Extensions and why you need them

Or do you, after playing a board game several times, feel the desire for something new? You don't want another game, but you're already a little tired of this one? Fortunately, manufacturers often prepare new expansions for their biggest hits that can take your favorite game to a whole new level. Some of the extensions are considered almost or absolutely necessary, while others do not receive the spotlight.

At first, it may seem that all expansions are conceptually similar - they add something new to the game. But it's not like that at all. Extensions can vary greatly not only in box size and price, but also in their nature.

One of the more straightforward expansions introduces adjustments to the player limit. Mostly increasing the maximum number of players, but sometimes decreasing the minimum number of players with the introduction of the solo version.

The well-known game "Inhabitants of Catan" or "Catan" can be played by 3-4 players . However, sometimes five or six friends get together for a board game night. What to do then? Fortunately, a 5-6 player expansion is available for the game . In itself, unlike other Catan expansions, it does not introduce anything new - the box contains components that allow six settlers to colonize the island of Catan. There are new squares, cards, game pieces, but nothing that the player wouldn't recognize from the base game.

There is a similar idea in Carcassonne's first expansion, Pubs and Cathedrals , which has squares and pieces to add a sixth chair to the game table. But this is only part of the expansion.

Additional players can also be added with the Flamme Rouge: Peloton expansion. This expansion also comes with a solo option, thus allowing you to enjoy the game alone, which is not possible with the base game alone.

While adding new familiar dice, cards, and squares is the easiest type of expansion to grasp, it's by no means the most popular. For the most part, expansions introduce some new mechanics and previously unseen components into the game, thus creating new strategic possibilities and allowing you to look at a game that has already been played hundreds of times in a completely different light.

As for the previously mentioned Carcassonne, each of the expansions adds a twist to the game by introducing new mechanics. For example, in the expansion " Traders and Builders ", each player gets new figures - a builder and a piglet. By successfully using these upgrades, players can score more points and even make multiple moves in a row.

The game " Carcassonne " has become so popular that it already has ten standard expansions and countless mini expansions. Only the most insane fans of the game would be willing to use all these expansions in one giant Carcassonne game!

The first two extensions are currently available in Latvian, but perhaps another one will join them in the future.

Multiple expansions for a single game are far from uncommon in the world of board games. The game "Catan", which won the 1995 "Spiel des Jahres" award, was also among them. Two of the most well-known expansions are “ Seafarers ” and “ Cities and Knights ”. Each of them went in a completely different direction. "Seafarers" does not contain any overly complicated news. With this expansion, settlers have the opportunity to inhabit not only the island of Catana, but also the nearby islets. Simply put , the game is getting bigger.

The expansion "Cities and Knights" keeps the game on the main island, but makes it more complicated and strategic. New resources, new cards and of course knights are introduced to the game. If "Seafarers" made the game wider, this expansion makes it deeper.

Sometimes it happens that the game is right on the golden middle road, that you don't really want to do anything, so as not to enter the ditch of complexity, but you would like to change the scenery on the side of the road a little. Such an option is offered by the game " Ticket to Ride ". While each expansion has some special new mechanics, the gameplay itself doesn't change — only the playing field, or map, changes. Players who already know the base game will have no problem learning the expansions.

In recent years, various games have gained popularity in which a story is played out as players progress through the campaign. For these games, expansions are very often new pages in the storybook. For example, in Arkham Horror: The Card Game, new campaigns can be purchased, allowing investigators to embark on never-before-seen adventures. In addition, new game characters are also available in certain expansions.

Likewise, an expansion can simply be a new faction or game characters for a game of war, territory control, or otherwise. The variety in fighting games introduces brand new strategies and paths to victory. The style of the game changes not only for the player with the new faction, but also for the others who have to adapt to the previously unseen opponent.

However, they don't always have to be war games, where you can simply buy additional content to add to the existing options. The kava building game Dominion has countless expansions, each simply adding new cards that can be used in the game. By law, each of the expansions has its own theme and respective cards that introduce new mechanics. Gaming media Polygon claims that there are over 66 sextillion combinations in the game (a sextillion is a number written with 22 digits - ones and 21 zeros) across all 13 expansions.

Different card games like “ Magic: The Gathering ”, “ Pokemon TCG ”, “ Yu-Gi-Oh ”, “ KeyForge ” and others can also be put in a similar category. Almost every purchase for these games can be considered an expansion that adds to your existing collection. A larger collection provides more opportunities in creating kava. The exception to this list is "KeyForge", where new ready-made keys are bought, in which corrections cannot be made.

One of the most exclusive types of expansion is promotional items, which can be a single card or some other game element that most of the time cannot be simply bought in the store. Promo expansions are often given out at various events and game shows to promote a particular game.

As another group of expansions, expansions that are also base games can be highlighted. It may seem strange that an expansion can be played alone, but such examples do not have to be far to look for. Dixit: Odyssey can be both a stand-alone base game and an addition to the classic Dixit . By combining the two games together, the game can be played by even more players!

What are your favorite extensions? Is there an expansion you don't want to play a game without?