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uk games expo 2008 |
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saturday 31st - sunday
1st june 2008 |
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Report by Jason Brown and Mark Newbold |
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This year saw
the second running of the UK Games Expo, held once again at the
Clarendon Suites in Birmingham. Gamers from all around the country
gathered on this important date in the gaming calendar to take part in
the various games on offer and also take advantage of the excellently
stocked dealers halls... |
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Lightsabre
roleplay editor Jason Brown went to the event on Saturday to take in
what was on offer... |
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Saturday 31st May
2008
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Jason Brown,
Roleplay Editor |
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Jason - "Glorious,
glorious sunny Saturday morning, what a wonderful end to this month of
May. The sun is out, there is laughter and love in the streets,
children playing peacefully under the watchful gaze of their parents.
Ahhh, this is what summer is all about. Outside, enjoying the
weather, cherishing life to the full...oh, balls to that, let's go and
spend two days inside a hall enjoying the best the gaming industry has
to offer." |
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Photo
by Jason Brown |
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Jason - "Slightly
embarrassed to admit it, but this was my first gaming convention.
Nervous and apprehensive of what might lay before me I must say that I
was really looking forward to attending the Expo, considering all the
positive feedback there was from 2007. It's safe to say, upon
entering the venue and being greeted and welcomed by the friendly
volunteers it became apparent that this was a well run and welcoming
convention to attend." |
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Photo
by Jason Brown |
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Jason - "The
convention was well underway by the time I arrived so now I had to check
the timetable and convention map as I had some dealers stalls I had to
check out,
and also more importantly some roleplaying to do in one of the many
gaming rooms. With my scheduled games slot not until midday I
decided to check out the dealers halls. The halls as I found were
spread out over the three floors of the centre. Gobsmacked at how
big the centre was initially, each of the large rooms were still able to
be fully packed with numerous dealer tables selling everything from
board games, RPG games, miniatures and wargaming paraphernalia." |
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Photos
by Jason Brown |
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Jason
- "Of
the dealer tables that I visited I found the staff to be helpful and
friendly and to be fair if anything this was a reflection of the whole
atmosphere of the convention over the two days. It seemed, even
within the first morning of attending that this convention had been set
up to cater for all ages, from the die-hard wargamer to the 8 year old
Yu-Gi-Oh card player." |
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Jason
- "Entertainment was laid on with the attendance
of the 10th Doctor, Daleks, Stormtroopers courtesy of Knights of the
Empire, the Daleks being particularly popular with the younger age range." |
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Jason
- "Also
sharing space with the dealers tables were many games on offer for demo
play with helpful staff on hand to show how these various games played
out." |
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Jason
- "After
perusing the dealer halls and acquiring items it was time to attend my
first gaming slot. Heading downstairs to one of the numerous
gaming rooms I attended a brilliantly run four hour game of Traveler.
It was really cool meeting new people, gamers with a keen interest to
enjoy the game and I must say the referee Simon expertly ran the game
within the time limit, and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. A
special thanks also to Phil, Rob and Mark the other players who I found
to be excellent company who made the event even more enjoyable." |
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Jason
- "So
with a morning walk in the dealer halls and an afternoon of enjoyable
gaming, and also the chance to meet up with some fellow gamers I found
my first day at the convention a really enjoyable day that made me look
forward to Sunday even more.
Overall Games Expo on its first day has shaped up to be above and beyond
what I expected of it, proving to be an expertly run gaming expo where
having fun with games was obviously its main goal, which it easily
succeeded in, even if you have a faint interest in gaming I recommend
the 2009 expo." |
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Sunday 1st June 2008
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Mark Newbold,
Webmaster and Editor |
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Mark - "While
Jason was present for both days I was only able to make it to the Sunday
of the event, and not being an avid gamer I wasn't sure of what to
expect. But within moments of entering the Clarendon Suite I knew
I was in good company." |
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Photos
by Mark Newbold |
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Mark - "The
items on display were amazing, racks and rows of hand-painted figures
and scenes filled the halls - and there were a lot of halls - and people
milled about, lost in their gaming or their browsing. I was
stunned at how many people were there, it was packed." |
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Photos
by Mark Newbold |
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Mark - "I
had been to the suites before years ago for a comic convention, and that
occupied just the main hall, but the Expo took up that room, and the
long room behind it, and then Jason took me for a tour of the other
rooms over two floors. To say it was extensive is an
understatement." |
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Photos
by Mark Newbold |
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Mark
- "With
Jason being a hardcore gamer, he was most excited by 4th edition D&D,
which was out soon after the event. As always I had my eyes open
for Star Wars product, and any saga stuff caught my eye, like this stand
which carried the Wizards miniatures." |
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Mark
- "In
the centre of the building lay the TARDIS, flanked by a battle droid,
and around the edges there were collectible card games being demoed and
stalls selling original artwork. Wizkids had a stand there,
showing off their latest DC Heroes and Star Wars product and I was
tempted to purchase by Ruth Leonard, who I later learned was the
International Marketing Manager at Wizkids and a real great lady to chat
with." |
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Mark
- "This
part of the event was buzzing, and the kids were loving the Knights of
the Empire mingling with Daleks and the 10th Doctor. A lot of fun." |
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Mark
- "Rolling
around the larger rooms we were treated to some amazing product, like
this recreation of Stonehenge by
Bullseye Scenic's and the fantastic
Ground Zero Games and their Full Thrust Light game, with a wide
array of support products. It was very enlightening chatting to
the creators about their model building and game design ideas." |
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Mark
- "Myself
and Jason sat down and had a blast at
Flames of War, a World War Two tabletop game with a huge amount
of support material. Watching Jason play the game was fun,
especially as he took out his enemy with some well-aimed shots, and the
guy who demoed the game was enthusiastic and informative. My blast
at the Star Wars Pocket Models game was equally interesting and managed
to tempt me to buy some sets and start collecting the game.
All in al, the weekend was a great success, and my time spent at the UK
Expo only made me mark the date in the diary for next year and book a
hotel room so I can fully enjoy the weekend. A great show from a
good hard-working gang." |
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