15 Expansions At Essen 2026 That Should Be On Your Radar

0:00 Hey, I'm Alex Rackle from Board Gameco and Essen is in less than two weeks, which feels a little crazy. It is a little crazy. Essen is in less than two weeks, which means it's time for all the videos recommending the games you can check out and see at Essen. I have four of those videos planned. I already did the first. You can check that out already. The first one was 15 games I recommend you check out based on games I've played and enjoy. That was video number one. That's honestly, I think, the best one to check out because they're all games I've played and I'm telling you that, hey, I enjoyed this. You might as well. This is video number two. These are 15 expansions that I recommend checking out. Although that recommendation comes with an asterisk because I have not played all of these. Some of these are are expansions that I've played and recommend checking them out because of that. Others are just expansions for games that I like and I'm excited about the expansions. Some add more, some add less. There's 15 of these. Uh but some of them are just like a small little module and some of them are a full-fledged expansion. We're going to go ahead and get into all of those. I did rank them in order from least to most excited for the most part except for the 15th. the 15th is because of our channel sponsor. We'll come to that. But first, before we do, you can go ahead and check these out on BGG. BG Board Game Geek has a spill essence list. This is usually where I get the titles from. You can go ahead and use filters. You can find the the the the expansion button and filter for standalone expansion, demo, for sale.

1:15 You can use whatever filters you want to find what you need. You can sort by thumbs, do all those things, but you can check that out. I'll have a link to that down below. Let's go ahead and dive into this. Our 15th is from our channel sponsor. Our channel sponsor is Allplay. You can get a ton of games on all play, but a message from the stars extinction protocol is one of the expansions you can expect to see at Essen. Uh, and this gives more complexity and variability to a message from the stars. A message from the stars is a kind of deductive cooperation. Well, I mean, there's competitive and cooperative mode. I prefer cooperatively, but it's a game which you're trying to figure out the secret message using a lot of logic and math. And Extinction Protocol adds a bunch of new things to the game. The best one for me though is the changing up of the vanilla base game rules. So now suddenly the uh the math you're trying to figure out is variable which introduces a lot more variability to the experience as opposed to the same exact puzzle every single time you play.

2:02 Definitely recommend checking that out. Number 14 is going to be Nextstation Berlin. And honestly I don't even know what this adds to the NextStation series. But the Next Station series has had I want to say three games so far and this is number four if I'm not mistaken. Uh but I've enjoyed all of them so far. They're pretty much a flip and draw system which you're trying to chart a bunch of pathways from station to station, but you have a little small rules differences every single different version of this. And this is the newest version. I don't know what rules changes it brings to the table, but if you like the next station series, you can also check it out on board game Marina to see if it's a system you like, but I enjoy them. I think they're fun. I think they're straightforward. It's a fun cute little puzzle. And Berlin is the newest one in the series. Then we have Acropolis Pantheon. Acropolis Pantheon, which I believe was a Gen Con release. This is introduces solo and cooperative play to the world of Acropolis, a game that I like, but I can I think it's a game that benefits from expansions.

2:48 There's Athena already that came out that introduce a small little module and Pantheon changed up the gameplay. I don't believe they're compatible if I'm not mistaken, but Pantheon changed up the gameplay to be cooperative, giving you challenges you're trying to work through, which is a very interesting take on the game. I haven't reviewed it yet. I have played it. I have not reviewed it, but it's one that's definitely worth checking out if you like Acropolis. This Tag Team SNK Arcade Legends Tag Team just came out at Gen Con last year. this past year. Was it Jen last year? I think it was. And then this past year, they had their Arththeran Legends expansion. And now they already have SNK Arcade Legends. They're adding more and more characters to the auto battler that is tag team. I think it's a great auto battling system. The best I probably the best auto battler I've seen in the board game space, and so it's good to see more content from it. Got 5 Ghost is a small little mini expansion for Got Five. Got 5 is one of those games that is not the best game ever, but it's surprisingly addictive. I've been having a lot of fun with it, playing it a ton. In fact, in my last video, I think I mentioned that the games I've played the most over the past few months are Tend uh and then what was it? It was Tend, it was uh Enchanted Ivy, and it was Cascadia Alpine Lakes. I probably should have added Got Five to the list. It continuously has come up again and again. It's become one of our group's go-to fillers. I don't even think it's the best game ever, but we play it so much it's a little crazy. And Ghost adds a new little module to it, which kind of covers the two ghosts on the edge of your display, so you don't know their colors. So you're working with more and more hidden information as you try to figure out those before working your way inwards on the rest of your tiles or after you can figure out the order yourself. But it does introduce a new puzzle to the experience. So if you think you've figured out got five, now you've got ghosts. Is it called Got Ghost? It should be called Got Ghosts.

4:18 It's called Got Five Ghost. That's not the same at all. Anyways, Kelp of Offshore is the newest as an expansion over here. This is an expansion to Kelp asymmetric two two-player game of shark versus octopus. And this adds new elements to it. It adds new sharks for the sharks as a little uh baby sharks. Baby sharks. It's not like traditional baby shark music song, but it is more baby sharks. You can utilize juvenile hunters. So, you can have hunt as a pack. Meanwhile, the octopus has a magnetic modular blocks of introducing new mechanics to both sides of the game to mix up your game of kelp. There's Take Time Mirage over here. This is going to be a new set of clocks and mechanics and challenges to Take Time. I believe it's just one. I think it's a small mini expansion if I'm not mistaken. Like, it doesn't double or the content you have from Take Time. I think it introduces just a small little extra pack. I could be wrong, but I think so. I I saw had a chance to see this briefly at Origins and that seemed to be all they had, but Take Time Mirage, it's more content for Take Time, which is a cooperative game of trying to figure out the order of cards while trying to place things in the right order based on the challenges while only having certain amounts of information because you're working as a team to try to put it all together. Boss Fighters QR Jungle Fever introduces a bunch of new content to Boss Fighter QR. That's the app-based uh boss fighting game where you're trying to figure out how the monster works as you take it down with the hybrid character you've created and slowly build up their card pool across multiple games. Uh QR Jungle Figure is well boss fighters QR's jungle figure is is going to add Jungle Fever is adding a few new elements to the game. It adds five new bosses. I believe the base game comes with 10 bosses. It has five new bosses but also adds a goblin and dry as new heroes as well as new classes paladin and shaman. and you can go ahead and mix

5:48 them all together and go through the base game bosses with those. So, you have a lot more variability to the way you can approach the game engine. So, it's good to see more content for that. We have Harmony's Pulse over here. There's actually two expansions for Harmonies. Harmony's Pulse is a small card pack introducing new uh well, new cards with the new color system for the most part. And then Cresendo is going to add three new elements to the game, giving you a unique landscapes that accommodate multiple animals, new game boards, giving you more variability to the experience you have, and then whisper creatures, and I don't yet know a lot about how those operate. We have 10 penny parks. This is the big box I'm showing over here, but they also have the expansion, which is what I want to focus on because they have the uh innovation expansion as well as the winter lights and spooky nights expansion. As someone who enjoyed 10 penny parks back in the day, but I think that uh over multiple plays, I eventually found that there were other tile lane games that I I preferred, innovation alone, I think, is worth the price of admission over here. It really elevates the amount of gameplay content in 10 penny parks, making it what, for me at least, a much better experience that I've enjoyed a lot more. It's just a small little extra decision space that adds a lot more to the experience. And then winter lights and spooky nights give you additional little elements as far as like trees that you got to be mindful of or even sharing gifts.

6:52 There's little elements that kind of mix of the gameplay. Both of those are solid additions that really elevate the amount of gameplay you can get out of your game of 10 penny parks. There's Endeavor Deep Sea Uncharted Waters over here. Endeavor Deep Sea is a, you know, KTBG is probably the most popular game if I'm not mistaken. And Uncharted Waters introduces new challenges, new scenarios. Four different scenarios going to be added to the game. So, if you've enjoyed playing through this and you want more variability to the specific scenarios you're going through as you play through it, Uncharted Waters gives you more to the game to the Endeavor deep sea experience. Uh, Inish Neb is a bunch of modules to the game. There's going to be the neatans module which gives you these new sacred sites you're trying to gain control of. There's hallowed sanctuaries which are going to give you new sanctuaries to lead the legendary heroes where you give offerings to the sanctuaries in exchange for bonuses. And there's going to be new territories and epotales which bring more more cards to the gameplay.

7:39 Overall, if you like Inish, this is just more content for Inish. I think for me, the Hallow Sanctuary is my favorite module. More content is just a solid all-around. And the number 10 ones was one that I was a bit more mixed in terms of what it did, but overall, it still gives you more things you're doing in your in experience. And in this is one of my favorite uh area control games. A very clever system that I'm excited to finally see an expansion for it. We have Slay the Spire, the board game downfall. This one, and I should note, by the way, a little later in the video to note this, but some of these expansions are going to be available uh uh to buy at the show. Some of them are going to just be demos of things that will be coming up. I mentioned that because Downfall for sure. Other things possibly as well, but for sure Downfall is one that's not yet available. I think Endeavor is also not available. But over here, this is Slay the Spire, Downfall, an expansion to Slay the Spire, introducing the content from the fan expansion downfall, giving you four new characters, the Slime Boss, Guardian, Hexagos, and the Hermit. Four new characters to play through the game, as well as new content across new card decks, new bosses, new everything for the game. Uh, but if you like Slay the Spire, the board game, this gives you a bunch of new characters that are very satisfying to play through. I have played through all but the hermit. The hermit was not available in the prototype, unfortunately, but the other three are great new guardians, new um new uh slayers to go ahead and take on in Slay the Spire. So, if you like Slay the Spire, the board game, definitely check this one out. And then number two over here, down to number two from these 15 is Lost Moons of our next surprise Shipment. This does not do a ton to mix up the gameplay. We have Slay the Spire, which gives you a ton of new content, and this just gives you like 50 new cards for your game. 30 artifacts, 20 items to mix into your gameplay experience. This doesn't change up Arnac by any means, but it is just more content for one of my favorite games of

9:10 all time, which is why it's here. Uh, this is an Essen, this is a Gen Con release originally, but if you like uh Arnac, this does fit into the big box. It's just more cards, and more cards is something I will never complain about in Arnac, which is again a deck building worker placement game, and the deck building gives you a lot more ways to combine different things uh to your advantage. And that brings us to number one over here, the last one, parts of Archival Ship Builders. I didn't realize they had another expansion already. I just picked up Bermuda Triangle at Origins if I'm not mistaken. Empires Mario Cab ship builders does not add a ton to the game. So, if you're looking for a big gameplay exped the biggest gameplay experience overall, uh but uh ship builders are going to be giving you new ships, adorn them with new figureheads. So, you have new ships and new figureheads as well as a starting first player marker. Although I don't know if anyone particularly cares about that, but it's again new content for Mario Kybo Pirates of Marabo, which is my favorite version of the Mario Kybo games. Uh, but Pirates of Marbo is a game that I continue to enjoy, continue to play, have had a ton of fun with it over the past year and a half since I discovered it. It's been out for longer than that, but I only discovered it a year and a half uh ago, and this is just more content for it that I'll definitely be picking up. Those are your 15 expansion recommendations. There's going to be a ton of games at Essen. There's going to be a ton of expansions. Again, you can go to the BG list and sort and search and sort whatever expansions you want for games you already know you enjoy. These are 15 games I enjoy with a bunch of expansions, some of which I've played, some of which I haven't, and my recommendations of games to pick up.

10:33 Until next time, I'm Alex Radical from Board Game Co. Hope you enjoy this video, and as always, I hope you have a good one.