PoV: Golden Demon UK 2023

Okay, I'm finally back home and a little less of a zombie, though it seems Nurgle's gift might be lurking.

I'll let folks know on my Twitter if any tests come back positive, just in case; symptoms started showing up towards the end of our drive home.

Sorry, we missed Saturday! 

TLDR; We did not attend on Saturday. You can skip the travel tale and scroll below to read about Golden Demon, and Fest as a whole.

I held up our departure somewhat on Saturday morning by cleaning and feeding all the geckos and the bearded dragon as I was really anxious about leaving them, but we were still hoping to get to Manchester by late afternoon. The London area and Manchester itself however decided to hold us hostage in traffic for way longer than planned, so our 5h drive became a 7h drive, and the NCP parking local to our hotel drove us nuts for some time longer. 

By the time we were in the hotel, it was late, and neither Patrick nor I had any desire or energy to walk to Fest (if it was still open).

From what I gathered on social media, Saturday was absolutely packed full, with queues everywhere. Well, the queues were still going on on Sunday, so I guess we weren't missing out on that front.

Golden Demon & The Mysterious Stickers

The Golden Demon Reception Desk

We got up early and joined Fest at 8:00, immediately going to the registration desk for Golden Demon entries as this was closing at 12:00. 

The reception desk lady who took our entries was really kind but didn't seem to understand much of what she was dealing with. She asked us what categories we were entering and was hoping we knew the category's number it seemed, as she had no idea what 40k singles or Age of Sigmar units were. Fair enough, I suppose, but it felt a little bit weird to me. She had a few sheets explaining what was what and we pointed to her which ones were the relevant categories to our entries. She took our names and put a little pink dot sticker on our slips and told us this was to signify the miniatures were entered on Sunday, aka "late entry". 

People kept debating what the pink sticker meant, but yes, it really only meant "this was entered on Sunday". Since judges had started looking at entries and putting stickers on Saturday entries already, there needed to be a way to make the late entries stand out, so judges knew what still needed judging… I assume, anyway.

Funnily enough, the reception desk never checked, at any point, if we were indeed in possession of a Golden Demon ticket. We were, but this makes you wonder if some people saved £10 and managed to enter something anyway. The whole experience felt a little bit vague.

None of the above were actual issues mind you, things got done and it is what mattered. I have nothing against the staff behind the desk, it just was not what I expected.

The Famous Golden Demon Stickers

Before tackling the stickers, I just wanted to add that I was actually really disappointed in the fact that entries in the cabinets did not show the name of their owners. I was hoping that this would be a way to "put our names out there" some more and to spot other/new people's work, but it really was not. It seems that this is a way to prevent judges from being biased, but with the more recent trend of showcasing one's entry before the show, it seems everyone already knows.

I absolutely jumped at the cabinets knowing I was looking for Andy's Necron, Richard's Vampires, Albert's Lumineth/Eldar kitbash, Hendarion's Eldars, for example. Again, none of this is an issue, I am just wondering if keeping things nameless still makes sense as we already know what the recurring winners do. 

Saturday had the first round of stickers added to a few entries, and quite early on Sunday the "late entries" started receiving their own stickers. 

Here were the stickers spotted, and their deduced meaning for GD UK 2023, as apparently these change every year slightly:

• Green stickers; the entry made "first cut". It retained the judges' attention.
  It doesn't mean the entry was yet selected or guaranteed a finalist pin. This was the sticker we all wanted to see on our entries.

• Blue stickers: the entry was photographed. Games Workshop makes you tick a box when entering your miniature(s), to confirm that you give them permission to photograph your work and use the picture(s) in perpetuity.

• Yellow stickers: the entry is fragile/at risk of breakages.

• Pink stickers: the entry was entered on Sunday. Also known and referred to as a “late entry”.

• Grey stickers: not sure, but probably meant that a late entry had been checked.

If someone knows what the grey stickers actually meant, please let me know. It was deduced that they meant "late entry has been checked", as they only appeared on these entries. It would make sense for judges to signal to each others when a late entry had indeed been checked, since the pink sticker was probably here to grab their attention in the first place.

And here came the trigger of my sadness for the weekend. 

Over the course of Sunday, Patrick's and many more late entries had their green stickers. Very few entries, including mine, had a grey sticker either in combination of a green one, or without green sticker. My slip was half hidden under my mini, so it could technically hide a sticker, but my pink dot had been covered by a grey one, in full visibility, and I had no idea what that meant.

Many people told me the 40k single section was so competitive and packed full that I should not be disappointed if my entry did not make the cut. I suppose they would be right, but I heard none of it. My partner and two friends, who I thought I painted on different but equivalent skill levels, had their green stickers. I thought my painting style and skill held itself close or at least close enough to a lot of green stickered entries… I started feeling like I was deluded and actually bad at this. I worked so long and hard on my blending, and I thought it was good enough, but the Eavy Metal team maybe did not think so.

I got really sad, but the matter is, judging was still happening on Sunday night, until quite late! That, and to be honest, the cabinets were packed full of extremely high level painting.

I should have accepted that even if Monday confirmed that I did not get a pin, it should not have spoken for my painting ability as a whole. It might have spoken about my Visarch itself at best. But I was so heartbroken at the idea of not even retaining the attention of the judges, that it is much easier said now than it was at the time. Lesson learnt, I should have waited Monday to truly find out whether I did get selected or not. Because, I did get a finalist pin too.

I want to really thank Twitter peeps for doing their best to cheer me up on Sunday night, including Mark (how are you even putting up with me xD), Paul, Em (seriously, lady, thank you), Lloyd (thank you so much for the feedback), Josh (thank you too), Liam (party hat magic), Lee, Tari, Dave, Tony, little Wolf whose first name I don't know but is always so supportive, and so, so many more. Thank you everyone.

Some pins started being distributed at the very end of Sunday for the 40k singles, as the hall closed. My Visarch was out of the cabinet by then, alongside other minis from the 40k cabinets, and I thought that was over. That it had been removed to only leave the finalists in the cabinets. Luckily, Pat’s entry was still standing proud with its green sticker, and we had much hope of it reappearing tomorrow with a finalist pin next to it.

Golden Demon Results

TLDR; we both got a finalist pin, you can read about my thoughts on the cabinets and handling of Golden Demon further down.

Monday morning we rushed to the Age of Sigmar units cabinets to check Pat's entry and were so happy to see the little pin next to it! Pat picked up painting at the same time as I, and he worked for four months on his entry, after his full time job, and he achieved such a fantastic piece; there was and still is so much joy to see it rewarded. It was even better to receive live compliments on his work by a teenager and his dad, who didn't even know that the one who created the Blackpowder Buccaneers they were admiring was right next to them!

Sadly, his entry did get broken during judging. He had the parrot of the Blackpowder Buccaneers standing tall on the mast of the shipwreck, facing with the monkey. We were relieved at the very least that it had not been lost. Breakages at Golden Demon do happen. It is always a little sad to know they take our phone numbers and email addresses, yet these things do not get declared. Pat was not too upset, still overjoyed by the finalist pin, but I know this is not the case for everyone. These entries mean a lot to us, it would be nice to be given a chance to repair them when these accidents happen.

We spent a lot longer around the cabinets, after that, discussing and pointing out various effects and brush techniques to each other. That very slow, steady stroll along the less busy cabinets was one of the highlights of the weekend for me. I got so inspired, and so did Pat. So many ideas, so many things to try to learn. Pat is pretty sure we actually did most of the walk/critics with Slayer Sword Albert next to us… I hope not (spooky hahaha), but I did sing high praises at how beautiful his Lumineth was, at how he managed to make the gem look like a glassy opaque one rather than a glistening transparent gem (the one we usually all do), so I guess at the very least he might have heard that?

The 40k cabinets were still mostly inaccessible, but Pat managed to get a peak and noticed my Visarch with a pin next to it, and a green sticker. I started bawling. Lesson learnt, okay. My Visarch was probably out of the cabinets for the same reason other finalists were on Sunday night. Or it was awaiting another look. Whatever it was, the green sticker might have been underneath it the whole time, or maybe it did come later. Either way, now we both had finalist pins and my faith in my ability to hold a brush was restored. It should not have wavered, as I cannot stress this enough; this should only have spoken for my Visarch itself at most, not my ability as a whole. But feelings and stuff are difficult and messy. And I am saying this to you all too; wait it out. Wait until the end. Try not to despair before everything is sealed.

This was also a good reminder that stickers aren't meant for the public. They're markers for the judges. Yes, people have made a habit of deducing (and oftentimes correctly) what they mean, but judges don't care about making sure all the stickers are visible and understandable to visitors. So this was, again, a lesson. To stop overthinking and assuming until things are said and done.

I still don't know what grey stickers really were, if there was a second round of judging, etc.

Commended entries also appeared on Monday. 

If there is one thing I regret, is not understanding what really separated some commended entries from others. Some were very obviously "next level", but there had been so many instances of feeling like one finalist pin entry was just as good if not better than the commended ones. Makes me feel like I still don't quite understand what the judges want. 

There is one trophy in particular which I thought did not look "absolutely breathtaking" in the cabinets (it still looked amazing though) — yet, well — it got a Golden Demon trophy! I do NOT mean said entry did not deserve it, just that the cabinets really did not highlight it really well. The final shots during the ceremony made it look entirely different, and now I wish I had managed to snap a pic of it in the cabinets to look at it again. 

Because here comes my next point. 

The Golden Demon Cabinets and Queue System

The cabinets. Were. Not great. Really trying to measure my words there.

This is subjective, you do not need to agree with me, I expect a lot of people might have been fine with them. But depending on the angle or how far/close from the overly white light sources the minis were, some of them looked SO washed out. Completely obliterated by their own shadows, or just not under the light at all, obscured and without any contrast.

Some minis were not placed down with their golden angle in mind, and whilst it was okay for the majority of entries, some did suffer from it.

The cabinets were also packed full of dust by Monday when we finally managed to get close. I get it, but also… Most prestigious competition?

And lastly. What WAS that queue system around the cabinets meant to be?

((Edit: I was informed there wasn't meant to be one, at all. The sign “Golden Demon Queue” was here for registration. They could have removed or hid it maybe, as people were definitely still queuing throughout Sunday!))

By Sunday when we arrived, already nobody respected it. Some people waited for ages at the start of the queue, only to never move an inch, because people were dipping in and out of said "queue" (looked more like a pile of people to be honest) around the Age of Sigmar cabinets. I feel like this system could have worked, should the staff have commited to monitor it, and push people along after a certain amount of time staring at the same cabinet.

And from what I gathered, Sunday was already much better than Saturday. 

I heard that Adepticon US 2022 had around 500 entries and that it was chaotic to judge everything on time. Now I heard rumours that Fest UK 2023 had over 1000 entries, estimated.

IF this is the case, maybe it's time for a system upgrade.

Final Words: Fest Itself

Now… about Fest itself. 

I want to make a quick disclaimer. The last two conventions I attended were Japan Expo editions in Paris, over 10 years ago. These conventions were huge, held across multiple buildings, powered by many companies attending with their own stands. I also never attended any other Fest before. I went in blind, hoping it would feel a little bit like a Japan Expo at a smaller scale.

But Fest was maybe a little over-hyped in the marketing aspect, in my eyes.

When I heard it was going to be held in Manchester Central, I didn't know what that meant. Only that tickets were not going to be limited the way they were when they tried to squeeze Golden Demon in Warhammer World, and decide that the best painters of UK 2022 were among the first few hundreds who managed to click “Add to Cart” faster than the rest.

But it didn't take long to realise that Fest didn't have a lot to do outside of queueing. I'm sorry, but this is how it felt to me. For those who thought of Fest as a cheerful, passionate and fun gathering for Warhammer lovers, you were right. In that aspect, Fest was a monumental success.

For those who thought of it as a unique event packed full of flowing activities, and who were not playing in a tournament or here to lick other people's minis with their eyes, there really wasn't all that much to do once you checked the new games. Especially if you didn't want to queue first for hours and then feel like it might be time to move because the queue behind you was still growing.

Do not get me wrong, the social aspect is what made Fest special; I really get that, and I really felt it. But I feel like this success came from the people who attended, and the staff. Not from the organisation itself, if it makes sense.

Judging by the number of people who talked about flying over here, some attendees came from far away. France, Spain, and other european countries, and probably much farther.

Yet what a lot of Fest felt like was:

• Long queue to not be able to see all of the GD cabinets; Monday was a lot less busy yet I still couldn't see the 40k singles cabinets in their entirety. I heard a lot of people simply gave up, too.

• Long queue, to be given access to sprues or some paint to then be able to take home a mini. Looked fun, I just wish they had more tables/chairs to accommodate more people., because there really wasn’t all that many all things considered.

• IMMENSELY long queue, to shop (or not shop) for standard GW products and a bit of expensive merch, with the specialty being the three exclusive models.

• Long queue to try game systems; I think 10th ed only had a table or two? If someone could confirm... ((Edit: Someone told me there was 8 tables for 10th ed, much better than I first heard, still not exactly a lot considering the sheer volume of people.))
  Other game systems had four or five?

• Long queue to see new games; card games (on tablets/computers) and such.

• Long queue to the auditorium to watch reveals live. Honestly, having watched half of it on Twitch, half of it live; it was just as nice to follow it on Twitch. Also, they mentioned having TVs around to watch the reveals live through them, but I only saw one (small) and it was at eye level; so if a group of people stood in front of it, that was that? Why advertise it as a feature? Did I miss something?

So, queues.

The building was a medium-large rectangle with at least a quarter of it occupied by the tournament desks. There was a smaller rectangle or two adjoining it, for cosplayers and food halls, and to lead the way (or the queue rather) to the auditorium. 

I just felt like it was so small.

This is not that Fest wasn't good, it was just much smaller than it sounded like it was going to be. I’m happy for what I gained out of it, I truly am. But many people were not, and travelled from far. And I kind of get the frustrations?

I just feel like the organisation of Fest did not live up to the marketing hype that surrounded it. This isn’t a death sentence on my opinion of the event. I will attend the next Fest with much excitation, but.

Was it just me? Did I draw conclusions on what to expect from past experiences and disappoint myself when considering the marketing and organisation surrounding it?

Meeting internet friends, making new ones, seeing some favourite painters in the flesh, seeing how dedicated and passionate Adam, Eddie, Nick and other Warhammer staff were (truly contagious, I love you guys), seeing people so cheerful and in awe at the cabinets, seeing people share the Twitch reveals and discussing their future plans, the remarkable and kind cosplayers (Louise!!), literally every single Warhammer fan’s cheer, the GD painters being so full of love, respect and admiration for each others (I hope Neil and Chris can end up marrying the Richard and Andy of their dreams); all of that was what Fest ended up being made of, to my eyes at least. I’m just not sure how much of THAT Games Workshop actually had a hand on?