Today’s update is some very sad news I’m afraid. Chris Baylis, a long-time friend of the convention and quiz master for many of its early years, passed away in February 2023 at the age of 72.
Chris was a cheery soul, proudly from Basildon, who loved games, gaming and gamers. He edited Games Gazette for an astounding 42 years, providing industry news and honest game reviews, and also promoting conventions locally and further afield.
This naturally drew him to Conpulsion, where he put his encyclopaedic knowledge of games of all sorts and their rules to great use hosting the pub quiz. He was also a deft charity auctioneer, usually with some exclusive card game design as a lot that drew attendees into fierce bidding wars.
Chris leaves a legacy of games to the world, including Station Master, which was actually first play tested at Conpulsion as Cats & Dogs. His games were published globally from the mid-1980s onwards by companies such as Mayfair Games, Avalon Hill, Calliope and Standard Games amongst others, and they were translated into many languages.
He was a well-kent face and popular guest at many major conventions too: at GenCon in the US, Spiel in Germany and more recently, and closer to home, running the bring-and-buy for several years at UK Games Expo.
Chris made the Conpulsion pub quiz a key part of the con, and it continues to be so with Craig Oxbrow at the helm. So we are proud to recognise and remember Chris by naming the pub quiz winners trophy in his honour.