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If you are anything like me, you do a lot of research before investing in a new game to ensure it’s worth allocating it a spot in the games cupboard. I’m nearly always happy with what I got, but occasionally a tiny bit underwhelmed. One way to avoid disappointment might be to buy expansions for games you already know you love. But are they worth the (sometimes not inconsiderable) cost, and how much will you use them? In this – the first of two articles on expansions - I talk through some of the expansions I own and how I rate them.
Wingspan is a game I bought fairly early on in my post-childhood discovery of the hobby. It’s a game most people with even a passing interest will have heard of and has been popular for years now. The first addition I made to Wingspan was the European Expansion. Why? Basically, because I love birds and wanted the cards for those I can see in my own country. So, if that was my only objective – and it was, to be honest – then I was not disappointed. But what else does the European Expansion add to the game? Well, there are more eggs, which you don’t really need, and more food tokens, ditto. The plastic storage tray for the cards I also didn’t want but that’s mainly because I don’t like the use of plastic packaging, full stop – more on that later. However, there are positives about the European Expansion too: as with the original cards, the new ones are beautifully illustrated and informative. There is also a new set of bird powers that are resolved at the end of each round, which adds a nice new opportunity for scoring. There are also five new bonus cards and ten new end-of-round goals to shuffle in to the original ones. This adds interest for players who have so many games under their belts they know all the original cards off by heart. I should mention that there are four new automa cards but I never play the solo game so can’t offer up an opinion on these. One of the best things about the European Expansion for some, will be that it changes almost nothing about the mechanics of the gameplay of the base game, so it’s super-easy to incorporate without having to pore over the rulebook for ages. Do I use this expansion? Yes – the European cards are permanently shuffled into the main packs.
I’ve played Everdell over and over. I’ve had to tape up the cardboard tree, I know all the cards and which ones I like and which I don’t bother with. It’s such a good game that an expansion was just what I needed and after some research it seemed that the people’s favourite was Spirecrest. Anyone who has this expansion will know the best part – your critters can now saddle-up on bigger animals to get special abilities – so cool! You get a big wooden wolf, a bear, and more! There is a large extra board to fit with the original one, so you will need extra table space. Unlike the Wingspan extension above, this Everdell add-on does significantly change how you play the game you originally bought. Or does it? Well, the turns you take during the seasons are basically the same but during the preparation for each new season there are several new steps. You will reveal a weather condition that limits your actions in some way. This is always a negative effect, somewhat out of keeping with the general vibe of the Everdell world, and can be frustrating. However, it does make you think more about your strategy for the upcoming season, so it does add another dimension to the game. You will also get to choose an expedition tile, offering a further objective to aim for, and you can choose a discovery card, all of which are advantageous (and some of which offer the coveted big critters). This expansion does take a game or two to learn but it’s not too complex – we find the main problem is remembering to go through the extra stages between seasons. We play this expansion often - it’s a welcome extension to a game we had become very familiar with, and the new components have a comforting effect somehow.
The Isle of Cats is a great game. I love the card draughting and the satisfaction of fitting the polyomino cats into the boat efficiently. The artwork is amazing and the game is very good value so buying the expansion Kittens and Beasts was an easy decision even though my sister already had it! This is an expansion with multiple new modules to try. Lots of new pieces too, including wooden beast figures and fabric bags for the new polyominos. As for new rules and ease of learning, the beasts module only really changes the first round of the game, in which you can choose to rescue beasts in your basket instead of cats. From then on, you need to consider them when you place your families of cats if you want to maximise your points score, but the rest of the game is the same as usual. The kittens expansion encourages players to win the initial ‘boots’ competition during the rescue phase. Only the starting player of each round will have the opportunity to rescue kittens instead of adult cats. Kittens are smaller than cats, filling up less space on your boat, but they require fewer fish, are handy for placing in little gaps, and still count as family members (of course!) when it comes to scoring. You can rescue two kittens in one basket so you can grow the families more quickly. It’s easy to play with both kittens and beasts in a game and that’s what we usually do. In fact, we enjoy the kittens and beasts modules so much that we still haven’t remembered to try the events module. I really need to remedy that because the little wooden black rats are feeling neglected.
I bought The Grand Austria Hotel after researching which games fitted their themes well (you can read another article I wrote for this blog on that subject if you are interested). Did it deliver? Oh yes! I love the base game, and consequently asked for the ‘Let’s Waltz’ expansion for my birthday. It includes 5 modules of varying complexity and also a collection of solo variants. One of the new modules comprises of extra cards for the base game, and I’ve shuffled those straight in. I haven’t yet had a chance to play with any of the expansions, but I’m very much looking forward to doing so. One thing I did notice was that the components were not bagged in plastic but wrapped in paper, which the planet and I very much appreciate.
So, what have I learned so far from putting my thoughts on expansions down on paper?
1. I’m easily tempted by great artwork and wooden extras.
2. Sometimes expansions which are quick and easy to incorporate into the base game are the best. They might just involve more cards, or simple extra actions that don’t change the process of playing too much.
3. If you know a game very well because you’ve played it so much, a more complex expansion can really give it a new lease of life.
It’s always interesting trying expansions but I advise you to do your research first. Decide what you are looking for – more of the same, or a whole new dimension to the game? As always, have fun! And watch this space for part two of this discussion.
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