Did you notice the labels at the bottoms of the tiles are in English?

It's beautiful, but I much prefer the layout of the original board. This one feels too cramped.

I'm sorry, but THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES!

The artwork and Medieval renderings are certainly interesting in their won right, but the new game board lacks the fluidity that suggestions the expansion of a town further and further away from the castle hub. The medieval drawings on the tiles pale in comparision to the sharp buildings on the soon-to-be "old" tiles. Again, this detracts from the theme of the game.

Yes, I will obtain a copy of this edition for my collection, but I will be playing the current version for a long time to come . . . .

Vin

I would really like to own this; but the main question for me is what else apart from the artwork will be so special about this premium edition?

Will the expansion tiles from various sources be included? Will the money chips be of excellent quality (perhaps even plastic replica medieval coins)?

Another key question I have is how will I get my hands on a copy?

Would anybody from Ystari care to elaborate?

Wow. Why would you do that? If you don't like it, don't buy it, so your vote counts and we can avoid this sort of thing in the future.

Eric, that is great news! Thanks for your hard work! I guess this means that I should get off my rear and contribute to BGN...



The language is not the problem - getting the game is the problem. I won't be at Essen, probably ever. My job tends to hit a peak of craziness around Essen time, and, since I work at a university, I don't see that changing - much as I might wish otherwise.

If Ystari were willing to ship pre-orders to the US, that would be an answer, but it really leaves us with the classic limited edition Essen release question: "Why go to Essen with a game that is already completely sold out before anyone gets there?" It seems that more and more of the games that generate interest going into Essen are pre-order only or have such a limited quantity available at Essen that people have to spend absurd amounts of money to get them (Through the Ages comes to mind) or just do without (any of Winsome's Essen releases will fit here).

Anyhow, it would be nice if Rio Grande could also get 1,000 or so of these for the folks who can't make it to Essen (and live in the US, Canada or other areas where Rio Grande distributes their product).

Mike Doyle noted on his site that the money will be metal. Seriously, that was the element that moved it from something I was very interested in seeing (but perhaps not buying) to something that I really want to get into my collection.

Well that's it - now it's a "must-have"!

Although I am not officially from Ystari, I have some bits of answers to these questions.

Not every detail about this edition has been completely worked out yet, but we are working on it. The coins will be replica of medieval coins indeed, but in metal (I have one sample on my desk as I type this, and I think it really looks nice).

As for the tiles, I am almost sure it will include the Jeweller, which is the only official "expansion" building so far. Other tiles from various sources are highly unlikely. The rules will be unchanged compared to the normal edition.

I can't speak for Ystari about availability besides at Essen. I am not sure they even know yet.

William

Hmm, while I love the new box art, I completely dislike the new game board and tiles. The original artwork might not be state-of-the-art, but it is very appealing in its simplicity and it creates an atmosphere of fun and cheerfulness. The new tiles and board are too dark and gloomy for my taste.

Well, I never liked this manner of releasing new ubercool versions of successful games - like the plastic trumpery Kosmos uses in the new Settlers version.

Not my cup of tea. I'm with Arnaud Demaegd (even though "Mike Doyle" is easier to pronounce! )

Grr. I guess I need to start a new thread titled "Is there anyone going to Essen who would be willing to pick up my copy of the Caylus limited edition for me?" I'm really getting tried of this trend.

Thanks for checking on this, Eric. I truly appreciate the work you're doing on BGN (and I promise that I will get my support money in as soon as I am done paying off the recent Through the Ages purchase... )