Gaming in Germany

Just back from Tentacles Omega, a very fine convention in the European style (high-quality rpgs, tabletop, and freeform games, attendees from around the globe, almost no dealers, and alcohol) in the best setting ever for a game con: a castle-now-hostel perched above a medieval town on the banks of the Rhine. Yes!

Gregory brought his elaborate tabletop Escape from Innsmouth game; people ran freeforms for Call of Cthulhu, Pendragon, Joss Whedon's Serenity 'Verse, and the Second Crusade; Greg introduced the Pendragon battle system to a room full of thirty people; Sandy brought a couple of new boardgames (Dominion and Race for the Galaxy) and happily played them with whoever wandered by. So many of us had small children in tow that a creche would've been handy.

And because it was the last one, everyone was there: gamers from the US, France, Germany (natch), the UK, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Australia, Singapore, Poland, the Netherlands. I don't recall anyone from Canada, Spain, or Italy, but I don't remember where Pablo's from.

It took a long time to say goodbye.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown: Sven in the InfoShrine.

L-R: Pummel, Chrissy, some dude I don't know, and Hahn in front of the microfleet of European cars.

From a previous Tentacles: Fabian and Greg get ready to Do What Is Necessary to Daughters of Darkness.

Also from a previous Tentacles: Greg and Sandy's secret game designer's handshake. Shhh.

The Butcher of Bacharach has been grilling for a few years now. At a previous Tentacles, Charlie and Hahn prepare at the local Rewe. This year, Charlie estimated he grilled about 100kg of meat.

Awww...reunited in the InfoShrine. (Greg got picked up at the airport; I took the train.)

Daniel Fahey out in the courtyard. He spent most of the con cradling either a bottle of hooch or Gregory's daughter Amandine. But not at the same time.

Alex, Sandy, and Grant Spawn of Sandy, also out in the courtyard of the castle. Did I mention they had an espresso machine this year? VERY handy, but I think I spent about 30 euro on coffee drinks during the con!

ConFabian with his Commanding Cap of Obedience. He foolishly set it aside during our trip to Dreieich after the con. It was like herding cats.

That's the gaming part. For the food part, Charlie Krank (Chaosium) busted out his grill—the one that lives in Germany—and cooked whatever was brought to him: pork steaks, beek steaks, duck sausages, Thuringer sausages, bratwurst, a Turducken (with gravy! thanks, Megan)...we ate a lot of meat. Including a fun wildegoulash in the castle cafeteria made with venison. And doner kebaps. And Turkish pide. And flammekuchen (Alsatian pizza).

We also ate a lot of ice cream. Well, gelato really. Including Riesling gelato and spagetti ice.

Other notable foods eaten: handkasse mit musik, dinkelbrot, green sauce over potatoes and eggs, apfelwein, and a shitload of beer.

More photos, including German bumper cars, after G-man gets back with the camera.