OK, time for a little diversion from the information overload that is part of preparing for Essen.  As you know, one of the best ways to learn about games is to read the rules – and I always get a kick out of finding out how the initial start player is decided.  I have below the starting conditions of 10 games.  They should all be at the SPIEL this year.  Can you guess which games go with which starting conditions?

1. The player who has been to the moon the most is the first player
2. The starting player is the player who has most recently attended a business meeting
3. The last player who went fishing starts the game. In case of a tie, the last player who ate fish starts.
4. The player who has most recently visited the town center takes the bag, and will begin the game as the first player
5. The player who most recently travelled by train is the start player. Or the player who most recently travelled by the coolest possible train
6. The player who has most recently planted a tree receives the First Player card
7. The player who last took a boat ride on the Loire river will start the game
8. The player who most recently went swimming becomes the starting player
9. The last player who felt rain on his head will be the first player
10. Starting from the player that is looking most “Alien”

Need a hint?  I guess you could look here…

I’ll come back in a few days and post the answers in a comment below – good luck!