A Question of Quality
A big old asterisk should be noted at the top of this post. I know it's not technically a "mechanic" per se, but I thought I would take the time today to talk about expansions for games. I will qualify it by stating that an "expansion" is an extra addition to a game that usually requires an additional purchase to add into the base game. I say "usually" because sometimes games come with a free expansion included in retail versions, or some Kickstarter games offer it as a reward for backing the game during the project time. Mechanics and modules that are included in the base game, such as the championship module in Heat: Pedal to the Metal, or included solo modes in other games are not something that I would classify as an "expansion" for the sake of this list.
I know that here on BGG there's quite a few feelings that come with the idea of expansions for games. Some vehemently argue that games should stand alone on their own and that adding additional content to the game should not be needed and only take away from the original aspect of the game. Others argue that expansions are only a cash grab by companies to get more money from the consumers. And still others (like myself) love to get expansions for games as it allows us to experience more of what we love from the game.
Obviously, not all expansions for games are created equal and there are many expansions for games that are more dud than "DUDE!" As with all things regarding board games, much of it is subjective and is entirely based on experience and preferences. An expansion for a game might be enjoyed by myself but found to be one that isn't that great by another individual. This is the nature of board games and I hope that today I'm able to make a case for a few potential expansions that might tickle your fancy for some of your favorite games.
Here's a list of my favorite expansions for some of the games I've gotten, attempting to give them a rating and a recommendation for why you should get it rather than going on a long diatribe about what is wrong with it. Additionally, I will also note that some of these expansions I don't own, but have played as they were included with other games that I've enjoyed in the past. I'll limit this to ten entries to continue to keep my regular "Top 10" list, but I don't really want to number them in order of preference since they are all additions that I enjoy and I like them each in their own way.
So, in no particular order, here are 10 expansions that I think add more to the game that they came out for along with information about base game and some caveats for the expansions:
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Base Game: Magic Maze
Year Released: 2017
What The Expansion Adds: Several new player powers, guards, new tiles, a bunch of new rules and challenges for additional replayability.
What I Like: I love Magic Maze and Maximum Security adds even more challenge to the game! With the addition of new guard pawns, powers for each of the player pawns and a slew of new tiles to play with, Maximum Security adds so much more to the base game, including some additional challenges and new scenarios for veterans of the game to play through. There is significantly more coordination required when adding in the guards as players are not able to move pawns onto a tile that contains a guard without it being captured and placed in jail, which adds another wrinkle to the escape. There are additional challenges that I won't get into here, but the new pawn powers that allow for more movement more than make up for the new challenges that the guards provide the players.
Caveats: If you thought Magic Maze had a lot going on, Maximum Security adds even more to keep track of. The game doesn't hold back and while each of the new additional mechanics have their own introductory scenarios, it can get to be quite a bit to keep track of. Just keep in mind that the frantic nature of the game doesn't get any slower and while the players do have more advantages, there are also more things to keep track of.
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Base Game: Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure
Year Released: 2019
What The Expansion Adds: A new double sided board, new player minis, a new boss mini, and several additional tokens, including new marketplace items.
What I Like: It's a new board for Clank! that has two sides, both offering different ways to play, as well as new marketplace items, new player minis (I GET TO BE A MONKEY!!!!) and a new boss mini. There's not any additional cards muddling up the deck that you play with which is nice since it doesn't require you to learn about any new card mechanics. Additionally, there's a built-in "mini campaign" that players can choose to play with, using the front and then back side of the board to play the "campaign." The addition of the different passages that change direction is also a really fun new mechanic and really challenges players when they move. The Rotation of Numerous Gear (RNG) tokens that come with the boss miniature are also really fun to play with as it adds an additional element of randomness to the game. From what I can tell, this is the expansion that most people like, and after playing both sides of it, I can tell why.
Caveats: There's no new cards in this expansion, so if that's what you're after, don't get this one. The board also comes in a clamshell packaging, which while nice to get rid of, also means that you have to store it in the base game box and remove the insert from the base game. There are nice organizers, but that is one extra thing to be aware of with this expansion.
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Base Game: Clank! In! Space!: A Deck-Building Adventure
Year Released: 2019
What The Expansion Adds: A new board layout, additional cards, a new boss miniature, and a new module that can be interchanged with the base layout.
What I Like: Cyber Station 11 is a really neat addition to the base game. It allows players to choose a different layout and work with a different style of board versus the base game board and even adds another module that can be used with the base game materials. With a new style of board, it allows for even more traversal options and shakes up the normal gameplay feel. Additionally, the new cards that are included with the expansion allow for ongoing permanent effects if a power crystal is paid to "install" them. The new module is really fun to play with and with it being able to be slotted into the base game, adds another level of options to the 48 separate layouts already available in the base game. If you like Clank! In! Space!, you'll enjoy playing with Cyber Station 11 as it adds more to the base game without getting too complicated.
Caveats: While the game does come in a nice little box, if you want to store it with the main game, you'll have to get rid of the insert in the main game, just like Temple of the Ape Lords if you're sleeving your cards. That's the only caveat that I can think of with this expansion aside from a slight increase in mechanics with the new Cyberware cards, but overall it's nothing that is too overwhelming.
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Base Game: Dinosaur World
Year Released: 2021
What The Expansion Adds: Additional pens for the new dino hybrids, new hybrid dino meeples, rules, and a new dice to roll with the enclosures.
What I Like: Out of all of the "mini-expansions" added in with the campaign for Dinosaur World, I think that my favorite is the Hybrid Pack. With the new dino combinations, you get dinos like the powerful "Tryrannoceratops" and the hard to say and spell "Dilophospinosaurus" which combine a combination of large carnivores, small carnivores and their herbivore counterparts. There are six new dinos to add to your base game and they allow players to utilize the dinos to fulfill requirements for either of the two goals that the dino might meet. Adding in the additional danger rolls and new dice that potentially adds security or excitement, this expansion really makes players say: "Your scientists were so obsessed with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think about whether or not they should!" It's a fun addition to the game that adds a small change to the base game, but adds a big impact to end game scoring.
Caveats: This is one expansion that I don't think is strictly needed in the game and it cannot be added with any of the other expansions without diluting the game too much. It's a neat idea and in practice is fun to play with, but there's nothing about this expansion that is truly required to play the base game, which is nice to see. The new variety of dinos is nice, but not necessary to add in to have fun with an already fantastic game.
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Base Game: Dungeonology: The Expedition
Year Released: 2022
What The Expansion Adds: 7 new scholars (player characters), 9 new bosses, 4 student congregations, 11 new zones, solo mode, campaign mode, new cards, and a ton of new miniatures.
What I Like: Rocca Civetta takes the base game of Dungeonology and says "Let's add MORE." While the rulebook has been updated on the publisher website, the rulebook contained in Rocca Civetta is significantly better than the base game rulebook as it has better editing and is more succinct. Additionally, the additional bosses and player characters contained within Rocca Civetta add a bunch more replayability to the game and the included solo mode and campaign mode are fantastic additions to the game. The additional optional rules, cards and student congregations also add some more depth to an already deep game, making this fun to play with.
Caveats: Rocca Civetta is a Kickstarter-exclusive pack for those that chose to back the game. However, you can find a copy of the expansion from several resellers for a fairly decent price if you are looking to expand your base game. Much of what is contained within Rocca Civetta feels like it should have been in the base game (solo mode, better rulebook, extra bosses), but with the expansion, it helps clear up some of the glaring issues that the original game had.
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Base Game: Marvel Champions: The Card Game
Year Released: 2021
What The Expansion Adds: A new campaign with five scenarios, additional modular sets and two new heroes to play with and add to your collection.
What I Like: While I haven't played the campaign of The Mad Titan's Shadow yet, I have included it on this list as it was the highest rated expansion for Marvel Champions and I do own it, as well as a stand in for several other expansions for the game. I thoroughly enjoyed the campaign for Rise of the Red Skull and from what the reviews about the game state, this is a really fun campaign to paly through. I love that it adds additional modular capabilities for the base game and cannot wait to throw myself headlong into my fight against Thanos and his army. I also appreciate that as a "Living Card Game", I know exactly what I get in the box and don't have to drain a bunch of money on booster packs looking for the perfect card to add.
Caveats: I haven't yet played this expansion, but from what I've read, the villains contained within are pretty standard in comparison to the base game villains. There is the advantage to knowing exactly what cards you get with these expansions and not having any questions about where to get them, but at the same time, it won't give you that dopamine hit when you pull a really rare card. There's also a concern that once the publisher stops printing these expansions, they may be hard to find, so keep that in mind when buying expansions for Marvel Champions.
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Base Game: Everdell
Year Released: 2022
What The Expansion Adds: New critter and construction cards, new events, a new Train Station Board, train cars, travel tickets and reservation tokens.
What I Like: As I noted in my review of Everdell, Newleaf is my favorite expansion to play multiplayer with. While Mistwood takes the solo mode to excellence, Newleaf is the expansion that I would recommend the most. The additional cards that get added to the deck, new board, visitors and knoll mechanics all make this a very welcome expansion to the base game. I also appreciate the ticket (allowing players to move their worker twice per game) and reservation token (allowing players to "reserve" a card as an action) that can be included in the base game to help shore up a few weaknesses that I've noted in the base game. With the expansion adding a lot of new content, I really appreciate what it adds to the base game and while it is not strictly necessary to add in, Newleaf definitely adds more of what I like to Everdell.
Caveats: Newleaf is expensive, especially for an expansion. With an MSRP of $60, it can be quite pricey to add to your base game. Fortunately, it's on sale quite a bit and you might be able to get it around $50 if you go through the publisher's website. The expansion also adds more depth to the game and makes the main deck thicker, so objectives might be harder to achieve if you use the base game special events.
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Base Game: Thunder Road: Vendetta
Year Released: 2023
What The Expansion Adds: New double sided road tiles, ongoing damage, new damage effects, new hazards, and FIRE!
What I Like: If you like the chaos of Thunder Road: Vendetta, then this expansion is for you as there's more of it. I love the additional road tiles that are added with Carnage at Devil's Run as well as the new hazards that get thrown into the mix of the base game. With additions like ramps, desert glass, pit traps, quakes, sand worms and FIRE!, the hazards add so much more fun to the mix that it's absolutely more and more chaos. The new road tiles are also a nice mix that get added into the variety, giving players more hazards to attempt to maneuver their vehicles through. My favorite addition has to be the ON FIRE! tokens and effects that have players roll a D6 that can either give them extra movement, put out the fire, or even total the car. It's a bunch of new potential issues and chaos that get added to the base game just make it that much more fun to play.
Caveats: Thunder Road: Vendetta's most major issue when playing is that if players get too far ahead, it can be difficult to catch them. Carnage at Devil's Run slightly solves this with more hazard tokens, but it also adds more chaos to the game. If you're looking for a good, clean racing game, this is not for you. However, if you're looking to sew destruction and more chaos into an already wild game, this is the expansion for you.
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Base Game: One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Year Released: 2015
What The Expansion Adds: Eleven new roles for players to use in the base game or alone, each with their own special power.
What I Like: One Night Ultimate Werewolf (ONUW) is hands down my favorite party game ever. The chaos that happens during it and the constant accusation that occurs during the "morning" phase is always fun to see. Daybreak adds in multiple new characters to the game for players to choose from to add into the game and allows for some new choices to play with. Each of them has a special ability and every time that I've played with them active, it's always made for a really fun experience. If you loved the base game of ONUW, this is a great addition to the game, and generally it's fairly inexpensive to add in.
Caveats: This is an expansion for a party game. If you don't like party games or social deduction games, this is not for you. While I love the chaos that some of the roles add to the game, I do want to note that each role has a separate power, which might be confusing to add more than one at a time to the game. The narration does a great job in helping clear up confusion, but it still does add more depth to a party game.
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Base Game: Castles of Mad King Ludwig
Year Released: 2023* (*Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Secrets was added in 2015 but rereleased in 2023 with the new version)
What The Expansion Adds: Six separate expansions (Renovations, Towers, Moats, Swan Tokens, Secret Passages, Royal Decrees), new favors and bonus cards, and a 5th player option.
What I Like: So I may have slightly cheated with this one as I had originally planned to address the expansions included in the Collector's Edition of Castles of Mad King Ludwig, but with the way that the expansions are now packaged, I decided to include the newest version. I love the addition of the towers, royal decrees and swan tokens to the game as I like the additional gameplay mechanics that they add to an already great game. I could take or leave the secret passages and I am not a huge fan of the moats, but others seem to enjoy them. I have not played with the renovations expansion, so I am uncertain as to what it adds to the game. Overall, I really like the expansions to Castles of Mad King Ludwig and like most expansions on this list, while they aren't strictly necessary to include in the base game, it is nice to play with them.
Caveats: The base game of Castles of Mad King Ludwig is perfectly excellent even without the expansions. As I noted above, my mileage varied with the different expansions that were included in the game and I felt that there were several expansions that could have used a bit more "time in the oven" so to speak. A few of the ideas that are added with them don't feel fully tested and could be left out of the game. However, with the expansions all being bundled into one box, players can choose to play with specific expansions and don't have to play with the ones they find not to their liking.
Final Thoughts:
Expansions are such an interesting idea, especially in the realm of board games. Some take an already great game and give it the final push to make it that much better, some add some excellent additions to a great game without taking anything away, and others add in necessary mechanics and items that were missing from the game if they are good. On the flip side, a bad expansion can really sour the experience of a game and take away from the fun that was experienced with the game originally.
It's a very fine line that has to be toed by publishers, especially in regards to making a good game better. Too many new additions could change the entire feel of the game and make it too mechanically complex for players, while too few additions lead consumers wondering what the point of the expansion was and why it wasn't included in the base game originally. I know that when developing a game, sometimes there are ideas that aren't fully fleshed out or are best left until later as it needs to be playtested more, which might be added in a later expansion. Or there might be ideas that are developed while the game is finalized that need to wait for an expansion to be added in.
I personally like the idea of being able to add more to my favorite games and expansions allow me to experience them over and over again, especially with some of the replayability that expansions add. If it brings me joy and there's a way that I can add something new to the mix, I'm all for it, but I do attempt to be very specific with what I'm adding into my games as to not drown out the base game with too many additions.
Give me your thoughts: What are your thoughts about adding in expansions to a game and what makes you choose one expansion over the other when purchasing them? Are there any expansions that you believe are essential for the games that they add to? What expansions have you not liked for games when you've played them?
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