A Jet-lagged Unpacking of Our Essen Spiel 2023 Haul π – Games within games within games!
We picked up 55 (!!) new board games throughout the convention, and in this sleep deprived video we unpack them and talk through some stories about how and why they ended up in our suitcases!
Note: Please remember we have not yet played most of these games. So our excitement is speculative π
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
04:10 The Glade
06:30 Match of the Century
07:24 Tricky Badger
08:10 Witchcraft!
09:49 Enemy Anemony
11:13 Shipyard
12:50 Sea Dragons
14:13 Nebula
17:39 Gap
19:09 Holly Oak
20:59 Evenfall
23:56 Planta Nubo
25:58 Autobahn
27:59 FTW?!
29:56 Oh! Meow Bow
33:10 Footprints
35:01 Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard
35:20 Dracula vs Van Helsing
36:54 Pan t’es mort
39:11 Freaky Frogs From Outaspace
40:05 Tinderblox
41:25 Knarr
43:08 The Battle of Versailles
45:24 Tequila
46:24 Fruitoplay
48:45 Le Roy des Ribauds “The Rogue Monarch”
51:42 Faraway
53:34 Order overload
55:36 The White Castle
56:50 Quicksand
58:03 Arborea
59:47 Evacuation
1:00:37 Christmas Tree
1:01:32 Ahoy Kitten
1:02:54 Come Sail Away
1:03:26 Vegetable stock (Re-skin)
1:03:45 Nana Toridori
1:04:12 Rats of Wistar
1:06:24 Elawa
1:06:59 Robotrick
1:07:44 La Familia Hort
1:08:19 Deadly Sin & The Curtain Falls
1:09:08 Taco Kitten Pizza
1:10:18 Orion Duel “First Contact” edition
1:11:52 Newsboys
1:13:28 Violet and the Grumpy Nisse
1:13:59 Evergreen
1:14:39 Revive
1:15:02 Ito
1:15:57 Nucleum
1:16:41 Sweet Mess: Pastry Competition
1:17:07 Rebel Princess
1:19:30 Final Girl
1:20:58 Anunnaki
1:21:39 Art Society
1:23:02 Wrap up
Thanks for stopping by! We’re Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We’re an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game – Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the ‘world’ that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience.
#board games #tabletop games #thinkerthemer β€π³οΈβππ¦πΊ
No Amritsar the Golden Temple?? Check it though!
I'm disappointed you didn't get to play Planta Nubo yet. I jumped straight to that part of the video hoping you had some good stuff to say about the gameplay. It would have been at the top of my list if I went to Essen. Can you do a video on that one before the others? π
Really nice games!!
It was so nice to meet you at the Essen Spiel, as well as your friend whom I met in the line for Nokosu dice π Fell in love with that game btw! I love the content you create β€
Saludos desde EspaΓ±a!
Ok here π₯ π
I saw you guys on Thursday in Essen when walking out around midday, but you guys looked kinda tired and I didnβt wanna intrude π
it was great to see you popping up on other creators Essen highlights!
I sense a cull video incoming after you get through this eclectic collection π
Here to rep Chess the Musical! Someday I'll be brave enough to meet y'all at GenCon π€£
It was such a pleasure to finally meet you!! Looking forward to next time π₯°
Tequila, Come Sail Away, Newsboys and Art Society. These are the ones Im waiting the most for you to cover.
This is the video I have been waiting for. π
It was so funny to run into you just the day after my wife and I watched your video "Top 10 Games to Buy, Try or Spy at Essen Spiel 2023" just the day before. It was nice chatting with you and I hope you had a nice experience in Essen. π
Absolutely loved this very special jet-lagged Russian Doll episode! π You picked up a LOT of games and several look interesting. I think Faraway looks like the most intriguing. Hope your sleep cycle is back in sync soon!
how much of the haul do you think you will still have this time next year? i seem to be doing ok out of essen despite not ever being able to attend…have picked up witchcraft, imperial miners and vegetable stock from our uk trading group so far
I left Essen with the firm resolution: No new games until this haul is played!!! (mine was a most modest 10 game total) … yet as I watched, I was already scribbling down several titles for which to keep my eye out. Ahem. Great work as always and lovely to see you both!
I didn't see or meet you in Essen, unfortunately, but maybe next year, if you're coming here again! π
Saw you lining up for NOKOSU Dice. Congrats for grabbing a copy. Was 30 people behind you. My favorite purchases are Come Sail away, KutnΓ‘ Hora, Vienna, Cuzco, Tequila (I purchased their last copy), van Helsing, Jekyll, Nekomija AND NOKOSU Dice:-)
Yay for Planta Nubo! I really hope to get my hands on a copy one of these days, if it ever makes it across the pond. It is definitely the game I am looking forward to most. Congratulations on meeting the designers in person! I hope you recover from your jet lag soon.
Thanks for sharing. And yes Amy, I saw you in the TDT video queuing at Oink π
We met you Thursday at Spiel, afterwards regretting that we didnβt take a photo with you. Was nice to meet you! Hopefully see you next year @Spiel. Best Regards from the Netherlands π Suzanne
Got my Witchcraft pledge this week, can't wait to try it π
Adorbs!
great video π would love to see an essen vlog too, really enjoyed the dice tower ones
funny how many board games is just too much? I think folks get into the collection of games more than the playing of them… just look at those shelves behind you… YIKES!!
I'm very sorry to have missed you at the Spiel. But I'm very excited that you passed by my local shop in Frankfurt. It's called Terminal Entertainment and they really have A LOT OF games in a limited space. I always find something there.
And thank you for introducing me to Nokosu Dice. Sadly I couldn't get a copy. But my niece was with me at the fair and she will make me my own version.
We have a star projector for our Daughter. Red stars.
Can't belive I saw almost every youtuber I follow, including you, when it's that many people there! Only game on my list I didn't get because it was sold out, was sea dragons. I did not get in any big queue either ππ nice video! π
So happy that you had a great time!! Love that you got to meet lots of people and scored a ton of awesome games!!! π₯³π₯° I hope Boston was fed extra for his delayed meal time π
Making the post Spiel videos with no sleep is the only right thing to do it π€©
Finally meeting you face to face was amazing! Thank you for a fantastic evening of food and games π
Cannot wait to see you again! π
Wait! No Black Friday? I donβt understand? Didnβt you buy it after our fantastic experience with it? π
Yes to the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling! Although our son is now 16, we only took down the stars a year or two ago.
I'm amazed you can remember the theme and mechanics (at least an overview) of all these games!
What a haul…and a fun video! Sound like you had a wonderful trip. I'm curious about Nokosu Dice (γγ‘γγ) and Tequila caught my eye.
Weepa espaΓ±ol. Bravo, me alegro la pasaran super bien en la convenciΓ³n de Essen.
Thanks for the video. Sounds like such a great time based on all the little hints and descriptions of being there. 55 games. Whoa. Do you have a plan to play them and/or a plan to store them? π
It was so nice to finally meet you, loved talking to you even though I ended up spending some more money on Ahoy Kitten π Reaaally nice haul, surprised at how many games you actually travelled back with. Hope you enjoyed Spiel and your trip through Europe β€β€ππHope to see you next year too if you decide to come π
PS: most excited thing I picked up (I actually think we talked about it there) 'Oh Meow Bow' – I had also been looking for 535 a lot, and shipping to Europe is kinda expensive so it was great to finally get it. Also, Forest Shuffle, after the great reviews after GenCon it was the first one we rushed for.
Wow, what a haul! Please show how you managed to get them home! Even with punching and nesting, so many boxes are the same size and cannot nest. I'm trying to imagine how you managed to do this with the luggage number and weight limits when flying π
You guys are great, What a haul!!!
Welcome home! That was quite a haul. You've brought back a heap of games that have me quite intrigued – will have to try to pick some of those up. As always your antics had me smiling for the whole video. Hope you are better rested now and that you get up in time to cast your vote for the Voice!
Welcome back! Im jetlagged just coming to Victoria from Perth. Lol
Small correction, See Dragons is from a Chilean publisher not Spanish π
I need the name of the board game shop in Frankfurt!! π
Good morning from Germany, just enjoyed watched your jet-lagged video with my sunday morning Coffee. Reviving the feeling of the fair. Congrats to your dragon del mar and NOKOSU Dice, Knarr…
KNARR was sold out.π’π’
The Shop in Frankfurt is the "T3"
Travelling with that volume of games is surely the scariest thing I'll encounter this Halloween season.
My kids also have a star projector. They loved it for a couple of years.
Greetings from Germany π©πͺπ€ Glad you enjoyed your first time at Essen SPIEL ππ₯³
Enjoy the games! Libby picked up Revive at last years Essen, but it sat on the shelf of shame until the week before this years! We absolutely loved it!! Can't wait to play again … and maybe add in the new expansion!!
I really hope you love Final Girl, Maggie! I don't really play solo, and I also don't like horror movies. But for some reason I really enjoy this game!
Looking forward to playing nucleum, Planta Nubo, Trolls & princesses, Delta, the 4th legends of Andor, and Bruxelles 1893 Belle Epoque. I wanted to get Sankore cause that one looks AMAZING but itβs not out yet. Also looking forward to the new edition of Calimala. But yeah this was a great edition. β€β€β€
EPIC haul!!! ππ€πΎ It was sooo great seeing you both (as always!!)πππ and I'm glad we got to wander around together a bit and play Fruitoplay. Definitely a highlight for me! βΊοΈ
Such a great video and what an awesome haul!! I hope you girls get caught up on sleep and Boston got extra treats πΆ! My favorite part is that someone asked you to sign Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza! Love it! I am going to bring mine to DTW!
My favorite thing I picked up at Essen is Voidfall the Galactic Edition. My first purchase, and I was so happy they still had it.
Picked up Septima too, which is a close second. (gonna start with Septima π)
It was great to see what you two picked up! I wanted to buy Arborea, but money ran out by the time I found their booth. Hope to pick it up at UKGE or Essen next year.
I'm curious if Maggie likes Final Girl. I'm also not into the horror genre and it's apparently hard to win, but there's still something there that draws me in.