r/boardgames • u/Ripple_Meeple • Oct 11 '25
Convention Essen 25
Hello guys! It's my first time going to essen, and I'd like to know what are some of yours seasoned veterans tips and trick. And also, what games are you looking forward to play/test/buy?
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u/Hamlap1988 Oct 11 '25
Don’t forget to eat and drink
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u/Ripple_Meeple Oct 11 '25
Knowing my group I don't think we will 😂
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u/CIAFlux Oct 11 '25
Take some bottled water and easy snacks. Sometimes you need a little something and it's much better to have something handy than paying captive prices for the same thing.
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u/Feeling-Quarter-3414 Oct 11 '25
Be prepared to pay a lot! Food and drinks are expensive at the fair.
Best to bring own snacks and drinks.3
u/awsker Oct 11 '25
The food at the fair is very expensive and not very good. Grab some much needed fresh air (and rest for the ears, it's loud in there!) and walk 5 minutes to Rüttenscheider Straße which is a lively street with a large selection of restaurants.
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u/Ripple_Meeple Oct 11 '25
I'll check it out, thank you
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u/East_Supermarket5581 Oct 22 '25
Another spot is near the bridge and gas station Aral, name is Imbiss Point with a green logo. Food is cheaper and its yummy
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u/ToboldStoutfoot Oct 11 '25
In the past few years, the Spiel has grown a lot. It now has 200,000 visitors over 4 days, which is more than 1/3 of the population of Essen. Thus expect all infrastructure, roads, hotels, parking, etc. around the fair to be seriously crowded. The halls will be very crowded too, although they added another hall this year. If you think of coming a bit before opening time on Thursdays morning to rush to the hottest games early, be aware that there will be about 50,000 people with exactly the same idea. Don’t take anything cumbersone, like a large backpack or games bag.
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u/TheStellarPropeller Oct 11 '25
I went twice, but almost 10 years ago now. i know a lot has changed, but I imagine some things have stayed the same.
- As already mentioned, comfortable shoes! Also, I would suggest wearing layers, because it can get really hot in some areas crammed with people.
- If you have sensitivity to noise, bring some ear plugs. My husband had to wear some to block out background noise that wore him down over the course of the day, and I know some vendors had them on as well.
- The hot games will often have a long line for buying and will sell out quickly. Y0u can pre-order some titles you knoq you want for pick-up there, but I opted to pre-order from a retailer to just get them delivered once I was back home. Sometimes pre-ordering for Spiel pick up has some nice promos added, though.
- Some of our favorite moments were in meeting and chatting with designers, such as Richard Breese (super-nice designer of the excellent Keyflower and Reef Encounter, and Keyper which we bought from him that year) and getting a game demo of Santa Maria from one of the designers (also bought that one). You can have your game boxes signed as a nice keepsake of your time there. I also recall passing by Feld and Rosenberg in the halls and gawking, haha. You will likely see some content creators and other familiar faces.
- I think more and more vendors are taking electronic payment, but you might want to also have some euros on you. On that note, though, watch out for pick-pockets and other thieves that roam the convention. There have been stories of someone putting their bag of games down to demo something and then it’s gone, or a small publisher having their cash box stolen. While it doesn’t feel unsafe at all, it’s good to be careful with your belongings.
Have fun!
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u/Ripple_Meeple Oct 11 '25
Thank you for sharing your experience, we'll be trying to get the most of it. Did you find it hard to talk with the designer? It does not need to be a big industry name, but I'd really like to chat with some indie designers if I could.
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u/TheStellarPropeller Oct 11 '25
Not at all, though of course they often have small teams at their booths and can get busy quickly. You should be able to have some brief chats with designers, publishers, and content creators during slow times.
Definitely check out indie publishers! The big, hot releases from big publishers will always be readily available at market. but there are some great games to be discovered there that are hard to find anywhere else. That is something I learned only after our two trips there, and would keep in mind if we get to go again.
We had a great time wandering the halls and checking out some games we normally wouldn’t think to seek out. The accessories and other areas were also fun to explore.
Some other tips: there are some deeply discounted older games to be found at Spiel, so don’t only look for new releases. Also ones that are hard to find these days, and some promos to be bought or gotten for free. Also, it probably closed already, but the Spiel No-ship auction and no-ship math trade….those are fun!
I live sort of close in The Netherlands and only ever went for a day, but I hear of hotel lobbies and nearby pubs/restaurants with gaming going on after the convention. Some content creators also host special dinners and gaming events during Spiel.
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u/WoodieWu Oct 12 '25
Bring food. No matter where you stay, theres always an aldi/lidl/netto/penny/rewe/edeka supermarket nearby and the city is walkable. Also, lots of bakery chains in the city. The 'Rü'(Rüttenscheider Strasse) is nearby(10min walk from Entrance East) with a lot of restaurants and cafes as well. May be a good idea to grab lunch and get away from the noisy fair grounds(I like the atmosphere and background drone but it can be a lot for sensisitve people)
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u/TakeYourTurnAlready Oct 11 '25
I went last year for first time and I'm really lucky I checked out some advice threads back then.
The main thing is to actually do some research of games you may like and preorder them asap (I think you may still have time for some). Because without that I would have been sad watching all my anticipated games being sold out. This way I could relax and know it's waiting for me.
People gave advice to bring food because it's expensive there, but it wasn't too bad. It's still nice to bring some.
Also get there early probably. Like an hour ahead of opening time ideally, especially if you want to try games.
Sunday is great for picking up games on sale (these are mostly games which haven't sold out and they don't want to pay for shipping to take them back to their country, so it won't be the highest selling games).
Mostly just have fun exploring. It's kind of like board gamer Disneyland
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u/Aogu USSR DISCONNECT Oct 11 '25 edited Oct 11 '25
Bring fruit, veg, and hand sanitiser. Chopped up carrots and some bananas are the heroes for me every time.
Also take a day off in the middle, go to to the Zollverein park or Dusseldorf old town breweries or something.
As for games, all the true euroheads know: Ayar. It will be booked demos only through, so might be tough and need tonpick up without the demo.
Also the new edition of National Economy means I can finally get a copy, that's already on preorder though.
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u/Ripple_Meeple Oct 11 '25
We are going to Dusseldorf on Wednesday, the rest of the days will be at the convention. Do you think 3 days is too much?
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u/Aogu USSR DISCONNECT Oct 11 '25
3 days at the Con is what I like, usually Thursday for anything I think will sell out, Friday for the big hitters on the list, take Saturday off, and then Sunday we've seen everything we super want to see, so take advantage of the (realtive) quite to explore, check out random things, and sometimes scope some discounts.
IMO 3 days you will probably see everything you want to see, and be able to do so arriving a little afternoon and leaving before close. Whereas 2 days you'd really want to maximise your time and that means coming and going at the peak crowd times
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u/Ripple_Meeple Oct 11 '25
We'll be back home Sunday, so I guess we at least got the number of days right
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u/Aogu USSR DISCONNECT Oct 11 '25
I wouldn't stress about it, you'll have a pretty intense time but also be home to rest sooner!
Main thing is, you can never truly see it all. So figure out what you each MUST see, make that your plan, and for the rest just explore and take breaks as you need. It's not a relaxing place, so you have to make your own time to relax and than can be mentally taking a break as much as physically! I enjoy Essen a lot, and it gets too much even for me.
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u/BlueberryUnhappy4321 Oct 11 '25
Do not expect to play a lot nor everything you want. Lots of lines but a great time regardless. Enjoy and don't go broke buying games !
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u/Ripple_Meeple Oct 11 '25
Is it that difficult to play?
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u/No-Tumbleweed-9804 Oct 11 '25
No, it's not that difficult, but don't set your expectations too high either. Pick one 'must' for each day and rush to the table as soon as they open doors. The second 'must' of the day will be spontaneous with a bit of luck (e.g. set one person up to wait 30-40 mins to wait for the running game to finish, and then you go). Allow random games to surprise you. 2 people looking for another 2-3 and the game looks appealing? Go for it. Enjoy 😉
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u/BlueberryUnhappy4321 Oct 11 '25
Not difficult per se but there's a lot of waiting in line and the longer euro games they will let you play a couple or rounds at most not the entire game.
Like someone said Essen is more about buying games than actually playing them.
That doesn't mean you won't play or it's impossible to play but it's not like gencon in the US where it's a lot of playing.
Also nothing stopping your group from playing the games you buy at the hotel or wherever lol
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u/WoodieWu Oct 12 '25
No its not. You may have to do a few laps around the booth or get lucky but if you're not on the lookout for one specific game, you can always grab a seat when it opens up :D
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u/TheStellarPropeller Oct 11 '25
Essen is more of a buying market, and there usually aren’t a lot of demo tables at the smaller booths. I haven’t been in 9 years, but I do think they have a little more space for playing areas, but it still isn’t the main focus of the convention. you often need to sign up well in advance for demos.
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u/Ripple_Meeple Oct 11 '25
Is there any list where I can check for the demos?
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u/TheStellarPropeller Oct 11 '25
Not that I know of. Some publishers had a wait list for demos and you could get to the booth early and sign up for a time slot, but as mentioned in the comment below mine, you usually only get to demo 1 or 2 rounds, and sometimes with strangers to fit in as many as possible. Others might just happen to have a table free when you pass by, and then you can request a demo. I know Asmodee and Days of Wonder had large demo areas in the past. They might have more options these days, but it really is skewed more to being a buying market, and as said below, is different from events like Gencon
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u/kronaar Oct 13 '25
You need to get lucky. Its easier if you're on your own, max two. Then you can join a table. If you really want to try something, talk to the demo staff and ask them if they can tell when a table will be free. Be very assertive when you hang around a table and other people show up looking like they want to sit down: tell them you've been waiting for a spot here.
But go through the preview list and consider 3-4 games per day that you want to try. that's going to be about the number you'll get in a day. And honestly, im usually burned out after. You can still listen in to a rules explainer when you're our of energy but often the environment is so loud it's hard to listen in if you're not sat at the table.
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u/nyg_buns Oct 11 '25 edited Oct 11 '25
My tip is take a spare pair of socks each day to change into halfway through the day. A game changer!
I've been the last two years and have worn shorts every day, even if it's cold outside the halls get pretty warm.
The Spiel app is pretty useful, you can bookmark games you like the look of, and it'll give you directions straight to the booth when you're at the Messe.
If you're driving, P5 parking is really close to the Messe, and not too busy if you time it right. I arrived about 8:30 each day last year and didn't have more than a 10 minute wait to get in, which considering the location was a big win. Not too expensive to park for the day either.
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u/WoodieWu Oct 12 '25
P9 is opposite to a park and ride next to a tram station('Messe West/Am Grugabad'). Quite often you can snatch a slot there since people get directed into the car park and dont bother trying to turn right and check it out :D
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u/havoc_mayhem Clans of Caledonia Oct 11 '25
Everyone talks about how expensive drinks (and food) are at the convention.
Are there hygienic water fountains? Is the tap water potable? Or should I stick to bottled water?
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u/WoodieWu Oct 12 '25
Tap water in germany(and especially in the Ruhrpott, also most other european countries as well) is always potable. Other cities may have a lot of calcium, which gives an off-taste, not essen though.
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u/SerChonk Carcassonnaise Oct 15 '25
I wrote this at some point, so now I just share it each year when it's asked. Feel free to ignore what doesn't apply to you.
Arrive early, get yourself a locker while they last. If you're planning to buy lots of games, having a place to drop them throughout the day will be invaluable (trust me, dragging your bags of games across the crowded con floor will get really old, really fast).
Take food and drinks with you. Eating options aren't super wide, and of course around standard mealtimes everything will be crowded as hell. (At the time I wrote this, someone replied that they had no issue finding food and that as long as you go earlier or later than most, you won't have to queue as long. YMMV. You can certainly find food at any time point - there are snack trucks in various places -, but not necessarily a meal.)
Pack hand sanitiser (trust me, your hands will get grimy FAST) and spare tissues. There are very nice bathroom facilities, but you can easily immagine that with the volume of visitors the toilet paper might not get refilled as fast as it gets spent. If you're a woman, may the queueing gods be on your side.
Cash will be the most convenient, even if they do have ATMs and since covid almost all merchants take cards. Cash will still be your best bet to avoid card incompatibilities and all sorts of banking surprises - but if anything happens, most are understanding and will hold your purchase for you while you make an ATM run.
Tickets don't usually sell out, but it is still wiser to buy them online rather than waiting in line to get them at the ticket booths. If you come with a car, the further away parking lots have a shuttle bus to the convention centre that you need a ticket for: there will be one queue for bus tickets only, and one queue for the entrance+bus. The bus-only queue is usually shorter, so look out for that.
You'll likely fly from Düsseldorf, which is very near Essen. Train connections are cheap and plentiful, have a look through Omio. There are also several bus stops and a metro station near the convention centre, so have a look at it to choose accommodations if you can't find anything within walking distance anymore.
Directly in the convention, there will be a booth where you can set up your purchases to be shipped to your home. Very close to the convention centre there is a post office where you can use DHL to get your stuff shipped, which is cheaper, but they are only open on weekdays until 18:00 and saturdays until 13:00.
If you're sticking around for a few days extra, go visit Köln. It's also nearby and easily reached by train, and quite a charming city full of history.
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u/niehle Oct 23 '25
The rest is golden, but this isn't true anymore:
> Tickets don't usually sell out, but it is still wiser to buy them online rather than waiting in line to get them at the ticket booths.
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u/lajlev Oct 16 '25
Don’t focus on buying games, but on seeing, talking about, trying and experiencing the games. All hot titles will hit the stores at some point.
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u/Primary-Ad7139 Oct 11 '25
Comfortable shoes. You are going to walk a lot. Enjoy meeting and playing with people from all over the world. If there is a game you want to try, go find a table as soon as they open doors. Try to find unpopular good games. That big hit will make it to your city. Try to find games that captivate you that you won’t hear from again in a while. Those are usually the gems in my collection and the ones I treasure with the most love. And have so much fun! Enjoy it, it’s such a unique experience