UK Games Expo

[DoctorEggo]

Went for 2 days with a couple of friends I don't see nearly as often as I'd like, and had a really lovely time; great to be back at Nerd Christmas and see the hobby still thriving, despite covid/shortages/shipping/the generally depressing state of the world in 2022.

 

Whereas in previous years I'd come with one hit list of games I was eager to play a demo of, and a second list of games I was eager to pick up, this year I went in fairly blind (my collection is relatively monstrous at this point, and I have an excellent FLGS nearby, so FOMO doesn't have quite the hold on me that it once did). That meant 2 days split between playing whatever demo caught our eye, relaxing playing stuff we'd brought with us, and generally having a few drinks and catching up. We also stayed on site this year, which made the whole thing feel more laid back - an extravagance for sure, but one I expect we'll repeat.

 

Played:

• Akropolis [Bought - lovely little tile laying game.]
• Scout [Excellent trick-taking game. If a friend hadn't bought it, I would have.]
• Tokaido Namiji [Gorgeous, though it is basically Tokaido again.)
• Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza [A very silly nonsense party game that I was repelled by as soon as I looked at it. Then we played it and I'll admit I enjoyed it for what it is.]
• Ghost Stories [Brought this from home. Never beaten it in 12 plays, so clearly doing something wrong, though I do like it.]
• Silk [Area control game brought from home. Cute, but feels like one that needs repeat plays. I like it, but I think friends came away feeling meh.]
• Fog of Love [Can't imagine playing it to "win", but I really enjoyed this as a collaborative storytelling/roleplaying game.]
• Jaws [Still feels like 2 separate games to me, but it's wonderfully thematic, and I enjoy the second half a lot.]
• Escape the Dark Sector [I don't get the love for this. Very prescriptive/narrow decision space, gross/graphic descriptions, and an art style I don't enjoy. Despite my nostalgia for Fighting Fantasy books, this was not one for me.]
• Sub Terra 2 [I own the original Sub Terra and all the expansions aside from the minis. This felt like an Indiana Jones to the original game's Descent (the horror movie, not the dungeon crawling board game) - all action rather than building tension - and to our great surprise...we didn't like it.]
• So You've Been Eaten [2-player asymmetrical game that I'd never get to the table, but seemed like it would reward repeat plays to get a better grasp on strategies, especially as the alien player.]
• Hellapagos [Semi-co-op party game about building rafts while trying to survive on an island. Probably better with more players - with 4 it felt quite straightforward.]
• War of Whispers [Really enjoyed what we played of this - lots of double bluffing and strategizing to be had - but sadly another that I'd never get to the table.]

[Skeeez]

I had a great weekend in the end. We'll definitely be back next year.

 

Iv'e got COVID now though and it sucks.