Essential BOARD GAME EXPANSIONS for GOOD Games

Top Board Games such as Wingspan, Everdell, Root, Catan, Ticket To Ride, Castles of Burgundy, Viticulture, Scythe, Gloomhaven, Azul, 7 Wonders, Mansions of Madness all have really cool add ons or expansions that increase the breadth and depth of the games including the strategy and decision making involved.
Board Game expansions simply give you more choice, variety of what you love about the game!
In this video we look at my favourite essential expansions for some of my favourite board games!
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[@ravenbom]

Strong disagree on Viticulture expansions. Technically the Mamas and Papas and a couple other things that are now standard were originally expansions. Tuscany doesn't add anything other than time to the game. The cards still aren't balanced and add highly random elements to the game that destroy good planning. I like Viticulture, but it's so random that adding more is just more and takes away from a fairly tight, streamlined game. I would say Scythe and Wingspan expansions are nice, because they add to the game, though Wingspan still suffers from being highly random like Viticulture. A bad starting hand will probably destroy your game in Wingspan and Viticulture. Underwater Cities, Teotihuacan and Concordia have great expansions that don't muddy the base game. Root expansions don't muddy the base game, but since that game is completely unforgiving to new players, it further makes it a niche game with amazing art.

[@unlimitedrabbit]

A Feast for Odin with The Norwegians. Also, Parks with Nightfall is simply delightful. ⛺ 🔥 🌚

[@CG_Hali]

Really like your choices and the way you prop up the cards, nicely done. I own Arnak, Viticulture and Parks expansion for sure. I now need to look up the Wingspan one thanks to the good points you made. I like that expansions can tweak your game length or complexity depending on your mood, free time or energy.

[@BoardGameSanctuary]

G'Day friends! What are some of your favourite ESSENTIAL Expansions for your favourite games? I know I probably could have squeezed more amazing expansions into this video but I still have so much to explore in a lot of my favourite base games. I hope to cover more expansions in the future if you'd like to see more! Danny

[@CG_Hali]

I also own West Kingdom Tomesaga since I have all 3 games. I love to play against the Overlord coop! Arnak is definitely one I will not go back to only the base game. But otherwise, my main reasons for using expansions is so I can add complexity or variability or different modes (solo or coop). I like modular expansions that I can add what I want from the box. Merchants' Cove expansions are added mini-games that totally change the way one plays the game, plus the Secret Stash gives you an extra character plus a booklet of solo challenges. Love the variability. When I set it out, I play about 3 games two-handed so I can enjoy as many as possible. Another good one was Maracaibo Uprising. A whole extra story deck because I like the campaign a lot, and upgraded ships that you can play with the base game (much better than base ones). My latest game is Wild Serengeti and it will be nice having extra animeeples and specialist cards to play with.

[@stellaraphid565]

How would you rate wild serengeti the base game? It looks beautiful but im a bit unsure about the gameplay.

[@Naru-Maki]

The expansion for Wizard Kittens!!!

[@Naru-Maki]

Canvas too

[@Keindzjim]

Abyss: Leviathan 🦈

[@JFresh1977]

Ticket to ride: 1910 expansion. $15 nets you standard size playing cards that replace all of the base game's cards and they also throw in additional destination tickets. Finally they incude an alternative to the bonus score: most destination tix wins 15 points. Rules say to choose one or the other but I always include both. It improves on the game in every way.

[@BoardGameSanctuary]

Yest to this. I actually have the 1910 expansion but forgot I owned it cause I mixed the components together with the base game. Great suggestion!

[@coffeetoad2237]

Been looking for a video like this

[@BoardGameSanctuary]

Welcome!

[@dude_2332]

For me essentials game expansion are: expansion Life to Sagrada - it simply adds more options without changing gameplay, I treat this expansion as one full game; expansion to Mr.Jack in London - it was really difficult to get this expansion in my country, but I am extremely glad I own it. Despite the fact that it adds new characters, every player has possibility to choose wich character will be in game (excluding 4 basic characters which are used always). Moreover we set all the characters where we want, so there is another tactical possibility. For me this is a must have if someone own the London version. Another essential expansion are any of the expansions to Clank! (I have The Mummy's Curse to first Clank). And again, more possibilities to earn money/points, more cards and monsters to slay. I've almost forgotten about Druid expansion to Isle of Skye - this one is another must have for me, additional buying phase is extremely essential, because we can plan what we'd like to buy and not only rely on luck (when opponent gets great tiles while we got useless). I have also expansion Journeyman, but only played it once and it seems to drastically change the gameplay, making from mid - light game a difficult euro (and thats why you were not talking about such expansions). I have also Paneteon expansion to 7 Wonders Duel, but since my girlfriend doesn't like to play 7 Wonders at all, I don't play this expansion (but I remember it was a great one and just added more, without changing gameplay much). I also heard that Totally Liquid expansion to Dinosaur Island is a must have, because it adds the purpose of making our park, so we don't just set attraction in a random available space, but we have to plan it. What is more it adds a few more modules which improves our gameplay, so I'll have to try it by myself :)

[@nitrorev]

Great shout out to Root's Riverfolk expansion but you actually have an outdated faction board for the Lizards. The first printing of the game had some balance problems that they addressed in the 3rd printing a few years ago which buffs Cats and Lizards. 2 changes to the Lizards are that the card draw bonus is under the 2nd garden of each suit, not diagonal like on your board. Also the sacrifice action for Lizards allows you to gain an acolyte from the supply not the map. I seriously don't know how Lizards performed in testing back in those days because they are still an underdog faction today. I assume all your boards are from the first printing but this can be easily fixed. The Leader games website has 2 solutions. They have a PDF that you can print which contains the correct rules and you can apply them as stickers to your boards (cats, vagabond, lizards and Woodland Alliance all got updates). There is also an upgrade pack for 5 USD that is basically all the boards to replace your old one, which is also a nice option of you lose/damage a board.

[@BoardGameSanctuary]

oh no I'll have to update it! Thanks for pointing that out.

[@1Dreamking]

Someone must have mentioned Preludes to Terraforming Mars allready? Speeds up the game a little and get your engine started a wee bit faster.

[@kjellkanin]

This is about the only expansion that I wouldn't play without.

[@wanplaypause]

Scoundrels of Skullport is essential to improve Lords Of Waterdeep. Takes the game from a very vanilla worker placement to the next step

[@BoardGameSanctuary]

I love Lords of Waterdeep. Thanks for suggesting this expansion. I've never played it. I'll check it out!

[@wanplaypause]

@@BoardGameSanctuary you should. I never play LOW without the expansion. And it’s seamless to add on

[@nirszi]

Tuscany is a great expansion to a good game. Risk of IX is an excellent expansion to a great game. And Oceania is an expansion that is completely unnecessary to Wingspan. European is good though.

[@FelessanFA]

Oceania has it's own problems, but also fixes a bit egg spamming strategy which is dominant in base Wingspan.

[@drydizzle2954]

Tuscany really made Viticulture a great game in my mind. The base game is fun, but Tuscany really transformed it into a great game with complexity! Wingspan was a very meh experience for me and adding Oceania really changes the pace of the game and gives it the high reputation it deserves. I will only play Wingspan with Oceania. The nectar makes it so much more interesting.

[@BoardGameSanctuary]

Yes agree love the Tuscany Expansion. Its brilliant. The nectar can be a hit or miss for me. I do love it in some games and also like not including it others. Its still fun either way. :)

[@JonArt_As_Board]

awesome video, have you played any lacerda games? i was just perusing your content.

[@BoardGameSanctuary]

I actually haven't. I almost got the Gallerist but it looked like a really big game! I think I'm prepping myself for it. Which of the Lacerda games would you recommend first?

[@JonArt_As_Board]

@@BoardGameSanctuary the gallerist for sure. Theme, mechanics, plus i just love to learn something chunky and the components are top notch.

[@BoardGameSanctuary]

@@JonArt_As_Board Thanks I will check it out. The gallerist has been on my radar for ages :)

[@grog3514]

Valhalla for CoM.

[@skuttandtheboys5206]

Hi Mr.Truong

[@BoardGameSanctuary]

Hello!