Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders

Hey folks. Now first of all a big confession here...I am a MASSIVE fan of the original game "Lots Ruins of Arnak", so I was 50/50 whether I even wanted to add this to my already gorgeously tasteful, to be quite honest aesthetically beautiful original. I love love love the original game, for so many reasons. The board is beautiful, the theme resonates strongly with my sense of wanting to explore and travel, and it also presents the player with lots of resource options but also a good many constraints, running over a relatively short series of game turns. In summary, the original game packs a lot into a short time.

So, could an expansion REALLY add to that, and how?

Well the main thing which seems to make (or break) the player enjoyment of this expansion in the new Expedition Leaders themselves,...and after playing it with some relative newbies, and then with some experience "Arnakkers", I think I know why.

There are a variety of things added within this expansion, to quote "this expansion contains alternative research tracks that offer even more variety and a bigger challenge, new item and artifact cards to create new combos and synergies, along with more guardians & assistants to meet and sites to explore."

Yes, yes, all well and good. But none of THAT stuff really changes the game. What DOES change it, a lot, is when you add Asymmetry to the game, through giving 4 players the chance to try 6 different leaders. And apart from the "Captain", who just gives you an extra…