I finally gave up on my 'no expansions' rule after a game night in Tacoma

For years, I thought buying expansions was just a cash grab, especially for games like Catan. Last month, a friend in Tacoma insisted we try 'Cities & Knights' with his group. The new mechanics completely changed the game's pace and strategy, making it feel fresh again. I bought my own copy the next week. Anyone else have a game that a single expansion totally saved?

3 comments

3 Comments

nathan_moore123mo ago

Ugh, I'm the opposite. I feel like expansions often just add bloat. Take Catan's Cities & Knights, you mentioned. For me, all those extra cards and rules just slow the game down. It feels like homework. I'd rather play the base game a bunch and really get good at it, or just switch to a totally different board game. Some of my favorite game nights were just the simple original version.

emery_hall3mo ago

Know exactly what you mean, Nathan. Cities & Knights is a beast to learn and it does feel like a chore. My group had the same fight. We found a middle ground by picking just one smaller expansion to try, like Seafarers, which basically just adds boats. It gave us a little new stuff without the homework feeling. Sometimes you just need that simple base game magic, and there's nothing wrong with sticking to it. Forcing a complicated expansion on game night can ruin the whole vibe.

dylan26514d ago

My buddy Rick in Portland swore by the "no expansions" rule for years too. Then he picked up the "Rise of Fenris" expansion for Scythe on a whim, and it totally backfired on him. He set up the campaign, got his group hyped for it, and then they realized the new rules made the game take almost three hours instead of ninety minutes. Half the group was bored by the second session and they never finished the campaign. Rick still jokes that expansion collect dust on his shelf, but he secretly wishes he could find a group to try it again. Have you ever had an expansion flop that bad with your main group?