It’s that time of year again. I’ve made the crawl to Birmingham and back and attended the UK Games Expo at the NEC, and now I try to write something coherent while my brain fights the fug of convention come-down.
This year was a very different experience for me. Normally, I attend as a member of the press. I wander the halls looking for new and interesting games, meeting with publishers, and racking up enough steps to make my feet want to cry. This year, however, I had an opportunity to work on a stand with Japanese publisher Saashi & Saashi. If you’ve visited this site in the past, then you already know I’m a big fan of their games, so this was a chance I grabbed at with both hands.
Here’s how my weekend went.
The work
I rocked up to my hotel in Coventry on Thursday afternoon, jumped on a train, and made my way to the halls to help with setup. It was the first time I’d met Saashi (the designer) and Takako (the illustrator), so I did my best not to fanboy too hard. Time to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I say “roll up” but what I actually mean is “cut off”. You see, I knew I needed a hi-vis jacket to enter the halls during setup, so I bought one on my way up. When I took it out of the bag, I found that it had sleeves! Inside the halls was up in the thirties and far too hot for sleeves, so I chopped them off with a pair of scissors.
A sleeveless hi-vis shirt is quite the look, I can tell you.
We set up the stand, then I helped at their table for the press preview on Thursday evening. I think it’s fair to say that Railway Porters (you can read my review here) was probably the most sought-after game at the convention, a sentiment which was foreshadowed at the preview. Just about every person I spoke to said a variation of “I’m coming to your stand first thing Friday morning”. They weren’t joking.
Friday morning rolled around, and no sooner had the hall doors opened than we had a queue forming. A queue which grew, and grew, and grew. I’m not exaggerating when I say that we had the biggest queue at the show. We couldn’t even demonstrate games for the first two hours, because it was all hands on deck. We had to shepherd the queue to keep the thoroughfare clear, the register pinging, and the tables stocked.
At one point, I paced the queue out, and it had stretched some 30 metres with around 100 people in it. Bonkers.
Once we had sold out for the day, we started demoing (which still doesn’t feel like a real verb) Railway Porters and Shall We Dance, and we didn’t stop. Literally. No sooner than one group left a table than another group replaced them. It was great, though, and everyone was really kind, patient, and friendly. It was also incredibly hot. I got through gallons of water.
Saturday was largely a rinse and repeat of Friday, except that word had gotten out and before the hall doors had even opened, we had a queue of 15 exhibitors waiting. I sympathise with them, because once the doors open, it becomes very difficult to get a break to go shopping, and if something is only available for a short time (Porters sold out in 40 minutes on Saturday!), you’re stuffed.
On Saturday afternoon, Saashi told me to take a break because they were worried about me. I didn’t understand why, but no more than a couple of minutes into my walk around the halls, I nearly passed out because of the heat. Luckily, at that point, I was at the stand of the very wonderful Sarah from BoardGameSolutions, who let me sit by her fan and gave me a bottle of water. Thank you again, Sarah. Go visit her store and buy something.
That evening, we went across to Las Iguanas for a meal with the team, which is one of my enduring memories. It was our first chance to sit somewhere quiet, together, and to just chat. It was lovely to have the time and space (and a few drinks) to really get to know one another.
Sunday was a more sedate affair. We had no more stock of Porters, so we had no queue. The rest of the games kept selling, however, which is a testament to their lasting appeal. We taught people the games again, nearly continuously, until the end of the show at 4 pm, when we started the teardown.
If you’ve never witnessed the teardown at the end of a convention, it’s a sight to behold. It’s like a plague of flatpack locusts swarm the halls. It’s stunning how quickly the halls that we were once teeming with 50,000 people united by their love of a hobby revert back to being big empty shells on the outskirts of Birmingham.
I said my very emotional farewells to my new, extra little family and chased the sunset west, back home. I will miss them all very, very much. I loved every minute of the experience. If you’ve visited in the past and feel like doing something different, I wholeheartedly recommend working with a stand showing something you love. It’s incredibly rewarding.
The games
Considering I spent four days at one of the biggest game conventions in the world, I played shockingly few games. Other than about a thousand plays and teaches of Railway Porters and Shall We Dance (and yes, I’d still play them again), I played a grand total of three games, only one of which was new to me.
Japanese publisher Engames was in attendance, and selling Nokosu Dice and Ghost Lift for the criminally low price of £20 each. So of course, I helped myself to both. James of Board Gaymes James was kind enough to grab a copy of Green City for me from Synka Games. I also picked up my Kickstarter backed copy of Briscola from Amuri Studio, who were really lovely people. Pablo over at Eerie Idol, riding high on the success of The Old King’s Crown (read my review here), had new decks of playing cards based on the game’s artwork which he kindly gave me one of.
Other than that, I made a quick trip to the Allplay stand to pick up copies of 3 Witches and Soda Jerk (I love Sai Beppu’s artwork), and that was it.
I met up with a group of Gaming Rules! supporters on Friday evening and played Ghost Lift before teaching them Schadenfreude and Rumble Nation, but that was it. It was a strange experience for me, neither playing nor buying many games, but I definitely enjoyed only carrying a single bag of games to and from the car, that’s for sure.
The people
I’ve said it countless times before, and I’ll keep saying it. Board game conventions, just like board games, are all about people. Games are just a vehicle to bring people together. The glue that sticks us all together. UKGE 2026 was all about the people.
In no particular order, here are some of the people who made the show for me. Firstly, it was wonderful to run into Dina and Al Cannon at the train station. A really chance encounter that led to us sharing Ubers in and out of the venue on Saturday in the face of a bus replacement service (great timing on the train strike!). I hadn’t seen Dina to talk to since Airecon some years ago, so that was great.
To the person who came up to me at the stand on Friday (I think?), thank you. This person is the first person completely unknown to me to come and tell me how much they like my writing and reviews. I was dumbstruck, to be honest. That doesn’t happen to me. If you read this, kind stranger, please comment and link to your own channel.
I also had a moment which left me gobsmacked. A publisher & designer (who shall remain nameless) told me that I was one of the few people covering their game who truly got it, and that they printed my review out and kept it next to their desk to read whenever they’re doubting themselves. That was pretty special.
To my regular exhibitor friends (at least those I managed to catch up with) – Dave of Paverson Games, Pablo from Eerie Idol, Judson from Tettix, Andy at Cloudrunner Games, Jon from Deathtrap Games, Rob over at Zatu, Chris at Paper Fort, Dave and team from the spectacular Roll The Dice Cornwall – it was so good to see and talk to you all. And Andrew from Chip Theory Games, remember, if they send you to TGM and you need a bad Japanese interpreter, I’m your man.
To my new exhibitor friends – the folk from Amuri Studio who flew all the way from Japan and didn’t even have any games to sell, ありがとうございます. 来年会いましょうか？ To Corina of Hachette, whom I finally met in person, thanks for stopping to talk despite being run off your feet. You were so lovely. To Sarah of BoardGameSolutions (mentioned above), thank you for literally keeping me on my feet!
There were also, of course, a ton of other board game content creators I spent time with. Paul from Gaming Rules!, Luke from The Broken Meeple, Lisa and Phil from Fun With Boxes, James of BoardGaymesJames. JP, Becky, Tambo, Kerley, Rob, Davey and any of the other hundred or so crew from Whose Turn. Ilya and Tylor of Kovray, who flew in from Canada. Stella and Tarrant from Meeple University, who beat them by coming from Australia! Oliver of Tabletop Games Blog, it’s always a pleasure, and great Japanese! Best of all, Richard from We’re Not Wizards. I’ve known the cheeky wee Scotsman online for the better part of six years, so to finally meet him in person was just wonderful.
To my special surprise visitor, Sir Ian Livingstone. You could have knocked me down with a feather when someone tapped me on the shoulder to tell me he’d come to find me. Introducing him to Saashi & Takako, as mutual fans of the others’ work, was uniquely special. I’ll remember that for a very long time.
And finally
I wanted to save a whole section just for the people who worked, played, laughed, and sweated with me on the Saashi & Saashi stand. Wes, Ben, Jordan, Maisy (with a y), Nat, and of course Saashi-san and Takako-san. The whole four days were a whirlwind, which I still haven’t fully processed, and may not for some time to come.
These folk were utterly wonderful, and I’m shocked at how well a bunch of people who’d mostly never even met before worked together. We kept one another supported, hydrated, and, where possible, rested. If anyone needed anything, they had it, often without even asking.
The 5m x 3m rectangle of partition walls, tables, and cardboard boxes became our shared home, and we bonded instantly. From 皆さんのバナナ (the communal banana supply) through to the Saashi glitter squad, it was an indescribable little pocket of time. A few days break from reality for most of us, which forged what I think will be extremely long-lasting friendships. A feeling so important to me that I’m already rethinking my planning for next year.
When we all went for dinner on the Saturday evening, Saashi asked us for our honest feedback about the experience, and I think he might have been surprised that we all said how much we enjoyed it. He took the time to address each of us in person around the table and tell us what he appreciated about the work we’d done, which was humbling.
On the Sunday morning, as I got ready for my last day on the stand, through a combination of exhaustion and the dawning realisation that this was my last day with everyone, I burst into tears. It shocked me how much it moved me. I tried my very best to talk with the Saashis in Japanese, but even then I had to write my last few sentences to them on my phone and let them read it, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get through it without blubbing. I’m a big soft git really.
A final few photos and a lot of emotional hugging later, I said goodbye to my new little family and left them behind. You better believe I’ll see them all again soon.
Over to you
Did you have any highlights from the show? People you met? Games you played? Moments you shared? Please, tell me all about it. I love the stories that come out of these conventions, and I want to hear yours in the comments below.
If I met you and we spoke, please remind me too. I’m a forgetful, nearly-50-year-old now!
