I finally said board game expansions are mostly a cash grab

During our weekly game meetup, I shared that I think buying expansions is often a waste of money. Most add-ons just add more pieces without making the game better. For instance, I got the big box for Carcassonne and barely use the extra tiles. It feels like companies just want us to keep spending. My friends all love collecting every expansion, but I'd rather master the base game. Does anyone else skip expansions and stick to the original? I'm curious if other geeks feel the same way.

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3 Comments

adam_lane817mo ago

My friends act like I committed a crime when I show up with just the base game. Guess I'm saving my cash for the important stuff, like more base games.

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wesleyblack7mo ago

The Carcassonne big box you mentioned has like 11 expansions packed in, right? But do you think some games really need add-ons to fix problems? Kinda like how @adam_lane81's friends give him grief for sticking to base games. Tbh, I've seen expansions that just add more stuff, like that Ticket to Ride one with extra cards nobody uses. What games do you feel are fine on their own? Honestly, I'm with you on learning the base game well first.

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val_chen217mo ago

What's the point of piling on expansions if the base game already WORKS? Lots of games are just fine without any extra stuff. Adding more can make things messy, so learn the base game WELL first.

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