My Top 5 Board Game Expansions

Welcome to this week’s gaming post! This week I’m ranking my favorite board game expansions. A few criteria I used when determining this list were: How essential is the expansion for the game? How often would I elect to combine it with the base game? Does the new content enhance the game? Does the expansion create too much bloat? So without further ado, let’s jump into the games!

Leading off the most recent expansion I reviewed – Arcs: The Blighted Reach. Of all the expansions on this list, this is the one that adds the most content to the game, to the point that The Blighted Reach feels like almost an entirely new game from the base game of Arcs. The expansion adds 24 asymmetric player fates to the game that radically change up the experience. One reason this isn’t higher on the list is that it’s difficult to compare this against a typical expansion because of how drastically this changes up the base game, but it’s still an excellent experience. 

The largest expansion for Scythe, The Rise of Fenris, adds an eight episode campaign along with 11 unlockable modules. If you want some of my spoiler-free thoughts on the campaign, you can check them out here. While the expansion adds plenty of interesting new elements, I wouldn’t consider it essential. Additionally, the campaign does have a “rich get richer” problem where the players who do well in early scenarios are more likely to do well in later episodes.

The second expansion to Wingspan, Oceania, adds more bird cards and a new wild food type. However, my favorite addition is the new player boards that attempt to balance out the egg-heavy strategy. This expansion is one of the key reasons that Wingspan was one of the top games that has grown on me, and I would consider this expansion almost essential for any Wingspan fan.

This was a tossup between the Leaders or Cities expansions for 7 Wonders. I ended up giving the slight nod to Leaders because I enjoy how the leader cards push you towards different areas to focus on in each game. I likely wouldn’t call these expansions essential because there’s still plenty to enjoy in just the base game of 7 Wonders. However, as long as I’m playing with experienced players, I will always elect to add both of these expansions in.  

The Marine Worlds expansion for Ark Nova adds a new animal type, as well as a mechanism to help cycle the large deck of cards. However, my favorite part of the expansion are the alternative versions of the five action cards. At the beginning of each game, players will draft two alternative action cards, replacing the matching standard ones from the base game. These action cards add asymmetric powers and do an excellent job of pushing you towards different paths to victory. There are also four different versions of each of the five actions, so there are plenty of different combinations to explore.

Next up, the Tuscany Essential Edition for Viticulture adds a new game board, which expands the number of seasons from two to four, includes a new type of card (structures), and adds special workers with abilities that will be randomized at the beginning of every game. The reason that this is so high on this list is that I would consider this expansion about as essential as any expansion. The base game of Viticulture is fine, but this expansion fills out the game into a more complete experience.

Finally, my favorite board game expansion is the Expedition Leaders expansion for Lost Ruins of Arnak. The expansion adds six asymmetric starting leaders, each with their own deck of starting cards and abilities. Even though Arnak is one of my most played games in the collection, I’ll still happily play with any of the different leaders because they are each fun in their own unique way. The expansion also adds two new alternative research tracks that offer more replayability. I’ll always elect to play with this expansion, so even if I’m teaching the game, I’ll just give the less complex leaders to new players. If I had to choose only one expansion to own, this is the one I’d choose hands down.

With that, I’ll wrap up my favorite expansions! Which expansions are your favorites, and do you consider any essential? I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the games I’ve mentioned. Happy gaming!

If you liked this post and want to be notified when new content is released, then follow me on Instagram @themeepledigest.