Shoutout to the stranger at the Columbus game meetup who told me to stop buying expansions for every game I own

I was about to drop $60 on another expansion for Wingspan at the local shop, and this guy walks up and says 'your table will thank you if you just play the base game 20 times first.' I ignored him at first, but after buying two expansions I didn't need and only playing them once each, I finally get it. Has anyone else found that sticking with a base game longer actually makes it more fun?

2 comments

2 Comments

wesley_grant331mo ago

That expansion trap is real and nobody talks about how it actually kills the fun faster. Think about it like this - when you buy expansions too fast, you never really learn the base game's sweet spots. Wingspan especially has that nice flow where you start memorizing bird combos and strategies, but adding new mechanics just resets that learning curve every time. Had a buddy who bought every Everdell expansion at once and now hates the game because he never got comfortable with the core loop first. Playing the base game deep gives you that feeling of mastery where you can actually play fast and try wild strategies. Expansions are better as a refresh years later when you've squeezed everything out of the original.

gavinperez1mo ago

Yeah I did the same thing with Arkham Horror and now I own a closet full of cardboard I barely touch.