UK Games Expo has teamed up with Bastion Games to launch the Bastion Indie Market, a two-hour Saturday-evening showcase at the NEC reserved for the smallest end of British tabletop design. The catch, and the bit getting designers talking, is a hard ban on anything that has been through Kickstarter, BackerKit, Gamefound or any other crowdfunding platform.
Got a regular group? Create a private community, poll for the best date, vote on games, and let your friends RSVP in one place.
Set up your group for freeOrganisers say the rule is meant to protect the "basement" tier of creators: people printing 20 to 100 home-assembled copies who'd otherwise be priced out of the main hall. With only 20 to 30 designer slots available, restricting entries to non-crowdfunded games keeps the focus on grassroots work rather than projects that already have wider distribution.
The market runs from 5:30pm to 7:30pm on Saturday 30 May 2026, the busiest day of UKGE's 20th anniversary show. Tables cost £25 with all profits donated to charity, and exhibitors must hold a valid Saturday entry pass. Applications close in late April through market.bastiongames.co.uk.
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See how it worksFor attendees, this is the kind of corner of UKGE that produces "where did you find that?" stories: small-print games and weird zines that vanish from the table by 7:30. If your gaming group likes hunting for oddities, set a calendar reminder for the Saturday-evening slot.
Running an indie meet of your own this summer? List your group on Backseat Gamer and bring the conversation home from the show.
Sources: Geek Native | Bastion Indie Market | UK Games Expo
