Demonstrator
The dust has well and truly settled from the UKGE 2026 now. I had a bit of a mad June but still wanted to write and share my experiences of 2026 because it was without date my most favourite year at the Expo (to date). It has been my favourite for many reasons and not least because the event celebrated its 20th anniversary which is truly remarkable and huge congratulations to those that created the event for where it is now. As someone who started gaming in the 90’s when the hobby was not so well regarded and very niche, to see such a mainstream event where all types of people come to share a common interest is amazing. I certainly hope this continues to grow.
This year was very different for me as it is the first time I have attended all 3 days from Friday through to Sunday. With a young family it is not easy for me to just drop everything and disappear for a long weekend. However, Mazaza Games invited last year in 2025 to come and demo with them at this year’s event as they have grown, the only answer was a yes! For anyone following me, you may have heard me mention Kavango once or twice.
I still didn’t quite know which days I was committing to because there is a full time job to work around but I took the days annual leave to volunteer with Mazaza Games and was so pleased I did. Being on the exhibiting side of the table was an incredible way to experience the event. So I was thrilled thinking I am going to get to teach people and demonstrate a game to them that I love. It was really exciting but also loaded with pressure. This is Matt and Zara’s (Mazaza Games) business and I had to make sure I put the best foot forward when pitching the games to Expo attendees.
Then all that went out the window at about 8.50am on the Friday (10 mins before the doors open) when Zara asked me to demonstrate the new game, Scavengers. This was a prototype set and my first question was “How do you play?”. I think I covered it well but there were no 2 ways about it, I was feeling nervous. Thankfully, Zara demonstrated the first game which I joined in with and I am pleased to say I got battered at this game, which amused me. Thankfully I got to grips with it and then took over demonstrating at the table.
I had so much fun demonstrating. What was lovely for me to see was that about a week before, Matt and Zara had sent out an email to backers of Kavango that this was being demonstrated. Mazaza Games have so much love from fans of Kavango and so many people were coming up to seek them out and try the new game, because of the love they have for Kavango. This is a side of the industry that maybe isn’t so obvious from social media or the internet, but there is a lot of love and appreciation for the games created and you can see this honest emotion when people are interacting with you. This is what the gaming experience is truly about, it’s the connections you make with fellow gamers.
Then there was also the opportunity I had just to observe the game I had taught to people. Scavengers is a game of bidding and bluffing and so I cannot teach strategy to players here. It is all about how they weigh up their own risk and reward in the game and I found this experience fascinating in how players approached the game, because there were so many differing approaches.
I wasn’t alone in supporting Mazaza games. They had drafted in other people to aid on their stall. The 3 of us were demoing the games allowing the opportunity for Matt and Zara to have more time speaking to their customers and fans of the game, to which there are many which was so cool to see.
Roll onto Saturday and I hadn’t even had the opportunity to demo Kavango once. That was about to change today but because I had demonstrated Scavengers so much I needed a moment to recompose and work out Kavango again for purposes of teaching others. So my first chance to demonstrate Kavango and I had a group of 4 players where English wasn’t the first language. I was concerned about my demo already. But we got going and as the game progressed the players were getting more and more into it and I must have done something correctly as 3 out of 4 of them went to buy a copy, what a relief.
After a couple of Kavango play-throughs I found myself back with Scavengers again. However that afternoon an old friend of mine from school came by. I’d connected with him on Facebook prior to the event as I knew he was an Expo goer but I hadn’t seen him for 20 years. So it was great when he swung by with his wife and friend to say hello. The unexpected surprise was his friend had travelled with Zara way back in their days. What a small world and they also had a nice catch up before I took them all through the Scavengers. Such a meet doesn’t happen without an event like the Expo which is amazing.
There is no getting away from the fact that demonstrating is intense. It’s hard as you have to go again and again because people are coming out for a good time and I wanted to do the best job I could for Mazaza games as I was representing them. I was also frantically scribbling down feedback on the Scavengers game from the players because it is a prototype and the feedback was wanted to perfect the game. I loved it and these conversations were also insightful.
That Saturday evening was a late one as the team of us on the Mazaza stand went out for a meal. But before the meal as the booking was later (The NEC was busy this weekend) we went for a drink in the Sky Bar of Resorts world for just a general chat and then I brought an old game out to the table. The Downfall of Pompeii, a game from 2004 by Mayfair Games, long out of print and that none of the group had seen before. It went down a treat as it wasn’t complicated to learn but highly entertaining. This was then followed up with a lovely meal out at the Vietnamese Kitchen before we all worked our way back to our accommodations. It was such a fun evening socialising after an amazing couple of days working as a demonstrator.
Family Day - Sunday
I have 2 young children so my wife and I now make Sunday a day led by them at the UKGE. I love this because I get to see the EXPO through their eyes. We make the day about them and follow their interests which leads to something pretty cool and I appreciate that.
We also met up with my brother and nephew this year which was their first experience of the Expo and my nephew was blown away by the scale. We started at the Kavango stand which felt like a nice place to start proceedings. I didn't expect my brother to get his wallet out and part ways with some cash to pick up a set but that happened. I did a better job of demoing to him at Christmas than I realised. It’s a quality game and clearly left a good impression.
But we let my brother and nephew do their own thing as we did ours. Our children just pick a table and sit at it. I don’t know if they see something they really like or just want to sit down for a moment. The first table they sat at was Viking Route. A game rated way above their recommended age but a cooperative game where you take on a Viking longboat crew to navigate on a quest. I would love to try this one again as we only played a couple of turns but the game was brilliantly exciting. One for a few years down the line perhaps.
Then we moved on and worked our way to one of the many Asmodee locations. We sat down at Coffee Rush. I couldn’t understand this choice at all. There was another mum and her son that sat down with us so our children teamed up with my wife and I so they could play. The premise is simple, make your coffee orders and ensure you keep clearing your backlog. Most coffee orders made, takes the win, essentially. We loved it so much that we now own it and the expansion. I would never have tried on my own so this was an absolutely joyful find.
We had a little wander through halls 3 and 3a from here and admittedly stumbled across some Urak Hai Orcs, anyone who saw those guys will appreciate how terrifying this could have been for a 4 year old and my youngest wasn’t happy. The older one didn’t mind. The cosplay is incredible at the event. The boys saw all the sith Lords later and a Dalek so were happy again.
The boys then tried Outfoxed by Gamewright in the family gaming which is a lovely investigation game that is age appropriate for a change. This gave me a chance to speak to Zatu and members there. Next to Zatu, conveniently, was Vesuvius Studios and the kids love a game of catapult feud. Those guys had a great Expo as they were sold out.
We always take lunch outside in the fresh air and I loved that a play park had been set up outside for the children this weekend. That was a lovely touch for the children to have some movement play. Nice work whoever thought of this.
Then we set about back inside for some more time with Asmodee in the TCG area and the kids had a quick Pokemon battle. Then we told them about the double decker bus, so off we looked for that and we sat on top playing some Flamecraft Duals. This is another on our family wishlist but probably the full game will be picked up.
That about did it for them and so we called it there but what a treat the Expo is from this way of viewing. The hidden gems we picked up on that I had no intention of looking at on my own were wonderful and I can do nothing but appreciate this. The Expo will be a regular family event in the calendar for sure.
Final Thoughts
The Expo is a fantastic event and every year has been truly different for me and all in a good way. I look forward to attending so many more Expo’s in the future and seeing what gaming adventures come up next.
