Picture the scene. You’ve picked up your ticket to your very first AireCon, turned the corner from the desk and headed into the hall… to immediately be confronted by a Greek statue, a huge banner and stand with an epic monster scene depicted, and people on the stand dressed in Greek togas. Or, how about, you head to UKGE where instead they’re Centurions, complete with Roman helmet and plume… Maybe one convention, there’s a giant blow up panda suit with a grinning, game loving demonstrator inside on hand to teach you a game. Sound fun? Think it would make you smile? Well, that’s Hachette Board Games UK to a ‘T.
Hachette don’t make their own games and aren’t publishers. Instead, they distribute games from Europe, predominantly from France, whilst utilising connections that the wider Hachette group has with publishing houses. From there, Hachette rigorously assesses the game on offer, considering how it would fit into the UK market, before setting about to make it the game everyone’s talking about. You wouldn’t forget the Greek scene on offer at one convention, so you won’t forget the game Cyclades. You remember the chatty Roman who taught you a new game, so you’re not going to forget Akropolis any time soon. Rob Trounce, of Hachette, is one of a team of six, who, under the vibrant direction of Flavian Losier – the one often seen in costume at conventions – have managed to bring the personal feel to board game distribution, and we sat down with Rob to find out more.