About two weeks ago, the annual RPC (Role Play Convention) took place in Cologne. Since it is almost right at my doorstep and a great opportunity to meet online acquaintances in real life again, I, of course, threw myself into the fair on both days! I want to tell you what you missed out on and hopefully motivate you to stop by next year.
Role-playing in all its facets
If you have never heard of the RPC but are a fan of role-playing games in general, you will feel right at home at the exhibition center. These are the two days of the year when you are in one hall only with like-minded people. Some developers present their video games, but that is only a small part. The term “role-playing game” is very broadly defined here and also includes pen & paper, tabletop (Warhammer 40k), LARP, board games, anime, and cosplay.
The medieval market in the outdoor area has now also become a fixed part, just like the “Artists’ Mile” where you can snag brilliant pictures from up-and-coming artists or even commission a portrait of your own character. Lastly, there were workshop areas where well-known fantasy authors hold readings or visionaries present their new P&P rule system.
RPC Fantasy Award 2015
As every year, the “RPC Fantasy Award” was also presented this time. What a few years ago was still considered a rather insignificant honor to somehow fill the program of the RPC has now evolved into an award with real market significance. Especially for the exploding market of mobile entertainment, this award is one of many small steps toward new customers.
In the category of mobile and browser games, about 11 games were nominated, many of which I didn’t know until then:
- HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Therian Saga
- The Dwarves – Third Expedition
- Age of Sparta
- Dungeon Hunter V: Diablo
- Secret File Tunguska
- Heavenstrike Rivals
- Nosferatu – Twilight Runner
- Pixel Heroes: Byte & Magic
- Sigils: Battle for Raios
- World of Tanks Blitz
HearthStone takes first place
It is not surprising that HearthStone has won first place. The second went to Therian Saga and the third to “The Dwarves”. Anyone who is bored on the go should also take a look at the other nominated games. Because that’s one of the most beautiful aspects of the RPC: Trying new things and then losing yourself in them hopelessly for the rest of your life.
In addition to the browser and mobile games (for which we can recommend our colleagues from Browsergames.de), other categories were also honored, such as PC/console games, literature, or “promising products.”
Innovations and “patched to death” games
The most fun is when you test all the games extensively at the RPC, and it is free (except for the entrance ticket). Especially the big board game manufacturers like Pegasus or Ulisses are on-site with many people and eagerly await feedback from the players. I was very excited about the upcoming P&P rule set “Wolsung,” which does not keep players long with a complicated dice system and also allows for funny “Indiana Jones” moves: Coolness combined with effectiveness and a lot of humor.
That game developers sometimes overshoot their goals and “patch a game to death” is not new to us gamers, but it also occurs in the board game market. The legendary game “Werewolves from the Dark Forest,” in which a group must burn the werewolves during the day while they slowly kill the normal people at night, received an update that has not pleased almost anyone. In the new “Inquisition” variant, it was no longer about player communication (which was the funniest aspect of the game, involving bluffing, lying, and debating), but everything was shifted to game cards and tokens. I believe that the instructors of the trial rounds have also noticed this, and the new game concept may be revised again.
These are just two examples; overall, you could try many hundreds of different things, and even two days are nowhere near enough to experience everything.
Cosplay – A lot of work and often little recognition
A special highlight year after year is also the various cosplayers. Whether it’s a Twi’lek from Star Wars, some fox character from LoL (yes, stone me, I don’t know them!), Handsome Jack from Borderlands, or a life-sized succubus, you find many costumed characters at the RPC. Most of them made their own outfits, investing countless hours of work and developing a tremendous love for detail.
Unfortunately, these people are not always treated with the respect they deserve at the fair – I don’t mean their work, which one can like or dislike. But quite often, cosplayers are simply “touched” and forced to pose for a photo, or it is bluntly demanded that they strike a pose. As if that weren’t bold enough, many people don’t even say thank you when they receive a photo but just walk away silently. Hey, behind the masks are human beings. Please treat them that way, okay?
Minor Flaws in Planning
As you have surely read between the lines, I am fundamentally quite enthusiastic about the RPC. But because nothing in life is truly perfect (except for demons), there were also some small issues that were bothersome. The aisles between the individual stands were very different in size this time – particularly on Saturday morning, this made it difficult to browse in peace as some aisles were simply overcrowded, leading to conditions like on American Black Friday.
Also frustrating was the fact that the role-playing tables for pen & paper groups were located in the middle of the hall. Creating an exciting atmosphere there was difficult when you had to shout at the game master, “My elf sneaks up and tries to take out the dwarf from behind!” due to the unbearable noise level. A separate area in another hall would probably have been better for that. Lastly, there was a rather loud booth where the moderator made fun of nerds extremely often, and not in a funny way, but in such a way that you would have preferred to sink into the ground out of embarrassment – arguments like “stinking freaks without girlfriends” welcome.
But those are just three minor criticisms; overall, the RPC was a complete success, at least from our group’s perspective. Even though we visit every year, there was never a dull moment this time!
The date for the next RPC is already set. It will take place again in the halls of the Cologne Exhibition Center on May 28 and 29, 2016 – so make sure to book your vacation ahead, it’s worth it!
