Guten Tag, Taverners!
The Gatherers’ Tavern team has just wrapped up an exciting and extremely packed week at Gamescom in Köln, Germany!
From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with incredible German hospitality and the amazing energy that makes Gamescom such a special gathering for fellow fans from all over the world. Between the incredible booths and passionate communities, we had an endless stream of things to see and do. There was never a quiet moment!
What do you guys think of our booth setup?
We put a lot of time, effort, and love into bringing the booth to life. Especially a lot of effort. More specifically, a lot of lifting. We came prepared with a selection of products some may say excessive, but we don’t want anyone to miss out on anything in our booth. After all, if we’re coming all the way to Germany from our home base in Singapore, it’s go big or go home. We are bringing the WHOLE Tavern so our EU friends can get the authentic Tavern experience.
Some of our products also made their long-awaited event debut, so of course we had to set the stage just right. See if you can find any newcomers from the image above 😉.
Developed by the Gatherers’ Tavern team, DOMARU is where we bring our own ideas for TCG accessories to life, with products designed around the principle of form meets fortitude. From deck boxes and binders to sleeves and more, we brought a wide selection of DOMARU gear to Köln so you could see them up close, try them out, and find the right additions to your own setup.
We brought our A-game to Gamescom, so of course we had to highlight our DOMARU Armory Collection. Available in five colorways and in different sizes. The ones in the picture are our Horizons (which we have in 100+ and 133+ variant), but we also have a Vertex version in 100+ and 200+!
For our fellow TCG players, we made sure to have a dedicated DOMARU Shuffle Station ready at the booth! Many of us at Gatherers’ Tavern are also card players, so we understand the importance of trying out the sleeves before you buy them. When it comes to sleeves, you just have to shuffle them yourself to know which ones feel right.
And of course, if they happen to be as stylish as our DOMARU Regular Fit Sleeves or as cute as our DOMARU Resting Rivals Sleeve, that is just a bonus.
Besides our Shuffle Station, we also have a Patch Station!
We brought along our selection of Cryptid Collection DOMARU Deco Patch Binders in six colorways that fits all, and (as you can see from the picture) a HUGE selection of patches for you to decorate however you like. Pick out your favorites, play around with different combinations, and turn your binder into something that feels uniquely yours. There must be a lot of cat lovers among you, because our Kitty Patches disappeared fast. Can’t blame you, as fellow cat parents, it’s really hard to not try and show our furbabies to the world.
The fun starts right away. When you purchase one of our patch binders, it already comes with a patch to get your collection started! From there, you can keep adding, swapping, and customizing to make it truly yours. Just a small hint, keep an eye on the Deco Patch Binders, you might see some new additions coming next year.
These adorable plush bags bring together fandom fun with something you can actually use in your everyday. Beyond their cute designs, ARTYs are made to keep your essentials safe and snug, whether you’re carrying your cards and gaming accessories to your next session or bringing along your necessities when you’re out and about.
With plenty of characters to choose from, there’s an ARTY for all kinds of Taverners.
Do you spot anyone new here?
Our Final Fantasy ARTY Boxes also made a little teaser appearance! You could call it a pre-debut showcase before they officially step into the spotlight.
We already knew how much you guys loved these ARTY Boxes, but the response when they were first revealed online completely blew us away. You could say they broke the internet with so many of you asking when you could finally get your hands on them.
A huge thank you to Square Enix for collaborating with us and helping bring these adorable boxes to life, and of course, thank you to all of you for giving them such an incredible welcome.
ARTYs isn’t the only way to bring a little fandom fun!
We also brought along our Kliggs and Slabs, giving you even more ways to spice up your day to day. Whether you’re adding a Kliggs keychain to your bag or a Slab standee on your desk, there are plenty of ways to show some love for the characters and worlds you’re a fan of.
Some of you newer Taverners might not know this, but we started out making statues! So, we had to do a throwback at Gamescom and give our ODDY statues and figures a place in the spotlight.
One of the special pieces we had on display was our Jace Beleren ¼ Scale Statue, a limited-release collectible created with plenty of details for our fellow Magic: The Gathering fans. Each statue is individually hand painted and comes with two interchangeable hoods and two interchangeable torsos, allowing you to switch up Jace’s appearance for different display options. The statue also features integrated LED lighting.
There’s also something extra for collectors, each purchase also comes with a Jace, the Mind Sculptor metal card.
We also had a lovely surprise during Gamescom. We got featured by a content creator!
It’s always exciting to see the Tavern through someone else’s eyes, from exploring our booth and checking out the products to sharing their own favorites with their community. We weren’t expecting anyone to come and record anything at our booth. This was such a fun moment for our team.
Whether you create TCG content, gaming videos, convention coverage, collectibles, cosplay, or just want to share something you think your community would enjoy, our booth is open to you. If you do feature us, make sure to tag Gatherers’ Tavern so we can see and share what you create!
Besides the exciting feature, one of the best parts of Gamescom was getting to meet so many of you Taverners in person!
We can talk about the cosplays for hours! We noticed so many incredible cosplay and fandom-inspired looks to outfits that were simply too cool not to notice, so many of you showed up to Gamescom dressed to impress. We spotted Aang and Zuko stopping by and we had to bring the perfect gear to match. Our Appa and Momo ARTY Boxes, alongside our Avatar DOMARU Box Series, fit right in with their looks. In the future, we hope to see a gathering of the four nations.
Jaden Yuki (just kidding!) also dropped by our booth prepared to duel. What really caught our attention was the hair. That fluffy brown matched Kuriboh almost perfectly, so naturally, we had to get the two of them together for a photo! Who knew Kuriboh could double as the perfect cosplay accessory? We think they make a pretty adorable duo.
More Yu-Gi-Oh! The hair on this Yugi cosplay was so perfectly styled, we can only imagine how much hair gel and hairspray it took to get every spike into place! We seriously appreciate the dedication. A hairstyle this iconic definitely not low effort. And what better way to complete the look than with even more Yu-Gi-Oh! gear? Our cosplayer posed with our Kuriboh ARTY Sling and Ojama ARTY Bags, bringing the whole ensemble together with some extra fandom fun.
Turns out Kuribeh can also transcend worlds, arriving in the Naruto universe! We can see how Kuribeh’s pastel blue matches Sasuke’s more brooding aesthetic. With Naruto joining in too, the whole combination somehow works even better. Seeing characters from completely different worlds come together is one of our favorite parts of conventions. Who says your accessories have to come from the same fandom as your cosplay? An unexpected crossover makes the look even more fun!
There were honestly so many incredible cosplayers at Gamescom that we could talk about them for hours! Even Dante and Vergil from Devil May Cry paid us a visit, bringing some serious style to the booth (trust, we are still swooning from this picture). And they weren’t the only ones turning heads, we were also joined by a dashing pair of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, dressed to impress.
We can’t forget about our baddies.
Taverners really know how to show off your fandom in style, and we loved seeing our ARTYs become part of the look. We designed ARTYs to bring a little fandom fun into your everyday style, but you guys definitely showed us how it’s done!
Gamescom has been one amazing gathering, filled with new faces, familiar Taverners, incredible cosplays, exciting discoveries, and plenty of unforgettable moments along the way. It’s been an absolute pleasure bringing the Tavern to Köln, and we hope you had as much fun visiting us as we did meeting all of you.
Until the next adventure, Taverners! We hope to see you at our next gathering.