Removing variants

At Manorcon, back in July, I was talking to Ian D. Wilson, the designer of 1861, 1812 and 1858.  He advised me to reduce the number of optional variants, on the grounds that many 18xx players would spend time discussing which variants to play rather than getting on with the game.  In addition, the extra components add the possibility of confusion, as we have already seen in the game that we're playing.  18GB already has a set up that varies with the number of players, so adding extra complexity at this stage is probably a bad idea.

On reflection, I think this is good advice.  To an extent,  variants such as the extra tiles and the 8X trains simply reflect different design options that I explored during the development of the game.  I kept them partly to hedge my bets, as well as to allow some extra variety should players wish it.

I have already taken some steps in this regard.  In version 26, I have simplified the main choice into a standard game or an advanced game.  The advanced game adds the character cards and the rule for World War One.  These are reasonably well tested and proven, bar some minor tweaking to the fine details of the characters' powers.  The character cards are clearly separate from the other components of the game and cannot be easily confused with them.  All other variants are put separately at the back of the "Setup and Scenarios" booklet.

I now intend to take this further.  I will remove the extra tiles variant and the 8X train variant altogether.  These will remove the extra components which are easily confused with the standard components. I think this decision will simplify the game setup.  And I think the game plays better without these rules - otherwise I would have included them in the core design.