A base game that I’m indifferent about. A personal aversion to games with asymmetric player abilities. An expansion so good that it changes my mind on both fronts. Welcome (back) to Arnak.
Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders (Expansion)
Designers: Elwen, Mín
Publisher Czech Games Edition (CGE)
Released: 2021
Before I start, a quick ‘heads up’. I wont be lingering on the base game very much other than to maybe talk about my personal indifference to it and why this expansion lifts what is an average game for me into a very good one. I’m also not going to talk too much about how this expansion plays true solo as I have done in some of my other reviews. This review isn’t about ‘the solo’. This is about how one solo player had all his previous views on Arnak thrown well and truly upside down. Lets get going.
What’s in the box:
The expansion is pretty simple to wrap your head around:
• More artifact and equipment cards which get added straight in to the original deck.
• A red staff round marker which replaces the blue version from the base game: A not particularly needed physical reminder of a suggestion to now remove two cards either side of the staff at the end of each round rather than the base game's one card. Lots more cards to choose from as the game progresses.
• A new double sided Temple track board - both sides a tiny bit more tricky to climb than the ones printed on the main board. One side also has a Guardian to defeat along the way , the other an Artifact card that can be discovered as you climb.
• 6 new player boards (and associated paraphernalia) each representing an ‘Expedition Leader’, each coming with its own unique ability:
-The Captain: starts with three explorers rather than the usual two. He can also take the action of one of the assistants of his choice that are stacked on the main board
-The Falconer: her falcon can fly abstractly forwards getting access to rewards and actions along the way
-The Baroness: gets lots of gold, can use it to buy lots of equipment
-The Professor: gets lots of compasses and stone tablets and can use them to find and activate Artifacts
-The Explorer: only one of her rather than the usual two workers to place but she can move locations multiple times during the round.
-The Mystic: can turn Fear cards into powerful rituals that offer resources and actions.
While each explorer has a different level of complexity, none are particularly ‘complex’. Each has perhaps a small half page worth of rules / ways of behaving that are very easily digestible and quickly understandable. Regardless of complexity, each Leader feels pretty balanced though I am sure as you find your preferred Leader you will likely exploit their depth to your advantage. But that’s just getting good at a game rather than any balance issues. This feels balanced.
And that’s it. If you know the base game then you will be playing with this expansion in less than half an hour, if that. There is not a big change to core rules, no heavy amounts of reading to do. Indeed within a couple of turns you will forget that you are even playing an expansion. This is probably the finest example that I have encountered of an expansion that just blends seamlessly into the base game instantly. An expansion that just improves the base game rather than adding modules or bloat.
So why has something so simple changed my fundamental view of the game as a whole….
The base game was ok…. I guess
I was drawn to the base game for the art, had a thing at the time for straight up worker placement, theme looked interesting. And I suppose the hype. Ok, mainly the hype.
I didn’t hate it. It was probably a little lighter than what I would usually choose to play. It was also a bit samey game to game: get up the temple, do a bit of digging and defeat some guardians, maybe pick some cards up along the way but more often than not I just ignored that element of the game. I didn’t feel that each game felt different in anyway. It was fun, a bit thinky in places but just didn’t feel that it had enough depth for me to want to keep playing. So I stopped playing it.
We should all be created equal…
I also have an aversion to asymmetrical player abilities. I don’t mind some unique starting resources. I don’t mind us chasing different strategies. But I likes me some rules and I like us to be playing the same rules. I don’t like my mind to tell me that there might be imbalance even when I know there really isn’t. When I win (or more often lose) I want us to have been playing exactly the same game.
That’s historically been the same for me when I have been playing solo. I feel a need to find the depth of the game over repeated consecutive plays and have found having my starting abilities significantly changing (this game you may now move 5 spaces instead of 3 but have to pay 10 corn if you pass the second pyramid) a turn off. Indeed I worked my way through every module expansion for one of my favourite games Teotihuacan which took an age to get on top of, looked at the asymmetrical player boards and just thought ‘nope’ and popped them back in the box and they have never been played. Scythe’s asymmetry is tolerable, I suppose. You get the point. I just don’t like it.
So why did I get this expansion?!
I have no idea. I think I was just revisiting some of my existing games whilst taking temporary shelter from learning new heavy rulesets for new games, remembered that Mrs Headlines from a Solo Player really, really liked Arnak and I thought I would just grab this at a good price and bring the game back to the table more for her enjoyment than mine.
This SUPERB Expansion changed my opinion.
Make no mistake, I thought this expansion was superb. It’s one of those that once you have seen it you cant unsee it. I can’t think of any reason why I would play without it ever again. Here are my main reasons for gushing so much:
1. Quick to incorporate, this doesn’t add bloat. It doesn’t bring ‘more’. It simply takes elements of the main game and gently lifts them. The subtlety and simplicity here is the secret to its success.
2. Thematically the Expedition Leaders just make complete sense to the point that you can’t believe they weren’t thought of in the first place. They also have real personality and not just some rules along the lines of “this player can move one more space than others”. Of course the greedy Baroness is rich and wanting to throw her money around. Of course the Falconer’s bird will soar further than the Falconer could reach. It all just instantly feels thematically right. Art work is superb too as you would expect having played the base game.
3. The Expedition Leader abilities add a fraction more decision space. The game is still firmly in the medium weight category (if not lighter) but the tiny bit more chew of how each character works and what you are now able to do scratches at my heavier game itch. It’s not heavy at all. But the little bit more satisfies me in ways the base game just didn’t
4. The Expedition Leaders force you to mix up your playing style and become a better overall player at the game. I have mentioned before that in the base game I’d avoid using the equipment or artifact cards. I just found my ‘digging and temple track’ niche and firmly stayed there. Indeed the base game didn’t encourage me to leave my comfort zone at all. Well now if I am playing with The Professor then I will be needing to exploit those Artifacts; If I am playing with The Baroness I am going to be hoovering up equipment cards. Equally if your game used to lean heavy on the card play, brace yourself to be using characters that bring you back to the main board more. The whole game just opens completely up in new and refreshing ways. I want to find the depth of each character, I want to master their abilities.
I NOW WANT TO EXPLORE ARNAK.
Maybe I am loving this more because I didn’t adore the base game. Players who loved the base will also really like this a lot for many of the same reasons. I just maybe felt the love here a bit more as I was just not expecting to like this as much as I did.
Solo Headlines:
The expansion can be used to play solo but the new player abilities mean you will find things a little easier and your points increase by a good chunk compared to what you might have been used to in the base game. You will want to compensate a little with the Automa – giving it a few harder tiles than you might have previously played with.
The biggest revelation though for me as a solo player is that this was the first game I have played where I was just happy playing two handed. I usually have an initial two hander whenever I am first learning a game before then moving on to learn any solo / automa rules. But with Expedition Leaders I just took some real enjoyment out of playing each character and exploring their abilities. I got so sucked in thematically to what they were doing and focussed in on how to maximise their abilities that any artificiality playing two handed or lack of meaningful competition for spaces just vanished. I was just happy being the characters!
At a glance:
+ Thematically rich with excellent artwork to boot
+ Adds a tiny bit more depth for those that felt the base was too light
+ Encourages you to explore new ways of playing and improve your all round game
+ Utterly seamless blending in to the base game. Within a turn or two you will believe that this was always how the game was played.
- I’m struggling to find anything meaningfully negative about this expansion. On it own merits I think it is faultless as an expansion. The game overall however still perhaps remains a little too on the light side for my personal tastes. But if mid weight is your sweet spot then you will adore this expansion and its extra crunch.
Final score:
9.5 out of 10. (it’s a must have for me – go and get a copy immediately)
Reviewed after 8 plays.
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