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Essen buying blow

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Spiel in Essen 2023

Essen buying blow

Spiel is a giant gaming convention here in Germany and for the past few years Mrs. GG and I have been happily attending. This year Little GG was with us to add to the fun. Most of the focus is on boardgames but each year it seems like tabletop wargaming and RPGs continue to get a larger share, although I will say I do believe Brexit has slowed this down to a certain degree as wargaming is so popular in the UK and many British companies have stopped coming or have much smaller stalls at the show since Brexit. We had certain companies we were keen to see again and finding things was much easier due to a better layout as well as a searchable list of vendors on the website this year. In the past the wargaming stands were scattered throughout the various halls. This year they were gathered together. Much easier for us! GG and Little GG were able to leave me for a bit to check out other halls while knowing roughly where to find me. The show was crowded, which I am not a huge fan of…. The older I get the less I like crowds. Things were pretty tight. Lots of folks with backpacks and I was one of them. Much to my chagrin I inadvertently knocked over a couple of displays during the day. There was excellent food to be had however with far too many choices to make selection easy. We only go for a single but I can see how folks easily spend all four days at the convention. This year we went on Friday although we usually go on Thursday. Many vendors had lots to sell but not all. And prices were often reduced for the event but we did not see any truly amazing deals advertised. Certainly not as good as we saw in the past. But there were more actual freebies than we recall previously. From sweets to minis, Little GG was particularly good at finding folks quick to give him a gift. GG was incredibly patient while I talked the ear of various company reps. And she took the photos, for which I am very thankful. Little GG was quite entertained by the various folks in costumes and the company reps that kept giving him presents. It looks to go on quite thin, covers reasonably well and seems quite matt in appearance. If they had had some paint sets there on sale I would probably have bought one to try at home but they directed to purchase from their webstore. Impulse purchase averted. I had seen their earlier prototypes last year but now they are in production and you can purchase them on their webstore. Some of the figures looked better than others and the price point for the models is beyond what I would want to pay but I can see how someone who does not want to paint their minis might benefit from purchasing prepainted minis. We spent quite a bit of time at the Dwarven Forge stand. We have met him at a previous Spiel and during a short break from his game we said hello but he did not seem to recognize us. I guess I am just not as memorable as I think I am. Ah the vanity! Also at the DF stand was Ric Wagner, who was very nice to us. As was an American woman wearing a mask that I did not catch the name of and a rather large bloke who told me his name but it escapes me at just this moment. We talked about the challenges of importing DF products into the EU at lower prices. We love DF products but they are not cheap. We had hoped to see samples of new products, like the recent Low Town Kickstarter or the upcoming sci-fi terrain but no luck. It was interesting to note how some folks are on discord, while some on the forums but not so much crossover. Almost like separate communities. I suspect there will be a third bunch on Facebook. Throughout the day when talking with people when I me ruined I am Grumpy Gnome online not a single person recognized the name. I am reminded that I am part of a niche within a niche. Archon Studio has a very big stall, with lots of stock for sale as well as both painted and unpainted samples on display. Many of the painted samples were amazing. It was interesting for me to notice that painted miniatures and terrain often look better in person than in photos. I wanted to give the folks at Archon Studio some customer feedback face to face since I am so vocal online. It did not go as well as I had hoped. I tried to give him a balanced set of feedback with both positive points and areas of constructive criticism. Archon Studio had one of the biggest tabletop wargaming miniatures stalls at the show. As big as if not bigger than Games Workshop, with as much stock for sale. But where Archon had both painted and unpainted examples on display GW had a big section set aside for people to paint minis. The Drowned Earth stall is one we usually visit each year to at the very least look at the excellent tables they set up for their display games. This year they had some sculpts that grabbed my attention. Big pieces scheduled for a Kickstarter later this year. In particular three large creatures with structures on their back. While I have no intention to get into yet another game Mrs. GG and I thought some of these sculpts might work for one of our ongoing projects. I also had a great conversation with one of the folks who volunteered to run the stall who works on the rules of Drowned Earth. And the fellow seemed a thoroughly decent chap. We discussed a lot of things beyond the game and we found ourselves often of like mind, being veterans and fiercely moderate in our politics. Were circumstances different I think we might have become fast friends however as it stands the Channel and several hundred miles between us makes that an unrealistic outcome. He is quite an enthusiastic fellow that is clearly proud of the products his company makes. And he seems a real gamer rather than just a money focused businessman. I saw some samples of their recent alien plantlike terrain Kickstarter which I had decided not to back and looking at the samples I regretted my decision. There is just too much cool stuff out there and it can be hard to know which Kickstarter campaigns to back and which to pass on by. My only purchase was some Micro Art Studio Wolsung clockwork constructs which will be great for Frostgrave. Micro Art Studio has some scatter terrain on sale on their website but it was not discounted as heavily on their Spiel stall so I avoided that impulse purchase. I did take the time to compliment the guy running the stand on their prepainted WW2 French Village terrain. It looks great but I just do not have a game to play it with. They often look different in person from their online photos, so we like shopping for mats at Spiel. However nothing grabbed us. Some were nice but not nice enough to convince us to buy them. I was being particularly cautious with my money as I had plans to make an online purchase of some Anyaral: World of Twilight miniatures the week after the show. Both Chessex and Titan Forge had coin operated vending machines like kids candy machines. We got some dice and some minis. Little GG was particularly enthusiastic about this. Every year I like to spend quite some time with the folks at the Battle Systems stand. Colin was not there this year so I chewed the ear off of Wayne. He was very polite and patient. He is the guy behind then world building, the plot writing at Battle Systems and he is thoroughly decent chap. I explained to him how Colin convinced me to back Maladum in the end with video interview that had a throw away comment about Maladum and Core Space crossing over one day. I liked Maladum when I saw it but I could not justify another fantasy game at the time of the Kickstarter. However by thinking of it as a Core Space expansion I was able to justify late backing it on Gamefound. GG even came around a bit on the Battle Systems fantasy terrain Thanks to the excellent display they built. Much as she liked the Battle Systems sci-fi terrain the fantasy terrain did not appeal to her. I liked it well enough except for the plastic clips. Now with a new clip design in the Maladum KS I am going to have to rethink the rest of the Battle Systems fantasy terrain. Not that we need much fantasy terrain with our current collection. I really can not express just how much I like the folks over at Battle Systems. They have always been very kind and helpful to me. Genuine gamers with excellent customer service. At the Privateer Press Freebooters Fate stand we tried to convince them they need to sculpt a giant crab. I am all for increasing the verticality of my gaming. One big surprise for me was the number of Chinese production company stands. In the past I only recall one. A very big stand, more of a large office display with customer service attendants offering coffee and tea to customers as they sat on comfortable chairs. The kind of production company that makes the products companies like Battle Systems and Dwarven Forge design and sell. This year there were several more such stands as well as smaller Chinese company stands, many showing examples of things they could make. Spiel in Essen is a great event. GG preferred it to Crisis in Antwerp back when that was running and I can see some of her points as to why. But I do miss Crisis. We really need to get to Tactica in Hamburg at some point. And we are even considering Salute in London next year. Do you like going to gaming conventions? Do you play games there or just shop and socialize like I do? I have never been to Gencon in the States… have you? Thanks for the report! Sounds like quite an overwhelming environment to me, but great to get to see things in person. Like Liked by 2 people. It would be nice to have more time to enjoy things more thoroughly but time is a precious commodity. I am glad to hear folks enjoy hearing about the event. Like Liked by 1 person. Hi Rick and all Happy you had a good time at Essen, i see you have a buding little miniatures painter in little GG. Somehow I have ended up with 3 games to use them with! Well I tryed that and its just not my cup of tea. Its set in a steampunk world of gangsters in the underworld and in the boardroom, the heroes are a group of street urchins who start as kids and grow up to change their world or city at least. Car Wars was one of those games that as a teenager I owned, read all the books, designed cars on paper and loved…. I watched he first episode of Arcane quite awhile back and liked it enough that I decided to save it for when my wife could watch it with me as I think she would enjoy it. We just have not gotten to it yet. Too many things to watch, never enough free time. Really enjoy reading about them however and the fan-taken pictures that often show up the really cool stuff, not just what the vendors want you to see. Mostly just viewed the vendors and talked with a few in general terms but sadly never developed any recurring relationships, beyond those with a few of the more local gaming shops that had booths or tables. I have to admit I enjoy networking and developing relationships. I get to dabble a bit in that with my hobbies. Thanks for taking the time to comment mate! But I do have rpg friends who sometimes play boardgames. I did a review of the Two Thin Coats paints. Looks like you found lots of fun stuff to see and do! Spiel sounds pretty awesome! I guess my first real gaming convention was my trip to ReaperCon over the Summer. So I might make that pilgrimage someday! Like Liked by 3 people. Gencon would definitely be something I would like to get to as well. All that said, each year it looks increasingly unlikely that I will be returning to the States. I find it increasingly difficult to recognize the land of my birth. ReaperCon was very fun and seemed just the right size. I find I can pretty much run it the same as I used to, but some of the rules and rulebooks do occasionally trip me up. The survival rate is much higher, which is good for younger players. If I was a player though, I think I would want something more lethal. I have an urge to one day introduce my wife and son to the adventures of the Keep on the Borderlands and perhaps one day finally get to Ravenloft. The evil clerics can also be used as the main protagonists, which is what I decided to do. It sounds like Essen is quite busy and full of people. Adepticon is certainly busy but so many people are there to game that I find the crowds to be pretty manageable and comfortable to move around in. You remind me of my Dad on vacation! I would describe myself as polite but fairly quiet and reserved even at the various booths at Adepticon. I do find that visiting Adepticon is great for shopping since there are usually some decent discounts and the selection at most booths is excellent. Visiting GenCon would be an interesting experience. Its better than people who have never visited would think it is. Like Liked by 4 people. My desire to be responsible about future purchases I am sure held me back at times during the convention. I did not for example buy and of the Fantasy Battle Systems terrain although I considered it. I just kept thinking, money I spend on that is money I can not spend on some Anyaral: World of Twilight minis. Haha, fair enough! Responsible shopping is always a good idea. Thanks for sharing so much greatness! I am glad you enjoyed it mate. Folks giving positive feedback encourages me to continue doing it in the future. Nice summary of the con. I tried to find something about it as it was going on but all I found is some dude wandering around showing the crowds, not very riveting. It helps to have a nice smile and be polite. One reason we did not take photos of the crowds was that we figured there would be plenty of those online already. Little GG can be quite the charmer when it comes to freebies. Not shy at all. But pleasant about it, not greedy. Not yet anyway. More Hobbit than Goblin. Like Like. Got in the mood for zombie flicks, re-watched Alive and the first season of Black Summer. Next I will probably rewatch Valley of the Dead. Black Knight really picked up for me as it went along despite my initial struggle with it. With so much I have yet to see I can not see myself rewatching anything, even something I love like Firefly or Farscape. What did you think of those? I still need to see Maggie at some point. Glad to hear you liked the photos mate. It was a decent show. One day I need to get to Salute in the UK though. Nice to hear from you. The Essen Show that the three of you attended looks absolutely amazing. This makes our Shows look small by comparison. I shall treasure looking though these photos again and again. So pleased you had a good time. All the best, Geoff. Sounds like you all had a good time at the show, which is always important. I miss attending shows, both big and small, and used to regularly attend Crisis and Salute, but my health meant I had to stop, and go completely online. The part I really miss is talking to the customers, and always remembered my repeat customers if not their names I blame the medication or old age or both! LOL I was always the one that people spoke to if they wanted a conversation, as all the ones there helping me, would direct them in my direction! I hear you mate. The passing years can be unkind. I find my memory is quite unreliable at times and that is incredibly frustrating for someone who rarely needed to study to do well on exams. It is too bad that your health prevents you going to conventions. I tend to focus on solo play but conventions remind me that the hobby can be a group event. I heard Crisis may be coming back, which would be nice. I always liked Crisis when I attended, but was always in the second hall, which a lot of customers never entered, as all the big names were in the first hall, would have been better, if they were spread about, so people got to see more, but as you say Brexit has stopped a lot of companies from taking their full stand, or attending at all. The location was far from ideal but before Brexit it brought together an amazing assortment of folks from across the hobby… with a lot to see and buy! Even if I get to Salute next year getting hit for VAT on the way back makes a big shopping trip unlikely. Oct Rick the Grumpy Gnome. Teilen mit: Twitter Facebook. Like Loading I look forward to the day we can properly game as a family. I have a lot of Reaper minis and would like to attend Reapercon one day. I am sure there are better modules but it is pure nostalgia for me. I am quite the recluse… until I am not. Then I am Mr. I would enjoy hearing your take on a visit to Gencon one day. I am of the same mindset Like Liked by 1 person. Question about the re-design of the clips in the battle systems terrain, how are different? The new Battle Systems clips are supposed to have a lower profile so they blend in more. Finished and enjoyed Black Knight, even liked the battle scene in the final episode. Now that looks quite a show! Thanks mate! Wishing you and your missus the best. LOL Like Liked by 1 person. Leave a comment Cancel reply. Seven Star Bricks. Epic Level Hobby A tabletop gaming and hobby blog. Tea and Medals Wargaming with my kids. I Dream of Minis One man's adventures in the tabletop gaming hobby. Marc Allie. Terrain 4 Cake. The Slann's Miniatures. 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Essen buying blow