Concordia: Aegyptus / Creta

The Aegytpus board is my favorite Concordia board! It adds exciting new elements to the game: the Nile River provides a food/wheat bonus and players can retire colonists for bonus points. Also, there's a second waterway (separate from the Nile) that requires effort to reach but provides rich rewards! The Creta board works well for two-player games due to its small size. One of the provinces is special—it has only one city and provides a bonus good of the player's choice.

The first alternate map for the base game that offers some new and meaningful tactical considerations. If you are planning to expand your Concordia kit, start with Salsa then buy this board. Another excellent addition to an already stellar game. *The use of flimsy card stock for the detached personality card mat is a disappointing first for the franchise. By no means a deal breaker, but an uncharacteristically cheap production choice.

Worth it for Creta. Amazing 2- or 3-player board. Also excellent alternate costs for personality cards: some of the Cloth requirements are replaced by Wine, balancing the otherwise underwhelming Wine. It gets to be a little Wine-crazy with Salt cities needing Wine, too. But that's way more fun than when Cloth is King!

Creta is a great board for fewer players, and Aegyptus is the most interesting board made for this game. The Nile food mechanism and the Red Sea trade, and the two bonus spots are fascinating. Combine it with the team game from Venus for extra fun (second players can start on the Red Sea coast).

Creta: better for two than Italia. Tight! And even tighter with three. Aegyptus: the moving bonus crop makes sure there’s an abundance of food. The topography is very interesting. The slight change of rules and the role of the boats give Aegyptus an entirely different feel than the other maps I know. Great. [i]Only first play logged, from then on always part of the base game (but other boards will also be played). [/i]