Now that I’m back from Spiel Essen, it’s time for a review of the weekend and what I got up to.
My journey to Essen
Not only was this my first time going to Spiel, it was actually the first time I’d travelled abroad on my own so there was lots of anxiety. It was an earlyish start on Thursday with a long day of travelling as I was doing it all by public transport and obviously by plane. I got to the airport in plenty of time and got settled whilst looking at what was going on at Spiel that day. The plane was delayed by about half an hour limiting my time I had to reach my connecting train. It was a bumpy landing in Germany due to bad weather but I had made it to Cologne. I managed to get the train (it was a double decker) the main station in Cologne but my train was late by so I didn’t get to Essen until about 7:30 Thursday night. It had been a long day and I was hungry. Luckily the hotel was only a short walk from the station, I checked in and got some food. There were a few people from different countries in the hotel playing games which was nice to see but I was tired and just needed to get some sleep ready for a busy day ahead.
Day One
It started early with breakfast in the hotel. I opted for the pastries but was amazed that I could’ve had cheese and meats for breakfast. I packed my rucksack and made my way to the show. It was about a 25 minute walk and was straightforward. There were signs directing traffic there as well as people walking there. I had got there early even though it opened at 10am and was near the front to get in. The doors opened to Hall 7 and we started piling in. I made my way through the halls making a note of where things were as I headed to Hall 1 to pick up the promo StarCraft miniature from Archon Studio. I stayed in Hall 1 for a while looking round at the miniature and card games that were available. I also checked out this year’s Golden Demon entries and thought they looked amazing.
Hall 2 was my next stop and that’s when it was starting to get busy. There were lots of exhibitors showing their games as well as selling them. There was a good mix of different games on show from small card games to huge table hoggers and they all looked like really good fun.
Hall 3 saw the start of my spending in force with a visit to the Czech Games Edition stand and the Inside Up/Stonemaier Games stand. I picked up the SETI expansion, Space Agencies and Wispwood from CGE then Origin Story from Stonemaier Games. Bot stands had so many games on sale as well as some of the new releases. There were lots of demo tables and both stands were full all the time. I had a nice chat with Eric Olsen the designer of Flip 7 about how the children in Afterschool Club enjoy it and always want to play it. I also picked up Tinderblox and TicTacTrek from Alley Cat Games and had a little chat with the staff about their games and how much I enjoy them.
Hall 4 had a variety of games and stands promoting gaming on general. I had a nice chat at the UK Games Expo stand about how much better the show was this year with space and they pointed out some things to do while I was at Spiel. I then made my way to Hall 5 which was more about games manufacturing and companies advertising their services on games production. This was nice to see for anyone that was looking to get their game produced.
Hall 6 was more family orientated with a few publishers showcasing their new titles and Hall 7 was the big Asmodee, Kosmos and many others demo hall. It was full of games being demoed like Ticket to Ride, Battle of Hoth and many, many more.
During the day I had little breaks as there was a lot to get through and got food/drinks. There were an amazing amount of food vendors ranging from burgers to Asian food to sandwiches. I was impressed at the huge variety on offer but of course I went for a burger which was very tasty. I expect food at conventions to be expensive which is normal but the drinks were far too expensive. A bottle of Coke Zero was over 5 Euros (roughly £4.50) so I limited myself to the amount I bought.
The afternoon was spent looking for spaces in games to get demos while I waited for the StarCraft play test. The play test was good fun. It was nice to play a game that hadn’t come out and give feedback on the gameplay and aspects of the game that were good/bad. By the time I had finished the play test, I was getting tired and had one last look through the halls before heading for something proper to eat.
The Monster Pizza
I headed to a restaurant called L’Osteria which had been recommended to me to try as their pizzas were amazing. They were not wrong. The Pizza I had was huge and a bargain at just under 16 Euro. The food was so nice I went back the next night too and tried the pasta which was also amazing. The. It was time to head back to the hotel through the centre of Essen. It was bustling with life. The bars and restaurants were busy and some shops were still open and I managed to find an Aldi. Commonsense took over and I went a bought a six pack of Coke Zero for 6 Euro to drink on Saturday saving me so much money. The hotel bar was busy again with people playing games and just relaxing after the busy day. I was going through what I had purchased before heading back to my room to sleep.
Day Two
I woke up early, confused about what the actual day was. It was Saturday and time for my second day at Spiel! After a nice little breakfast and a brew, I packed my rucksack with my cheap drinks and some snacks and headed to the Messe. The weather was not great but the rain did not dampen my spirit. I headed inside to wait for the halls to open. This time it was more of a leisurely stroll through the halls trying to see what I missed on the previous day.
I had weighed my suitcase that morning so I knew how much weight I had to play with and if I got anything too heavy I could ship it back. There were a lot of games I had my eye on to try and maybe buy but the demo tables were all busy. I’d missed a couple of bits on Friday so managed to pick them up like the Wyrmspan expansion, Dragon Academy and one of the new Gundam TCG starters that had sold out on Friday.
I really wanted to play a game of either SETI or Wispwood at the Czech Games Edition stand so took my chances and hung around watching games and looking at some of the other things they had. I managed to get to play Wispwood. Yes, I had bought the day before but really wanted to learn how to play it. It was easy to learn and really enjoyable. I even like that it glows under a UV light adding to the games aesthetic.
I had been looking at the Heroes of Might and Magic expansions at the Archon Studio stand but as they were all in German, I didn’t buy any. With a bit of luck, I’d been looking at a random seller and found an English version of the Fortress expansion which then found its way into my bag. I was weighing my bag throughout the day to check the weight and as it was getting on in the day I was limiting my purchases. I wasn’t going to ship anything and the heavier games I wanted such as the Gloomhaven 2nd Edition upgrade box would be available at UK Games Expo or able to order online. I really wanted to try and maybe buy Covenant by Devir Games but it had sold out and the tables were all booked up. It’s now on my wish list for UKGE (yes, I’ve started it already).
After one final walk through the halls, my tired legs were ready to take me back to the hotel via L’Osteria again. On the way out, I picked up another t-shirt adding to the two I’d got the day before then headed outside and said goodbye to Spiel. I headed to get some food then back to the hotel to go through what I’d bought that day. The bar was busy again with people playing games and relaxing after the show. I had a couple of drinks before heading up to my room to sort everything out for going home.
The Journey Home
I woke up on the Sunday and headed for breakfast. People were grabbing their breakfast before heading to Spiel or checking out of the hotel. Once I had finished breakfast, I sorted my case out and had a little time to relax before checking out and setting off for the station. I was amazed at the station as there were lots of shops and bakeries underneath for anyone passing through. I managed to find a Starbucks and have a brew and reflect on the weekend while I was waiting for my delayed train. That’s when the con blues started to set in. I had had a brilliant weekend and wanted to do it all again. Now I knew what to expect with the convention, I could plan another trip and enjoy it even more.
The journey back to Cologne was relaxing and I got to see a little bit of Germany as I travelled by train. Even though the train was delayed, I still had plenty of time before the next train as the times had changed which I knew about before going. This gave me time to explore the shops and bakeries underneath the station and head outside to see what was there. I went out one end to find a huge theatre and was amazed by the size of it. It wasn’t until I went out the other end of the station and saw the stunning view of Cologne Cathedral. The building was huge and looked absolutely amazing. I headed back to the platform and got the train to the airport and checked my bag in. I had done really well as it came in at 19.7kg on the 20kg limit! The wait for the plane wasn’t too bad, I’d got something to eat and sat reading. The plane was delayed slightly but I knew I had plenty of time before getting the connecting train in Manchester. The flight was a little bumpy and it was chucking it down when we landed in Manchester. I got through passport control, got my bag and headed for something to eat as I was starving when I found a Greggs. The train and bus back were on time and I was home and started unpacking my stuff.
So what didn’t I like about the weekend?
I’ve already mentioned the price of the drinks and I know how I’ll deal with that next time. Nothing to do with the event itself but the venue toilets were not very well signposted and there were always queues when you got there. I think I spent about fifteen minutes looking for one). The weather wasn’t great but I couldn’t do anything about that (although it seemed to not rain when I had to walk somewhere). It was hard to get to play some of the games as it was so busy but also you needed to get there early to prebook a slot. The transport delays were a little annoying but it’s to be expected sometimes and thankfully I didn’t miss any connections.
What did I like about the weekend?
Pretty much everything else! The people were friendly, the atmosphere was buzzing and the food was fantastic. People cheered and clapped as the shutters opened to let people in which added to the atmosphere. The amount of traders and exhibitors was a good mix and there were a lot of games to play or see. The app was a huge help to find where certain exhibitors were and what they were releasing that weekend. Having a shipping service as a back up option made me feel like I could just buy games I wanted and not have to worry about the weight coming home.
Will I go again next year?
I would love to go again and knowing what I do now about the convention and Essen itself it will be a lot easier and more relaxing. As it was my first visit, I didn’t know what to expect or how things would be but now I do. Hopefully, I will be able to go again next year and will embrace the event and the atmosphere more and maybe comeback with a few more games!
Tabletop Tales 