by SimonL
I got a copy this week that just got back in print, from 401games in Toronto.The cards are still of a slightly different shade. It's kind of minor but still sort of gets on my nerve. But I'm like that. At least, the expansion provides you with an entire new set of objective (personality) cards. You can replace the old ones (Urbain, Chretien de Troyes, etc...) with the new ones so that you can't immediately tell that your opponent is holding one of the new Ladies personality cards... Especially when you play only 2 players, then each player gets 2 cards, and if you hold them side by side you can tell immediately that he's holding a Lady if he has an older personality card in his hand. Just use the whole set of new ones.
The new cards kind of feel different too. I find it hard to describe, the old cards had a nice "matte" almost ... powdery (?) feeling to them. They felt better in the hand. The new cards have a "shinier" and slightly stickier feel. Eh. The shade of the newer cards is more "yellow-red" whereas the older cards had a more muted appearance. I prefer the feel of old cards.
Another point about the cards... The activity cards in my base game had the French name written bigger, and the English and German name written in small print under the main title. I've waited for a Ladies of Troyes that would match that, because again, I'm like that. But it never seems to have come. So I gave up and got this expansion version, which has only the English name. Not a huge deal, but it's affecting my odd brain.
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My Appendix seems to have been corrected. Chief Outlaw, for instance, has the right description.
My Isabeau de Baviere is red/yellow, although I don't see how that's an issue. It's just weird that she's blue on the cover. I bet I wouldn't have noticed that one had I not read about it.
The 8/4/2 level IV outdoors activity card is correct and the rules also state 8/4/2.
The dice are slightly smaller. But it's not really an issue for me.
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I'm glad I got the expansion, but if it's not obvious, I'm rather annoyed by the cards. I got the expansion because I sort of gave up on the "issues" being fixed. Troyes is amazing. It's just my personal perfectionist obsessions that are kicking in. None of this impacts gameplay in the end. I guess you could start memorizing which activity cards are the new ones, and if you are really hoping this hidden "Age III" card is going to be a specific card, you could know in advance that it has no chance of being that card based on its back. But since I have the memory of a goldfish, that's never really an issue for me.
