The size can make it a bit intimidating but there’s literally something for everyone. There are kids games, family games, party games, advanced games, super heavy games, roleplaying games, wargames and probably some I’m forgetting now. There are toys, accessories, fan stuff, everything.

I went alone for many years, I’ve gone with my GF, I’ve gone with friends. Every experience is a bit different but I’ve never not had fun. The only negative thing I’ve ever experienced was some people hogging a table for a game I really wanted to try but most booths now are pretty good about queueing up.

One thing you have to understand though is that Essen is a fair not a convention. While you can play games, you won’t necessarily get to finish them. Some booths have time slots and will tell you to wrap it up when yours is over. And if you play with strangers some might only be looking to “get a taste” for it and then move on. But if you’re “stationed” in Essen for the night there are several hotspots where you can go to play properly.

In my experience it’s pretty much for everyone with any interest in board games. For most games there will be an erklärbär (someone to explain the game) and several tryout tables. I’ve only gone with a small group so far but there is certainly always room for 1 or 2 players somewhere as well, you’ll need to be open playing with strangers in that case but generally it’s nice people.

The games featured are everything you can think of and more. Last year I spent at least 20min building marble slides at one of the stands but also played 1/3 of a rather complex game, where 1/3 took 45min. We also played 2 rounds of the magnificent party game SoKleever. +at least 10 other games

I would consider it if you can imagine yourself spending a day(or a few) just playing boardgames and strolling along.

The intimidating thing for me is more the setting of a large trade fair, especially if you’ve never been to one, certainly it’s not as bad as gamsecom in Köln, but it can definitely be pretty crowded.