I’ve reached the point where a games price is what decides my purchase. Had interest in Civolution but not for $125. Same with black forest at $90. 50-65 is my cutoff now. Gone back to the used market on Facebook to buy older games for $15. I estimate that within 5 years most games will be minimum $100 each. It’s insanity.
It is insane and Essen is not the place to grab bargains. Civolution at that price was a rip off especially when people knew of the production issues and yet still paid it.
My cut off price point is about the same. I'm often amazed at just how much people are prepared to pay for games. Prices will definitely continue to rise as long as enough people are willing to pay it.
Same. It’s gotten crazy. Our group discussed this the other day while we played Import/Export and commented on whether something like Civolution is 3-4 times better based solely on price. I’d love to play it but none of us are willing to drop that much coin to find out.
@@stevelattimer1682, it is not so much willing to pay because that implies publishers hiking prices. Plastic is more expensive, paper price has gone up, wages in China are going up and shipping from China to distributors around the globe is still more expensive than pre Covid. All things comb8ned make games more expensive. But I see enough people collecting (not necessarily playing) games on Facebook. And the insanity of having more than 1200 NEW GAMES at Essen is mind boggling. But picked up Black Forest for 50 euro and seeing the amount of cardboard in the box, that is not a bad price. Other games I bought, I am sure will cost me more in retail. Not all but I know of a few which will cost me 5 to 7 euro more.
Thanks for going and doing these videos - and all the others. Looking forward to watching the reviews especially for Galileo after watching your SETI review! Enjoy your cruise!
Looking forward to your SETI review! Especially the solo mode. I have it in my cart right now but waiting to hear if the solo is worth it before I pull the trigger. I wish Tea Garden had included a solo mode.
@@TheBrokenMeeple Thanks for responding! I don't mind a solo AI that requires upkeep and maintenance. I'm a big fan of Turczi's solo modes (Weather Machine, Terracotta Army, Nucleum) because it feels like I am playing against a human-esque opponent. I don't feel like I'm missing out too much only playing solo. That, along with replayability and a balanced challenging AI are my three main criteria for judging solo modes.
I agree with you that Essen 2024 was not the best vintage - except for trick-taking lovers :) This year, my purchases were more mind-driven than heart-driven. My main purchases are: 7 Empires, Beyond the Horizon, both Eclipse's expansions, Explorers of Navoria, Lifeboats, Resurgence, Seti, Shackleton Base and Tower Up.
Honestly one of the best Spiels I have been too (I’ve only been going since COVID). I was demonstrating but during my off time I got to play so many games.
In terms of how busy Spiel was, I think this edition was more evened out. Busier on Thursday, less busy on Saturday compared to other years. It was still difficult to get into demos of hot games, but that wasn’t unlike other years and it forced me to try games I hadn’t on my radar and find some unexpected titles. Everyone’s experience will be subjective, but for me it was one of my best Spiel’s yet. And I do expect Spiel to sell out again next year. Get your tickets in time 😉
It was our first Essen and only did first 2 days, it's really interesting to hear your thoughts on how busy it was as it was too overwhelming for us and made us think this can't be normal. It has made us think twice about goung again but hopefully this year was a one off for being that busy.
Hi Luke, it was good to meet you at the Meet&Greet and take a selfie with you and Tom. The M&G was a bit poorly thought out. Maybe half hour panel shows with possibility to meet afterwards would be better. But if you demo as a content creator, like Paul Grogan, then this was the only time free to meet him unless you were lucky to get into a demo from him. So from that point of view it might be good. I agree that Essen felt weird this year. The Saturday being less busy (or feeling that way but maybe caused by multi day ticket holders maybe skipping that day out of tradition) than Thursday when certainly hall 3 was pandemonium. Still think hall 3 needs some thought. Maybe getting hall 7 involved and shifting RPG there and take a bit of hall 3 into hall 1 would be good. I also agree with you that demos need to go quicker, and maybe publishers can do a more public demo with a bigger table and people just standing round, kind of like video teach in a way but then for a live audience. I don’t have time to sit into every demo, sometimes I just want a quick rules overview and touch the pieces. That is sometimes enough for me to either buy instantly, get a longer sit down demo, or just walk away and decide the game is not for me or my wife. Time at a con is precious and having 2 to 3 hours taken away is an immediate turn off for me.
Get well soon. Try to get as much rest as possible. ☕ I wish to visit Essen one day. Maybe next year I'll get myself to Germany. Been there like 3 times, never at a convention though. Would be great to experience the atmosphere of the event, preferably without the possibility of covid 🙃
This was my 4th Essen and enjoyed it immensely as always. I went completely insane on the purchasing part (27 games, 15 expansions - enough to have to buy another suitcase while there, lol) only missed out on one game from my wishlist due to it being sold out before I reached the booth (Warp & Weft), so that wasn't too bad. I did initially intend on going to the meet'n play on Saturday, but kinda forgot all about it when Saturday came as my friends and I were still browsing the halls at that point. There were two disappointments for my friends and I this year; our two favourite food stalls were nowhere to be found this year. So no potato swirlies or cinnamon cylinders for us. :(
Yeah, I avoided Essen this year primarily because I knew that due to the holiday it would be stupid busy. Glad you are feeling better and almost recovered! To be fair, one’s immune system could be fantastic and still contract Covid 😊
Thank you for the video. You picked 80% of the games I would love to try!!! Lucky you to be able to purchase all these games....my wallett does not allow for that 😅😅 enjoy the plays looking forward to hear about it in the reviews.
I really hope to go to Esseen one day. Sounds hectic this year to be sure. I'm really keen to hear your thoughts and to try for myself, SETI and Galileo Galilee. I've only gone to UK Games Expo, but couldn't agree more with you about demo-ers. This, IS a skill. As is teaching a game in general. And like with my skills, people need to practice practice practice until they get good. There is not enough incentive or passion in so many individuals to do this unfortunately. And many demos suffer as a result. Designers and publishers really should focus on this way more than they do. I have played games at UK games Expo that I had NO intention of evet buying or likely enjoying, and found myself converted, DUE to a Great Demo-er. And reciprocally, I have been totally put off games I genuinely expected to love due to nothing more than the Demo!!! Hopefully those in charge will learn this soon. Glad you feeling better now. Looking forward to future content.
I guess it wasn"t only sold out because of the bankholiday...They also said that they introduced a quotum to make it more safe... It didn't felt more busy than last year......(for me)
I’m looking forward to a good number of reviews from the games you showed. Especially Unconscious Mind and SETI (and his other 2 games), and Explorers of Navoria. I’m curious if you’ll be reviewing Inventors of the South Tigris. I realize I’m asking you to do more work, so I apologize for that but I really want to hear your thoughts
Oh in terms of how busy it was, I felt like Thursday and Friday were pretty doable, especially if you avoided hall 3. Saturday seemed the worst for me, and Sunday was pleasant, it was so 'quiet'! They will probably sell out every year, because this is the limit according to the fire brigade / security laws (50.000 per day). They have had years with more (total) visitors than they had this year.
Hi Luke, i believe Tea Garden is on par weight/complexity level as Galileo, perhaps even a bit heavier. (According to BGG) I have played Galileo and i find it probably medium, or perhaps one tiny tick down from medium. Havent played Tea garden though, didnt get a chance at Essen.
Definitely agree about the Floe demo, they didn't even explain any concepts about adjacency in the map. But, I'd say that the worst demo was Panda Spin. No explanation of the goals whatsoever, just got the goal mid-game, the entire first half of the demo was "could I play this card?" or "does playing this makes sense?"
I think limitting the tickets was the worst choice.... BUT Sa and So was quite empty and calm. Apparently the ticket quantity was so low that they couldn't even fill the halls. Which also means that many many people couldn't go to SPIEL, which tbh is a scandal.
I’m curious about your thoughts on Navoria, I already passed mine on. Other than that I had very different people at the table as a demoer of a complex game. Many are ok to quickly start playing but some really want to know every detail.
Saw and commented on your pic on facebook. It was a pretty impressive haul also hope you get well soon. Both of the Cascadia Roll & Write looks and felt very much like every other R&W game out there. Big pass for me, would still like to see your thoughts on them though. I do like the idea what Lord of the Rings Duel has to offer as an alternative to 7 Wonders. A bit more tighter and those abilities you get for a pair of symbols are really powerful compared to the ones from the Progress tokens in the original. However, it wouldn't replace the original for me, but I'd like to try it some time in the future. Galileo Galilei [try not to sing the Queen song], looked interesting but after watching the rule overview felt too slow. Tea Garden looked amazing, really love the artwork. However, I'm weak for east aisan theme in games, I'm looking forward what you think of it! The two games here that I'm most curious about is Kimono Memories and Let's Go! To Japan. I really enjoy the games I've played from EmperorS4 so far. Let's Go! also looked nice, and with a fun idea for a theme.
Sorry you got the 'rona. Other than that, I do feel like this year has a ton of really solid looking games, more than than the previous couple years...at least personally. Looking forward to the reviews when you get around to them :).
His A LIVE! Board Games didn´t beat him. Weird youtube didn´t warn me of the release. Nice to see you good, you still look bad, but by now should be alright or soon, drink lots of orange juice hahaha.
Let's go to Japan is very very light. Not a bad game, but all you do is choose (no real drafting) 1 or 2 cards and place them in a day of the week. Do that 13 times and that's it. Zero player interaction, so 1-2 players. Yes! Decimals in board game ratings are ridiculous! 😅 And, yes, 7WD+Pantheon is great, Agora is meh.
Honestly Saturday was so quiet. I spent the entire day in hall 3 and compared to last year, you could almost consider it dead. All the exhibitors were disheartened. by the footfall.
Agree! Saturday definitely seemed quieter than last year. Still busy but feels like they were forced to manage the crowds more. Layout changes also probably help in this regard.
It s all perception and no facts, 2019 = 209000 attendees, 2024 = 204000 attendees... Like all previous years: If you end up in Hall 3 at the wrong moment you feel it s the buzziest Spiel ever... but that has always been the case... I have clear memories of my first years being in a standstill in Hall3 and galeria.... now because of better planning which halls to visit when, i could walk easy everywhere and had 20 demos in 2 days...
I’ve reached the point where a games price is what decides my purchase. Had interest in Civolution but not for $125. Same with black forest at $90. 50-65 is my cutoff now. Gone back to the used market on Facebook to buy older games for $15. I estimate that within 5 years most games will be minimum $100 each. It’s insanity.
It is insane and Essen is not the place to grab bargains. Civolution at that price was a rip off especially when people knew of the production issues and yet still paid it.
My cut off price point is about the same. I'm often amazed at just how much people are prepared to pay for games. Prices will definitely continue to rise as long as enough people are willing to pay it.
Same. It’s gotten crazy. Our group discussed this the other day while we played Import/Export and commented on whether something like Civolution is 3-4 times better based solely on price. I’d love to play it but none of us are willing to drop that much coin to find out.
@@stevelattimer1682, it is not so much willing to pay because that implies publishers hiking prices. Plastic is more expensive, paper price has gone up, wages in China are going up and shipping from China to distributors around the globe is still more expensive than pre Covid. All things comb8ned make games more expensive. But I see enough people collecting (not necessarily playing) games on Facebook. And the insanity of having more than 1200 NEW GAMES at Essen is mind boggling. But picked up Black Forest for 50 euro and seeing the amount of cardboard in the box, that is not a bad price. Other games I bought, I am sure will cost me more in retail. Not all but I know of a few which will cost me 5 to 7 euro more.
Thanks for going and doing these videos - and all the others. Looking forward to watching the reviews especially for Galileo after watching your SETI review!
Enjoy your cruise!
Looking forward to your SETI review! Especially the solo mode. I have it in my cart right now but waiting to hear if the solo is worth it before I pull the trigger. I wish Tea Garden had included a solo mode.
Setis solo mode is decent, you have to pilot a fair bit in late game but overall it's an easy mode to learn.
@@TheBrokenMeeple Thanks for responding! I don't mind a solo AI that requires upkeep and maintenance. I'm a big fan of Turczi's solo modes (Weather Machine, Terracotta Army, Nucleum) because it feels like I am playing against a human-esque opponent. I don't feel like I'm missing out too much only playing solo. That, along with replayability and a balanced challenging AI are my three main criteria for judging solo modes.
I agree with you that Essen 2024 was not the best vintage - except for trick-taking lovers :) This year, my purchases were more mind-driven than heart-driven. My main purchases are: 7 Empires, Beyond the Horizon, both Eclipse's expansions, Explorers of Navoria, Lifeboats, Resurgence, Seti, Shackleton Base and Tower Up.
Some day someone will show me Shackleton, but I hold no promises of making it GOTY like many have.
Honestly one of the best Spiels I have been too (I’ve only been going since COVID). I was demonstrating but during my off time I got to play so many games.
In terms of how busy Spiel was, I think this edition was more evened out. Busier on Thursday, less busy on Saturday compared to other years. It was still difficult to get into demos of hot games, but that wasn’t unlike other years and it forced me to try games I hadn’t on my radar and find some unexpected titles. Everyone’s experience will be subjective, but for me it was one of my best Spiel’s yet.
And I do expect Spiel to sell out again next year. Get your tickets in time 😉
It was our first Essen and only did first 2 days, it's really interesting to hear your thoughts on how busy it was as it was too overwhelming for us and made us think this can't be normal. It has made us think twice about goung again but hopefully this year was a one off for being that busy.
Here's hoping!!
Hi Luke, it was good to meet you at the Meet&Greet and take a selfie with you and Tom. The M&G was a bit poorly thought out. Maybe half hour panel shows with possibility to meet afterwards would be better. But if you demo as a content creator, like Paul Grogan, then this was the only time free to meet him unless you were lucky to get into a demo from him. So from that point of view it might be good. I agree that Essen felt weird this year. The Saturday being less busy (or feeling that way but maybe caused by multi day ticket holders maybe skipping that day out of tradition) than Thursday when certainly hall 3 was pandemonium. Still think hall 3 needs some thought. Maybe getting hall 7 involved and shifting RPG there and take a bit of hall 3 into hall 1 would be good. I also agree with you that demos need to go quicker, and maybe publishers can do a more public demo with a bigger table and people just standing round, kind of like video teach in a way but then for a live audience. I don’t have time to sit into every demo, sometimes I just want a quick rules overview and touch the pieces. That is sometimes enough for me to either buy instantly, get a longer sit down demo, or just walk away and decide the game is not for me or my wife. Time at a con is precious and having 2 to 3 hours taken away is an immediate turn off for me.
Thank you for visiting me there, really appreciate you taking the time. Granted I agree, the event isn't exactly well organised.
Get well soon. Try to get as much rest as possible.
☕
I wish to visit Essen one day. Maybe next year I'll get myself to Germany. Been there like 3 times, never at a convention though. Would be great to experience the atmosphere of the event, preferably without the possibility of covid 🙃
This was my 4th Essen and enjoyed it immensely as always. I went completely insane on the purchasing part (27 games, 15 expansions - enough to have to buy another suitcase while there, lol) only missed out on one game from my wishlist due to it being sold out before I reached the booth (Warp & Weft), so that wasn't too bad. I did initially intend on going to the meet'n play on Saturday, but kinda forgot all about it when Saturday came as my friends and I were still browsing the halls at that point. There were two disappointments for my friends and I this year; our two favourite food stalls were nowhere to be found this year. So no potato swirlies or cinnamon cylinders for us. :(
Yeah, I avoided Essen this year primarily because I knew that due to the holiday it would be stupid busy. Glad you are feeling better and almost recovered! To be fair, one’s immune system could be fantastic and still contract Covid 😊
Yeah but only caught it two years ago and that was on a stag do in Leicester so it wasn't exactly at my prime then!
Thank you for the video. You picked 80% of the games I would love to try!!! Lucky you to be able to purchase all these games....my wallett does not allow for that 😅😅 enjoy the plays looking forward to hear about it in the reviews.
Excellent stuff as always Luke. A few intriguing games I've not heard of.
I really hope to go to Esseen one day. Sounds hectic this year to be sure.
I'm really keen to hear your thoughts and to try for myself, SETI and Galileo Galilee.
I've only gone to UK Games Expo, but couldn't agree more with you about demo-ers. This, IS a skill. As is teaching a game in general. And like with my skills, people need to practice practice practice until they get good. There is not enough incentive or passion in so many individuals to do this unfortunately. And many demos suffer as a result. Designers and publishers really should focus on this way more than they do.
I have played games at UK games Expo that I had NO intention of evet buying or likely enjoying, and found myself converted, DUE to a Great Demo-er. And reciprocally, I have been totally put off games I genuinely expected to love due to nothing more than the Demo!!!
Hopefully those in charge will learn this soon.
Glad you feeling better now. Looking forward to future content.
I suspect I will demo at next Expo and I like to think I got demoing down.
@@TheBrokenMeeple If you do...do let us all know what you'll be demoing, and I will Defo come check it out!!
I guess it wasn"t only sold out because of the bankholiday...They also said that they introduced a quotum to make it more safe... It didn't felt more busy than last year......(for me)
I’m looking forward to a good number of reviews from the games you showed. Especially Unconscious Mind and SETI (and his other 2 games), and Explorers of Navoria.
I’m curious if you’ll be reviewing Inventors of the South Tigris. I realize I’m asking you to do more work, so I apologize for that but I really want to hear your thoughts
I will review the game as its arriving soon but I can't guarantee I'll have time before my cruise in December.
Interestingly Luke, I had the same feelings about this years UK GE, way too busy on the Sat, good but not as good as previous years.
Saw you at the subway on Wednesday and had to ask for a picture 😊 thanks for being kind! This is my fav channel
Thank you for saying so and greeting me at Essen!
Oh in terms of how busy it was, I felt like Thursday and Friday were pretty doable, especially if you avoided hall 3. Saturday seemed the worst for me, and Sunday was pleasant, it was so 'quiet'! They will probably sell out every year, because this is the limit according to the fire brigade / security laws (50.000 per day). They have had years with more (total) visitors than they had this year.
Avoiding Hall 3 is like ignoring 80% of the games that are worth looking at.
@@TheBrokenMeeple but the majority will reach general release so the other halls can be worthwhile for others.
Next year Spiel is during the autumn holidays in Germany and the Netherlands, so I expect it to be just as busy as this year.
When you say autumn holidays you mean specially half term for children right? That won't necessarily be the same for adults by comparison.
@@TheBrokenMeeple yes, but very often at least one parent takes off from work during school holidays, to take care of the kids.
Great video Luke. Nice collection brought back. Am definitely looking forward to seeing Let’s Go To Japan. Hope you like it
Fingers crossed!
Hi Luke, i believe Tea Garden is on par weight/complexity level as Galileo, perhaps even a bit heavier. (According to BGG) I have played Galileo and i find it probably medium, or perhaps one tiny tick down from medium. Havent played Tea garden though, didnt get a chance at Essen.
I never trust BGG ratings but it certainly doesn't look any heavier. But we shall see I guess, aesthetics could be misleading.
Definitely agree about the Floe demo, they didn't even explain any concepts about adjacency in the map. But, I'd say that the worst demo was Panda Spin. No explanation of the goals whatsoever, just got the goal mid-game, the entire first half of the demo was "could I play this card?" or "does playing this makes sense?"
Yeah and I've heard of people turned off Seti because of terrible CGE demoers
I think limitting the tickets was the worst choice.... BUT Sa and So was quite empty and calm. Apparently the ticket quantity was so low that they couldn't even fill the halls. Which also means that many many people couldn't go to SPIEL, which tbh is a scandal.
Yeah but the halls with the actual good games were always jammed
I’m curious about your thoughts on Navoria, I already passed mine on. Other than that I had very different people at the table as a demoer of a complex game. Many are ok to quickly start playing but some really want to know every detail.
Oh I hate those who want full details in a demo.
Good to see you back Luke. Any idea what has happened to your back catalogue of podcasts on spotify? Seems to be a 10 year gap?
Between what dates?
It was from 2014 onwards. Thankfully, I just checked again, and they seem to be all back 😅
Saw and commented on your pic on facebook. It was a pretty impressive haul also hope you get well soon.
Both of the Cascadia Roll & Write looks and felt very much like every other R&W game out there. Big pass for me, would still like to see your thoughts on them though.
I do like the idea what Lord of the Rings Duel has to offer as an alternative to 7 Wonders. A bit more tighter and those abilities you get for a pair of symbols are really powerful compared to the ones from the Progress tokens in the original. However, it wouldn't replace the original for me, but I'd like to try it some time in the future.
Galileo Galilei [try not to sing the Queen song], looked interesting but after watching the rule overview felt too slow.
Tea Garden looked amazing, really love the artwork. However, I'm weak for east aisan theme in games, I'm looking forward what you think of it!
The two games here that I'm most curious about is Kimono Memories and Let's Go! To Japan. I really enjoy the games I've played from EmperorS4 so far. Let's Go! also looked nice, and with a fun idea for a theme.
Tea Garden will be a review coming very soon. Gallieo didn't impress me so far but I need to play it more.
Take care of yourself. Reviews can wait.
How about flu or a cold? What happened to those? Did they just disappear after 2020? Seems so. It’s amazing.
Maybe if u wore ur mask you wouldn't have been infected with maga brain rot all the way in canada
I got a heavy flu after almost each SPIEL fair in past decades, but nothing last years. So yes, seems like corona outcompeted the other flus. 🙃
Sorry you got the 'rona. Other than that, I do feel like this year has a ton of really solid looking games, more than than the previous couple years...at least personally. Looking forward to the reviews when you get around to them :).
His A LIVE! Board Games didn´t beat him. Weird youtube didn´t warn me of the release. Nice to see you good, you still look bad, but by now should be alright or soon, drink lots of orange juice hahaha.
With the exception of mandalorian adventures
Let's go to Japan is very very light. Not a bad game, but all you do is choose (no real drafting) 1 or 2 cards and place them in a day of the week. Do that 13 times and that's it. Zero player interaction, so 1-2 players.
Yes! Decimals in board game ratings are ridiculous! 😅
And, yes, 7WD+Pantheon is great, Agora is meh.
Hmmm wondering if let's go to Japan is a bit hyped up.
Luke I’ll buy your copy of Station to Station at Gridcon after you’ve decided you don’t like it 😉
Noted, I'll try to remember!!
Blimey!
Honestly Saturday was so quiet. I spent the entire day in hall 3 and compared to last year, you could almost consider it dead. All the exhibitors were disheartened. by the footfall.
Saturday was not quiet, there were still plenty of people!
Agree! Saturday definitely seemed quieter than last year. Still busy but feels like they were forced to manage the crowds more. Layout changes also probably help in this regard.
@@TheBrokenMeeple quiet in comparison to past years.
It s all perception and no facts, 2019 = 209000 attendees, 2024 = 204000 attendees...
Like all previous years: If you end up in Hall 3 at the wrong moment you feel it s the buzziest Spiel ever... but that has always been the case... I have clear memories of my first years being in a standstill in Hall3 and galeria.... now because of better planning which halls to visit when, i could walk easy everywhere and had 20 demos in 2 days...
Most of 2019 attendees went on the Saturday though.
Tickets sold out because it was the FIRST year they restricted the number of tickets to about 50k per day.
Easy as that. 😂
They never sold 50k per day before though.
@@TheBrokenMeeple
2019: 194k
2023: 200k
2024: 204k.
Yes they always sold about 50k/day (4*50k).
As Yogi Berra once said: nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded.
This has been one of the weakest years of new games.looks like ill be catching up on expansions for games I like
Agreed it's not a great year.