Have you ever stopped to think about what you were doing 10 years ago in that same month, on that same date? It's hard to remember, isn't it? Ten years is a long time. 10 years ago cell phones were just for making calls, it wasn't even two years since Windows XP had been released, the most successful RPG was Vampire: The Mask and D&D was still in its second edition. 10 years ago, the internet was in its infancy in Brazil, tablets were a science fiction thing and the last film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy was in post-production to be released at the end of 2003. And, in this nostalgic and different scenario, two young brothers and his mother had twinkling eyes and heads full of ideas and concerns: they were creating Conclave Comic Shop and Publishing.

Conclave was founded on January 14, 2003. It was born from the dreams of Cristiano Cuty and Marcelo Oliveira, two young people who lived under the aegis of the nerd culture of their time, and from the unrestricted and essential support of their mother, Rosângela Célia de Oliveira. Marcelo worked at the old and extinct Compendium Quadrinhos, which was one of the pioneers in bringing to Brazil a universe of comics, RPGs, Boardgames and Cardgames that was little known and spread around here. Cristiano already worked with RPG, having been one of the national directors of the Brasil By Night project (live Actions by Vampiro), he published the Grimoire fanzine and had already published the RPG Crepúsculo and the supplement Veneza: Cidade dos Pombos by the publisher Akritó. And Rosângela, obviously, was the big mother who believed in her children and wanted to see those magical ideas come to life.

The Conclave was born and grew. It became the largest store of nerd culture in Minas Gerais and one of the most important in the country. As a publisher, it has placed more than 20 titles on the market, including RPG books, storybooks and a set of tiles for the Vikings: Warriors of the North scenario. It organized the most important gaming and entertainment event in Minas Gerais: UAI!Play. Also, with regard to events, Conclave supported and sponsored meetings and conventions throughout the country and had a captive participation between 2003 and 2008 in all International RPG Meetings, promoted by Devir, in São Paulo. Over these 10 years, Conclave has encouraged and fostered the propagation and growth of the nerd and pop culture scene throughout Brazil and has actively participated in all possible initiatives.

In 2009, Conclave underwent a remodeling of its visual identity. It changed the classic black-and-white for blue and orange, colors that had already been adopted by the company for some time. The new face of Conclave became bolder, more modern and dynamic, updating itself with the market of its time. Along with the change of the logo, came the change of the Conclave headquarters to a more central address in Juiz de Fora, a wider, prettier store with more space for games. In addition, the company's product mix was also expanded.

This renovation brought new breath to Conclave, which resumed publishing the RPG Vikings: Warriors of the North. The setting was updated for D&D 4th edition and won a deluxe box, the Midgard: Box, which sold out as soon as it was released.

Then came the merger! Dragon's Tavern and Conclave Comic Shop merged to form an even better store: the Conclave Tavern. The store was transferred to Rua Padre Café, 273, São Mateus, in Juiz de Fora, where it remains today. The product mix was further expanded, the store was even bigger and the space for games also increased. The merger has made Tavern Conclave become an unparalleled reference and an unparalleled meeting point for enthusiasts of RPGs, boardgames, cardgames, comics and literature. The company has established itself as the largest store of its kind in Minas Gerais and as one of the most important in Brazil.

But what about the publisher? The editorial portion of the Conclave was not left behind. In 2012 the publisher released the book Contos Nórdicos vol. 1, which marked the beginning of a change in the company's editorial profile. From there, the Conclave would expand its scope of publications, with seals of Literature, RPG and games in general. But not only that, with growth came the need for restructuring. This replanning began in 2012 and ends in February of that year. The result of this restructuring is that Conclave will become two companies: Conclave Editora and Taberna Conclave. Conclave Editora will be a publisher with a young editorial profile, responsible for publishing books and games. Taberna Conclave is the comic shop and bookstore where you can find the best news and rarities in the nerd and pop culture market.

Who wins from this division? You! From now on there will be two distinct but sister administrations. Both are dedicated to the same audience, but under different fronts and approaches. We will talk more about this in another post.

And what about these 10 years of Conclave? Well, keeping a company on the market for 10 years in our country is an arduous task. When this company works with culture, it becomes something that can only be overcome, at times, with critical hits. It was 10 years of a lot of struggle, some disagreements and few disappointments. At certain times, we face one Tarrasque a day! But, at the same time, they were years in which we forged strong bonds of friendship, learned what true companionship is and, as in a group of adventurers, we knew that, in order to adventure, we need our companions. It's good to know that we can look the other way and know that we have someone to count on. And it's too good to venture out! Seeing your dream take shape, seeing that it is possible to create, think and implement your projects and, above all, that you have someone to support you, is simply the most fantastic thing about being a Conclave. For us, Conclave is not a company, it's a passion, which resides in our hearts and occupies every corner of our dreamy and worried heads, at all times!

Therefore, our BIG THANK YOU to all of you who, in some way, participated in these 10 years of Conclave history. The name of the company was not chosen by chance, nor for its full meaning (Conclave, from Latin, under lock and key). But, it was chosen for the representation of union that it brings. In a Conclave everyone is together, united for a common reason. And that's what the Conclave is. We don't have customers and employees, we have friends! So again, thank you all so much, without you none of this would have made sense!

May these 10 years be just the first levels of the Conclave and may we exist for a period longer than the lifetime of a Red Dragon or an antediluvian!

Hail! Long live the Conclave!

Cristiano Cuty
Executive Editor at Conclave Publishing
RedeRPG coordinator and webmaster

Post originally published on RedeRPG on the 14th of January 2013.