Life Sucks

MicheálOne issue that I've encountered numerous times in my recent boardgaming years is that of game expansions. You know, those additional retail packages that make your tried and true game better. Those little bits of gaming goodness that expand the life of your treasured gaming gems. Well, that's at least how I've always pictured expansions. The problem is that I seem to be the minority on this one.

There's an unsettling trend that I'm witnessing where expansions are almost seen as a requirement by some gamers. And if not a requirement I often see them cited as an excuse. "Oh, you didn't like Dominion? Get an expansion like Intrigue to make it better". Or, "Don't bother playing Descent without the first expansion - Road to Legend fixes the game" or "You should buy Shattered Empire when you go out and buy Twilight Imperium". If you want to see my scrunchy face, just mention expansions in this sort of context. I'm a purist hard and true and the idea of modifying a game is a hard fought battle with me. Try suggesting it before you've even played the game and I'm liable to kick you in the nuts.

It pains me for some reason that I can't explain. When I look at a game purchase I percieve it as a complete item. When I take it home and play it I should be content in knowing that this is how the game is supposed to be. The idea that an expansion would be a mandatory purchase to even be able to enjoy the game completely bewilders me. My reasoning is pretty simple: If I don't like the base game there's no way I'm going to pour more money into it via an expansion. If a developer wants to charm me into additional purchases it should start with a damn fine product to begin with. Yet, I've seen lines of reasoning to the contrary a multitude of times both personally and online. What gives? Somewhat on the same train of thought is gamers who essentially expect an expansion. There's been so many times where I've went to forums of yet to be released games and there would be a subsect of the contributors talking about how they can't wait for the expansion...for a game they've never played. I sometimes feel that I'm the only sane in the building at these points.

When did we as consumers decide that it was okay to purchase sub par or partially finished products only to gleefully expect a followup product to address most of the misdeeds of the first? When did the term completionist move to the forefront to disguise the more truer term of gullible.

When I think of expansions I immediately shy away. My way of thinking has always told me that I should never even consider an expansion until I've played the base game out. I recently purchased the special edition of El Grande which came bundled with a bunch of expansions. I've only played it 4 times and am adamant that I don't want to touch any of the expansions until I've hit close to 20 games. I have friends who wanted to break the expansions out after the first play. Blasphamy I say! When El Grande first came out there were no expansions and people played that game to death. Why should we be any different?

I've seen first hand the excuses that come up as to why expansions are needed. I've a friend who absolutley demanded that he get the Cursed! expansion for Small

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