A couple of days ago, I picked up my copy of the Village Big Box. I already own Village and all its expansions, but I absolutely love the re-designed art and symbology, so I wanted to replace it.
Here's a thread of comparison pictures between the two versions:
First off, the new box is absurdly unnecessary. But we'll get to that later, because the new box art is PHENOMENAL.
As is the new board art:
I also really appreciate how the Book of the Dead is now a separate component that's a) dual layer so the meeples don't slide around and b) *an actual book that opens and closes*.
That second part has no effect on gameplay.... it's just cool.
I always appreciate dual-layer boards in board games. In fact, I think they're one of the best component trends in recent years, and I wish they were standard in all games where bits have to sit in specific board spaces without moving.
No exception here; these new player boards are GREAT.
The original meeples had stickers to apply their numbers. That worked just fine.
But the screen-printing on the new meeples is just a touch nicer, and also a very nice touch. 😁
When it comes to a lot of the printed components, some of the artistic & design choices will be purely a matter of taste. For the most part, I really like the clean lines of the new art.
With the exception of the cow. The new cow just looks dumb. 😂
Here's where I get to the negative, and it's the same negative I have with every single "Big Box" edition: the big f***ing box.
This box is a massive waste and completely unnecessary.
All of the components included here will easily fit into the original game's box size.
And this insert commits MULTIPLE cardinal sins:
Cardinal Sin No. 1: Look how much empty space there is under this insert. Somehwere between 1/3 and 1/2 of this box is AIR!
Cardinal Sin No. 2: Every Single. Component. must be separated out by expansion and carefully stacked into perfect-sized slots. Board Game Manufacturers: STOP F***ING DOING THIS. It doesn't appreciably help setup, and WILDLY slows down teardown. It is not a feature, it's a bug.
Cardinal Sin No. 3: Sleeved. Cards. Don't. Fit.
They ALMOST got this right. The well where the cards sit is *wide* enough for sleeves, but like many manufacturers they failed to make it DEEP enough for the whole stack. Which is especially bad because there's plenty of air underneath this card well.
All that said, though, this is a phenomenal version with generally better, clearer, prettier components than the original, and I think it's absolutely worth the upgrade, ESPECIALLY if you don't yet own the expansions, which I consider essential.
I can't wait to get this one to the table!
Pixelart Meeple
matt