The Bat in Essen City

Hello Chaps and Chapettes,

What a wonderful month it has been. October is the time when you should be thinking about buying Christmas presents for others. But no! With the Essen Spiel, it's a little difficult to do. Unless...

You are working at a stand at Essen.

This year I was given the chance to hang around with the chaps from Monolith Editions and demonstrate their up and coming Kickstarter "BATMAN THE BOARDGAME" Not due for a little while yet, we were building the buzz ready for the Kickstarter date of February 2018.
In my Double-Back Monthly video I talk about the game and you get to see footage that I shoot at the show. 

The Spiel it's self, is like a drug. There must be something pumped in the air by ACE chemicals, whenever I go there. I have lots of energy and constantly having a happy buzz. Everything seemed to hover in a dream like state and I hovered too.

The vast amount of people there was astounding. The first three day and the first three hall were chock-a-block. Making a walk from one end to the other, a long and slow snails trail where you could push your was through and crush a child to death or weave in and out, but end up back where you starter. Not good for my claustrophobia
The last day was my preferred day and also my saddest. Preferred, because there were less people, meaning no ques for food or toilets and you could walk at your own pace without stop-starting. And saddest because it was the last day and I would gladly do it again the next day.

Being stuck in one space meant that I did not see and meet all the friends, authors, publishers and others that I wanted to. But still I got chance to meet:
-Brandon Nall from the Brawling Brothers podcast. We chatted about out mutual friend, Kevin Burkhardsmeier and we were also joined by
-Robb & Christina from Blue Peg, Pink Peg. And together we babbled our time away. Forgetting that I was on a pee break and had to get back.
-Gregory Oliver from La Boite De Jeu joined me at the booth to chat about the success of Clash Of Rage. The chaps at
-Horrible Games thanked me for the video I did and I thanked them for making another wonderful game that I will keep forever (and they gave a sneak peak of their next game.) I had hugs with the
-Dice Tower team...and there are a lot of them now. Bumped into
-Stephan Brissaud of Iello a few times. He seemed to be having the same high as I. Polite and bubbly. I had a deep and meaningful chat with
-Jamie Johnson from Holy Grail Games, again talking about the up and coming titles. The stylishly looking, too good to be on a podcast
-Georgios Panagiotidis of Perfect Information podcast was wondering alone this year, as Ben Madox was locked in his hotel room, sick. And I had a very short chat with the wonderful
-Scott Alden. Without him, none of us would be here, sharing our story's and chatting to each other.

And I also had a super great time with Adnane, Yann and Yohan from Monolith. Many thanx to you all (bisous)

There were many others that I met, to you all, sorry I did not mention you but I wanted to keep this short and sweet. You are not forgotten and you are appropriated for your work to this hobby. And if I don't recognize you next year, it's not because I think you are crap at your job or your a boar to chat to. It's because I have blancmange for a brain.

Essen is the ultimate experience for me and I which it could be Essen every day. (sounds like a Christmas song by Slade) Next year, will I be working...I don't know. I would do it again. =D