Game Review: The Pillars of the Earth Expansion

By Greg Schloesser
June 26, 2008

Publisher: Mayfair Games / Kosmos
Designers: Michael Rieneck & Stefan Stadler
Players: 2-6
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 90-120 minutes
Rules Language: English / German

NOTE: I will assume a familiarity with the base game The Pillars of the Earth. This review will concentrate on the additions and modifications in the Expansion.

I have a problem with games designed for a maximum of four players as within our gaming group, we tend to have so many folks present that it’s difficult to get four-player games to the table. Games for five or six players get played far more often, so I am always on the lookout for games that will fit that number. The problem is that there appears to be a trend to release more and more four-player games, particularly those that are on the heavier side of the strategy scale.

The Pillars of the Earth is one such game. Released in 2006, the game became the top rated game at Spiel, the big gaming trade show in Essen, and has subsequently met with general approval from the gaming world. Indeed, it has quickly risen into the Top 60 games as rated by gamers on BoardGameGeek. I, too, am one of the game’s fans, but have always lamented that it can accommodate only four players.

At this past year’s Spiel, I was happy to learn that an expansion for the game had been released that would now allow the game to be played with up to six players. Normally I avoid expansions, but several folks were singing the praises of this one, so I eagerly awaited the English version. While I do not share the same enthusiasm as several folks – and feel that playing with five or six players adds too much time to the game’s length – I do appreciate the additions and choices made to the base game.

In addition to some new cards and extra components, the main addition in the expansion is a new board, which adds five new locations where players can place their master builders or workers:

• Tax Collector: In addition to exempting the player from taxes, he also collects the amount of the tax die roll.

• Crusades: There are four locations whereupon players may place workers to earn one or two victory points. The number of workers required varies from three-to-seven.

• France: The player receives the “Inspiration in St.-Denis” card. This can be extremely beneficial, as it allows the player to use any one craftsman owned by any player. The frequency he can be used is one less than normal, but this gives the player the opportunity to use a benefit he might not normally possess.

• Coast: The player may sell resources at a more favorable rate than available at the market.

• Shiring: The player takes the available privilege card. These cards grant a wide variety of abilities and privileges. Once acquired, the cards usually can be held for future use, but some do require them to be utilized immediately.

One of the main complaints against the base game was the random manner in which master builders were selected for placement. While this method never really bothered me, it was apparently enough of a concern that the designers have introduced a method that mitigates some of the luck by reversing the order of the placement of the master builders in the third placement round. So, if a person was able to place his master builder first in the initial placement round, he will place his final master builder last. While this doesn’t completely eliminate the randomness of the draw, it does somewhat mitigate its effects. It would be a fine modification to the original game even when playing without the expansion.

Normally, I tend to avoid expansions. I will usually play a new release numerous times in a relatively short period of time. After that, the frequency of play reduces dramatically. There are simply too many games being released and already on my shelves, so I generally don’t play any game more than a few times a year. As a result, expansions to a game usually hold little appeal. Indeed, I am predisposed to avoid them.

For the reasons stated earlier, however, I was interested in the Pillars Expansion, and for the most part, have been happy with it. The additional placement locations provide players with more options and offer more strategic considerations and possibilities, while the method of placing the final master builders does help balance some of the luck. My main complaint, however, is that an additional 45 minutes to an hour is added to the game’s length when playing with five or six players. Frankly, that’s just too much time. The game truly shines when it can be played in less than two hours, which is possible with the base game.

In spite of the extra time required, however, I am happy that the expansion is available, as it now allows the game to be played by more than just four players. The considerable amount of extra time it takes to do so is disappointing, but ultimately worth it.

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Comments:

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Greg, How do you feel about the expansion when used without adding players.  For a four player game, the rules suggest not using the master builder track.  Does the track improve the game with any number?  Does the added diversity of cards improve the game because each game is different, or does it hurt it because the game is more random from one turn to the next because you never know which cards will show up?  I have the expansion and have played it, and am not even sure how I would answer the above questions. Posted by Jonathan Franklin on Jun 26, 2008 at 11:52 AM | #

I didn’t like the expansion with six players, mainly because the board gets really crowded. Several times players didn’t have anything useful to do with their pawn(s). The worst case happened to me late in the game - none of my pawns were drawn until all others were out of the bag. I had three in a row to place and nothing worthwhile left on the board. I would like to try it again with five. I agree, the game was quite long with six - hopefully it will be more reasonable with five experienced players. Posted by Mary Prasad on Jul 1, 2008 at 01:35 PM | #

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