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Some time last year, I opened up an older game on Board Game Arena after hearing a good bunch of reviews and gave it a go. That game was La Granja, the game about trading goods in a Spanish farm, building an engine by the use of cards with four different functions. I built out my little engine, delivered my goods and sat back at the end and said “wow. That was good.” There wasn’t much else to say, other than I really enjoyed my playthrough, but wanted to give it a go in the physical space. Sadly, it seemed to be unavailable due to the Kickstarter for the Deluxe Master set having closed recently. The publishers had changed from Stronghold to Board & Dice, and with the new art and component upgrades, a whole bunch of modular expansions with guest designers, and generally an uplift in the game have brought new life to the classic. Let’s get into it.
The Game
Normally at this point, I like to go into a how to play of the game, or at least a vague overview. However, since this is effectively a reprint, we already have a How to Play on the site. So I’ll give the super short version. You’re building a farm, playing cards which have four possible functions, producing goods and transporting them to market. Most points wins. Feel free to check out the full how to play when you have the chance.
For right now, let’s focus on what’s different here to the original. Obviously, there’s been a big uplift in the production and the artwork. The individual player boards are triple layered, allowing you to slide the cards underneath with ease and add the various upgrades to your player board. A lot of the components have been upgraded too, such as the roof tiles which are now chunkier and more solid than the original cardboard counterparts.
For those who might have opened up the original game and flipped through the rulebook, you might be surprised to find that there are four contained in this box. The basic rules, the new solo rules (yes, there is a second solo mode), a handy glossary to explain all the cards and a whole pamphlet with all the modular expansions. You see, for this epic new version, several guest designers were invited to design an expansion to add in. Stefan Feld, of Castles of Burgundy fame, for example, designed the Counselors & Outlaws module, which gives an additional function to the revenue dice. The Counselors give an easier game and the Outlaws make it more unpredictable and vicious. Contrast that to the Bustling Town module, designed by Adam Kwapiński (designer of Nemesis), is recommended only for the experienced players, remodelling revenue spaces, adding new buildings and giving a stronger area control element to the game.
Likes & Dislikes
Like: Much improved artwork.
Like: Triple layered boards for improved functionality.
Like: 12 new modular expansions
Dislike: The insert is weirdly designed.
Dislike: if you already have the base game, you might not want to upgrade
Final Thoughts
If you’ve played La Granja before, there will be nothing here that’s too surprising. The game is very much the same as it’s always been, only… prettier. And with “MORE” in the box (and the box itself.) Having a whole bunch of expansion materials does make the game excellent value, and actually, even without the expansions, the base game itself is enough to tempt someone who has played La Granja, liked it and didn’t opt to buy the original printing. There are a couple of minor gripes though. The insert, whilst functional, is a bit annoying. The recommended set up has the bigger tray, which holds the base game, at the bottom of the box, with the expansion material on top. Which seems completely bizarre to me, so I swapped it around and changed the lids. But now it doesn’t quite sit flat in the box. Happily there’s enough space that it doesn’t matter but it would be frustrating if all that design ended up with lid lift. And whilst I do think it’s a beautiful upgrade, if you have the base game from the original print run, you might not feel the need to buy this version. The original is smaller on the shelf, plays exactly the same way and will likely have sentimental value to you. This new box takes up a lot of space on the shelf. That said, if you have never bought the game, then I would suggest going for this nice, shiny version rather than track down the old one. There’s a whole element of refreshing that is delightful in this version of the game. I played it again last night, and really enjoyed myself. The gameplay is as smooth as ever, once you get past the rules overhead. I’m not sure when exactly I’ll dive into the expansion content, although I have opened up the “extra cards” module, just to throw some more stuff in there. I loved playing La Granja on Board Game Arena, but getting the Deluxe set just makes everything pop on the table. Highly worth getting if you love the game, and don’t currently have it in the collection.
