Castles of Burgundy reprint could kick off a board game arms race

For the better part of a decade there’s been an escalation in the board games arms race. The weight of goods purchased by consumers is now measured in pounds, not in their complexity. There is an upcoming sea shift, however. With decades-old properties still holding their own against a flurry of new releases, it’s time for publishers to begin elevating their back catalogs in interesting ways. Castles of Burgundy: Deluxe editionIt feels like that is the initial push.

Burgundy CastlesStefan Feld designed & published ‘The Game of the Century’ in 2011. It is a European-style game that has been a staple in discussions about this genre. It’s an exemplary game, a fluid and engaging city-builder with many different interleaved systems. It’s also a game that looks beautiful on the table — even if it’s rendered in two dimensions with cardboard tiles.

Image: Ravensburger

Ravensburger’s Alea imprint has just announced a new deluxe edition. A news release on Thursda noted that the deluxe edition will include a new graphical design and a refined user experience yielding “easier gameplay and more readability” on the table. The deluxe edition will include upgrades to component components, including elaborate castle tokens or metal coins.

Many component upgrades can be purchased as an add-on for boutique boardgames. You can buy a collection of metal coins and resin resources for your favorite games. Scythe Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile right on the manufacturer’s website. These are new games and smaller publishers want to increase their margins for the most lucrative titles.

Ravensburger Publisher, a multi-national company, has a larger presence in the tabletop market than any other. It’s also an investor in Poland-based Gamefound, Kickstarter’s biggest competitor in the tabletop crowdfunding space.

Image: Ravensburger

Image: Ravensburger

Castles of Burgundy, Deluxe EditionYou could imagine it as a collection of individual pieces, with upgrades and plush toys available at will. Instead it feels like a savvy marketing exercise to reward deep-pocketed fans who have loved the game for years — and also target a wider, more affluent audience looking to try something new. After all, if you’re going to spend time learning one of the best board games around, why not get the best version available?

We’ll know more once the project goes live in May. Until then, you’ll find a preview available online, with an option to get a notification of its launch. Over 15,600 users have already signed up.