When buying a game. What version (publisher, edition) of the game should I look for and what version of the game I should stay away from?



Why this question?

well a couple of days ago I found tigris and euphrates real cheap (€20).
I decided to buy one for myself and one for a friend of mine.

When i came home the quality of the components and artwork was not what I expected it to be.
It looks like a budgetversion of the game . So what I considered to be a good deal became an OK deal. I would have bought just one if I knew this.

Now there are some games I love to order online but I don't want to pay good money for "budget" versions.

In search for games I read a lot of reviews lately. And I allways looked at the pictures as well. I asked myself does the game visually appeal to me?
Because a game that visually appeals to make makes it easier for me to play the first couple of times. If the game is broken (not fun to play)the quality of components and artwork don't count for much.
With a wonderful looking game it is much easier to capture the attention of future boardgeeks.. In other words great quality components and artwork add extra value if the game is good.

Example.
Two weeks ago I bought TTR ME. and it was an instant hit by one of my friends who collected Marklin trains when he was young.
When I explained the game he wasn't to thrilled but when he saw the cards he was sold. Even his girlfriend asked specifically for certain cards because she liked certain cards more than others.
Now they won't stop calling me for bringing the game over.
Now I don't think there is a 'budget version' of TTR. The point I was trying to make here is that artwork and quality components can convince people to play a game they otherwise wouldn't have.
There are some games around with big differences in quality and artwork depending on the publisher or even the edition
After looking at pictures I found this to be true for reef encounters and hive.

If there is a similar topic please refer it.
I couldn't find it

Kris,

I'm curioius as to who published a "real cheap...budget version" of T&E.

Gg

It sounds like you have bought the US version.

Typically you will find that the German editions have the highest quality, but it really depends on the publishers as well on the edition. Some US editions will be printed by the German manufacturers together with the German edition, and in that case will the components be the same, but later (US) editions are often printed in China - and some of these may be released on the German market as well.

It can be difficult to follow the many different publishers policies on this subject, so it is probably best to ask about each specific title before you buy.

Or use this golden rule: buy the original German edition if in doubt.

I've never heard of "budget editions."

I know that some German games are reprinted by US publishers in different formats thare are smaller with cheaper artwork e.g. Settlers.

I have no idea what 'budget versions' are but as rule of thumb: the later the version the better because of errata and improvements on previous issues. Examples:

-Twilight Struggle
-Hammer of the Scots

With E&T you probably have the 'regular' version and you might have wanted the Mayfair Edition: Bold & Beautiful.
Beware, you won't be finding it for 20 Euro and I would be very pleased if I were you with E&T copy for 20 Euro!
The game is the same and so I would not complaint in your shoes.

Research on the Geek is the best way to get virtually all info but keep in mind that production value is often a subjective matter.

Isn't there a "travel" version of T&E with unattractive plastic pieces? Maybe this is what he bought.

My advice is that deals that seem too good to be true often are too good to be true. Check and double check your purchase on the site you are buying from and BoardGameGeek.

I hope you will play T&E anyway. It is a terrific game.

Is the "budget version" the top one in this photo?

Here's a picture of the "travel" version I mentioned:



I don't know whether this is fan-made or something one can purchase.

Edit: I noticed that the pic is tagged with "customized" and "diy," so it appears that is a homemade version.

Actually it is the version of top license games.
They are located in Mechelen(Belgium)
There website is down at the moment. www.toplicense.be

The manual is well done.
But sadly the civilisation cards are not very good looking.
Tiles and board are very similar to these. But colours are even more washed out. The photo is actually better looking than in real life.


this is what I expected



Much more detail and colourful.
The shield is also only brown and grey with very basic drawings on it.
And even the board itself is not very colourful or beautiful.


However it won't stop me from playing this game.
took this game to a friend of mine tonight.
Opened it and read the rules. But decided against it and ended up playing TTR : ME again. There was someone new to the game but after three turns he got the grasp of it.

Actually I can't wait to play this game. I believe it will be fairly difficult to understand all your options at first. And that it will take several sessions instead of turns to understand your options.
If I really like the game, I will certainly look for another edition of the game.


edit changed links to photos because I didn't see them

So, the version you bought seems to be identical to the German edition, and I suppose that's what you'll find in other European editions. I'm not sure about the washed colors, but the board, in particular, is really dull. Mayfair edition has much better artwork, but I don't think you'll find it easily outside the U.S.



But of course, as evidenced by the quoting above, there will always be those purists with bad taste who will say the board in Mayfair version is "too busy" and "make the eyes hurt", and that the German one is better.

I must be one of those bad taste people

I have the Mayfair edition, but prefer the looks of the Hans im Gluck version (which looks similar to that Belgian one I think).

Thanks to everyone for the answers.
It seems that I have bought two normal editions at a very good price.

What brings me back to the original reason of my post.
Is there anywhere on BGG a comparison between different editions of games

If not. I really want to start one.
Because reviews and playing sessions are easy to be found. I believe that
pictures are sufficient.
Any suggestions are welcome.

I realize I have been hard for the game publisher I bought T&E from.
And actually I should be thankfull to them for publishing the game and make it more widely available.

Like someone said above taste differs and I believe a lot of us would find it handy to know what edition or version to look for.
In this case I would have searched for the Mayfair edition, while Karlsen I believe would have looked for the "original" version.

Had anything other than the Mayfair edition been available, then yes I would have, however being in Australia I had no choice in the matter

Most of us will only own one edition, so the reviews will usually be based on the edition that we have.

Particularly these days, where a single edition is published in multiple languages or different editions for different languages are printed at the same time, there isn't a difference between currently available editions.

Quite often the differences occur on a reprint or second edition and thus the original one is no longer available (at least in normal retail quantities).

You will see some threads on the differences between editions of some games, Tigris & Euphrates, Modern Art, Settlers of Catan are some that spring to mind, but you really do have to go looking for them. Interestingly enough, all the English editions of the games I just mentioned are from Mayfair Games, coincidence or not?

In my opinion, it is not within the scope or resources of a normal review to describe differences that they may not even know of. Well captioned photos on BGG should help here, also it is useful if reviewers do mention which edition or at least the publisher of the game they are reviewing.