An Essen Survival Guide

By Rick Thornquist

For many boardgamers, the ultimate game convention is the Essen game fair in Germany.  In October of every year, Essen welcomes around 150,000 people for four days of gaming goodness.  All the familiar German game companies are there along with many designers, gaming luminaries and oh, hundreds of just-released games just ripe for the playing.  For me, it’s gaming nirvana.

For those who haven’t been to the fair but want to go, I know it can be a bit intimidating.  How should I get there?  Where should I stay?  Where should I eat?  Do the people there speak English?  What games should I buy?  A million questions.  I’m here to help you - this is a survival guide that will help you plan your trip to Essen and assist you while you are there.  Hopefully this will take away the intimidation factor and lure you into joining in the fun.

Though this guide has been written from my first-hand experiences of being at the fair, I can’t guarantee it will all be absolutely correct.  My memory may not be perfect and things change.  I can’t tell you everything, but this should give you most of what you need to know to enjoy the fair.

I have organized this guide in a semi-chronological way, from the trip planning, to getting there and attending the show and then leaving.  This organization is not perfect, though, as some sections do apply at more than one point during the trip, but it’ll have to do!

I do have some especially good tips, or what I think are especially good anyway.  I’ll mark these with * TIP * .

Table of Contents

Air Travel
Train Travel
Hotels
Luggage
The Essen Preview
Pre-Ordering Games
People Asking You to Bring Back Games
Packing
Money
The Trip
A Car
Essen
Language
Smoking
Food Outside the Fair
Game Stores
Getting to the Messe
Days at the Fair
Tickets
Exhibitors and Press Passes
Navigating the Fair
What to do First
What to do Next?
What should I do Last?
Buying Used Games
Playing Games
The Buzz
The Fairplay Poll
Buying New Games
Heidelberger
Buying Just Released Games
Carrying and Stashing Your Games
Meeting Designers
Food at the Fair
Fresh Air
What to do in the Evenings
Walking with Greg Schloesser
Packing the Games
Mailing Games
Heading Home

Air Travel
Though there are some European gamers who are lucky enough to be able to travel to Essen by car, the rest of us will most likely have to fly.  Here are some air travel tips.

The closest airport to Essen is Düsseldorf (DUS).  It’s a very nice, very modern airport.  Unfortunately, you will likely have to connect somewhere before getting to Düsseldorf.  I’ve had good luck with Frankfurt and Amsterdam and decent luck with London Heathrow.  I haven’t experienced Paris Charles de Gaulle myself, but I’ve been told by many people to avoid it at all costs.

If you do go to Düsseldorf, you can take a 20 minute cab ride to Essen.  The cabs are right at the curb when you go outside the airport building (just follow the signs).  The cost for the cab ride is somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 or 50 Euros or more, depending on where in Essen you go.  Alternatively, you can take the much cheaper train from the airport station - underneath the airport - to the main Essen train station, which is called Essen Hauptbahnhof - usually abbreviated Essen Hbf (see Train Travel).  That station is in downtown Essen.  From there you can take a train or a cab to wherever your hotel is.  I haven’t taken this train from the airport myself, but I’m told it’s fairly painless.

Another alternative is going to Frankfurt.  The advantage of Frankfurt is that many international flights go there and it may also be cheaper than going to Düsseldorf.  Of course, you’ll have to pay for a train to get to Essen and that’ll take time as well.  The train would probably take you to Essen Hbf and then you’d take another train or a cab to your hotel.

One more alternative is simply going to Amsterdam and taking a train from there.  I know of a few gamers who do this - they go to Amsterdam for a week or so before the convention to relax and then take a train to Essen a day or two before the show starts.

On all of my trips I have flown into Düsseldorf and taken a cab.  It’s the easiest way and has always worked out well for me.

Train Travel
Taking the train in Essen is pretty easy.  If you want to get to the convention centre - the Messe - by train, you’ll first need to get to Essen Hbf.  Then you’ll catch the U11 which is down some stairs (if you can’t find it, just ask someone).  You’ll get off at either Messe Ost / Gruga or Messe West / Sud / Gruga.  Yes, the Messe is so big that it encompasses two train stops.  You’d probably get off at the first one - Messe Ost / Gruga - as that’s where the front door of the Messe is.  It’s a pretty quick trip from Essen Hbf - about ten minutes or so.  The train also comes fairly often - I don’t think I’ve had to wait for more than ten minutes to catch it during the day.

So how do you pay for the train?  Good question.  There are ticket machines in the train stations and you just need to shove some change into them to get a ticket.  Making things more difficult is the fact that the machines are all in German!

Not knowing much German (except for ‘start spieler’, which was no help), I have used the following method of getting tickets:  I punch random buttons on the machine until I get a price that looks reasonable (avoiding anything that says ‘kinder’), stick my money in, get a ticket, get on the train, and then pray no one looks at my ticket. (There are no ticket checkers before you get on the train.) Fortunately for me, no one ever did, but I don’t recommend this system.  Much better is just ask someone which ticket you need and they’ll tell you.  My advice to wait until a cute girl (or guy, whatever you want) walks by, look lost, and then ask for help.  Works every time.

Hotels
There are quite a few alternatives when it comes to where to stay.  There are a few select hotels where the English- language gamers tend to congregate.  These are:

The Jung - This is where the Warfrog boys hang out, among others.
The Arosa - This is kitty-corner to the Jung and Mayfair is here, among others.
The Savoy - This is Alan Moon and Richard Borg’s hotel, with lots of other English types.

These hotels are all fairly close to the Messe - the Jung and the Arosa are about a ten minute walk away and the Savoy is a bit closer.  The main problem with these hotels is that they are usually booked a year in advance and it’s likely you’ll have to know someone (not me!) that can get you into them.

For all of my Essen trips I have stayed at the Hotel An der Gruga.  This is an upper class hotel that has many advantages: it is pretty much the closest hotel to the Messe, practically across the street from the fair, it has high-speed wireless internet, the included breakfasts are very good, and the rooms, while small, are all very nice.  For all these reasons, this is where people like Knizia, Kramer, and the Hans im Glück guys stay in addition to many others in the gaming biz.  The downside?  It’s very expensive - in the neighborhood of 150 Euro a night.  Oh, and like the other hotels, you pretty much have to book a year in advance to get this one.

I know what you’re saying - “Wow, thanks for telling me all the places I CAN’T stay - what about some places where I CAN stay?”.  The hotels I mentioned are all difficult to get into, but not impossible.  I suggest calling the hotel directly if you want a reservation as I’m told that some hotels show that they’re full online even when they aren’t.

Apart from these hotels, any hotel that is relatively close to the Messe is your best bet.  Walking distance is best, but if it’s somewhere along the U11 train route, that’s not bad either.  Another alternative is to stay in somewhere like Düsseldorf and drive to the fair, which some people (like Greg Schloesser) do.

Luggage
You are going to need luggage, and lots of it.  I bring the maximum, which is two checked bags each of which are maximum 62 inches / 158cm around (length + width + height) plus a carry-on bag, which is maximum 45 inches / 114 cm around, as well as a personal item (for me, this is my laptop bag).

Most bags I’ve seen at airports are of the 26 inch tall variety - these are in the neighborhood of 54 inches around.  There are bigger bags, and I bought two especially for Essen which are exactly 62 inches around.  They look big, but I’ve never had a problem with them at airports (where they seem to be more concerned about weight - see Packing the Games).

Important Note:  Though the baggage limits I’ve told you seem to be fairly universal among airlines, it’s very important that you check with the airline that you are going to be using to be sure.  Also make sure to check with all the connecting airlines that you are using - sometimes smaller commuter airlines will have different baggage limits.

The Essen Preview
One thing you will need for sure is the Essen Preview from Boardgame News.  The preview shows you pretty much all of the interesting games that will be introduced at the show as well as a lot of indispensable information on the games.

Editor Eric Martin has made membership on Boardgame News a requirement to access the preview so you’ll have to pony up $25 if you want access to it.  Of course, you probably have a membership already but if you don’t, $25 is a pittance for the wealth of information in the preview.  Going to Essen without the preview in hand is like circumnavigating the globe blindfolded!

Use the preview to determine which games you are most interested in.  There is no possibility of playing every game at the fair so you’ll have to pick and choose.  The preview is also indispensable when it comes to pre-ordering games (see Pre-Ordering Games).  The preview can also tell you which companies can set aside reserved times to play their games (see Playing Games).

Some people print out the entire preview before they leave for Essen.  That way they can read it on the plane and access it at the fair.  Be forewarned, it is big - in years past it has been phonebook-sized.  If you attempt to print it out, try to use a duplexing printer to print on both sides of the paper - that’ll save you quite a bit of paper.

If you can read German, you can see an Essen preview at the excellent German game news site Spielbox - www.spielbox.de.  While the Spielbox preview is very good, in years past the Boardgame News preview has been more detailed and has had valuable information on which games come with English rules, are language independent, etc.  Spielbox has had one thing that the Boardgame News didn’t - a very nice checklist with all the publishers and all the games.  Head over to the Spielbox website just before you leave and print it out.  I’ve always had a copy of the Spielbox checklist with me at the fair and it’s always been invaluable.

Pre-Ordering Games
From the Essen Preview you will see that some games are available for pre-ordering, usually from smaller publishers.  My advice is that if the game is available for pre-ordering and you are interested in it at all, then pre-order it.  In the past, many games from smaller publishers sell out at the fair - sometimes even before the fair starts!

Richard Breese’s games are notorious for selling out as are the games from Fragor Games.  A couple of years ago, Fragor had the pleasure of having Shear Panic sell out the day before the fair started.  The pleasure was slightly tempered by the fact that they had to sit in their booth for four days with no games to sell!

Even if you end up picking up the game and not liking it, you should be able to sell it to someone else fairly easily.  Better that than not picking it up, then finding out it’s great.

People Asking You to Bring Back Games
As soon as your friends find out you’re going to Essen, you’ll be inundated with people asking you to bring back games.  I’m telling you right now - don’t do it.  If you do, you’ll end up spending half of your time searching for games and half of your valuable luggage space storing games for these leeches.

If you insist on bringing back something for friends, make sure you get something out of it.  Maybe that girl you’ve had your eye on wants a copy of the Caylus Special Edition.  Make sure she pays - a few Age of Steam maps and dinner at The Olive Garden might do the trick.

Packing
Pack as lightly as possible.  You are going to want every inch of your luggage space to bring back games.  Not only should you bring as few items as possible, but don’t bring anything that weighs a lot - you’ll need every pound for games.

As far as clothes are concerned, bring the most comfortable clothes you can get away with.  Essen is pretty casual and unless you are going to go to some swanky restaurant, I wouldn’t bother bringing anything too nice.  Comfortable shoes are a must - the convention is huge and you are probably going to be walking for miles before it’s done.

The weather in Essen during October can range from summery warm to cool and rainy, though cool and rainy is more likely.  Check the Internet for the weather in Essen before you go (type ‘Essen Weather’ in Google).  I always bring a small umbrella.

Bring Ziploc baggies and elastics to use for games that you have punched out while at the fair.  I sometimes bring a few small sheets of bubble wrap to be used for packing my more treasured games (see Packing the Games).  It’s not a requirement, though - using your clothing for packing material is usually good enough.

* TIP * One very good thing to bring is a luggage scale, so you can weigh your bags as you are packing them.  It will allow you to pack to your maximum and may save you the cost over having an overweight bag when you come back.  Some include a tape measure so you can measure your bags - not really necessary as you should know how big your bags are before you go!

Money
Money in Essen means Euros.  Cash.

All of the game companies and dealers at the fair take cash. I’ve never seen one take a credit card.  That means you’ll have to be prepared - bring enough cash to cover the cost of your games.  As far as restaurants are concerned, some use credit cards, but I think pretty much all the meals I’ve ever had there I’ve paid with cash.  Bring enough for that as well.

* TIP * If you need more cash while at the fair, there is a bank machine beside the main entrance of the Messe.  This machine is on the Plus system and should work for most any North American bank.  I’ve used the card for my Canadian bank many times with no problem.

Note that, strangely enough, this is the only bank machine in the whole Messe.  That means there is one machine for tens of thousands of people.  If you need cash, either do it very early in the morning or later in the evening.  Any other time and you’re likely to face long line-ups.

The Trip
I don’t have much advice for the trip that isn’t applicable to all travel, but I can say that if you are traveling with friends, a nice small game is great to pass the time.  Maybe the travel version of Einfach Genial or Settlers, or perhaps a small card game.  On one trip I played Scrabble (not my favorite game, but my travel companion brought it) with a girl across the aisle from me.  It passed the time very nicely.  Playing games while waiting for a connection passes the time nicely as well.

A Car
I’ve never needed a car while in Essen.  Of course, I stayed in a hotel near the Messe so I could walk to the fair and most everything else was within walking distance or a short train ride.

If you are outside of Essen you will probably need a car.  If you are driving to the fair, get there early - there is a big parking lot at the Messe but you don’t want to have to park too far away.

There actually is an advantage to having a car - it gives you a place to stash your games during the fair (see Carrying and Stashing Your Games).

Essen
I’ve talked a bit about getting around Essen already (see Train Travel), but here are a few more things.

Though many Germans denigrate Essen as being simply an ‘industry town’, I’ve found the parts I’ve visited to be quite nice.  One part is the Essen downtown which is a good place to hang out if you got to Essen early.  It’s a very pedestrian-friendly downtown, with no cars on many of the streets, and has lots of shops and stores.  There are even some stores that have games (see Game Stores).

Around the Messe is a very nice little neighborhood.  When I’ve had a moment, I’ve walked around a bit and found it to be quite tranquil - a nice break from the craziness of the fair.

There is also a big park right behind the Messe - the Grugapark.  I’ve only been in a small part of it but like the neighborhood, it’s a nice quiet place away from the hustle and bustle of the fair.

Language
The good thing about the language barrier is that it pretty much isn’t there.  Practically all Germans speak English and I can think of only two occurrences in my years at the fair when I ran into someone who didn’t (and one was with a security guard at the Messe when I snuck into someplace I wasn’t supposed to be anyway, but that’s another story).  There are many other nationalities at the fair and most of them speak English as well.

Learning a few phrases of German will endear you to the locals and I’ve tried to learn more each year and use them when I can.  I’m no Scott Tepper, who can seemingly learn new languages at the drop of a hat (and learned German when he found out he was going to Essen), but I can at least say a few things.

Smoking
As smart as the Germans are, a lot of them still smoke.  In my experience, though there may be a smoking section in a restaurant, the noxious fumes always seem to make their way into the non-smoking section and into my lungs.  The pubs are the worst for this - I’ve found the regular restaurants to be not bad.

The fair itself is pretty good, as far as clean air is concerned (it does get a bit stuffy and warm, though).  Though I understand that smoking isn’t allowed in the Messe, there are a few ne’er-do-wells that stubbornly light up and make it miserable for the rest of us.  It used to be worse years ago, but recently I’ve found smoking in the Messe to be an uncommon occurrence (except if you’re in the cafeteria or around the Winsome Games booth - in which case it’s a constant occurrence).

Food Outside the Fair
Ah, the food.  I’ll talk about the food at the fair in a separate section (See Food at the Fair), but I do want to touch on the food you’ll be eating outside the fair.

If you are staying at a hotel, you’ll probably get a breakfast of some sort.  Where I was staying, at the swanky Hotel An der Gruga, there was a full breakfast with scrambled eggs, sausages, rolls, meats, cereals, yogurt, juice, etc, etc.  From what I’ve seen, the other hotels are some variation of this - without as much selection and not quite as tasty.

As far as other meals are concerned, much of the food eaten outside of the fair is eaten at the various pubs.  The pub food is typical German fare - which is usually a big glob of meat with some sauce on it accompanied by small glob of vegetables.  The portions are fairly large, so you are probably not going away hungry.  It’s not really all that tasty, but it sure is filling and not too expensive.

There are a couple of non-pub restaurants around the Messe - an Italian place (Pinocchio’s, if I recall correctly) - and many others if you venture a little further.  Like the pub food, I’ve found them to be just okay.  I’m sure there are some other restaurants around there that are very good, but I haven’t had the time or inclination to find them.  I’m too busy playing games!

Often, during the fair, big groups will get together for dinner.  A word of warning - while these dinners can be great fun, especially with the Warfrog boys if alcohol is involved, they can go on for hours and hours.  This is fine if that’s what you want, but I personally don’t want to waste valuable game-playing time sitting in a restaurant waiting for the wrong meal to arrive (which happens too often).  I get enough time socializing during the fair.  That’s me, though.  If you want to big long group meal, go for it!

* TIP * I do have a very good tip for food outside the fair.  It’s so good, I can’t believe I’m giving it away.  I like you, though, so I’ll give it to you.  You owe me, though!

I’m not that much for big meals - I’d rather get something smaller that has more taste.  Finding a meal like that in Germany is like finding a shrink-wrapped Code 777 at a used game stand - i.e. not bloody likely.  I have found such a thing, though, and in the most unlikely place.

The unlikely place is, believe it or not, the local gas stations.  There are two gas stations close to the Messe that have deli sandwiches and I’ve found these sandwiches to be very good - fresh and tasty.  Last year I foreswore almost all the big group meals in favor of a quick gas station sandwich.  This gave me lots of time for more games.  That was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made at Essen.

Game Stores
Some of the games from the larger publishers are released before the fair actually starts.  You may want to check out some of the local game stores if you get to Essen early and grab some.  This will give you and you friends an opportunity to check some of the games off your list even before the fair starts!  Of course, these will usually be German versions so you’ll need a German translator, but sometimes the editions are multilingual.

So where are these game stores?  Well, a few department stores and book stores have good selections of games.  Many of these can be found downtown, which is at the Essen Hbf train station (see Train Travel).  There is also a Toys ‘R’ Us downtown, but the one time I went there, I found their selection, while big, to be lacking in the newest games.  I’m told there are other, better, game stores but haven’t seen them myself.

Getting to the Messe
If you are close to the Messe, walk.  If you are along the train line, take the train (see Train Travel).  If you are outside of Essen, you’ll probably have to take a car (see A Car).

Days at the Fair
The fair itself takes place from Thursday to Sunday.  If you can be at the fair for only one or two days, definitely choose to be there on Thursday or Friday.  The crowds on Saturday are ridiculous and on Sunday it is still pretty crowded.

Get to the fair early so you can be there when it opens.  The fair is most crowded in midday and you want to get in as many games as you can before it gets more crowded.  As a matter of fact, on midday Saturday I usually abandon the fair for a few hours and retire to a local hotel to play games for a few hours - it’s just that busy.

Tickets
You can buy tickets at the front door.  That’s about all I can tell you as I’ve always had a press pass!

Exhibitors and Press Passes
A quick note about press and exhibitors passes.  If you have a press or exhibitors pass, you can get into the fair days before the general public.  Exhibitors are allowed to come in early in the week to set up and on Wednesday the press is allowed in for the yearly press conference (and to carouse and kibitz, what we press people do best).  On Thursday to Sunday, having a press or exhibitor pass allows you to get in to the fair an hour before everyone else (if I remember correctly).  There are a few other advantages as well.

All this means that press and exhibitor passes are at a premium.  If you want a press pass you’ll have to work for some general interest media source, a gaming magazine or website.  If you are one of these, you can apply to the Essen people to get a badge.  If you aren’t one of these, you are probably out of luck unless you know an exhibitor who has extra badges - and that’s very unlikely.  The regular badge is good enough anyway - I wouldn’t cry if I didn’t get my press badge (well, maybe a bit).

Navigating the Fair
If you get the checklist from Spielbox, you should have a map of the halls at the Messe.  There are other maps available online or you can pick up a map while you are there. (I think there’s a program with a map when you go in, but I’ve never gotten it.) There are also maps on the walls beside the hall entrances and exits.

The Messe is made up of a number of interconnected halls, some huge, some smaller. Though the fair is huge, there are three halls in the Messe that aren’t used - those are 1, 2 and 3.  All the rest of the halls generally encircle a central courtyard, which is used to store trucks and smokers.

If you come in the front door, the first three halls are 12, 11 and 10 (11 and 10 are actually one big hall).  These halls have all the major publishers - Kosmos, Amigo, Ravensburger, etc.  There are also some smaller publishers sprinkled in there as well.

Going clockwise around the courtyard, hall 4 and 5 are for smaller publishers - Warfrog, etc.  Hall 6 is a huge hall that is strictly for roleplaying and trading card games, things like that.  Hall 7 is a big hall in the back for the kiddies - there are carnival-type rides to keep them occupied.  You can give that one a miss unless you like screaming children.  Hall 8 is for comic books - there is a comic show that is run in concert with the games and this is where you can find it.  Hall 9, like 4 and 5, is for smaller publishers.  Ystari, Phalanx and others are usually in hall 9.

The used game dealers have been nomadic over the past few years.  They used to be in hall 8 but last year they were at the back of hall 4.

Note that all this may change, but for the past few years the hall layout has been fairly static.

In each of the halls there are booths for the game publishers.  The booths range from tiny, with maybe one table if they are lucky, to huge, with many many tables.

What to do First
So you are at the fair early on Thursday morning and you have your Essen Preview or checklist in hand.  What do you do first?

If you have any interest in used games at all, that should be your first stop.  Any good used games will be grabbed pretty quickly, so you should grab them while they are still there (for more on used games see Buying Used Games).

What to do Next?
Now it’s time to use the Essen Preview or your checklist to play the games you want to play (see Playing Games).  You should also look to buying just released games from smaller publishers (see Buying Just Released Games).  Also remember to pick up your pre-ordered games.

What should I do Last?
The last thing you should do is buy new games and just released games from bigger publishers (see Buying New Games and Buying Just Released Games).

Buying Used Games
As mentioned, the used games stalls should be first on your to do list if you have any interest in used games at all.  The used game stalls are usually in one of the back halls, so you can run there as soon as you get in.

There are usually ten or fifteen booths stacked sky-high with used games.  You’ll see many favorites, some cool games that you’ve probably never seen before, and piles and piles of old crappy Ravensburger stuff.

The staff at these stalls mostly speak English.  If you want something, point to it.  Many of the games have prices on them but some of them don’t - simply ask how much.  You should be able to bargain, especially if you buy a bunch of games (but I’ve never done it).

Now for the bad news, of which there are two pieces.  First of all, it’s unlikely you’ll find a real gem at the used game stall, or any steals for that matter.  There used to be lots of these but in recent years the dealers have gotten much more savvy at recognizing the value of games.  No more finding a mint Code 777 for a song (like I saw a few years ago).

The second bit of bad news is that, unfortunately, the press and other exhibitors have already ravaged the used games before you even get a chance to.  The used game dealers tend to set up early because they know that many press people and exhibitors are wandering around on Wednesday, the day before the fair, hungering to buy games.  After the press and exhibitors are through with them, pretty much any gems are gone before the show even opens.  Sorry, but that’s the way it is.

My advice:  Don’t go to the used game section if you are looking for gems or steals.  Do go to the used game section if you are looking for certain German games that were fairly popular but not yet available in English.  I’d personally be on the lookout for games like Capitol, Showmanager (way better than Atlantic Star) and the Amigo version of Wizard (so much nicer than the American version, which I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole).

Playing Games
You came to Essen to play games, so let’s play some!

The best way to play a game at Essen is to case the booths with the games that you want and when a table opens up, jump on it.  You can just wait at a booth until a space opens, but you may be waiting for a while.  You can always ask how much longer a game is going to take and if it’s not too long, just hang around until it’s done.

With the smaller booths, it’s usually obvious which game you are going to play as they only have one.  With the larger booths there is usually a game sitting on the table.  You can play that one, or you can go to the little office part of the booth and ask for what you want.  They will give you the game that you want, minus the box top.

There are some booths, usually smaller publishers, who have preset times for games and you can register for a particular time.  This does not happen a lot, but it is convenient if it does.  Some even allow you to register for times even before the fair starts.  The Essen Preview should tell you who will do this.

Make sure that when you sit down that you ask one of the people manning the booth, “Can you please teach this game in English?”.  The vast majority of the people will be able to teach you, but if they can’t they’ll find someone who can.  One of the pleasures of playing games at Essen is that you are playing with people who are often from all over the world.  Lucky for us, English is the common language and even if you are playing with a German, and Italian, and a Dutchman - as I did once - you will be playing the game in English.

Most games played at Essen are, much to the annoyance of publishers, the full game.  At other game conventions I’ve seen publishers have people play a shortened ‘demo game’ but at Essen I’ve been told that people don’t want that - they want to play the whole game.  Publishers dislike this because it really reduces the number of people who can play the game during the fair, but that seems to be the way it is.

When you finish a game, clear out and let someone else have the table.  If you got a game from the desk, bring it back (unless the next group wants it).  If you are bold, you could ask to play another game of the same publisher but be prepared for some dirty looks if there are people who want your table.  I will sometimes stay at a table if there are not that many people around, but I’ll clear out if it gets crowded.

The Buzz
Though you’ll be armed with the Essen Preview and a good idea of what games you’ll like, the buzz is what will guide you to the best games.

What is the buzz?  The buzz consists of running into someone at the fair, who you may or may not know, and asking them the standard opening question - “What good games have you seen?’.  This starts a very important exchange of information where you can find out what are the good games - so you can play them or buy them - and which are the dogs - to be avoided.  The more people you talk to, the more reliable the buzz will be.

As it’s impossible to play every game at the fair, the buzz is invaluable.  Listen to the buzz and reprioritize your game list as needed.

The Fairplay Poll
Much less important than the buzz, but also useful, is the Fairplay poll.  Fairplay is a gaming magazine in Germany and during the fair they run a poll that has people rate the games that they’ve played.  They constantly update the results on a tote board that is in their booth, which has been in hall 10.

The Fairplay poll is useful for two things.  First of all, it a DECENT (important word) indicator of what games are good and what’s bad.  Games at the top TEND to be good while games at the bottom TEND to be bad.  I’m using all these capitals because sometimes the rankings can be quite wonky.

I do know that there is some subtle manipulation of the polls.  A smaller publisher told me once that if someone liked a game of his, he’d request that they go vote in the Fairplay poll.  This was a way to get his game noticed among the hundreds of games (and it worked, as his game was close to the top of the poll).  Since I doubt anyone is the Kosmos booth is doing the same thing, well, let’s say the poll is not quite as accurate as it could be.  In past years, smaller publishers’ games tended to dominate the polls.  Now you know why.

The second thing that the Fairplay poll does is tell you what games are going to sell out quick.  Often people who are unawares will use the Fairplay poll as a gauge as to what’s really good and then just buy it.  This can lead to a smaller publisher’s game selling out.  My advice is to check the Fairplay board and if there is a game that you want, put that one higher on your priority list to play or buy.  If you wait too long, it may be gone.

Buying New Games
Now I’ll talk about buying new games.  Here I’m talking about shrink-wrapped games, as opposed to used games which I mentioned previously, but not the games that were just released at the show (for those, see Buying Just Released Games).

If you want new games, you will need to see the various new game dealers that are sprinkled throughout the fair (as opposed to the used game dealers, who are in one spot).  There are many deals to be had at these dealers as they try to blow out as many games as they can.  I usually stop and check out the new games in between going to publisher’s booths.

If you see a game you want, make sure you write down the booth number you saw it in and the price - you should really check the other dealers to see the price difference (which, sometimes, can be substantial).  You’ll also need to see how many they have - if they are low on stock you may want to grab it sooner than later (though dealers have been known to keep stock out of sight so you think they are getting low).

Next, I’ll talk about the Heidelberger booth.  Though they are in the category of buying new games, they are really in a class all their own.

Heidelberger
Long time Essen goers know Heidelberger very well.  They are a distributor of games in Germany and they take the opportunity at Essen to get rid of discontinued stock, older junk and whatever else is taking up room in their warehouse.  In their booth you can find some real steals, but you have to endure the booth - which is an adventure in itself!

The Heidelberger booth is tiny and stacked to the rafters with games.  The booth is usually surrounded with chicken-type wire, to keep the masses out and the games in.  There is a small entrance and an exit, both at the same side, and the booth is always jammed with people.  Actually, jammed is an understatement - this booth is Japanese-subway packed.  You beat your way in and for the next five minutes or so you move at a snail’s pace, fighting the crowd while trying to check out and pick up games.  After a few minutes you turn the corner at the end of the booth and head back, this time towards the exit.  By the time you make it to the exit you just have enough energy left to pay before leaving the booth and collapsing in an oxygen-deprived heap.

Is it all worth it?  For the experience and for the great prices, I’d say definitely yes.

Buying Just Released Games
Buying just released games really needs to be divided into two categories - small publishers and big publishers.  Basically, with small publishers you buy them as early as you can.  With big publishers you buy them as late as you can.

As mentioned, small publishers at Essen often sell out of their print runs.  Why is this, you ask?  Well, often they don’t have enough money to do a big print run.  Also, they may not have the transportation capability to bring a huge pile of games to the fair.  Other times, some games are much more highly sought after than they originally anticipated.  They also would rather print too few than too many - they’d rather sell out than have a stack of games sitting in their garage for the next ten years!

What does this mean for you?  It means a few things.  If you want a game from a small publisher that is pre-orderable, then pre-order it.  If you don’t pre-order it, make it a priority to play as early in the fair as possible.  Also try to get the buzz on it.  If you haven’t had a chance to play it or get the buzz on it, you may just have to splurge and buy it if the publisher doesn’t have many left (especially if it’s high on the Fairplay poll).

You may be able to bargain with a smaller publisher, but I’d only attempt it if you are buying a bunch of copies.  I like to give the smaller publishers the full price anyway as they are the ones who need it most (that’s my philosophy, anyway).

For big publisher games, the story is different.  First of all, you don’t buy the big publisher games from the publishers, you buy them from the dealers.  Though it may be tempting, I don’t buy big publisher games at the beginning of the fair.  The reason?  At the end of the fair the dealers will discount them so they don’t have to drag them back to their stores.  There is a fair amount of competition between the dealers and the prices can drop fairly substantially, especially on Sunday.  Sunday is when to strike.

There is rarely a danger of a big publisher’s game selling out as they have probably printed zillions of copies.  There was a bit of a scare one year when dealers ran out of Die Saulen der Erde (Pillars of the Earth) on Saturday, but they were able to restock for Sunday. (That was also the rare case of a game which didn’t get discounted that much.)

Carrying and Stashing Your Games
After buying a few games it won’t be long until you are loaded down.  Don’t expect the publishers or dealers to give you bags - most of the time they don’t.  Most Essen veterans bring one of a few types of bags to cart around their games.

One possibility is your carry-on bag - the one that has wheels, right?  These usually have decent capacity and will save your arms the wear and tear, but they can be a bit of trouble to maneuver when it’s crowded.

Another possibility is to bring a bag.  I have a big duffel bag that’s perfect for carrying around lots of games.

I’ve seen people use those metal wire-frame shopping carts - either the ones with a basket or ones that secure stuff with bungee cords.  They are relatively light and can fold up (one year I went to Essen with Jeremy Young of Uberplay - he used one of these things but didn’t have the luggage room to bring it back home so he abandoned it in his hotel room).

Stashing your games is another issue.  The best thing to do is avoid the problem by buying your games later in the day.  That way you won’t have to carry them around all day.  If you can’t do that, you may end up with a pile of games in the middle of the day that you need to stash.  I’ve always prevailed on friends to stash games for me, but I think there are lockers at the Messe (but I understand that they are expensive).  If you have a car, you can stash them there (take care to make sure your ticket will get you back into the fair after you’ve left).  Otherwise, you may just have to truck them around.

Meeting Designers
Essen is a great opportunity to meet game designers.  Probably the best way to see them is to find out who is publishing a new game of theirs, and then ask the publisher if they have a signing scheduled.  You can also find designers at various events that are sprinkled throughout the show, but these are harder to catch unless you can read the program, which is in German.

You can also collar them if they are wandering around - I’ve found that most designers are very happy to chat for a moment and perhaps sign a game.  This may be hard to do if you don’t know what they look like, though.  Much to my annoyance, and unlike other conventions, the Essen fair doesn’t use badges that people can wear - it’s just a card that you stick in your pocket.  I’d like to see the press and exhibitors (and designers) wear badges that people can see.  I hate to think of all the people I’ve missed meeting simply because I didn’t recognize them. (Perhaps recognizing the problem, some people make up their own badges that they wear at the show - Reiner Knizia does this.)

You can also ask people if they can help you find designers.  I had one guy come up to me, point to a guy, and ask if he was Alan Moon.  It turns out he was pointing at Richard Borg. (He probably recognized the face, but didn’t quite get the right guy.) I was tempted to say, ya, that’s Alan, but I just couldn’t do it.  I told him it was Richard and he seemed almost as happy - he then trundled off to get Richard’s autograph.

Food at the Fair
If you get hungry at the fair, you have a few options.  If you want fast food, there are a fair amount of stands that have hot dogs, donuts, slushies and such like, as well as some German fast food.  It’s all tolerable, but has the advantage of being fairly fast and filling.

If you want some really fast food, I suggest trucking along some Power Bars or such like from your country of origin.  I never had time to eat while I’m at Essen, between gaming and doing reports, so I mainly ate Power Bars for lunch.  If you’re okay with this, it can save you both time and money.

If you want a real meal, your choices are few.  There is a cafeteria up the stairs from hall 10 and 11, but it’s laughably small compared to the mobs at the fair and is always ridiculously crowded.  This is also the place that people tend to smoke, making it doubly awful.  So if you want a real meal, what are you to do?

* TIP * There is actually a real restaurant in the Messe that almost no one knows about and it’s actually quite good.  To get to it, go up the stairs from hall 10 and 11 and into the cafeteria, but then turn left and go to the end.  Behind the glass doors you find a beautiful oasis - a very nice restaurant with very good food that is always quiet and mostly empty.  As a matter of fact, the best food I’ve had at Essen is at this restaurant.

A nice thing about this place is that it does take credit cards (or at least, it did).  After raving about it to Patrick Korner I took him there, only to find at the end of the meal that I didn’t have any cash left - I had blown it all on games - nor did I have any credit cards.  Patrick had a credit card, though, and paid for my meal.  I think I still owe him (but don’t tell him that).

Fresh Air
If you want to take a break, a good place to head is the courtyard that is in the middle of the Messe.  If you stand far enough away from the smokers, you can get some fresh air and peace and quiet before heading back into the fray.

What to do in the Evenings
After the fair closes, you may think that’s where the game playing ends for the day.  Wrongo, Chester!  Gaming at Essen continues long after the fair has closed for the day.

Of course, you’ll probably want to eat first (see Food outside the Fair).  If you’re smart, you’ll have a gas station sandwich so you can get back to the game playing as quickly as possible.

If you came to Essen with a group, now is the time to break out some of the newly bought games and play.  If you didn’t come with a group, you may be able to find some game playing opportunities at the hotels close to the Messe.  The aforementioned hotels - the Jung, the Arosa and the Savoy - all have after-hours games in their common rooms or pubs.  Just head to these hotels and look for a people playing a game and ingratiate yourself.

Walking with Greg Schloesser
One thing about Greg Schloesser.  If you meet him at the fair don’t, under any circumstances, try to walk anywhere with him.  You’ll be stopped every two seconds by his fanboys wanting to talk with their idol and you’ll never get anywhere.  You have been warned.

Packing the Games
Once the fair is over, you will have to pack your winnings into your luggage.  This is usually pretty tough - invariably you have bought more than you can possibly fit into your bags (unless, of course, you are Ben Baldanza and are president of an airline.  Then you can take as much stuff as you want).

First of all, punch out all of the pieces of your games and discard the useless punched sheets.  This will save you some weight.  Store the pieces in the Ziploc baggies you brought along.

Then do a test pack to see if you can get everything in.  If you can’t, start putting card games inside of smaller games and those inside larger games.  That should help with the volume.  Use your clothes between the games as packing material.  If you have any especially sensitive games, use the bubble wrap you brought along.

Then use your luggage scale to check the weight.  Try your best to keep the bag to the maximum weight, which at this point is 50 pounds (more if you are lucky enough to be in first class, or if you are president of an airline).  The airlines will sometimes give you a little leeway, but don’t push your luck.  If you are over, they will charge you an arm and a leg.

A way to reduce weight in your checked bags is to put some heavier things, like boards and wooden pieces, in your carry-on.  There are restrictions for the weight of carry-ons, but in all my years of flying I’ve never seen a carry-on weighed.  Find out your maximum and stay below it - don’t push your luck.  Keep moving stuff around between your bags until they are all at or below their maximum weight.

Mailing Games
If you can’t pack everything, you may have to mail some games back home.  I’ve never done this so I can’t really give you any information on how to do it, but I do know people that have done it and they say it’s a pain.  It’s an option, though (and not one to be left until the last minute lest the post office is closed).

Heading Home
After that, all you have to do is head home and enjoy your new games with your jealous friends.  Have fun!

Acknowledgements:  I used Ward Batty’s very good Essen Internationalen Spieltage Traveler’s Guide to clarify a couple of things.  Thanks to Patrick Korner for some information on Heidelberger.  Special thanks to Eric Martin for editing this monster!

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