Megagames at UK Games Expo 2023
Are you like us and can never get enough megagame magic? Well, you’re in luck as four games have been announced to be run at this year’s UK Games Expo (UKGE)!
Following on from last year's successful run of Aftermath by Reading Megagames, this year sees four games being run - Event Horizon, Aftermath, The Raven Banner and the ever popular Den of Wolves. Priced between £9-£18 per ticket (plus your UKGE ticket), this is the perfect opportunity to try out a game (or return for more fun) at a low price.
UKGE will run from Friday 2 - Sunday 4 June at the Birmingham NEC. The expo packs a huge amount into just a few days and it’s a must for any self-respecting nerd. But what about the megagames we hear you cry? Here’s all the information you need…
(and if you want to know more about megagames that are planned, check out our global calendar)
Den of Wolves - Friday 2 June (10:30am - 4:30pm)
Run by East Midlands Megagames, they’re bringing the shock and awe of impressive components to the table for this run of DoW. But what about the game itself? Read on…
Supplies are short. The enemy is relentless. And cooperation is at an all-time low.
As a player you will spend the day overcoming challenges posed by a lack of resources and constant threat of attack, resolving conflicts with other starships and their crews as you all try to decide the best course for the survivor fleet... whilst also trying to work out just who exactly you can trust when things get difficult.
Think Battlestar Galactica with Wolves instead of Cylons and you’re on the right track. Den of Wolves is highly rated by the megagame community so don’t miss your chance to play this classic game!
Aftermath - Saturday 3 June (10am - 4:30pm)
Brought to you by the team at Very Large Huge Games, this will be an updated version of a critically acclaimed game about rebuilding a post-apocalyptic Britain.
Something happened, and the world turned upside down. No one really knows what it was – you could go mad speculating, and we know a few people who did. What does it matter, here in the aftermath? You survived, and so did the people around you. Maybe they’re friends and family, maybe they’re just people that circumstances threw you together with. It doesn’t matter what came before.
Now you’ve reached the other side after months of isolation, watching your supplies dwindle, you can finally begin to travel again, see who else is out there, and begin to work out…what comes next.
Roles include survivors, civil servants, police and the military but how much will they all work together? Everything will be decided by the players on the day.
Tea, biscuits and the apocalypse, anyone?
Event Horizon - Sunday 4 June (10am - 2pm)
Reading Megagames is bringing the delightfully horrific Event Horizon to UKGE this year. Based on the movie of the same name, do you have what it takes to board a ghost ship, find out what is going on, and get the hell out again - ideally with your sanity still intact.
The game takes place in the year 2047. The Event Horizon, a state-of-the-art ship designed to reach deep space, went missing for seven years. Now it’s back, and nobody knows where it has been. A UN-led fleet on a search and salvage mission is approaching the vessel; you will play as a crew member on this fleet taking the role of a commander or specialist to help discover the secrets of this techno-mystery marvel.
The game takes place on the ships in the fleet, and on the Event Horizon itself, where players will move and interact with the environment and each other. The game is one of exploration, resource management and political agendas. There are elements of combat and violence in the game.
The Raven Banner - Friday 2 & Saturday 3 June (6-9pm)
Reading Megagames is hosting two runs of the three-hour long Viking extravaganza.
After decades of raiding, the Danes are invading England with every intention of settling for good. Weakened by internal strife, the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex seem vulnerable - but the Danish leaders have too many ambitious followers to keep all of them happy. This three-hour mini-megagame combines logistics, strategy, diplomacy and treachery. With so much at stake, what will you be able to hold onto?
What if you’d prefer to help run a game?
The megagame community is always happy to receive assistance in running games. If you’re up for a challenge and would like to assist in running any of the megagames at UKGE this year, send an email to Reading Megagames and they’ll add you to the list. Everyone that volunteers for a whole day at UKGE receives a FREE weekend expo ticket, so it could be a good opportunity to visit!
How can you play one of these awesome games?
It’s easy, just purchase a weekend or day ticket for UKGE, then buy a ticket for the megagame (or megagames if you are mad enough to play more than one in a weekend!) you’d like to play: Aftermath, Event Horizon, Den of Wolves or The Raven Banner.
It’s going to be a blast and we can’t wait to see you there!
If you do end up playing one or more of these megagames at UKGE, don’t forget to let us know how you get on over at our Facebook group!