UK Games Expo, the British Isles’ biggest board game event, celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be taking it any more seriously! The Going Analog Non-Award Awards won’t let any number of decades dissuade us from highlighting the brilliant and the bizarre of board games in equal measure. OK, mostly the bizarre. Devious ducks, therapy rituals, and beckoning bards—these were the things that made UKGE 2026 a special and especially weird show. 

The “I need this in real life” award: Personal Demons

The conceit of Personal Demons is that all players are embarking on a therapy ritual. One in which they quite literally summon their inner demons before sealing them away via careful placement in a spatial puzzle. That brilliant set up was enough to draw me in, but it was details like the vibrant yet gnarly designs of each tormenting nasty or the fact that you can spend types of sin to draw cards or summon beefier demons that had me stopping by to inspect it every day of the show. More than anything, though, Personal Demons mostly left me wishing I could undergo said ritual in real life. Late-night anxiety? Back in the fires that spawned ye!

The fantastic folklore award: Aridnyk

Ukrainian sheep-shepherding game Aridnyk wasn’t fully playable at this year’s expo, but that didn’t stop our group from dallying beside its colorful stall. The game sees players collecting sheep while avoiding and interacting with a range of unusual gods and mythical creatures drawn from the folklore of Carpathian Hutsuls—a Ukrainian ethnic group of which I can comfortably admit to having zero prior knowledge. 

Courtesy of one generous designer, however, we were swiftly introduced to figures like Vovk, a ravenous giant wolf looking to gobble up its many missing parts, and Aridnyk, the all-powerful trickster who can do anything but knows absolutely nothing. I may not have walked away with a copy, but I did take home an impressive new education.

The serene yet mean award: Ducks in a Row

The cornucopia of small stalls at UKGE means that, after straining your brain on a weighty box, it’s always fairly easy to find space at a little table and recover with a lighter experience. Ducks in a Row, a humble card game about collecting cute mallards and more in shared and personal ponds, seemed to fit the bill perfectly. And yes, any bird puns are entirely intended. 

Hopping onto stools alongside designer Phil Fox, however, we quickly discover that these waterfowl are far less welcoming than they look. Every avian added to your collection in Ducks In A Row comes with an accompanying ability that allows you to modify the shared pool, and the subsequent end-game value of each duck type. The stork market, if you will. What do you mean, storks aren’t ducks? What matters is that Ducks in a Row was far, far meaner than anything with such an adorable title has any right to be.

The most intimidating statue award: Trench Crusade

Whatever you do, don’t describe this guy as “a Warhammer.” He does not take it kindly.

The “Oh god, we’ve bitten off more than we can chew” award: Imperium: Horizons

The highlight of any board game convention isn’t trying new games; it’s the opportunity to settle down in the evening with friends and enjoy any game—new or old—together amid a hubbub of similarly minded groups. Or at least it should be. This year, our collective made the brazen decision to pull Imperium: Horizons’ gargantuan, civilization-crammed cardboard case from the UKGE library and attempt a game as the clock struck 8 pm. This was a grave error. 

Bustling, stimulating surroundings and the demands of learning ruleset after ruleset all day meant that our minds were fried long before struggling to parse the unique engines of the Sassanid and Tang factions or recall the terminological differences between “acquire” and “take” or "exile" and “abandon.” Two hours later, the halls closed, saving our floundering civilizations from any further agony and our brains from utter breakdown. Perhaps a party game, next time.

The “Why didn’t we try this earlier?” award: The Gang

The Gang is a cooperative poker game about assessing card hands and silently conveying through numbered chips where you stand amid all the players at the table. It’s brilliant. You also probably know that already, given reviewers and content creators were all singing its praises two years ago. Stubbornly, I had refused to listen, even enough to learn what type of game The Gang actually is. Having already bought and not yet finished two small-box and card-based co-op campaigns in The Crew and The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game, I was incorrectly convinced that The Gang would fill the same niche and wiped it from my mind. 

Befitting the theme, chance brought The Gang into our hands at UKGE, and blimey, you all weren’t kidding, huh? Much to my delight (and embarrassingly contrary to my prior thinking) The Gang is very much designed to be enjoyed as a straight game—not as part of a campaign. May its new home on my shelf serve as a reminder to actually listen instead of riding on my own ignorance.

The most musical teach award: Shug

I didn’t get the chance to sit down and try Shug’s blend of dungeon-delving and party-game antics during my time at the UKGE. That didn’t stop the game (or rather its designers) from managing to win me over. Passing Shug’s stall, I was unexpectedly serenaded by a triplet of ruff-collared and sunglasses-adorned bards. Backed by a jovial flute melody, the key rules were delivered alongside cheers and jeers at each mention of the game’s heroes and villains. From here on, I’m going to need every rules explanation to be delivered plus flute, thank you.

The “Wait, am I good at art?” award: Abstractable

If a hundred unintentionally sabotaged rounds of Telestrations had taught me anything, it’s that my artistic level barely scrapes above the skirting board. But all this time I was simply competing in the wrong arena. Abstractable is a simple party game that ditches the pen and paintbrush in favor of a mess of weird shapes – triangles, sawtooth ridges, quarter circles, and more. Each element is magnetic and ready to be slapped onto your miniature canvas. The goal is to arrange them such as to convey one of three things written on a secret, personal card. Here, finally, I excelled. While my friends struggled to convey their concepts, I went above and beyond, not just conveying the idea but adding visual flourishes, too. At long last, I’ve found my artistic calling. It’s just a shame it’s quite so niche.

The forever friend award: Catty the Catan Sheep

There’s an unspoken legend that if Catty the Catan sheep ever fails to appear at the UK Games Expo, disaster is sure to follow. Thankfully, her reassuring presence kept watch over visitors yet again in 2026. Our hero, our guardian. Okay, so I made that up, but I enjoyed the hug nonetheless.

Author bio: When he’s not dying repeatedly in brutal video game boss fights, Henry Stenhouse can be found in equal despair over how many games he’s yet to fully enjoy in his board game backlog. Share your love of deck builders with him on Bluesky, or drop an email to henry@moonrock.biz.

• Feature
• UK Games Expo
• Non-Award Awards