RPC 2016 – Cologne Day 2 & 3

As promised here’s the second part of my RPC adventure this year. We rose early to get to the vendor’s parking lot and then made our way into a still-empty Hall 10.Still-empty places where a lot of people should be – theatres, fairs, the like, have an almost magic quality to them for me. They also allow for people-free selfies of my tired resting angry face (like a resting bitch face, but with a more angry quality to it). Note my “I am important” ticket ribbon!We set up the table (the bit that we didn’t do the day before), made acquaintance of the neighboring artists and then the gates opened and visitors flooded the fair.Noisette and Pwyll helped out with the artist alley table so Scoundrel and I could actually go and see a bit of the convention together this time.
In my defense, I’m still working on that “Baker Girl” sign, it was improvised that day!One of my personal highlights was meeting Frank, game master extraordinaire, who runs the wonderful, magical, glamour-infused Changeling – The Dreaming chronicle on Youtube (it’s in German, sorry). I fangirled pretty hard and even had my picture taken with him, something he probably didn’t expect because I only got to know him because of this other guy who commissioned the artist next to me and was wearing a shirt from Nerdpol Forums where the chronicle comes from and started fangirling to him… long story short, I was incredibly excited and dorky. Scoundrel assured me that I was dorky in a very adorable way, so I’m okay with it.I drew one of his NPCs for him, too, and I think he liked it. The picture is a bit of a spoiler, so best you forget it again if you’re to listen to the videocast.Can you belive this tiny book prop was made on short notice because the dungeon master this dungeon belongs too had none? It’s amazing, I love it! I don’t do tabletop gaming myself but I always admire the miniatures.I love how the RPC brings together all kinds of nerds. You’ve got jugger tournaments, post-apocalyptic tribes, newbie LARPers (you know, with the usual lace-up shirt and belt and sword), artists, artisans, computer games, music, steampunks, Pen & Paper heroes, everything. You also get a good dose of cosplay. Isn’t this Ariel great? It’s Rolana Cosplay for Helden für Herzen (Heroes for Hearts), a charity organisation helping kids to meet their pop culture heroes.Speaking of cosplay there was a whole cosplay alley, too, with this impressive display being the one of Lightning Cosplay. Wow. I mean, WOW. The Maleficent costumes look like they were just taken off the set.There’s just so much I want to show you! This Grim Squeaker sat at one of the LARP weapon booths completely with a memento mori plaque for Sir Terry above it, that’s so sweet (which is why I included the picture despite its blurriness)!This beauty visited at another LARP stall I happened to be at at the right time.I already told you about one of my highlights. Another was to see my work getting out there in shape of the Aetherdeck, the card game I worked on with Anja Bagus and the Amt für Aetherangelegenheiten.
I hereby promise you a full post on the thing soon, scout’s honour.Last but not least there was the vendor’s party Saturday evening with free food and drink. It was down at the second hall where the laser tag arena (thank gods it wasn’t next to the artist alley like last year. I like laser tag as much as the next geek, but the continuous “pew-pew” sound got on my nerves, intensely so.) was and the F.A.T.E. postapocalyptics and the NERF arena (where Noisette and Pwyll partook in a record-attempt size NERF battle). The party was really nice and I wish we could have stayed longer but Pwyll went off to a pint with old study friends in celebration of his birthday that day – we’d made him blow out a lighter behind a cinnamon bun in the morning in lieu of a cake – and the other three of us were just incredibly tired from the day (sitting around isn’t as relaxing as one might think, and Noisette just did ALL the things and enjoyed herself so much it was contagious). So we went to our sleeping spot, I went and took a bath while we watched an episode of Game of Thrones and decided to be better prepared for after-show partying next year.You might have noticed that I simply lumped together Saturday and Sunday but it really was one big blur to me. A happy blur, nonetheless.

Special mentions for visiting me at the artist alley go to:

• Faustwerk (who also commissioned his portrait)
• Shalott and Jolly
• Verdinium (sorry I was so busy)
• Mickey from archery and canne de combat
• Frank (again) and Umbreon who dragged Frank there
• Horatia Aubrey (whom I was so happy to finally meet!)

I probably forgot someone, sorry. As I said, it was all one big time-lapse until we boarded the train and bus back home.

I’ll make one last post about my loot and some of the pictures I drew sometime soon. Until then enjoy yourselves!