Bove Bove to SPIEL Essen 2026!

From Thursday, October 22 to Sunday, October 25, Messe Essen will be packed with SPIEL, the world's largest board game fair. I’m going on Friday, October 23, for one day, and it’s already a logistical challenge: there are six halls, hundreds of publishers, and a few hundred thousand visitors, and it's easy to walk right past the very game you came for in a single day. Why this fair matters to a small shop Essen is not just a big store. It is the place where publishers launch their autumn titles, where you can put games on the table before deciding whether to stock them, and where you get to speak to publishers who are otherwise only reachable through a distributor. For someone who plays everything themselves before putting it online, that is the difference between judging a game based on a video and judging a game because you've actually played it. Some of what you see on the shelves here came directly from there. Orloj was one of the most talked-about titles this past year, and it’s now available here simply because of contact with the Spanish publisher Perro Loko Games. Orloj: The Prague Astronomical Clock €64.95 What you can do If there’s a game on your mind that you’ve been looking for, let me know before October 20. I can’t promise anything, because most publishers only sell to visitors at the fair rather than to shops, and whatever I bring back has to fit in one car, but perhaps we can work something out! Just send me a message with the title, or reply to the newsletter. A vague description works too; I’ll help look for it. And after I’ll return with photos, a report, and hopefully a few boxes that you won't find anywhere else in the area. You can read about what actually makes it back and when it goes on the site right here in November. If you don't know what to play in the meantime, there is a Game Finder on the site. Enjoy! Sven

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Bove Bove to SPIEL Essen 2026!

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