My First Time at the UK Games Expo

UK Games Expo 2025 has just taken place and it is the first time I have ever journeyed out to a gaming convention, which has been a long time coming since I have enjoyed the tabletop gaming hobby for a long time. How was my first gaming event? Was it worth going? What awesome games and models were there? Let’s dive into my experience attending an expo for the first time! 

First Off: What Is the UK Games Expo?

The UK Games Expo is the largest hobby games convention in the UK and even rivals some of the other big gaming conventions in the world. This year it surpassed GenCon’s size to become the second biggest trade hall in the world for hobby games just behind Spiel Essen. Furthermore, over 42,000 people attended this year’s expo which is 7% more than the previous year, while the total gate attendance across the three days passed 72,000 which is a 10% increase from 2024. 

Hundreds of companies with products for tabletop gaming, board gaming, painting, miniatures, and game aids all gathered to celebrate the hobby, show off their journey and even allow people to try out some future projects. In 2024, there was some feedback that it felt over crowded, which UKGE took on board and increased the Trade Hall space by 30%. Whilst exhibitors increased from 685 to 780, the place was a lot more spacious and not overcrowded, however it was still massive with it very evident that you would struggle to do everything in one day. 

Why Was I Attending, and Why Now?

I have never attended an expo or convention before and never truly had a reason to not go. I would say that it just never garnered my attention enough to warrant going; from the outside looking in it was just seeing stuff we already know was on the way or purchase items that already existed at a local gaming store. There might be a few exclusives or early releases however this FOMO never affected me enough to convince me to attend. 

So why now? What changed? If you are a fan of my articles you will know that I love the ASOIAF: Miniatures Game and one of the lead designers of the game moved onto a new project with Loot Studios. Fabio Curry is this lead designer and we have been in contact about the articles and even got a chance to try out ASOIAF: Tactics early with them. Due to this rapport, Fabio reached out to help demo their new miniature card game for attendees of the event. How could I not pass up meeting the Loot Studios development team behind their new game Malediction whilst also introducing fellow enthusiasts for the hobby to the world of such a fun game? Being at the Expo and experiencing it for the first time felt like a bonus. 

There would be time for me to take a look around the expo and visit various other exhibitors and see what was on the table to experience. I am more of a miniature gamer, but love playing board games with my family, and it has always felt like the UKGE is a big board game event, so it is quite likely I would find a lot I would be interested in. I was also looking forward to seeing some cool miniatures and gaming systems such as some roleplaying games since my gaming group is looking at expanding into some other RPGs outside of our usual D&D box. 

First Impression

Immediately I was shocked with how big the event was. I had no concept of just how many people were attending or how many exhibitors were present before arriving at the event. There is a website for the UKGE and before the event they had a list of all companies that were attending – as well as a map. I made a huge mistake by not checking this or going through them all beforehand believing it would be easy to figure out on the day. Next time I will be planning ahead whilst working out the map, as it is not something you can improvise. 

Whilst the queues to get in on the first day were daunting, it never became an issue for the event. Not once did I feel like I had to wait for a long period of time in a queue but I imagine this may not be the same feeling for everyone if you were beelining for something specific. There were people on each day bursting through the doors with a sprint and I still have no clue what for. I wonder if I missed out on something? 

Overwhelmed might be the right way to describe the first day. There were so many stalls that caught my attention where I would have had a quick scroll past them online; something about seeing models, dice, and art in person made it that much more impressive and tangible. There have been many dice sets I have passed by on the internet but not bothered to look at in detail, since it is hard to know how legitimate they are. But in person you get to see the quality first hand, and this is the aim of the expo. See the items, the miniatures, the demos of games for yourself, and then that adds a personal touch of testing out what you might get which is what makes the experience worthwhile. 

Malediction Demos – What Is It Like on the Exhibitor’s Side?

Most of my time spent at the event was with Loot Studios demoing their miniatures card game Malediction. Loot Studios are known for the RPG models commonly used in D&D with the most memorable being a whole tavern. The unique aspect to this is that it is all from a subscription service that provides you with the STLs to print the models. Malediction is their foray into making a game that goes alongside their models. Further to this, they have decided to combine aspects of tabletop gaming into one game by having both cards and miniatures making up the rules, hence miniature card game in the title. 

The best part about demoing the game was meeting so many people from the hobby who I would never have spoken to otherwise. Often I would be speaking passionately about the hobby and the game for hours on end due to the passion I shared for gaming with the other attendees of the event. I haven’t experienced another situation like this outside of attending events in a wargame so often you get to know the people who go to them all. 

People from different gaming systems like board games and card games are not the sort of people I would interact with as I don’t play these at clubs or events. Others who are getting into miniature gaming or painting for the first time are also people I wouldn’t have interacted with. There were also people who travelled from different countries to be at the event such as Germany, Canada, and Poland. The opportunities the event and Loot Studios gave me to meet these people is a treasured experience. 

For Malediction, we have a short 20-30 minute demo that teaches people the basics of the game. This is the same rules that the rulebook will teach you on your first time playing or even tabletop simulator. The hardest part of this demo was sticking to the time for the demo due to the many options players could do with the demo decks. There were a lot of people who didn’t get to play a demo due to how busy it was and honestly we needed four or more demo tables as every second of the three days was packed with non-stop demos. It is a true show of tenacity to demo for that long. 

One aspect I am particularly proud of was integrating the story of Malediction into the demo. I haven’t seen this being used in other teachings of the game since it is all about the mechanics, but for me, wargaming is about the story you tell, the narrative you create, and the memories you forge on the tabletop. I wanted to give some background to the miniatures and cards players were using so their actions had some weight to them, it felt like I was GMing a D&D session at times which paid off with several games ending in a roar from a hail mary dice roll. Having the developers of the game then tell me this way of demoing is the best way anyone has ever demoed their game truly astounded me. 

Everyone that I demoed or spoke to about the game had rampant enthusiasm and positivity that is so rarely found in the community for wargames. It was so refreshing to be surrounded by joy and awe for the hobby with the community whilst introducing them to a whole new world of gaming whilst having no negativity about balance or how rules are interpreted. It was endless excitement for a new hobby.  

Community – Celebrating Diversity

Something that I noticed was how varied everything to do with the event was. I could turn around one corner and find a RPG system, then next to it is a skirmish game, then a sale store for everything wargaming, next to an art stand, then a dice stand. Not a single moment was dull ,and moving from stall to stall caught your attention enough to investigate, usually when you are out shopping you can breeze past a lot of stalls since not many catch your eye, but everything here was worth looking at. 

Another side to this was seeing how different people approach gaming with the demo. I played the same demo with the same factions and same decks for three days. The only difference is the people taking command of the factions on the tabletop and how they utilise their rules. Not a single person did the same tactic as another throughout the whole event. There were people launching their barbarian brute at the enemy with no care in the world just looking for a fight, and others moving them methodically for the right moment, to others making daring gambles. In my review for Malediction I will be going over how a card can be played in so many ways due to what I saw of people playing the demo. 

One thing that was worth noting about different styles of playing was the questions asked based on the background of the player. There were people who came from playing only card games who loved the design of the cards in the game but were enamoured by the inclusion of miniatures, a few said it felt like the artwork came to life. On the other hand, folk from miniatures games loved the added flavour from cards that could make units so versatile with different synergies, people enjoyed the simplistic inclusion of spells whilst adding a complex depth to synergy building into your forces. The same could be said for the miniatures, it was always for different reasons which I adored, and this was all for one game. 

The Floor – Notable Vendors

I visited a lot of stalls and bought more than I should have. It was a pain to get home with how much I needed to carry. There are far too many to talk about here but I did want to highlight some of my favourites from the expo. 

MÖRK BORG by Free League Publishing – As mentioned, my gaming group is looking to spread our wings into other RPG systems and so I wanted to take my time to explore a few at the event. Free League Publishing had already caught our attention with the ALIEN RPG and someone in my group spoke about MÖRK BORG by the same people. The best way I could describe the game is that Mad Max and Heavy Metal had a RPG baby. It was lovely to check out the game, speak with the developers, and pick up a book ready for my gaming group’s foray into the wacky world. 

Grim Hollow by Ghostfire Gaming – One other RPG that sold me on their world at the event was Grim Hollow by Ghostfire Gaming. I love the Witcher games and universe due to its European folklore style, and Grim Hollow captures a similar aesthetic and mood with the world it has created. The book that caught my attention was their Monster Grimoire which features so many creepy and eldritch monsters that you just don’t get inside of other RPGs. This is certainly a setting I want to dive on into and wouldn’t have known about it if I never went to the UKGE. 

3D Printed Minis by Comet Lord Miniatures – With some books for RPGs in my backpack I needed some miniatures to go along with it, and none quite catch your eye as much as Comet Lord Miniatures’ range. They have some incredible designs that they have sculpted with the False Hydra being a personal favourite. I would describe the style being similar in scale to games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring, but it branches beyond this. They have an incredible range of dynamic miniatures and the big boss-like monsters are coupled by some boss mechanic rules for RPG games. I had to pick up a few models, and plan on picking up a few STLs to print a few more. 

Konflikt 47 by Warlord Games – After my first day at the event, I relaxed in the evening with a stiff drink and chatted with a close friend. They mentioned a new game they have found that I should check at the UKGE if I got the chance, this was Konflikt 47. I have never been interested in historical wargaming, I like my fantasy/sci-fi worlds born from imagination rather than history, (it is just my taste in tabletop gaming) so I have never been interested in Bolt Action. So Konflikt 47 is a good alternative where it takes some aspects of Bolt Action, and gives it a sci-fi twist. The display at the event blew my mind and I for one really wanted to play the game after seeing some of the crazy inventions. I wouldn’t have paid too much attention to this game if I didn’t see the display firsthand. 

As mentioned there were so many to mention but I am going to quickfire a bunch now. A whole bunch of stalls were selling discounted miniatures for various games. I was able to feed my ASOIAF addiction by picking up some heavily discounted boxes and even some single miniatures which I thought was a nice touch.

Titan Forge with Bloodfields had caught my eye for the amazing warbands for a skirmish game, I absolutely love the dwarf model from the main box they were showing. Ravaged Star by Miniwargaming had some gorgeous bug models called the Gorkog, so I will need to pick up a few of these to paint! One of my family’s main games we play is Catan, and seeing a huge stall for it was special. And many more…

Same Time Next Year?

Absolutely! As soon as the first day ended I knew that I was going to thoroughly enjoy the following days and miss it immediately after it ended. Hanging out with the Team from Loot Studios was an incredible experience that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. The only thing that beats this was meeting so many people who share the same hobby that I love and introducing them to an amazing game with stellar world building. 

But beyond this, my outlook on the event, as well as gaming events as a whole changed. I never thought about how much you learn about aspects of the hobby you are interested in that is just not possible to do online. Getting to speak to the designers of incredible work brings their art into a whole new perspective that convinces me to take part in their games which is not easy to do with words on a screen. 

I am 100% doing this again next year, maybe with more patrolling around the hall finding the obscure pieces of treasure from people I have not interacted with before. I will need to make sure I check all the exhibitors out beforehand and get a hang of the map. Furthermore, I might have gained enough courage to enter some of my painted miniatures into the painting competition which was a feast for the eyes.

The UK Games Expo has been the highlight of the year so far!

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