Whether it’s your local town’s version of Monopoly, that Harry Potter Chess Set, or a new deluxe printing of a classic war game, tabletop games often get new editions that add fluff, new features, or just a fresh coat of paint. In this piece, we’ll take a look at several new editions to explore the different types of updates you’ll find, and whether it makes sense to update from the original.
First, a note – clicking around Noble Knight and elsewhere, you might see clarifications about printings (1st, 2nd printings, etc.). That’s often important as minor manufacturing mistakes get corrected between print runs, and we’ll touch on those towards the article’s end, but if you’re curious about what, if anything, has changed in a game’s print run, checking the publisher’s website is a good first step.
Catan’s 6th Edition Update
Catan, originally known as The Settlers of Catan before everyone agreed one word beat four, is releasing a 6th Edition this spring. If you’ve been wandering game 
store shelves for the last couple of decades, you’ve probably noticed that, every now and then, Catan reappears with some different box art, a new expansion, or a wild, fun gimmick (link to 3D version). With Catan’s 6th edition, you’re getting revamped art, components, and rulebook overhauls in service of making Catan more accessible and easy to play. The rulebook has more graphics added to examples, the tiles are cleaner, and so on. This couples with reprints of the Seafarers, Cities and Knights, Traders and Barbarians, and Explorers and Pirates expansions.
All that presents options for current Catan players and new ones – if you’re looking to add Catan to your collection, you’ll want to take a good look at the new edition and its stylings. See if it, subjectively, matches the style you like. If so, then aiming for the 6th edition makes sense, as it’ll probably be the easiest option to expand as you dive in. The fancy card holders and updated rules are almost a bonus here.
If you own an earlier edition, well, I’d argue you’re just fine unless the cards are wearing out or you’re really loving the new artwork. There’s not another new expansion coming out exclusive to the 6th edition, and if you’re already playing Catan enough to consider this, then an updated rulebook and accessible card art probably isn’t your top concern. Instead, I’d pick another expansion from your current version to add. They’re all still great!
The last scenario here is the most difficult – what if you want a particular Catan expansion, but it’s impossible to find for your version, or simply didn’t exist when you picked up Catan for the first time? To that, I’d say your best move is to donate or gift your older Catan to a friend or family member who’d appreciate it, and then treat yourself with the upgraded version and that expansion. Mixing new expansions with old editions is sometimes possible, but the differing art’s going to make for a distracting experience, and potentially a game ruining one if card backs differ (so you can tell which cards are what in a deck).
Ethnos’s Second Edition Overhaul
Ethnos, originally released in 2017, crashed in with great gameplay. A blend of area control, drafting, hand management, and fantasy creatures, Ethnos tells a
compelling, interactive tale from the get-go. The art and production design, however, was polarizing, which led to another type of edition you’ll often see – the rebranding effort. 2023 saw Archeos Society release, a reimplementation of Ethnos as a fantastical archeological adventure. The gameplay shifted slightly to accommodate the new theme, with components and fresh artwork to match. If you’d tried Ethnos or wanted to but couldn’t find a copy, Archeos Society brought a wide release and, perhaps, a more accessible theme to your local game store.
These sorts of reinventions happen all the time in tabletop gaming, in part because great mechanics are, well, great mechanics but production design and theming appeal to different groups. Both Ethnos and Archeos Society are good fun, and you’re able to pick the one that best suits your game group. Or, you can now, as Ethnos: 2nd Edition releases.
Reprints don’t just appear from the ether, and putting on a fresh coat of paint can give a beloved title new life. Ethnos: 2nd Edition gets exactly this, with vibrant new art, refreshed rules, and a brand new solo mode. The changes here aren’t earth-shattering, but they’re exactly what can help a good design get the attention it deserves. If your group loves anthropomorphic animals and bright components, Ethnos: 2nd Edition is going to be far easier to get to the table than its earlier cousin, even if their gameplay is almost identical.
Cyclades and its Big Legendary Edition
New editions also offer an opportunity to adjust balance issues or add in features that weren’t ready when the initial game went to print. Take Cyclades, a 2010 
auction and area control game with a strong following (for good reason). It received a bunch of expansions over the years before the recent Cyclades: Legendary Edition went through crowdfunding. This new edition comes with significant revisions from the original designers, incorporating a new and more dynamic auction setup, a modular map for more variety, and a revamped two-player mode, not to mention the usual updated art and components. It’s a fantastic refresh, and the place to start for anyone looking to venture into Cyclades for the first time.
You’ll see bigger overhauls like this more rarely, though war games get them more frequently than their bigger-boxed cousins. In part, this happens because in-the-wild play testing over years reveals tactics or strategies that might be broken, as with A Few Acres of Snow, a deck-building game that remains great so long as a particular strategy is ignored, and that has since been remade as Mythotopia and A Handful of Stars. Those two sequels both address the core issue while re-theming Snow to broaden the audience. When you’re looking at a game with major changes between editions like these, it’s best to look at what, exactly, is getting changed.
With Cyclades, the new auction system and board setup does change the game from the original. If you’re a beloved fan of the first incarnation, seeking out the original expansions might be a better bet than changing what works for you and your group. Similarly, it’s easy to play around the lone broken bit (say, by not looking up what it is) in A Few Acres of Snow if fantasy or sci-fi don’t measure up to the French and Indian War setting.
Hoplite and New Printings
Thus far, we’ve explored cosmetic refreshes, substantial overhauls, and complete reimplementations as types of editions. The most minor, but still significant, are subsequent print runs, generally labeled as 2nd or 3rd printings rather than editions. You’ll most often see these with war games, and occasionally big titles with second or third crowdfunding campaigns. The point here is less an overhaul and more corrections and small additions. Take Hoplite’s 2nd printing, which comes
almost a decade after the first. While the box art has changed, the other tweaks fix typos and the like. Everything else is the same.
This is your clue that getting an earlier version at a good price point—something Noble Knight often has available—isn’t costing you much, if anything, in game quality. Rather, you now have options and the knowledge of which game fits your budget and collection.
With all the above in mind, let’s wrap by reviewing a few things in mind when comparing editions of a game you’re interested in:
- The bigger the shift between editions, the more care you should take in reviewing the changes.
- Cosmetic overhauls and print runs likely mean you’re getting the same experience, but big additions, mechanic tweaks, or theme swaps like between Aeon’s End and Astro Knights, warrant a more thorough review.
- Is the price difference worth a fresh coat of paint?
- Everyone’s budget is unique, but you’ll likely save a few bucks going with an earlier edition. If the changes are minor (or simply cosmetic), consider whether you need the newest box. You’ll usually wind up with the same great game no matter which version you get.
- What’s your grit tolerance?
- Cleaned up errata, extra player aids, and the like make up the most common fixes in new editions. All these come together to smooth out your play experience. For tabletop vets willing to make ad hoc rulings on edge cases or read between vague lines, diving into gnarly early editions might be just fine. As a gift or with a game meant for newer audiences, though, the newest edition is likely going to keep everyone happier.
So there you have it – new game editions don’t make originals unnecessary, but it’s best to do a little research to figure out what’s changed and why to find what’s the best buy for your collection.
Read our previous article here!
