Spiel Essen 2023, known also simply as Essen, is the largest tabletop gaming fair in the word. I already had a pleasure to attend that type of event in 2017 & 2022 and that was time really well spent. Thus, it was no brainer to come also this year! And while the memories from 2023 Fair are still fresh, I would like to share my experiences from one of the best, most fantastic and engrossing boardgames meetings I had a chance to be part of.

My “life stream” from the Essen 2023 on Titter (X)

This time I was again lucky to be accompanied by Kuba (you know him for sure from our Frosthaven adventures) as well as Clio, fellow blogger, and his buddy, Andy. It is always nice to have fellow boardgamers with you during those fairs, who are similarly experiencing and appreciating the atmosphere. With such splendid company there was no other choice than to have a great time together and with all the newly presented titles!

This year we decided to arrive for Friday & Saturday with Kuba. There were two reasons for this. First, there is definitely more visitors during the weekend than on the first two days (so we hoped to make the most from Friday). Secondly, on Sunday the Fair is being closed earlier and some of the exhibitors leave already at noon or shortly after. Now, with hindsight, I might confirm it worked great for us.

What would be the best way to do the report from Fairs? List the games I had a chance to play or familiarize with, describe great discussions and share general experiences. And this is exactly what follows now!

THE GAMES

While Essen features pretty broad array of games, usually focusing on EURO type, I found selection of very interesting conflict / war-related positions. But as you shall see, not only such!

The Hunt from Salt & Pepper Games

The first day started with the visit to Salt & Pepper Games booth. It is always a pleasure to stop by them – although it is usually pretty busy place and the chance for longer talk is limited 🙂 This time I had a very precise target – to play and get Matthias Cramer The Hunt.

And I was not disappointed – the game is a very nice, quick and beautiful title with pretty asymmetric play and hidden information. There is of course some luck factor, but the replayability allows you always to try one more time. At home I was also very positively surprised to see the sleeves for cards which are not unusual size. Great!

Triumph at Marengo from Histogame

Then I moved to Histogame stand and played a bit Triumph at Marengo. This is a beautiful wargame classic by Bowen Simmons. It has unique rules, very pleasant look – just check above pictures with this pastel map, vivid Allied and French forces; interesting move and battle mechanics (no dice!) and even rules for hidden information (blocks). Very interesting system, I plan to dive into.

Tacmento from NAC Wargames

I spent longer time at NAC Wargames area. First of all, I had a great discussion with Jose Garrido on upcoming title from this publisher – The Other Side of the Hill (watch for information on my blog for that incredibly interesting title).

Then I played a quick Tacmento card game, which simulates Spanish Tercios tactics. Interestingly, this is both 2-player and solitaire game; the former is more of the puzzle – very enjoyable to try to crack it!

Soon you will hear about title from NAC Wargames much more often on this blog. Stay tuned!

Assault Sicily 43 from Assault Games

One of the key events of the Essen Fair for me – meeting with Wolfgang, designer of Assault system, and play of Sicily 43 (soon coming to Gamefound: https://gamefound.com/en/projects/assault-games/assaultsicily43).

That was a true blast – what a cool, straightforward and enjoyable system. Also, beautifully looking and with option to play in campaign mode. As it starts its crowdfunding campaign on October 13th you will be able to read much more regarding this title then on my blog. Stay tuned!

General Orders: World War II from Osprey Games

I am sucker for David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin games. They are of course famous for Undaunted series; still, great to see some new, fresh and innovative designs. Here I had a chance to play the full game of General Orders (approximately 30 minutes) with fellow boardgamer from China! We both were learning the system and made some mistakes; nevertheless, both of us had a great fun – and the victory was achieved by me only in the last turn!

I am surprised to see how much was packed in such a small box (yes, the game came back with me to Poland 🙂 ) You have two boards, effectively two games with some similar and some distinctive mechanics; combination of worker placement and wargame is a very tasty dish 🙂 Definitely more to come!

Karak II from Albi

Well, one need to think about family when leaving them for two days alone, doesn’t he? And what would be the better way then bringing new edition / version of the beloved game? Which just happens to have a worldwide premier?

Yes, I played Karak II and was very positively surprised how the game developed. The initial version we acquired when our kids had 4-6 years, now with second part our 8-10 years young adepts will have possibility to continue fun in the world of Karak!

Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud from PHALANX

The second day of Fair started for me at the PHALANX booth with the full game of the Iron, Blood, Snow & Mood. This is very high-level abstraction of the World War II Eastern Front – with some interesting mechanics I am planning to describe in separate material.

With Adam we played till the last round; as Germans I already managed to conquer Rostov & Leningrad as well as 2/3 of Moscow but that was all I can do. We both played pretty carefully and had a lot of fun from some tense situations. I am definitely going to come back to this title and play it more once it reaches backers / retail shops.

Battles of Napoleon: Volume I – EYLAU 1807 from Sound of Drums

Another key moment of Spiel for me was visit to Sound of Drums to see their newest productions and plans. First, I had a chance to chat with Uwe about upcoming Volume I to the Battles of Napoleon – Eylau 1807.

Guys, what a truly astonishingly beautiful game it will be – with pre-rounded counters having no nipples on them once removed from trays! Also, the map, rulebook as well as elements to be found in deluxe edition look gorgeously. Can’t wait to see this published!

Red Strike from VUCA Simulations

Of course, I could not be at Spiel and not visit VUCA Simulations booth! I had a chance to talk with Patrick, with special focus on coming publications – one of them will be about the 1939 September campaign, In Fours to Heaven.

Then I had a chat with Yves Rettel, author of the Red Strike (pictures above) – one of the newest VUCA games, soon to be published. This is a wargame simulating a hypothetical clash between NATO and Warsaw Pact (WP) armed forces in Summer 1989. Beautiful, counter-intense and with multitude of smaller scenarios. Should be fun!

Weimar: The Fight for Democracy from Skellig Games

Matthias Cramer is not only a prolific author, but one who can design pretty versatile array of games. You have seen quick, light and small The Hunt on this list. Now you can experience large, thorough, huge design on the Weimar Republic turbulent years. And yes, this is called Weimar 🙂

You can read a lot about this title on Clio’s Blog (https://cliosboardgames.wordpress.com/category/history-in-board-games/weimar-1923/). In essence this is a card driven game for four players representing major political factions in Germany of 1920’s. You vie for individual victory but also try to prevent common defeat for all parties – Nazis getting to the power. A very clever design, with straightforward gameplay but tons of possibilities. Hope to try it one day with Clio!

1793: Patriots & Traitors from Sound of Drums

At the end of my time at Fair I again visited Sound of Drums stand, this time to play prototype of 1793: Patriots & Traitors. We were lucky to have the designer, Jason St.Just, explaining us the game mechanics.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable experience; as radical I almost managed to pass the law to behead the king but was overruled. The gameplay is quick, easy to grasp. But mastering what you achieve out of this – that is completely different story. When I was leaving the table, France was attacked by Prussians and Austrians, the treasury was empty, the streets full of revolutionaries. Well, sounds like history? It was! Can’t wait to see that game published!

SUMMARY

Based on what you read above, you can easily guess that I enjoyed two days on Spiel Essen 2023 enormously – two days after which I am exhausted but exhilarated. A lot happened in a very short time frame – playing so many games, talking to so many people, getting so many experiences and impulses. One thing which i am sure of is that I would love to repeat the experience again!