When looking at the Upcoming page, it would seem that FFG is more and more producing mini-expansions: a new character for Tannhäuser, 40 cards for a LCG, a new plane type for Wings of War or a new adventure for Runebound.

On one hand, this can be very nice: small expansions allow you to renew your gaming experience for a small amount of money. They make nice small presents to ask of people who wouldn't be able to afford a big boardgame or expansion. Also, mini expansions allow you to pick and choose: you can buy exactly those things you like, and leave the ones you don't want on the shelves.

However, often it seems that the smaller an expansion is, the less value for money it offers. For example, Tannhäuser costs $69,95 and comes with the board and ten characters (including the sheets and the tokens for those characters). Operation Novgorod costs $59,95 for five characters (seven miniatures, though) and a board. The mini-expansions are $11,95 for a single character. Are mini-expansions just a marketing strategy to sell less for more? If so, FFG are of course in their right to use it: I'm still buying it, so it seems I'm willing to pay the price.On the long run, though, such marketing strategies don't improve the standing of a company in my eyes.

Now, I haven't yet decided on how I feel about the mini expansions: are they a nice approach to expansions, or just a way to milk it as much as possible?

I like the mini expansions from the money standpoint. I can afford $10 to $25 dollars every now and then much easier than $50 or $60.

It also lets you pick and choose the extras you want. I'm all for it.

Nested deep inside the mind of every marketing expert is the innate desire become more profitable. As you have suggested, this is most likely the motivation for producing smaller and smaller expansions for unexponentially less and less value. Until these units cease selling, it is a wonderful means of making profit and just plain good business. It is neither right nor wrong, it is simply capitalism at its best. I applaud FFG for taking advantage of this opportunity. Though they are not highly unique in this regard, kudos to the marketing team for not just dividing the base set price by the number of assets.

sepayne7l said:

same here.

also, it would be great if separate parts of older games would be available.

like, miniatures from War Of The Ring (say, the whole Fellowship) or tiles for Descent, etc.

Personally I'm all for the mini-expansions.  I don't play Tanhauser, but for Runebound, the mini-expansions have been wonderful.  Personally, I think Descent would see great benefit from this, particularly when it comes to their campaign system (Road to Legend) as they could release mini-expansions with new dungeon floors, rumours, and encounters, each geared toward one of the existing boardgame expansions.  Currently they have to limit the use of game elements specific to a particular one, since anything they do along those lines in a main expansion to RtL limits its value to players who haven't bought all expansions.  I would love to see dungeon floors that have corrupted tiles, or an arena-sytle pit, or a chaos beast as the boss, but I know those things would never see publication in a major RtL expansion.  Mini-expansions would give the designers much more flexibility.

That being said, I'd also love to see FFG put more components up for sale as well...  Dungeon/Outdoor tiles, counters, and so on, but that's more of a web-store thing.

I am all for the mini expansions.  They allow those of us who can't afford the big price tag of the larger expansions the ability to expand our games, and pick and choose what we want at the same time.  And it is definitely good business sense, so I applaud FFG for doing this, especially in this economy.  Whatever they can do to increase sales, so that they can continue to offer great games for years to come is a good idea in my book.  Even if it ends up costing more in the end, buying mini expansions is definitely easier for me to purchase at $15 a pop, compared to $60.