And my apologies for the relative absence of BGG News since Spiel 2012 ended on October 21. I've gone through two illnesses over the past couple of weeks and am only now starting to feel like a regular human once again. While I had intended to take a "vacation" from posting during part of this time in order to work on other projects, that wasn't possible, alas. Now it's time to get caught up on what little has happened since Essen closed its doors so that I can head to Dallas with a clear conscience. Hope to see some of you there, but I'm warning you now that I'm not shaking hands with anyone. Keep your distance, plague-bearers!