPG which is called Rupture. This is going to be coming to Kickstarter soon so watch out for it.

Taking you to the world of Torral, Rupture is a great game which plays around with Fantasy archetypes and offers something new for veteran roleplayers.

There is some raw brutality happening over in Viking Villiage! Camping safely against the Pendigo Lake, playing Hnefatafl, and enjoying mead before a campfire. However, a battle has broken out against two rivalling encampments causing chaos outside the NEC.

Justin gets to chat to Rogue & Bard who have previously produced a range of excellent D&D accessories and such that are great for those wanting to dive into some roleplaying.

They have also been working on their first game. Stratos Stratagem caught Justin’s eye as it’s got mecha in it. Who would have thought. It is another fun little Indie pick that we spotted here this weekend.

We get to look through the amazing selection of different roleplaying games that Free League have to offer. Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Sci-Fi and more.

We also learn how to pronounce a bunch of words. This is about learning as much as it is about actually finding out about the games. We discuss Mutant Year Zero, Vaesen, Mork Borg, Alien and Forbidden Lands!

Strata Miniatures do some fantastic work on their Dungeons & Diversity range. This is a miniature collection in resin, metal and in STL format that can be used to represent D&D heroes in combat wheelchairs!

Sarah has been doing stunning work on the rules for these miniatures and the partnership here is great. It has been fun seeing these miniatures being used in BIG games like Critical Role!

Everybody who knows board games knows CATAN, and as one of this years’ Major Sponsors, CATAN Studio is based straight in front of the UKGE entrance pulling attendees in with some CATAN variant demos.

We headed over to the CATAN Studio booth, and took a look at the upcoming CATAN 3D, and oversee some demonstrations for the incredibly popular tabletop title, and sister games.

We headed over to the Alley Cat Games booth, to see the full extent of games that they are displaying, selling and demonstrating here at UKGE. Targeting all types of gamers, Alley Cat Games brings forward roll and writes, worker-placement, dice rolling and many more diverse titles, along with a prototype to an upcoming title Star Fighters, which will be heading to Kickstarter later in the future.