Currently on the Ragnar Brothers' website ( http://www.ragnarbrothers.co.uk/):

I always hate hearing this news. Hopefully, the changes will be playable by those that own the first edition.

Amen! I've emailed to ask.

anyone who knows the changes?

Another page on the same website ( http://www.ragnarbrothers.co.uk/html/canal_mania.html) says

I got in touch with the Ragnar Brothers and they're playing their cards very close to their chest. From what I can gather we will all know early next year what changes are taking place, and it is highly likely the two versions will be different enough to warrant the purchase of the new edition (rather like TtR and TtR Europe).

Top of the list should be some models that actually look like barges!

You misspelled 'narrowboats'.

But even narrowboats would be impossible to stack on the scoring track.

So the new version should be called Canal Maniacs?

I hope the Ragnars issue the game with a different title instead of Canal Mania II. As a friend pointed out, they could redevelop the game along the TtR model - modified games, modified names, but recognizable as part of the family. More importantly - each playable as a seperate game.

Or they could go the Runebound (Twilight Imperium?) route...Same game with multiple tweaks leaving the older version(s) on the shelf collecting dust as the "unplayable" black sheep of the family.

Things like rules and new contracts are easily downloadable. It is the rumoured map tweaks that might result in a messy game for Version 1 owners. If the two games are playable - I think it would be smart to issue an "upgrade kit" consisting of

* New Rule Book (download)
* New Contract Cards (download)
* Stickers/Overlays that can be placed on the map (download OK)

But this is all speculation at the moment. Until the changes are posted, any discussions are purely hypothetical.

Addendum: I have enjoyed playing the first edition of the game. In fact, another group member enjoyed it so much, he purchased his own copy of the game also. So my comments above are from a point of view of satisfaction with the game as is currently.

I am curious what changes are made in the second edition and interested in incorporating those changes to my copy if they add additional play options for the game.

I hope they are smarter than this... As a small company they need their loyal customers to survive. If they go the Runebound route they will piss off many of their loyal funs who will stop buying their games as soon as they come out and will wait for possible "corrected" 2nd editions...

(Runebound was the reason i and most people at my gaming group quit buying FFG products.)

Hopefully they offer the changes in some kind of upgrade kit. If they fail to do this, I'll never buy a product from them again, no matter how good it is.

Go on, give us a clue!

Downtime? Hmm, I never encountered bad downtime. I haven't an issue with the map configuration. I heard mostly positive comments on the game since I started playing it. Strange move to try an improve it so.

I'm happy that Ragnar Bros. had such success with this title. I find the canal era in both Europe and the USA absolutely fascinating (one reason probably is that I live within two miles of the oldest transportation tunnel in the USA, built for the old Union Canal west of Lebanon, PA).

I'm concerned to hear that the second printing will involve a significant revision. This makes me wonder whether RBs' playtesting system is up to the task of turning out a well refined product. Given that they are an adventurous lot when it comes to exploring themes, I suppose we shouldn't complain too much.

However, as at least one poster observed, buyers of their first-run games are the foundation upon which their commercial success is founded. I have neither the space nor the funds to buy new editions of games that are less than a year old although I would be receptive to affordable update kits.

I hope that something along this line is offered for the Canal Mania owners in order to get the most out of the game we have already purchased (and not inexpensively).

In regard to the "canal boat" miniatures, just by chance I happened upon a game component supplier's site. These boats are part of their listings and were not designed specifically for CM.

I considered sawing off the "smokestack" for a more "canal boat" look but the stack makes it easier to pick up the thing so I can live with it.

Regarding "stickers" to update mapboards, I'd prefer a full-sheet adhesive surfact to cover the entire board rather than the hex-here, hex-there approach which will eventually result in peeling corners on the sticker terrain alterations.

Or alternatively, double the second-edition print run for some components and make a board and contract kit available for first-edition buyers. I suspect that most of the fans who bought the game in the first place would buy a replacement board if we don't have to replace the entire game along with it.

An upgrade kit for first edition owners would be a great idea.

Not many people have access to large format printers to be able to print large boards in .pdf format. And handmade Contract cards from .pdf files will not look half as good as the original proffesionally printed cards...

Downloadable PDFs are not going to cut it. If I wanted a print and play version of this game, I wouldn't have dropped my hard earned money to support these guys. I hope they do the right thing and offer some kind of upgrade kit (with the new board and contracts) for a small fee or allow owners of the first edition to send in their outdated board and contracts in exchange for the updated components.

The trouble is guys, if an upgrade kit is going to consist of a new board, a new deck of cards, new tiles and new rules then it consists of the entire game. I tend to agree if it was just a few cards and they had 100% compatability with the original deck then I would prefer an upgrade kit. However the impression I get is this is a whole reworking, not just a few extras.

Looking on the bright side; if you own only one of a thousand copies of the original then it's probably going to fetch more than you paid for it after the second edition comes out.

Is this http://www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/ what you are referring to ?

I guess I'm in the minority here. I've enjoyed multiple playings of Canal Mania as it is. The Ragnar Brothers want to do some tuning on it? That's fine. I'm curious to see what those adjustments are, and decide for myself whether they're actually an improvement.

But nothing that they change for a second edition alters in the least how much I've already enjoyed the first edition. And I don't see where a game company of any size has any type of ethical or legal obligation for providing an update to a game that was sold to me with complete components. Just because they want to make some changes does not mean the game we already bought is "broken", and a game is only broken when you can't enjoy it, if you think about this.

I like what the manufacturer of my wife's car did with the next-year model, but since the model we bought works just fine as it is, I certainly don't expect them to give me an "upgrade kit". And if I want the subsequent release of an unabridged version of a book I bought previously, I do not expect the publisher to offer me new pages to insert in my original, abridged version.

There's nothing wrong with the current Canal Mania, but perhaps like most products prolonged experience can reveal ways things can be improved.

Now, how does a publisher deal with that?

They could say "yeah, we could improve it, but that takes time and money, so we'll just commision a reprint".

Or they could say, "let's spend a bit of time and money and incorporate a few changes to improve the product and give our customers the best we can offer, and we'll even try to provide existing customers some kind of upgrade path".

The game I have plays great. Do you know what? It'll play just as great this time next year. Obviously, I'll check out the 2nd edition, but I don't need such an upgrade to enjoy the game I have.

Sure, it might not be broken, but if the designers feel the need to improve upon the game, then they are implying that the first edition is inferior to the 2nd edition. Personally, I want to experience the game the way the designers intended the game to be played, which makes the first edition basically obsolete.



You really can't compare boardgames to cars. When you buy a boardgame, it usually comes with the expectation that what you are buying is the FINAL version.

At the end of the day, these brothers have put themselves into a pickle. The next time they release a "limited" edition game, you'll have to ask yourself:

1) Should I buy this "limited" edition game before it's sold out and never sees print again?

or

2) Do I hold out for a possible superior 2nd edition since they won't make a professional upgrade kit for the 1st edition available?

It basically makes consumers hesitant to buy their games, which is just bad business if you ask me.

If the game had been "broken" and this new version was to be the real deal then I would personally be a bit more peeved. It seems like this is more like Ticket to Ride / Ticket to Ride: Europe than it is Runebound 1st Edition / 2nd Edition. I look forward to the new version, the new version of Viking Fury and the next new game from them!

I fail to see how any of us playtested it. Considering everybody I have shown the game to has been happy with it as it is (albeit with the odd observational comment like "they're tugs, not narrowboats" or "there's a lot of luck in getting the right cards") and some have even gone out and bought their own copy as a result I think this viewpoint is a little harsh.



As in Civilization and Advanced Civilization? Perhaps you mean Monopoly? Alright then, the Settlers series? Maybe you have played History of the World before? Shall we even consider Carcassonne?

Your profile lists Ave Caesar as a favourite; I take it you're aware how many different versions of that game there have been? How about Battle Cry and Memoir '44 using the same basic system with different themes?

Alright, I understand what you are saying, but the sense I am getting from the Ragnars is that the game will be different enough, like playing Battle Cry and Memoir '44, that owning just one version might fulfil your needs or (if you're like me) you'll want both (depending to your tastes). I don't think we ought to expect the designers and producers of this game to bend over backwards for a few folk just because they decided to improve on their current design.

We're not talking MtG here or WH40K where you might be shut out of the latest tournament for not knowing the Xth edition rules.

So what about the game do you not like? When you play it, what is bad about it?

If you don't have answers to those questions, then you have no complaint. You got a game that you enjoy and you got it before many other people have had a chance to own it and enjoy it. You will have a year's worth of play (or so) that you otherwise wouldn't have gotten.

If, on the other hand, you do have specific complaints about the play of Canal Mania, why would you want to force those same flaws on everyone else when the game is reprinted, just because you purchased one of the original thousand copies?

If you don't want to be an early adopter of Ragnar Brothers' games in the future because they might end up reprinting the game with some tweaks to the game, then that is your right. However, you will be giving up that chance to enjoy a good game early. Balancing out what is more important to you is solely up to you, but you will give something to get something either way you go.

I think the Ragnar Brothers were in a damned if they did, damned if they didn't situation. If they did a straight reprint, then there would have been flak from those who said, "Why didn't they tweak X since they were going to reprint anyway?"

No game is perfect. If there is a good opportunity to do an improvement, there is no reason for them not to. Those who got one of the 1000 original copies can decide whether its worth it to them to purchase the new edition, print out the downloads, or just enjoy the game as they have been able to do (while many others, myself included, have not).

If anyone is truly upset with the situation, they could probably easily sell their copy for $40 right now on the BGG Marketplace (maybe more when the online retailers run out) and then buy the new edition when it's printed. Any difference between the $40 and the price of the new edition can be cnsidered the price of being able to play it how ever many times it has already hit the table. In fact, if someone wants to sell me their 1st edition Canal Mania for $40, contact me via Geek mail and I will be happy to take it off of their hands to lessen their feeling of disappointment and betrayal.