Expansions

So there are apparently four expansions out there for the game in what is known as the "Frontline" series. I did not know about this until very recently. As it turns out, they were never sold in any retail stores or new online, but rather were only made as promotions at game stores and prizes at tournaments. As a result, the actual expansions are pretty rare and expensive. I would love to get my hands on them and try them out, but so far I have only been able to find incompletely versions of them on Ebay for way more than I'm willing to pay. If anybody out there has ever played with them or owns them, let me know... I am very interested in knowing what you thought! I will discuss each one briefly just based on what I have read about them.

Season One - Mars
The fist one is an entirely new board that represents Mars. Actually, the image on the board was supposedly taken from real satellite footage, which is pretty cool. The board, from what I can tell, is meant to be played on instead of the regular Earth one, not just as an addition. I have a feeling this would change the game quite a bit and not feel like an expansion so much as a completely different game. Anyway, the territories are all quite intermingled together, making it difficult to use the typical strategy of guarding your few borders while leaving your center thin. I'm interested in playing on it, but it's not the most intriguing of the expansions.

Season Two - Tech Commander 
This one is my personal favorite. It simply adds a new commander and his own set of cards, while leaving all the other aspects of the game alone. After looking at descriptions of all the tech command cards, I must say I am dying to try this guy out. They seem fun and strategic to say the least. The commander himself does not roll with an 8-sided die, but does defend with one, just like the Diplomat.

Season Three - Factions
This one lets you be more directly in control of your own game and really capitalize on a specific strategy. At the beginning, you choose a faction to be affiliated with, and that faction allows you special perks or bonuses that are completely different from the ones your opponents will be getting with their faction of choice. I like this idea and while it does change the game significantly, it probably wouldn't feel like playing a completely different one entirely.

Season Four - Invasion of the Giant Amoebas 
This one, in my opinion, does not sound very fun. It may be interesting for one or two games, but I think it would only be a distracting nuisance as opposed to a strategic change. Basically, there are Amoebas that will come into the game and wreak havoc on all players in some way, shape, or form. The way this happens is by a set of event cards. I'm not sure how they get played or if there is ANY strategy involved at all. It may just be something to keep players on their toes and make the game more crazy and entertaining for those who like that sort of thing.

So, if you've played any of these let me know. Also, I am aware that it is possible to replicate these expansions at home using templates found online. If you have done that, I want to know about it. If you want to do that, try it out and please tell me how it goes. Till next time!