So this year’s Spiel was a little different than usual. No jet lag Instead of running from booth to booth it’s comparing prices and availability of new releases. Instead of running through the halls of the messe to stand around waiting for tables we are clicking though virtual rooms and waiting in virtual tables for games to become open. At least me feet don’t hurt this year but I’m mindful not to get a sore ear from the headphones.

There are a few similarities, surprisingly I still get that same awkward feeling being a party of one and joining a table. Luckily everyone is friendly and the game masters have all been very good and seem to know the games and interfaces well.

So in between real life duties, I’ve tried portions of some games just to get the feel of the game and how it flows. A friend and I tried Anno 1800, no GMs were available. We powered through the rules. It’s a solid Euro, multiplayer solitaire with an emphasis on efficiency. The only difficulty was that at least on my screen some of the icons were small and blurry and we made some assumptions as to what they were. I’m looking forward to trying the real thing. My only concern is that it may well be better with more than 2 (my current gamegroup size).

I also got a thorough explanation of Paleo a new cooperative game. I like the way they did the cooperative mechanism with each player making the choice to help another or do an individual action. The game is also very easy to learn. I’m definitely interested to see the various modules.

Today I was able to play Paris, the Kramer and Kiesling. I was happy to learn since my copy will hopefully be here soon. Again it’s easy to learn and after the first play through it’s good to be able to see some different strategies.

I also played Macaron, a cute little trick taking game with yummy looking macarons. I think it’ll make a great filler. You can also apparently play solo, interesting for a trick taker.

Hegemonia Senki is another fun game it’s great to be able to try at Spiel.Digital. It’s a fun game of trying to take over Hegemonia using variable factions. It’s easy to learn and interesting to play.