10 (or 12) Indy publishers you MUST visit at UKGE

0:00 It is almost time for UKGE, the UK's biggest board game convention housed in the NEC in Birmingham. Not only are there going to be hundreds of exhibitors, but there's going to be thousands of people cramming the halls looking for those next great games. The UK's independent board game scene is currently thriving with a huge range of designers and fantastic games that will be available to look at, play, demo, and buy at UKGE. In this video, I'm going to highlight 10 board games that I think should definitely be on your agenda when you go to the UKGE.

0:48 First up is Fetching Feathers from Unfringed Things. This is a set collection parcel and play style game where you are trying to collect groups of birds and play them in front of you to score points. However, when each round changes, what the birds' requirements are also changes. And therefore, you may lose some of your birds. They may fly away to pastures new, or you just have to move around your table space to work out where the best place for your new birds and your old birds really are. Next up is Divide and Conquer, a board game based around that classic playground game of getting a conker, putting it on the shoelace, and beating someone's conker half to death. But this isn't a card game and dice. In this, you will be drafting conkers and specific strings that will give you extra powers and abilities. You will be then rolling dice to attack each others' conkers and to be the winner of conker combat.

1:55 Divide and Conquer. Check it out. Next up, we have Mysterium: Raise the Banner. This is an area control game where you are trying to control the five realms. You'll be playing cards in front of different castles matching the color of those castles using your magical wizards as wild cards being able to control the different castles and whoever has the most control at the end of the game will win. This game has adorable adorable artwork. It is a very simple but strategically deep card game and well worth your attention. Next up from Party Sloth Games is Clay It Again. Think Pictionary meets Play-Doh in this wonderful family game.

2:42 You will have cards turned over and that might be things like a bus, the Mona Lisa, a horse, and you have to build those to a certain time limit with Play-Doh. Then it is up to the other players around the table to guess what your monstrosity or beautifully sculpted item is and if they get it right, you will win points. It is a wonderful light family game that will come back to the table again and again as all Party Sloth Games do. So, definitely check them out. Next up is Malice Hortus. This is a one to four player cooperative game about angry plants and fairies. You are wild nymphs walking around wild gardens with very, very wild plants doing bad, bad things.

3:31 Can you survive the garden in Malice Hortus? You'll only be able to find that out when you check it out at UKGE. Next up, we have Flipping Dinosaurs from Hot Worn Studios. This is also up for Best Kids Game Award at UKGE, so a potential winner, at least a top three candidate. In this game, you will be moving dinosaurs across the plains trying to match other dinosaurs to get sort of three in a row to collect cards to score the most points. But, be careful where certain cards that you turn over are awfully disastrous for dinosaurs, including a little comet that may well wipe everyone out.

4:17 Three Kobolds in a trench coat is a two-to-four player bluffing and deception style game. You will have a hidden screen, and in that screen, you will have three little monsters all with special stats. You will be then gaining items to be able to protect yourself and then going on quests to try and pass. When you go on these quests, you could risk being noticed and losing monsters from your trench coat. If you are the last Kobold standing, then you will win the game. Next up, we have Black Metro from Absolute Ascendancy. This is a worker placement area control style style game where you will be sending your workers out to different districts to fulfill tasks to be able to score points and win the game. This is a deeply strategic, immersive, and thematic experience, and one that's definitely worth taking a trip over when you're at Expo.

5:22 No more will be showing off Roller Disco, their latest game coming to Kickstarter very, very soon. This is a fast-paced card shedding game as you go round and round a disco ball trying to get rid of all of your cards first. Also, you may well be able to check out copies of Tricky Landing. Tricky Landing is a dexterity trick-taking game. Instead of playing cards, you are throwing cards to hit a target in the center of the table. It is a really clever, unique twist on trick-taking games with card art all drawn by the youngest member of the Hoffner and Moore tribe. This is a wonderful, beautiful little game and one that's definitely worth definitely worth your attention.

6:09 And finally, from Mollenauer's Games, we have Time Troopers. This is a solo deck-building adventure. To save the future, you have to go back into the past. You'll be going on quests, you'll be going on journeys, you'll be playing cards, and building a deck of troopers to be able to go through different eras from the Egyptians to feudal Japan to Roman Empires to big old, meaty, beefy dinosaurs. Time Troopers is a wonderful thematic experience with its own soundtrack, a playmat, and everything that all comes with the base game. This is 100% one of the best games from independent designers that I have played, and I highly recommend that you try this one, too.

6:57 And that is 10 great independent board game companies that I recommend checking out all of their stuff at UKGE. An honorable mention to a couple of games that I didn't mention in the main video, which would be Flaming Arrow Games and their Quest for Bigfoot, which is a fantastic first-time independent publisher. This is their first game, um and I highly recommend. It's a really fun little quest where you have to collect items uh so you can go out searching for Bigfoot, and then you can find Bigfoot. Um and it's a really cool take-that mechanism and a really fun game to play with friends and family. It's a It's a real good time, so definitely check them out. And also, check out Can't Go from Trywin Games, a game of poop, points, and pandemonium. Can you be the best toilet and flush the biggest poo and get the most sweet corn, those sweet sweet sweet corn points?

7:51 Toilet Go is a wonderful cute I said cute about poop, but it's brilliant and you should definitely check out Taiwan Games when you get a chance. Thank you so much for watching this video and sticking with me till the end. Make sure you like, share, dis- subscribe, describe. You can describe the video to someone as well. I'm sure they'll love that, but subscribe cuz that's more fun for the algorithm. Share this video and leave in the comments what you are most excited to see at UKGE. What games don't I know about that are at Expo? You probably know loads and I would love to hear from you. So, what are you excited to see, what are you looking at buying, what are you running into the halls to find? Let me know in the comments. Um and I look forward to seeing you. Maybe seeing some of you at UKGE. If not, I'll see you on the next video. Thank you so much for watching.

8:41 Namaste. It's not yoga. See you later.