Tery’s Top Essen Wants

Here are the games that I would likely have bought if I was at actually at Essen. They are in no particular order.

Cloud Age: I have yet to meet a Pfister game I don’t like, so seeing his name immediately puts a game on my radar. This one has engine building and deck building, two mechanisms that I especially enjoy, so I am really looking forward to this one.

Monster Expedition: I am always on the lookout for quality games that can be played in a short amount of time; it used to be to serve as a filler at game day and is not for when we have 45 minutes before dinner and want to play something. This is Pfister, so that’s a plus, and it sounds like Can’t Stop with some monsters added, so I am in.

Monasterium: They had me at “innovative dice mechanism”, and it’s from dlp, a publisher I have generally enjoyed. The theme of the game sounds interesting, and I am curious to see the dice mechanism. I’ve only played one other game by the designer – Pagoda – and I thought it was a very interesting design, so that adds to my interest.

Bonfire: Feld is somewhat hit or miss for me, but the hits are great and the misses are never painful, so he is generally a must-try for me. I like the sound of the puzzle aspect for this one.

Castles of Tuscany: I love Castles of Burgundy (a Feld hit for me), so I’m interested to see how this one differs. 

Influentia: I am a big fan of trick-taking games and am always on the lookout for new or innovative games. This one sounds interesting – trick taking with card activations. I am not sure when I’ll be able to get this to the table, since it is a 3-4 player game, but I am still interested.

Faiym: I am intrigued by the idea that you play your cards, and then you play them again in reverse order, and it’s an engine-builder by the designer of one of my favorite engine-builders, Power Grid, so this immediately landed on my list. 

Orleans Stories 3 and 4: I really enjoyed Orleans Stories 1 and 2, but it hasn’t been hitting the table since the novelty has worn off, even though the stories are definitely replayable. I look forward to seeing what the new stories bring.

Adventure Game; Grand Hotel Abbadon: This one sounds like an interesting game experience to me. Cooperatively explore and solve a mystery with your fellow players, I like that it combines elements of a puzzle hunt and an escape room, and I have a particular group of friends I think this would be especially fun with.