Theme changed by the publisher
bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Some I've guessed, some I've been told, but there must be many more cases I never heard about... Please add them.
The result seems to be usually bad, so I hope publishers will become more weary of changing the theme of a game for no real reason. If you don't like a game's theme, don't disfigure it and just publish another one.
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1.
Board Game: Wongar
[Average Rating:6.36 Overall Rank:1865]

bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : Mediaeval Japan
Published : Aborigines
Reason : No war in Germany Result : Disastrous
The original theme made sense, with shogun, emperor, and various military units. The new one doesn't, with oldest and elder, and various shapes of wooden bits with silly names.
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bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : Trojan War
Published : Renaissance Spain
Reason : already a Trojan War game at Nuernberg this year Result : slightly bad
As a Trojan Horse, the Castello made some sense. There was no paratroopers base in the Balearics at this time.
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bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : Sci Fi
Published : Himalayan Trade
Reason : Sci Fi don't sell Result : very good
The original theme was bland. The new one feels fresh, is well integrated and makes as much sense.
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bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : probably Aztecs or Mayas, may be Polynesia
Published : Mesopotamia
Reason : Don't know Result : Disastrous
It's in Mesopotamia, but there's not a single river and there are lots of Volcanoes...
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bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : Mediaeval England
Published : Mediaeval (?) India
Reason : Too many games about Mediaeval England Result : Don't know
I don't like the game as it is, but I'm not sure I would have liked the original.
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6.
Board Game: Iliad
[Average Rating:6.66 Overall Rank:783]

bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : Middle Age War
Published : Trojan War
Reason : New theme more original Result : Not bad
I know, there were no elephants in the Trojan war, and only one wooden horse, but who cares.
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bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : Carrying Cotton on the Mississipi
Published : carrying wine on the Loire
Reason : Mississipi Queen Result : Disastrous
Who dreams of carrying wine on the Loire ??? Ever seen a movie or read a book about this ?
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bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : Car Racing
Published : Charriot Racing
Reason : Sport don't sell (except for Formula De) Result : Great
Of course, refuelling made more sense, but the Salute to Cesar is a great idea, and the Ben Hur reference is obvious.
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bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : Mediaeval Barons
Published : Making movies
Reason : Too many mediaeval games Result : Neutral
The original theme was already very light.
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bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : Fairy Wood
Published : Halloween
Reason : No more dwarves and fairies Result : Slightly bad
The game still makes fun, but why don't girls never stay ay parties?
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bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : See Showmanager
Published : Sea cruises in the thirties
Reason : just change something for the new edition Result : Disastrous
The original was fun. The reprint isn't.
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W M Shubert
United States Portland Oregon
KGS is the #1 web site for playing go over the internet. Visit now!
Yes, I really am that awesome.
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Original: Building resorts on islands
Published: Building camel trains through deserts Why: Don't know Result: Game is excellent - hard to believe original theme would have been better
Reinier has mentioned this several times in interviews.
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bruno faidutti
France LES ANGLES
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Original : Space Empire building
Published : Polynesian Island
Reason : Sci fi don't sell Result : Silly
The new theme is so thin that you can still feel the original underlying it.
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14.
Board Game: Torres
[Average Rating:7.24 Overall Rank:184]

Steve Kearon
United Kingdom Cardiff Feeling great. How about you?
The once and future game
The once and future game
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Torres was originally designed around the King Arthur legend, but when the publishers weren't interested it got re-themed to Welsh castles (principally those in Gwynedd).
Unfortunately, the publishers didn't like this either, and decided to go with a Spanish theme.
See the article by Wofgang Kramer: http://www.thegamesjournal.com/articles/InventingTorres.shtm...
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Bryan Johnson
United States North Andover Massachusetts
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I remember talking with Tom Lehmann at the airport in Columbus, Ohio back in April and asking him how much control he has as a designer over the theme, artwork and production of his games. He answered in one word,... "Zero". He went on to give me an example with his game Pizarro & Co., which he said originally had absolutely nothing to do with the renaissance or exploration. I don't recall if he ever even mentioned what the original was all about but it was an interesting conversation.
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David Bohnenberger
United States Swarthmore Pennsylvania
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I've heard that this was originally designed as an Airline game, but was changed due to three different Airline games being released at around the same time.
I'm not sure that theme would have made much more sense.
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Brad Fuller
United States Virginia Beach Virginia
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Original : Piñatas
Published : Baloon racing (kind of)
Reason : Not Sure Result : ?
The designer is a friend of mine and this was his original theme. The cubes represented candy and the players were playing cards to get the candy. Changed by Kosmos
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Big Woo
Scotland state: running out of space...
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The Alhambra's palace ground were replaced for the rather less inspiring setting of Troisdorf, Queen games' hometown for a local promotional campaign by Troisdorf's business community.
Alhambra- The Troisdorf edition hardly has the monopoly as a successful game being rethemed for promotional ends. Nuff said.
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Jake Baker
United States Fishers Indiana
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Original: Mexican day of the dead
Published: Dragons
Reason: Fantasy sells better. Result: Don't know
I thought the day of the dead theme was both original and a tight fit to the mechanics. I don't think the new theme works as well...
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Gil Hova
United States Newark New Jersey
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Original Theme: Redrawing borders after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
New Theme: Building a mall.
Reason for change: The publisher and designer were worried that the original theme wouldn't sell.
Result: I can't stand the current theme. Building a mall seems like such an ordinary, bland, and uninteresting thing, whereas the end of the Cold War was historic. I had such a hard time getting this on the table that I think I'm not the only one.
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Big Woo
Scotland state: running out of space...
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Originally "Heroes and Villains", with a standard fantasy setting of goblins, giants and magic items.
Got its pirate theme to appeal to a wider audience.
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Michael Jordal
United States Austin Minnesota
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Original : Archaeologist searching for lost treasures
Published : Fantasy characters raiding a cave trolls lair
Reason : I assume to appeal more to FFG fantasy fan base Result : I am a little unsure, but I think it probably plays well either way but appeals to a different crew the way it is.
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Raul Catalano
Italy Pordenone
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Original : dog breeding
Published : gnome breeding
Reason : ? Result : ?
The original theme obviously made much more sense; as many fellow BGGers already remarked, there is something very weird about the reproduction of all-male bearded gnomes. In any case, I still prefer to play with cute gnomes than with barking dogs ...
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Leonardo Gonzalez
Mexico Laredo Texas
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Original : Greyhound race
Published : Buying and selling art
Reason : Hans in Gluck said the game was too simple Result : The game was considerably changed but the base mechanism of the greyhound race did not change.
The original theme was a greyhound race game that lasted one round only. Hans in Gluck changed the theme and added more rounds. The whole process from the greyhound race to the modern art theme took 5 years to finish so this was not only a change of the theme.
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Michael Van Biesbrouck
United States Mountain View California
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Apparently Knizia was quite unhappy about the honeybear theme change. Isn't it about to get another theme, too?
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