I've just returned from Bacharach and wanted to say thank you to all of the convention organisers, especially Fabian, for running, once again, a fantastic convention. There are so many wonderful events to participate in that it's hard to mention them all, especially when so many superlatives would need to be used.
As always, the people are the best part. Everyone is friendly and the language barrier isn't really a problem for non-fluent German speakers. Much of the convention is in English, mainly because so many of the attendees are bilingual. Attendees were from all over: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the US, to name the ones I can remember.
The opening ceremony was an even bigger spectacle than last year. In some ways, it is slowly turning in to a twisted, and far more fun, mock version of the Eurovision song contest. It certainly kicked off the convention and got everyone involved.
The freeforms were outstanding, with many thanks to their writers and referees for making them so enjoyable. The Great Glamour sitdown took place in the blazing sun of the late morning and early afternoon, but all manor of criminal fun was had by all. No shortage of turf wars, slave trading, backstabbing, and gang rivalry for those who participated. Next up came Crule Hearts and Coronets, the Hawkmoon freeform. As the day began to cool down those in full costume got some relief from the heat. This freefrom had some of the best costuming I have ever seen. I was amazed at the masks, gowns, and unifroms of some many of the players. Even though it strengthened my chances of getting permanently type-cast, I enjoyed playing Meintz of Mainz, the technology and arms auctioneer.
The other two main freeforms took place on Sunday. I can't say much about the German language Cthulhu freeform, other than it looked enjoyable from a distance. The other freeform, Space Station Zanzibar is a game I now regret not playing in. Over 7 or 8 hours, all manner of science fiction heroes gathered on a space station to hatch out the future of their universe. Fabian, as Darth Vader looked most impressive with his four red cloaked body guards. Jabba the Hut and his massive costume was a sight to see as well. Even after chatting with a number of the players I still don't think i know even half of all the wonderful things that happened, but I do know I hope to play in it if it ever gets run in the future at a con I attend. I saved my energy and voice for the auction, which got pushed back into the night on Sunday. It certainly contained a number of bargains, but the heat made it a gruelling 2+ hours.
Tentacles is a seminar and panel lite convention, but those that were held went well. Sandy is always fun to chat about Cthulhu with, while Greg let us all know what's coming up with Heroquest. One panel that I do specifically want to mention is the Independent Gloranthan Publishers Panel. We added something new this year by handing out "Outstanding Contribution" awards to the artists and authors who have helped us get so many great products out over the years. Seven were honored: Shannon Applecline, Nick Brooke, Dario Corallo, John Hughes, Peter Metcalfe, Jamie Trotsky Revell, and Ian Thompson. We hope to make such awards a more regular event, and were glad so many were at our panel to help us thank them for all of their help over the years.
The venue continues to be superb. Not only do you have a 17th century castle overlooking the majestic Rhine, it has been modernized to a comfortable and efficient standard. I opted for a smaller four person room this year, but still didn't manage to avoid massive snoring, but I didn't mind because it's hard to sleep with so many activities and socialising to make you delay your bedtime.
Getting to the convention keeps getting easier and cheaper when travelling from the UK. My flight from Stansted to Hahn on Ryanair cost less than my train ticket from home to Stansted. The Tentacles shuttle between the airport and the castle is a uber-convenient service I hope they continue each year. Many thanks to fabian for arranging it.
Another new feature I really liked this year was the drink tickets. You got a card with 10 beer tokens on it when you registered and could buy more (as I did) as needed. It made buying beer a breeze, both for the organisers and the drinkers. Please use them again next year. Getting a 500ml bottle of beer is also excellent value.
All told, the convention is fantastic value for money. Not having to scrounge around for a place to eat means more game and socialising time. I won't won't go so far as to say that the youth hostel food is great, but it is edible, convenient, and included in the price.
There's so much more to rave about, but I think the best way to truly understand how wonderful the event is is to attend in person. I hope to see you all there next year.
(Fabian, sign me up for 2004)
Rick Meints (of Mainz)
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