Speaking to Geek Native at the UK Games Expo over the weekend, independent publisher Orcwood Games showcased the convention debut of two highly distinct tabletop titles. Unhappy Arrangements offers a fantasy twist on modern matchmaking, while Dirty Spatula forces players into a cooperative deck-building scramble to appease a demanding royal palate.
The highlight of the booth visit was a hands-on demo of Unhappy Arrangements, a party game that plays like a tabletop cross between traditional roleplaying games and Tinder. Players act as prominent families trying to grow their wealth and power by arranging marriages in a fantasy land populated by witches, goblins, vampires, and gelatinous cubes.
The core mechanic relies on storytelling and persuasion. One player presents a bride, and the others must pitch their suitors, making ridiculous deals and spinning narratives to explain why their specific pairing makes sense. During our demo on the show floor, we successfully paired Captain Krabs with a heavily bearded dwarf. The winning logic was simply that the giant crab could use his claws to give the dwarf a precision beard trim. It is exactly this kind of chaotic, improvisational storytelling that makes the game a standout for casual groups.
Sharing the convention spotlight was Dirty Spatula, a cooperative baking game for one to six players. The premise gives your bakery seven days to bake a cake for the incredibly demanding Princess Zilla.
Players must race against a mechanical timer, wrestling with kitchen mishaps and buying new ingredients to upgrade their recipes. A major element of the strategy involves risk management. If you lack the necessary time or ingredients, you might take a gamble and use a dirty spatula. However, keeping the bakery clean is mandatory, as failing health and safety standards will see you shut down before the royal birthday arrives.
Dirty Spatula officially launched in February 2026, making UKGE its first major convention appearance. Orcwood Games confirmed that the title was produced in a limited print run, and 30 per cent of that stock has already been sold. As a small indie publisher at the Expo, they are exactly the sort of creative, independently driven projects that make the convention floor worth exploring.
