Scott Tepper: The Glamorous(?) Life…

As you may know, I demo games for Rio Grande Games at trade shows.  It is a lot of fun, but for a show like Essen, it’s also a lot of work.  To give you an idea of what goes on “behind the scenes”, I’ve listed a timeline of what I did during the days before, and the days of Essen.

Sunday - Flight to Essen
6:30p- fly out of O’hare airport.  Since I only received rules for the games I’d be demoing: Imperial, Formidable Foes, Fiji, Yspahan, Medici Vs. Strozzi, Gloria Mundi, On the Underground, Augsburg 1520, Hermagor, and Ruse and Bruise, a week earlier, and I had to work overtime the past week at my “real” job in preparation for taking a week off, I didn’t get to read through most of the rules.  So I start reading through them on the plane.
About 4 hours into the flight I find an error in the rules to Imperial.
5 minutes later, I find another error
5 minutes after that, I come up with a rules question about Imperial that isn’t addressed in the rules.
Jay (Tummelson) breaks out prototype copy of Medici vs. Strozzi for us to play.  He creams me at the game.
I sleep for about 45 minutes, then read some more rules.
Jay shows me some preliminary artwork for Race for the Galaxy.  I am blown away!  The artwork is stunningly beautiful.  I am in awe as I turn through the pages of the artists preliminary sketchbook. Because there are so many cards in the game, the artists will be working on this project for over 6 months.  I cannot wait to see the finished project.
10:00a arrive in Frankfurt airport.
11:00a-1:15p take train from Frankfurt to Essen
1:45p-2:05 take underground train to our hotel, then check in.
3:00p walk over to the convention hall.  The hall is mostly empty, although there are workers starting to set up parts of booths.  The spot where our booth is supposed to be is just tape marks.  We learn that they are taking down parts of other booths from a different trade show that just ended in other halls.
4:00p walk around the neighborhood to run a couple of errands
5:00p have dinner.  Because it is Monday, the restaurant is practically empty. There are only 2 other tables in the restaurant that are occupied.  I know that in 3 days, there will be a wait to get a table in this same restaurant.
7:30p go back to hotel, write postcards, and read up on some of the game rules.
9:00p go to sleep

Tuesday
6:00a wake up & shower
6:45a go down to breakfast
6:50-7:30a eat breakfast.
8:30a head over to convention hall.  Walls for the office of our booth have been set up.  Start organizing the office.
The tables and chairs we had ordered are delivered to our booth.  Due to a mistake, the wrong size tables have been delivered.  We needed mostly rectangular tables for our booth (because most of the games we are showing need more space than the square tables have).  So we have to go to convention office to request a change of the tables.
9:00a continue working on setting up booth and office.
12:00a tables and chairs are delivered to booth.  Attempt to organize them.  There are 35 tables and 150 chairs.
4:00p head back over to hotel.  Some copies of the games have been delivered to the hotel.
4:30p play 2-player Powergrid Benelux in hotel basement.  Jay creams me.
6:30p head out to dinner at Pizza Express that we found last year.
8:30p review rules of games in my hotel room and write post cards.
10:00p go to sleep.

Wednesday
6:00a-7:30a same as Tuesday.
7:30-8:00a write post cards
8:30a get to booth & arrange tables and chairs
10:00a go to office and request to change some of the tables in the booth so that they’ll fit better in our space.
10:30a unpack pallets of our games that have been delivered to the booth.
11:30a-12:00 run through halls when taking a break to get some of the games on my want list.  Several of the vendors aren’t there yet.
12:00 more games come.  Unpack more
1:00p told by factory rep that Shogun, If Wishes Were Fishes, Ruse & Bruise, Formidable Foes, Taluva, won’t be showing up.  They aren’t going to be produced in time.
1:30p get a sandwich from one of the convention halls food stands.  The bread is encrusted with sunflower seeds which makes for a surprisingly tasty cheese sandwich.
2:00p Rick and Val and John and Dale and Brian and Henning and Lorna stop by the booth.  I teach/play a game of Gloria Mundi with Val and Lorna.  As I am teaching the game, I notice that Val’s eyes are closed.  She had forwarned us that she was trying to stay awake for 24 straight hours so that she could more easily get on Germany time(which is what we did).  I apologize for having a droning voice that puts Val to sleep.  She counters that my voice is not droning, but rather, “soothing”.
4:00p some of the German demoers that we’ve hired to teach Rio Grande games show up.  Teach them how to play several of the games.
5:45p-6:00p make another quick shopping run through the halls.
6:00p pull plastic off the carpet of demo area.  Have to lift all 35 tables and 170 chairs to do so.
7:00p pull plastic off carpet in office. 
8:00p-9:00p open and punch out the copies of games that will be used as demo copies during the show.
9:00-9:15p walk back to hotel
9:15 go to gas station across the street from the hotel and buy a cold sandwich for dinner.
9:30-9:37p watch German tv while eating sandwich
9:38p-11:50p bring games whose rules I don’t feel comfortable enough with down to diningroom of hotel.  Set up the games and respectively read through the rules of Augsburg 1520, Hermagor, To Court the King
11:51-11:59 get ready for bed
11:59 find out that German alarm clocks go to 0:00 instead of 12:00 at midnight
0:01a-0:29a reread rules of Imperial, Antike & Formidable Foes.
0:30a go to sleep

Thursday
6:00a-7:30a same as Tuesday.
8:15 they let us into the hall
8:20 realize that factory has delivered a pallet of games that includes Formidible Foes.  Unload pallet of Formidible Foes.
10:00a the first game I am asked to demo is, of course, Formidable Foes.  None of the demoers has even seen the rules, so it’s up to me to do it.  I apologize to the people at the table that this is my first time seeing the final product of the game and the rules.
10:20a the second game I am asked to demo is Formidable Foes.  But this time, I have to do it in French.  I do a little bit better job than I did the first time.
10:45a asked by another demoer to teach Yspahan to a table of people because none of the other demoers has read through all the rules.
1:30p by the 3rd time that I have to teach Formidable Foes, I figure out that the best way to teach it is to give the players a basic understanding of the game, let them play through a couple of turns so they understand how a basic turn operates, then teach them the remaining rules, as opposed to teaching them everything all at once, which tends to be overwhelming and confusing with this game.
4:00p realize that I have not eaten the power bar that I brought for lunch because I have been demoing non-stop since the hall opened.
7:00p go over to the Eggert-Spiele booth.  Learn that they printed up an errata sheet for the English rules to correct the errors and omission.
7:10-8:00p put games away and clean up and organize booth.
8:30p buy a cold sandwich from the gas station across the street from the hotel.
8:45p-8:55p eat sandwich and watch German tv.
9:00p-9:45p review rules of Formidable Foes with the gameboard in the hotel diningroom.
10:00p-10:45p punch cardboard from some of the games I bought so that they’d be lighter when I packed them.  (good thing I brought baggies with me.)
11:00p go to sleep.

Friday
6:00a-7:30a same as Tuesday.
8:15a head over to hall only to learn that they are not letting people in.  Head over to the side entrance of the building because another exhibitor believes that we can get in from the side entrance.
8:20a learn that they are not letting people in until 9:00a
8:22a stand under a tree so we don’t get so wet from the light rain.
8:45a guard lets us into the hall
8:50a-9:45 set up our booth.
9:45a-9:59 run around and buy some games for myself
10:15 all the tables are full of people wanting to be taught games.  Start demoing non-stop…
11:00a had to teach Imperial.  Worst demo I’ve ever done of a game.  Had to check rules 3-4 times to make sure I was conveying the correct information
1:30p realize that it’s 1:30p and I haven’t eaten yet.
6:00p realize that I have now taught Fiji, Yspahan, Gloria Mundi, Undergound and Medici vs. Strozzi in German.  Throat starting to get sore from talking non-stop.  My voice sounds hoarse
6:50p talk to convention office to try to get an extension cord for vaccuum cleaner we’re borrowing from Queen Games.  Am told that electricians are already gone for the day and I’ll have to try again tomorrow.
7:15p pack up my bag for the day.  Find the power bar that I brought to eat as lunch.  Decide to leave it for tomorrow.
8:00p decide we want something quick for dinner.  One of the German demoers claims to know a restaurant nearby that is close to the messe that is very quick.  We walk out of the convention center and discover it’s drizzling.  We start walking and a thunderstorm breaks out.  Try desperately to keep games that I bought earlier in the day dry as we walk.  I had chosen not to wear a jacket today to the show because our hotel is so close to the convention hall and the temperature outside is rather comfortable.  It is now pouring out.  I’m soaked We walk to a nearby gas station to take cover.  Rain does not let up.  Dash to a nearby Chinese restaurant only to find that we need a reservation.  Go back outside and see that rain is now reduced back to a drizzle.  Walk to hotel to drop off bags.  Walk to Pizza Express.
8:30p while eating pizza, learn that one of our demoers, used to be a partner in Bambus Spieleverlag. 
9:15p stop at gas station across from hotel and buy throat lozenges.
9:30p-10:15p review Imperial rules with the game components
10:45p go to sleep

Saturday
6:00a-7:30a same as Tuesday.
8:40a While waiting to get into hall, run into Cynthia from The Meeple People who I had met at Richard Breese’s booth.  She kindly gives me some meeple pins and a Meeple pillow.
8:45a get in hall
8:50a-9:00a wait for convention services to open. 
9:00a-9:05a explain to convention services that we need an extension cord to vaccuum our booth.  Convention services calls electrician’s office then gives me a map of how to get to electrician’s office.
9:06-9:15a Find general area of electrician’s office, but can’t find building.  Wander around for 5 minutes till I can find a guard who points to the hidden door behind some trees.
9:16a get extension cord.
9:20a-9:45a vaccum demo area carpet.
9:45a-9:52a run extension cord back to electrician’s office.
10:00a see a sea of people swarm into the hall. 
10:15a see that all of our tables are now full.  The crowds today are incredible.  It is constantly a sea of people.  None of the tables at our booth stay vacant for more than a minute or so the entire day.
11:00a my voice is definitely hoarse now.  Hope that my voice won’t get any worse, as I know I will be teaching straight through for the next 8 hours.
2:00p As I am walking to the office to get a drink of water, I am asked to teach a game of Formidable Foes.  As I walk to table, am asked to teach Yspahan.  As I am explaining Formidable Foes, 3 different people interrupt to ask me to explain other games when I am done explaining FF.  Realize that I now have 5 different tables waiting for me to help them.
Periodically throughout day suck on a sore throat lozenge.  Worry that I may accidently spray spit while explaining rules because throat lozenge is inducing saliva production.
3:00p teach Medici & Strozzi to Lorna & Eric while standing because there are no free tables
3:20p teach Medici & Strozzi to German couple in German while standing because there are still no free tables.
6:55p Rick Thornquist stops by booth and tells me that Mr. Jack is a very good game.
6:56p run to Hurricane booth to buy a copy of Mr. Jack.  Then run to Eggert-Spiele booth to buy a 2nd copy of Space Dealer.
7:00-8:00p clean up booth (pick garbage off carpet, put chairs on tables)
7:15p Scott Nicholson from Boardgames With Scott comes by the booth and asks me to wave for his camera for the ending credits of the episode he’s doing on Essen.
7:16p knock over a bottle of water on a table as I’m waving for Scott
7:17p Scott promises he’ll edit out my clumsiness
7:30p meet representative of Sierra Online Games who shows us graphics of upcoming version of Carcassonne for Xbox Live.  Am impressed that graphics look really nice.
8:30p eat at Pizza Express for dinner for the 4th time this week the because it is quick and close to the hotel.
9:30p-11:30p punch games that I have purchase.  Use empty boxes and packing tape that I had brought over in one of my suitcases to pack a box of games that Jay will ship back to the States for me.  Use clothes as packing material to protect the games from damage.
11:30p go to sleep

Sunday
6:00a-7:30a same as Tuesday.
8:30-8:45a carry box that I had packed the previous night to the hall
8:45a-9:45a set up booth
9:45-9:50a run to Meeple People booth to buy Meeple pins as souvenirs for friends.
9:55-10:00a run back to Rio Grande booth.
10:00a-6:00p demo, demo, demo.  By the end of the show, a few of the German demoers at our booth were clearly standouts.  Volker, Bjorn and Rainer were all very conscientious about doing a good job with their demoing, and were all extremely hardworking, both in their demoing and helping out with whatever needed to be done with the booth.
6:00p remember that I hadn’t gotten my friend, Nataline, the Tichu deck that I had promised her.  Run to Adlung spiele and buy a copy of it.  Get back to the booth and realize it isn’t the copy she wanted.  Run to the Abacus-Spiele booth and buy the last “special edition” version of Tichu that they had on display as they are packing up.
6:00p-8:30p load boxes of games onto pallets and stretch wrap pallets for shipment.
9:00p go to Pizza express for last time this year.  Worker there now knows my order before I ask for it.
10:00p-0:05a pack bags in an attempt to not only fit all the games I purchased into my suitcases, but also to try to balance the weight between suitcases (and carryon bag) so that I won’t be over the airline’s weight restriction.
0:30a go to sleep

Monday
6:00a-7:30a same as Tuesday.
8:00a take taxi to train station, as our bags are now so heavy that they would be unwieldy to take on the underground to the main train station.
9:05a take train to Frankfurt
11:30a when checking my bags at the United counter, I learn that one of my bags is .04 K overweight.  The neighboring ticket agent tells my ticket agent that I will have to pay the penalty.  Possibly because Jay is a frequent flier, or possibly because I have been speaking to the agent only in German and she had complimented me on my effort, she decides to waive the $50 penalty charge.
12:40p We board the plane and for the first time in a week, I can kind of relax.  We talk about what went well and what didn’t go so well with this year’s Essen show.  I end up watching 2 of the in flight movies.

© 2006 Scott Tepper

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Comments:

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Wow, Scott. You make it sound so glamorous! Posted by Marc Gilutin on Oct 30, 2006 at 04:27 AM | #

If it’s any consolation Scott, our group thought your explanations to be the best we have had whilst at Essen in the last four years !  Especially your talk through Hermagor last thing on the Friday night.  Many thanks.  Cheers. Posted by Mark Robinson on Oct 30, 2006 at 04:43 AM | #

Mark R., Thank you very much for the compliment.  I remember teaching you and your group Hermagor.  It impressed me that your group, while not having enough time Friday to play Hermagor, wanted to learn the rules so that you could start playing first thing Saturday morning.  If I recall correctly, you did come back and were able to snag a table.  Very smart planning on your part considering the throngs of people that showed up Saturday. Posted by Scott Tepper on Oct 30, 2006 at 08:25 AM | #

It’s what comes with several years of experience ! Posted by Mark Robinson on Oct 30, 2006 at 08:51 AM | #

"The bread is encrusted with sunflower seeds which makes for a surprisingly tasty cheese sandwich.” I live on that stuff!  Next time try the pumpkin seed bread.  Yummy! Posted by Jeff Allers on Oct 30, 2006 at 03:29 PM | #

I’m glad you noticed that I made it there this year - On Wednesday—around 2pm ... (at least in fantasy world!) Dale Posted by Dale Yu on Oct 31, 2006 at 08:26 AM | #

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