Category Archives: Essen 2018

Simon W’s 2nd set of Essen First Takes

Posted on October 30, 2018 by

Blackout: Hong Kong Rating: I love it!There was massive demand to play this gem – high expectations for the next Alexander Pfister – Eggert game following Great Western Trail which remains a personal favourite for me.Blackout Hong Kong is quite … Continue reading →

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Simon W’s first takes of Essen 2018 Games

Posted on October 29, 2018 by

ReefRating: I love it!Abstract Game from Plan B where you are able to draw “recipe” cards from a common display. Playing them will allow you to put down two pieces on your coral reef (in one of 4 different colours) … Continue reading →

Posted in Essen 2018, First Impressions | 5 Comments

Father in the Messe 2018: Day 2+

Posted on October 29, 2018 by

This year was the 8th in a row I’m attending Essen in the role of Father (actually my main role/position all along the year. I’m a father as first job, a car driver as second job – bringing kids here … Continue reading →

Posted in Essen 2018, Reviews | 2 Comments

Essen ’18 Days Three & Four: What’s was hot, and thoughts on the year in gaming… (Chris Wray)

Posted on October 28, 2018 by

Essen 2018 is now complete!  I’m taking a brief break from packing to write this blog post.  Many of the Opinionated Gamers left today (Sunday), but I don’t fly out until Monday morning.   Below I talk about what was hot … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Convention Report, Essen 2018 | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Early Thoughts on Spiel’18 Games

Posted on October 28, 2018 by

For the second time in my life I attended the Internationale Spieltage in Essen this year.  But, having learned from my previous experience the first time – I headed back home early, and just spent the day playing a bunch … Continue reading →

Posted in Essen 2018, First Impressions | 3 Comments

Dale Yu: Saturday news

Posted on October 27, 2018 by

Spent my setup hour on my final day here walking around the fair in picking up the last little things that I think might fit in my luggage. I did a fairly decent job of packing last night, and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Convention Report, Essen 2018, Reviews | 2 Comments

Dale Yu: Friday Report from Essen

Posted on October 27, 2018 by

Friday started off with the box shenanigans, and this ended up taking most of the precious setup time for the day.  However, as you can guess, as  I was sending off a fairly ginormous box, I had already a fair … Continue reading →

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Essen ’18 Day Two: What’s hot, and what I played… (Chris Wray)

Posted on October 26, 2018 by

For me, Friday at Essen means more time chatting and playing games and less time shopping.  This post includes overall convention thoughts so far, plus an analysis of what’s hot, and mini-reviews of several games I’ve been playing. The Convention … Continue reading →

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Dale Yu: Thurs/early Fri morning report from the Fair

Posted on October 26, 2018 by

This year has been crazy busy, and I honestly fell asleep with my laptop on my belly last night around 2130 when we returned from dinner.  Though sometimes it seems possible; I was not actually able to write anything about … Continue reading →

Posted in Convention Report, Essen 2018 | 2 Comments

Essen ’18 Day One: What was hot, and what I played… (Chris Wray)

Posted on October 26, 2018 by

As with my past coverage, I’ll be posting each day about (1) what’s hot, (2) what I played, and (3) general thoughts on the convention.  I haven’t had the chance to play many games so far: I typically spend the … Continue reading →

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