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b'Opener: Whoops! I recorded this little episode so quickly that I completely forgot about my new Opener/Closer framework! Ok, let\'s say that the opener was my intro en fran\\xe7ais. Vive la France! The shortest episode I\'ve done in a while, this is to "clear the decks" of boardgame session reporting before I do my traditional Essen Anticipation episode in a week or so. This year I\'m going to the event, at least for the most crowded part of the weekend, and I\'ll be doing both Pre-Essen and Post-Essen episodes. That\'s the plan. In the meantime, what have I been playing lately? Not as much in France as I\'d hoped, but a special opportunity let me try one new game. Add to that the games I played at my last visit home to California for a long while. Closer: Actually, I kind of had a closer, I just forgot to set it aside as such. At the end I mention how new Essen titles can sometimes show up in online versions, contemporary or soon after the Spiel event itself. Are there any of these for 2016? I haven\'t noticed, but should look harder. -Mark'