Berlin Brettspiel Con 2024

Source: https://berlin-con.de/

  

I’m still buzzing from this past weekend after attending my sixth Berlin Brettspiel Con. Ever since I discovered this gem in 2018, I haven’t missed a single year. This time, the convention was held at the Estrel Convention Center in Berlin, and it was the biggest one yet! I heard they set a new record this year with 16,000 visitors. 

Initially, I only purchased a Saturday pass, but I spontaneously decided to go on Sunday as well. Conventions like these can be quite exhausting, so it's crucial to go in with a plan. Thankfully, the hall layouts are published in advance, allowing me to strategize which stalls I absolutely cannot miss. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of browsing through all the games, snagging the ones high on my wishlist, and hanging out with friends. 

 

Source: https://berlin-con.de/

The Berlin Brettspiel Con is mostly focused around playing. The Hall to play games was at least twice as big as it was in the past and with the new Berlin Con app, you could even reserve games in advance. Later in the day it was even hard to find an open table. Sometimes I find the halls to be a bit noisy, but to my surprise this year was quite manageable. Not to mention, the entire convention was air conditioned, which was a huge relief since it was 31°C over the weekend. What I like to do when I arrive is to get a feel for the event; I do a few laps around the halls, pick up the games I want to buy, and typically head out. This year I took it much slower and enjoyed the company I was with. 

One of the convention’s highlights is the Flohmarkt. No Berlin Con regular would dream of missing it. According to their video, there were over 7,500 games that people brought. If you really want to try and snag a deal, you have to endure the long line, if you can do that, chances are you'll find some hidden treasures that make the wait worth it. 

On Saturday, the line was unbelievably long, so I decided to try my luck again on Sunday. Fortunately, I only had to wait about 40 minutes. Thanks to my research beforehand, I was able to quickly identify games I know and was interested in. There was a brief moment of hesitation where I almost missed out on a game I really wanted. After scouring through thousands of games, I happily left with these three games:

 

I'm fortunate to be able to buy so many games — here’s a picture of the rest of my haul from this year’s convention. If you saw my earlier post, you know I’ve been trying to be more mindful about the games I add to my collection these days. You can read more about my approach to keeping a board game budget in this post.

 

The Games I have added to my collection:

1. Intarsia

2. Mlem

3. Botanicus

4. Mountain Goats

5. Mind Space

6. Juicy Fruits: Mystic Island

7. Paradice

8. Mercado de Lisboa

9. Power Plants

I enjoyed my time at the Berlin Brettspiel Con 2024, and I can't wait to dive into the new games I picked up. The convention was a fun experience, filled with some memorable moments and I can say that I'm already looking forward to 2025. Until then I'll be geeking out over the next big event later this year: Essen Spiel.

Happy gaming!