In a column published by Talking Shelf Space, board game critic Ibrahim Khalil reports on the quieter Saturday crowds at the annual SPIEL convention in Essen, contrasting the slower convention hall traffic with publisher meetings and late-night game testing sessions.
Publisher Meetings at Days of Wonder
Khalil details an initial morning meeting with the publishing team at Days of Wonder, noting that the discussion focused largely on accessibility initiatives within game development. According to the column, Days of Wonder incorporates team members with specific traits such as ADHD or color blindness to test rulebooks, and the company has established an accessibility labeling system managed by a French association representing individuals with visual and learning impairments.
Demos and Impressions of Rocket Rollout
Following the business meetings, Khalil visited the publisher’s booth to try out Rocket Rollout, an upcoming space-themed dice-bag-builder game. Describing the mechanics, the column explains that players start with grey dice representing a novice crew, pulling and rolling five dice per turn to assign them to action slots on their ship board. Players upgrade actions by defeating alien ships in the display and recruit specialized colored crew dice with unique symbol sets.
Explorations Across the Messe Halls
Later in the day, the author wandered the exhibition halls and discovered Kori Meiro in Hall 5 near Phantom Lab, a quick-pitch game involving dice drafting and path-building scored from both top and bottom perspectives using a mirror. The report also notes visits to manufacturing booths, including Hearth & Tokens, where translucent plastic game tokens for titles like Galileo Galilei, Dune Imperium, and Sky Team were on display.
Evening Playtesting Sessions at the Hotel
Concluding the convention day, Khalil met up with Reni and Kristof from BoardGameDiaries for dinner before testing several games at the hotel. The group played a game, followed by Just Chillin, which was a simple but fun game about trying to make other players eat hot chillies and avoid minus points. Additional evening sessions included Carpet Racers, a color-movement racing game utilizing hidden card combinations and trap tiles, and an auction game titled Bag of Bugs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SPIEL and where is it held?
SPIEL is an annual international board gaming convention held at the Messe exhibition center in Essen, Germany, drawing publishers, creators, and hobbyists from around the world.
How does Rocket Rollout function mechanically?
Players pull and roll five dice from a bag each round, assigning them to action slots on their ship board to move toward a finish line while upgrading crew capabilities and managing defensive shields against alien counter-attacks.
Which evening games were tested by the reviewers?
The group tested Secret Night, Just Chillin, Carpet Racers, and Bag of Bugs during late-night playtesting sessions at their hotel following the convention’s close.