Paizo Sponsors UK Games Expo This June!

Monday, November 21, 2016

With the 2016 convention season wrapping up, the team is already knee deep into planning the shows for 2017. If we are planning Pathfinder Society activities, I know our players must soon start planning for travel to Spring 2017 shows. Last week, tickets for PaizoCon (May 26-29) went on sale. Unfortunately, a trip to Seattle is not in the cards for everyone. For those Paizo fans on the other side of the Atlantic (or who fancy a trip to England), fear not. June 2nd to the 4th, we are coming to you by way of the UK Games Expo in Birmingham, England.

While there has been a Pathfinder Society presence at UK Games Expo for several years, led by Venture-Captain Rob Silk and his enthusiastic venture-officer team, we are turning up the dial for 2017. What's new? This year, Paizo and UK Games Expo entered into a sponsorship agreement alongside other industry leaders such as Mayfair, Hawk Wargames, CatanStudio, GeeknSon, Osprey Games, and Battlefield Hobbies.

But what does this mean for convention attendees? Paizo will have a booth in the Exhibition Hall where we plan to run demonstrations of some of our games. Also, several Paizo staffers are attending and will split time between being in the booth and participating in panels on a variety of game industry topics. Pathfinder Society will be there, bigger and better than ever, running Year of the Stolen Storm Roleplaying Guild scenarios, Season of Plundered Tombs Adventure Card Guild scenarios, and perhaps a few other surprises! It also means a special event scheduled for one night of the convention. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag (yet!), but the pitch John made to the Pathfinder Society team left me excited to see the final product.

So how do you attend UK Games Expo? The UK Games Expo website contains all the information you need to join us at this fantastic show. The schedule of games and panels is still under construction and won't go live until early 2017, but you can purchase entry tickets as of 1 December 2016. For first-time attendees, the website hosts a fantastic guide with answers to many questions. You can also sign up for the UK Games Expo newsletter, so you don't miss out on any information leading up to the show. There are many ways to get to UK Games Expo. My personal suggestion is to fly into London and take a train out to Birmingham. This gives a chance to enjoy the lovely English countryside before delving into three days of gaming excitement.

Besides the general admission option, you could also consider attending as a volunteer for the Pathfinder Society. There is nothing quite like running games in a convention setting. Some of my favorite memories are from GMing We Be Goblins and We Be Goblins, Too! at Gen Con 2013 and running around the Sagamore Ballroom yelling "Poog Best Goblin," only to hear "Mogmurch Best Goblin" from elsewhere in the room. Venture-Captain Rob and his team need a multitude of GMs running both Pathfinder Society scenarios and demo games throughout the event. The planning team will put out a call closer to the event and I will make sure to repost the request in the PFS blog so everyone can see and come help out!

I am super stoked about the Paizo-UK Games Expo partnership. It is a fantastic show—one of the premier conventions in Europe. There's gaming of all sorts, as well as shopping and panels. Something for everyone! So I encourage you to look at the calendar, book the time off, and come hang out with the Paizo and Pathfinder crew at UK Games Expo. See you the first weekend of June!

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Coordinator