Essen Spiel 2022 - how did the games I bought there fare? | Chuck Dice and Handle Management (2024)

Another year, another Essen Spiel! Having been forged in the fires of Spiel 2021, I was even more excited to go to 2022's Spiel. It was looking to be a bigger and even more impressive show than the one I had already been to, which was very promising considering how overwhelming I had found the one before. But this time would be different - I wouldn't go alone! Three of my friends had heard me talk about the show and had watched the vlogs I had shot for my SO, and asked if they could come along. And I'm glad they did, because this year was a lot more fun than last year, largely because of them Essen Spiel 2022 - how did the games I bought there fare? | Chuck Dice and Handle Management (1). But, what about the games? What did I end up buying, and did I actually like them? Let's dive into it!

A Game About Wee Whimsical Creatures and Trying to Identify Them After Someone Makes Noises - 3 plays

Do I still own it: I do!

Gosh I love this game. I had quite a large collection of Dixit cards, but I ended up getting rid of it because this game does everything I want Dixit to do in a fraction of the time and a fraction of the box size. The doodles are charming in their own weird way, and the gameplay of just making noises at eachother is incredibly funny. Highly recommended if you want a party game that's quick, funny and over in a flash. I don't think I'll ever get rid of this.

Bargain Basement Bathysphere - completed

Do I still own it: I don't!

This boxed version of a free print and play legacy game was pretty much exactly what I wanted it to be. I had played the original print and play game, but found some of the management in it kind of fiddly and annoying - not so in this version. It comes with three bulky, sturdy boards that will carry all scenarios well, and the mini games work well. I flew through this in no time and was happy to quickly find a new buyer so that it could live a second life there. If you're in the market for a solo roll and write with a sense of humour, give this a look.

Bye Bye Black Sheep - 3 plays

Do I still own it: I don't!

I am a sucker for cute aesthetics, and this game has some of the best illustrations I've seen in a game, period. The gameplay itself ended up being a bit too one-note for me though. The push your luck gameplay of you having to draw cards without drawing a black sheep was really fun the first time, but the game felt too long for what it is - a problem that exacerbated my following plays as I had seen its trick already. I ended up giving this away to a friend of mine who babysits a lot, as I think this will be a huge hit with small kids who want to mess with each other. Plus, I still get to look at the cute artwork on the coasters and stickers I got with my purchase.

Caesar! Seize Rome in 20 minutes - 4 plays

Do I still own it: I don't!

I had a really fun play of Caesar! during Essen 2021, where the demoer really took the time to help me understand the game even though he didn't really have the time because their booth was so busy and I was by myself. I kept thinking about the game and was excited to pick it up, only to find that what I had liked about that experience was the fact that he had taken the time to help me out even though he didn't really have time, rather than the game. It's a good game, and Paolo Mori knows his stuff, but it was a little too abstract for me. Which is a weird thing to say, considering I love games like Onitama or Shōbu, but those are clearly positional abstracts rather than a pseudo-thematic area control thing like Samuai or Pollen (two games I also didn't quite gel with). I ended up selling it, but that memory of playing the game at the con in 2021 is still a happy one. Thanks again, demoer guy!

Deep Sea Adventure expansion die - 8 plays

Do I still own it: I do!

It's time for some simple math. A good game plus a simple expansion that makes the game even better equals a more excellent game. The little rolling tray *sounds* great (both in theory and the actual sound it makes when you roll a die in it) but doesn't actually work that well. I still make everyone roll their dies into it, because I'm like that, but the actual thing does not work that well. But the die does! If you like Deep Sea Adventure, this die will make your game even better.

Fellowship of Fate - 2 plays

Do I still own it: I don't!

This game uses some mechanics that are pretty similar to Broom Service in that it lets you play your actions either safely (for fewer benefits) or dangerously (for more benefits), meaning that I'm never going to play Broom Service. This game just wasn't... Really fun. It's a great game if you want to rub elbows and like ruining other's party even if you don't really get much profit, but I ended up selling it because it just felt bad (to me) to play. The artwork is gorgeous though, really lovely game to look at. No play, only look.

Joraku - 4 plays

Do I still own it: I do!

Joraku is so gooood! I've been plunging quite deeply into trick-taking this last year (and am currently working on a spicy bit of writing about it for the end of the year), and Joraku still manages to stand out for just how different a take it is on trick-taking. The way the cards you're dealt change value depending on the round you're in and the way that intersects with the cardplay is really clever, and I love pulling it out to show people something cool. It's a great take on trick-taking and area control, and I would heartily recommend you play it if you like either of its component parts. Plus, the version released by Moaideas (with its tiny soldiers and mounted shogun) has a ton of charm. I don't see this one leaving the collection any time soon.

Pathogen - 4 plays

Do I still own it: I do!

Pathogen recently got some renewed attention after the Dice Tower did some reviews of it, and I think that renewed attention is fully justified. It's a really clever take on an asymmetric abstract game, and playing it has been quite fun. It is a bit tricky to get into at first though, so be forewarned if you mostly play with many different play groups; I've been learning more about the game, while my opponents have had to keep wrapping their heads around the rules each time. In the same way that other perfect info positional abstracts also reward repeat plays, you also run into that issue here. If that's not a problem to you, I'd recommend playing or getting this is you like the theme or have enjoyed similar games. It's probably not staying forever (as I've got a bunch of other abstracts that are more accessible and arguably more rewarding to master) but it's for sure staying for now.

Sea Salt and Paper - 14 plays

Do I still own it: I do!

This game is a firecracker and a half, baby! This has become the default card game that my partner and I play together, over things like Lost Cities and Schotten Totten. It's been with me on literally every trip I've been on since I got it.

I've been loving how... flexible the game is. There's a definite push your luck element to it, with some additional gambling as well (boy what are you saying how are they different), and there's a definite reward to both knowing the deck well and knowing your opponent well. It's been a real blast!

My one criticism is that the card powers that you can activate when you play a pair of cards is unbalanced. The shark/swimmer combo is clearly the best (drawing you a card you know the other person wants while taking one away from another player) in a card economy as tight as this, while the crab is the worst (in that it's only worth getting if you know you're going to fish for something valuable). I'm hoping the More Salt expansion will address this a bit. Besides that, I'd say this game is a hit! Plus, who can deny that beautiful artwork.

Smitten - 4 plays

Do I still own it: I don't!

I kind of expected this to be a trifle when I got it, and that's exactly what it was. But gosh, what a pretty trifle it was.

Smitten is a cooperative game where you're collaboratively trying to build two 3x3 grids of cards. You do this by deciding who will play a card from their hand, activating the ability on it (which then usually either creates a new restriction or forces/allows you to play another card). And the system works - it's fun! The game definitely has some legs (even if they're not that long) and the artwork by Vincent Dutrait is beautiful. It's just not a very rewarding puzzle to go back to again and again. After four plays, I ended up giving it away to a friend who has again given it away to someone else. And honestly, that's a pretty noble trajectory to travel for a game this slight.

Tribes of the Wind - 4 plays

Do I still own it: I don't!

If only we had been more compatible, Tribes of the Wind. Unfortunately this game did not end up delivering on the promise I had projected onto it. I wrote a thing about why we weren't a match a little while ago (I recommend looking into that for more details), but the long story short is that I had hoped for more direct interaction and more rewarding actions than Tribes of the Wind ended up giving me. And that's probably a me-problem; Tribes of the Wind is not a bad game! It's just a shame that this was my intended "larger purchase" of the con and then ended up being such a mis-match. Dutrait's siren song has lured me in again!

FINAL SCORE:
Games bought: 11 (+1 expansion)
Still own: 4 (+1 expansion)

Wow, what a drop. Over half the games I bought I ended up getting rid of - what happened here?! I'm going to be honest and say that I don't really mind this that much, as most of these games were relatively cheap cardgames that I did end up getting plenty of fun out of considering the price, and one was a legacy game that I had completed. I'd prefer them to stay forever, but I'm not going to cry about selling a game that cost me about as much as going to the movies.

The one really big miss that kind of stings is Tribes of the Wind, considering how excited I was about it at first. It was the one BIG game I had bought at the con, so for it to be a miss was a shame. Going forward, I'm going to put in more work to make sure that the big game(s) I'm buying at a trade show like this actually sparks my interest from a gameplay perspective, rather than just aesthetics. Hopefully that will save me from some disappointment in the future.

Bonus:
2021 update: bought 10, still own 4

After writing my retrospective on 2021, I ended up getting rid of Golem and Railroad Ink Challenge. I only ever played Railroad Ink Challenge solo as my SO preferred the clean, smooth gameplay of the original more. Golem ended up leaving the collection because it was just too much work every time for the amount of squeeze I would end up getting out of it. The setup, teardown and the teach were all such a bear that I would always end up defaulting to other euros that were either quicker to set up, teach, or would provide more fulfilling gameplay.

My top 5 games I'm excited about this year:*
1. Flamme Rouge: Grand Tour
2. The A.R.T. Project
3. Bruxelles 1893
4. Taiwan Night Market
5. Waterfall Park

It's an eclectic mix this year. I've been wanting to play the Grand Tour expansion for Flamme Rouge ever since Shut Up and Sit Down talked about the roundabouts that are apparently in there. The A.R.T. Project and Bruxelles look great, but I want to try them out first before I buy them (as per my own lesson earlier). Taiwan Night Market is a Kickstarter that is apparently supposed to be released at Essen, so hopefully I'll be able to pick it up there. The rest of my list is (reprints of) trick-taking games that I haven't tried yet, so I'm not sure how exciting those are going to be.

Thank you for reading and see you next year!

Essen Spiel 2022 - how did the games I bought there fare? | Chuck Dice and Handle Management (2024)

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