Con Fever Dreams: What the Cult Sees at Gen Con and UK Games Expo
Summer in the board game world isn't just about backyard Codenames and passive-aggressive Uno. It’s the season of pilgrimage. The time when tens of thousands descend like a glorious horde upon the great citadels of cardboard: UK Games Expo in Birmingham, and the untamed beast, Gen Con in Indianapolis.
If you’re not going, you’ll wish you were. If you are going, pack deodorant and a backup soul. Let’s take a peek at what awaits in the labyrinthine vendor halls, dimly lit demo tables, and slightly-too-crowded hotel bars of gaming’s greatest conventions.
UK Games Expo: Civilized Madness
Held in Birmingham's NEC, the UKGE has a very British vibe: well-run, mildly restrained, and likely to feature a polite but enthusiastic crowd demoing a game about 17th-century postal routes.
But don't be fooled. Beneath the tweed and tea lies chaos:
Eurogame prototypes that are thicker than Yorkshire pudding
Gloomy RPG zines with fonts too cool to read
Tables of beautifully unnecessary components that make you question your life choices (but you buy them anyway)
Dark One’s kind of place.
Even if you're not into euro optimization, the UKGE is an amazing bellwether of design trends. This year? Expect more legacy-lite storytelling hybrids, cozy horror themes (finally), and a surprising uptick in solo play games that whisper, “You don’t need other people. Just one candle. And the cards.”
Gen Con: The Pantheon of Overstimulation
And then there’s Gen Con.
The four-day immersion therapy in dice, sweat, and hype. You’ll leave with a bag of games, a maxed-out credit card, a slight ringing in your ears, and probably a Kickstarter or two you forgot you backed.
This year? Big IPs are going even bigger. Expect Hasbro to throw a licensed tsunami at your wallet. The rebirth of mid-weight adventure games, think “Arkham Lite” or “Dungeons & Deckbuilding.” Experimental mechanics, someone’s launching a game with components that melt. We’re hoping it’s metaphorical or cheese.
Dark One Games won’t be exhibiting yet, but with luck, soon enough. These are the waters where cultists swim, scouting future inspiration and potential allies for the next terrible ritual (aka product launch).