35 thoughts on “Citadels Comparison – with Zee Garcia

  1. I just bought Original version today, as I remember I would look at in a shop all the time when I was a kid.
    Now I see this has a new edition? The art looks amazing, but still I like the old one a bit more, the atmosphere is more mysterious, which I prefer, also the box is tiny , and I love compact games.

    Note: I do board game art professionaly, especially card art, and I would probably do it the same way as in 2016, but damn, the old stuff is just way better.

  2. I'm new to board games, so I don't have the nostalgia that comes with playing the old version of this, but I think the new version looks fantastic. And really….considering the prices of some of these board games, the production values on the content should match the pricetag. This was a worthy upgrade, it looks like, with the exception of the smaller money.

  3. I like it as I've been meaning to pick up a copy of Citadels. My one gripe is I myself am not a fan of the new artwork. It looks like Pixar took over the art department. Clearly I'm biased towards dark and gloomy medieval and I'm likely in the minority and this art style is probably more welcoming towards more families and other players. If I'm going to be handed a picture of a unicorn, it better be dragging chains and ridden by a blood soaked morbid angel of death in battle worn armor. That's just me.

  4. the sneaky thing about that tinier box is that there is a common, mascarade-size citadels box with everything that was available for years, which is the one I have. it was also first to introduce the "butterscotch" coins, which Zee spoke of as if they were new in 2016 edition. still great review, love citadels and I think this version would help convince my in laws who are naysayers that it's worth it.

  5. Overall it definitely looks like the 2016 edition is the version to get if you don't have the game already. I do find the art of the older version to have a bit more character. The new art seems to be better executed… cleaner… but a bit more cliched in my opinion.

  6. Unfortunately, the new Classic version comes with cardboard coins and the Crown is no longer a token but a card. I wish I'd looked around for an older copy of the game.

  7. So glad they put this game in a proper standard box size. Love how the new art pops, the larger cards, and the little tokens.

  8. The new artwork is so meh… bright maybe, but so boring! Zero character. As someone has already said… no soul. No need to upgrade.

  9. I debated between the several versions and finally settled on the 2016 edition. If you already have an older version there is really no reason for updating.

    If you have a game group that would play this a lot, the new version allows for so much variety, so the game won't get old.

    The rule book also has preset list of characters to use for different type of games. It will suggest the characters to use for an aggressive game or suggest a different list for a more relaxed builder type of game. Pretty interesting.

  10. Far prefer the artistic vision of the original game. The 'gloss' of the new game seems to have lost the game's soul somewhere along the way

  11. One con with the new version is that it has a much larger box than the previous edition. (Zee had the first print of the old edition. The second print had a minimal box which was about half the size of Zee's old box.)

  12. I was introduced to the classic small box version just a few months ago and I was very impressed with it. Simple enough for newbies but strategic enough for gamers. I also liked the hybrid hidden role and set building mechanics, as well as the strong theme and art which reminded me of Magic: The Gathering.

    Finding out that a late 2016 deluxe edition was being released was therefore a very pleasant surprise. I bought the new version and have zero regrets.

    It's in a bigger box, which takes away from the small box portability of the original. This new, bigger box is also unnecessarily large, since the inside has a lot of wasted space from the cardboard insert.

    However, the amount of content in there more than justifies the extra cost. The original is selling for about $19, while the 2016 deluxe version sells for just under $30. You're getting the original game, plus the Dark City expansion, PLUS another bunch of characters that were new in 2016. Triple the characters means a lot more customization and replay value.

    The new artwork is another advantage as well. The original art was good, the new art is gorgeous. Its style is also much brighter and accessible as well, in contrast to the menacing and creepy tone set by a lot of the older cards. This makes it more inviting for kids, families, and female gamers.

    Citadels 2016 is a great product that I'd recommend to any new gamer looking to build his/her collection.

  13. I have a lot of nostalgia for the old edition, but the new version certainly feels like a worthy purchase. I was worried about the art becoming too modern but I can see that that's not an issue. Love the Tarot feel to the character cards. It's so polished now. I think it's finally time to add that game to my collection!

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