It’s accurate. Also, yours is a refreshing take on this news.
I can only imagine those other comments! We went through a similar situation with Pandemic: The Cure – Experimental Meds, which cost more than the base game. Custom dice eh? They're expensive! Looks like Rivalry is more expensive than Base+Ambition, that is hefty!
For those wondering where Rivalry's high price is coming from, here's some info from my comments in the BGG main news posts.
Rivalry is "three expansions in one", with both "regular" expansion content: a new die type, new start factions, home worlds, and game tiles, etc. and two optional challenges: the Deal game and the Orb game.
Updated player screens include summaries for these games (in different type colors) and all 10 dice types (avoiding the need for stickers which proved to be an issue with Ambition).
Rivalry does not require Ambition, but is compatible with it. The Deal and Orb games can be combined with each other and Ambition's goals.
Rivalry includes a dozen customizable dice with over 200 plug-in die faces in 48 different type, PLUS 62 Roll dice in 10 different types, 5 sheets of tiles and markers, 8 sheets for the Deal mat, new phase strips and updated player screens, plus wooden disks.
That's a LOT of components (many of which are custom made and involve specialized production, such as laminating layers of printed film on the plug-in die faces). Providing the exact counts needed for all the plug-in die faces and Roll dice also adds considerable assembly cost.
We recognize the price is high, especially for an expansion. If we divided it into three separate expansions, then the total would probably be around ~$125, instead of $80, and we wouldn't be able to provide unified Player screens or save some cost on components shared between the Deal and Orb games.
For those wondering where Rivalry's high price is coming from, here's some info from my comments in the BGG main news posts.
Rivalry is "three expansions in one", with both "regular" expansion content: a new die type, new start factions, home worlds, and game tiles, etc. and two optional challenges: the Deal game and the Orb game.
Updated player screens include summaries for these games (in different type colors) and all 10 dice types (avoiding the need for stickers which proved to be an issue with Ambition).
Rivalry does not require Ambition, but is compatible with it. The Deal and Orb games can be combined with each other and Ambition's goals.
Rivalry includes a dozen customizable dice with over 200 plug-in die faces in 48 different type, PLUS 62 Roll dice in 10 different types, 5 sheets of tiles and markers, 8 sheets for the Deal mat, new phase strips and updated player screens, plus wooden disks.
That's a LOT of components (many of which are custom made and involve specialized production, such as laminating layers of printed film on the plug-in die faces). Providing the exact counts needed for all the plug-in die faces and Roll dice also adds considerable assembly cost.
We recognize the price is high, especially for an expansion. If we divided it into three separate expansions, then the total would probably be around ~$125, instead of $80, and we wouldn't be able to provide unified Player screens or save some cost on components shared between the Deal and Orb games.
Sounds like the analogy with Pandemic: The Cute is even more accurate. Is this "bundling" being done for similar reasons to those for Experimental Meds, or is Rivalry too integrated a set of expansions for them to have been sold separately?
It’s accurate. Also, yours is a refreshing take on this news.
I also first heard about it on Board Game Breakfast this morning. While my response isn't necessarily negative, the price point brings to mind the quote "Extraordinary claims require Extraordinary Evidence". If they want me to spend $80 on an expansion, they're going to have to bring something VERY interesting to the table to justify the price point.
It’s accurate. Also, yours is a refreshing take on this news.
I also first heard about it on Board Game Breakfast this morning. While my response isn't necessarily negative, the price point brings to mind the quote "Extraordinary claims require Extraordinary Evidence". If they want me to spend $80 on an expansion, they're going to have to bring something VERY interesting to the table to justify the price point.
From what I have read, the Deal and Orb Expansions interest me the most. The ability to deal and concede things like white dice to increase other elements that synergies better with trying to get more high value devs or settlements add strategic elements that give the game more depth. I like that the Orb expansion gives you another way to build your engine and the tech tree aspect sounds intriguing.
I also first heard about it on Board Game Breakfast this morning. While my response isn't necessarily negative, the price point brings to mind the quote "Extraordinary claims require Extraordinary Evidence". If they want me to spend $80 on an expansion, they're going to have to bring something VERY interesting to the table to justify the price point.
That's completely fair. We think we are doing this.
The Deal game adds a lot of depth while the Orb Game adds a "tech tree" (plus dice crafting is just fun! ;-). Both games add new player interactions in various ways.
In addition, the new Pioneer die, factions, home worlds, and game tiles all continue to flesh out Roll's universe.
Towards the end of February, we will release our Designer Preview, with more details.
It’s accurate. Also, yours is a refreshing take on this news.
I also first heard about it on Board Game Breakfast this morning. While my response isn't necessarily negative, the price point brings to mind the quote "Extraordinary claims require Extraordinary Evidence". If they want me to spend $80 on an expansion, they're going to have to bring something VERY interesting to the table to justify the price point.
Honestly, I’m 75% sold already. The problem, though, is that my group tends toward lower complexity games. Roll + Ambition is almost too much, so it might be a tough sell to add more. If it were cheaper, I might get it regardless of whether it would see a lot of playtime. The price is making me think hard about it, which is kind of a good thing.
I also first heard about it on Board Game Breakfast this morning. While my response isn't necessarily negative, the price point brings to mind the quote "Extraordinary claims require Extraordinary Evidence". If they want me to spend $80 on an expansion, they're going to have to bring something VERY interesting to the table to justify the price point.
That's completely fair. We think we are doing this.
The Deal game adds a lot of depth while the Orb Game adds a "tech tree" (plus dice crafting is just fun! ;-). Both games add new player interactions in various ways.
In addition, the new Pioneer die, factions, home worlds, and game tiles all continue to flesh out Roll's universe.
Towards the end of February, we will release our Designer Preview, with more details.
what about lenght? how much more is the game extended with the new expansions?
Appreciate Mr. Lehman stepping in here and providing explanations for the cost. For me though, that's just too much. My game budget is pretty small and at that price, I am way more likely to add an entirely different game that delivers a different experience than add on to an existing game, even one that I really enjoy.
For me though, that's just too much. My game budget is pretty small and at that price, I am way more likely to add an entirely different game that delivers a different experience than add on to an existing game, even one that I really enjoy.
I sympathize with and respect this.
My one comment is that we describe this as "3 expansions in one" as the two optional Deal and Orb games, in our opinion, do deliver very different experiences alongside the "Roll experience". Whether that counts as "different enough" for you, of course, is up to you; your mileage may vary.
This is a game my wife and I adore, and it has needed another expansion for a while. To get three in one (and not Queenie-ish mini-expansions) seems to me like a great deal.
These cookies measure how often visitors use our site and what features are popular. This information helps us build better experiences and optimize our site's performance.
Without these cookies, there will be reduced functionality of embedded social media content, such as YouTube and Twitch videos. This functionality often involves embedded iframes, which may set other cookies.
Examples of cookies you might see are shown above. For connections to 3rd party sites such as Google, cookies may be sent that were set elsewhere on the internet; we do not use these cookies, and have no access to them. The lists of example cookies above should include all domains for which cookies are set, but may omit some 3rd party cookies, especially in cases where we embed 3rd party content, such as youtube videos.
