Attending Essen SPIEL – An Interview from Magic Omens

Magic Omens has invited Board Game Quest to share our views, advice, and experiences regarding attending Essen SPIEL.

Magic Omens is a local game store in Zagreb, Croatia. They are helping to grow the local gaming community by organizing daily TCG & board game events and writing cool educational articles and resources for tabletop gamers.

Magic Omens interviewed Mindful Phill (me!) from Roll & Mind and Board Game Quest. This article presents the delightful chat we had through e-mail.

What is your favorite part of a board games convention?

My three main favorite parts of a convention are:

• Playing and demoing games is my key activity at such conventions. Many publishers will release new games during the convention or showcase games planned to be released soon. You can also try out games under development still in the prototype stage.
• Buying your favorite games is the most exciting part of attending a convention. With many board games and promos exclusive to the event, it is a unique opportunity to get hold of games that will not be in retail anytime soon. It is also common to find exclusive “collection” or “deluxe” versions of games designed for crowdfunding that will never reach retail stores. 
• Finally, I would attend a couple of workshops or events exclusive to the convention to get a break from the busy hall corridors.

What are you most excited about seeing/playing this year at Essen Spiel’ 2022?

We have prepared and published a list of the Top Ten Anticipated Board Games at Essen Spiel 2022. Do not miss checking this one out!

What advice would you give someone attending Essen for the first time?

It would be best if you prepared adequately for Essen Spiel, as it is a massive convention which can be overwhelming. Prepare a list of the top games you want to play during the event and the publishers you want to visit. It is highly advisable to preorder games for collection during the fair if the publisher allows you to do so. Prioritize buying the games on your list sooner than later because the most popular games run out of stock early in the event.

In summary, plan your attendance carefully so that you do not get lost and overwhelmed by the number of stands and activities.

What’s something you’re working on now and would like to share with our community?

Working with Board Game Quest, I have started what I hope to become a series of interviews with new but renowned designers that “think outside the game box” to create unique experiences around critical themes for the current times.

Our first interview was with Elizabeth Hargrave, who brought awareness of the games industry to a new generation of game themes with Wingspan, winner of the 2019 Kennerspiel des Jahres. Elizabeth is vocal about diversity in the game industry, especially regarding women and nonbinary Board Game Designers.

I founded the website Roll & Mind to promote diversity and inclusivity in the games industry and community. And we have since started bringing our articles to Board Game Quest to reach a wider audience.