|
I will state immediately that Pillars of The Earth was already one of my favourite games. As with any expansion, I was looking forward to it with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Fortunately, as far as I am concerned this expansion is exactly what I was hoping for.
Included in the box is an additional half size board (which fits onto the left hand side of the original), 1 new resource card, 10 new Privilege Cards, 12 new Craftsmen cards, 4 new Event cards, and all of the pieces and cards necessary to increase the number of players from 4 to 6. An additional rules sheet explaining all the new gameplay is also included.
If it is useful for you to be able to play with 6 players in this game then for me buying the expansion would be a "no-brainer". If on the other hand, your group of players would never be more than four, then you may wonder if you will still get value for money. If you enjoy Pillars and play regularly, then I would still say yes.
The extra Privilege and Event cards are certainly a nice addition, and add more variety to the options which can occur during the game. But the biggest benefits come with the new board and the extra craftsmen cards.
You can check out a picture of the new board and details of the new Master Builder choices on www.Boardgamegeek.com, so I won't go into detail here, other than to say they certainly add some very nice and intriguing decision making. For me though the new Craftsmen cards are the star of the show. Whereas before you would know which craftsmen would appear and when, now you don't, and players therefore have to be more flexible with their strategies, and cannot rely on old tried and trusted ones. All these new aspects apply even if still playing with only 3 or 4 players.
If you do get to play with 5 or 6 players, you will also realise that the game has become a lot more cut-throat in its tactics, as desirable options are now more fiercely competed over. The Master Builder spot for going first next turn will be extremely popular, trust me!
Finally, in case you were wondering, I have also been able to fit all of the expansion pieces into the original game box, so you will not need to carry both boxes around with you to play the game.
Rating: 9.5
Reviewed by:
Andrew Alcock
|
