I just picked up the Beyond the Threshold expansion. I own everything released for the 1st and 2nd edition minus two 1st edition POD scenarios.

When I opened the box, I was excited to see the quality of the models, however, I think they went "light" on the quantity of content for this expansion.

It's sold in a mid sized box, which typically connotes a more significant expansion. With only 2 new heroes and a couple of scenarios, and a small stack of mini cards, this could have been sold in a small X-wing plastic pack for $14.

I get my games from a LFGS who gives me 25% off MSRP with my membership, and it still feels as though I overpaid for this product.

I totally appreciate FFG in producing more content for the games I play, but when the contents of the box don't even fill 1/3 of the size of the box, kinda makes you feel like it's a cash grab, because they know their customers who are sold on a game are going to pay the price to acquire the new content.

I have to agree that I was a little taken aback by how empty the box was. However I'm still not sure how I feel about the price; given that the box also unlocks access to in-app content such as mythos events and scenarios, which would traditionally be present in the form of more decks of cards in the box, it is difficult for me to directly compare the quantity with that of other games. That being said, I'd like to think that one advantage of moving towards a digital model is cheaper distribution, and it is a shame (though not surprising) that this saving can't be passed to the consumer in any way. On a related note, thanks to recent events, $29.99 now equates to £29.99 in U.K. stores, so that was fun.

However, as I said, I was shocked at the amount of empty space in the box, and if just from a "I wish games companies would stop wasting so much cardboard" I wonder if it would be possible to release future expansions in either medium blister packs (like x wing and imperial assault) or even a small box akin to the Foresaken Lore Eldritch horror expansion. I understand that bigger boxes make the products more visible and take up more shelf space from competitors, but I feel this business model can be reserved for the already massive core sets, rather than the expansions,

Given there were very few new components there was still a typo on the front of the 'Mesmerized' cards:

'an alien will takes control'

And since coming across a bug that killed my first play of Vengeful Impulses, I'm a bit disappointed =[

The miniatures seem a bit better than some of the figures in previous boxes though?

I haven't seen the full card text, but I see nothing wrong with the text?

'Alien' is an adjective, 'will' a noun.

I haven't seen the full card text, but I see nothing wrong with the text?

'Alien' is an adjective, 'will' a noun.

You're right, I'm just misreading it, my bad ;]

'At the end of your turn an alien will takes control.'

(The wording is a little odd though, maybe an alien will was behind it)

Yea we had this discussion when it was announced and I compared it to a small box from IA, which basically had double the content. That was when they were still pricing it at $39.99, shortly after that thread was created it dropped to $29.99.

So what can you get from FFG for 29.99 that is comparable? I do agree that they could have packaged it better, no need to create a 'small box' when a blister pack would have been sufficient. But again as already mentioned it was a mind-marketing game maybe trying to make us think we are getting more than we are. Oh $29.99 for a small box? That's pretty decent! Oh $29.99 for a blister pack? Eh... pretty pricey.

FFG is first and foremost a business, they are at the top of their game in terms of quality content for table tops, but they are still a business. I've seen some skeezy stuff from them before in regards to other games.. (for instance the LOTR LCG is wayyyyy over priced for the content you get, especially the cycle packs). They do have incredible customer service, but pretty much every table top company does including the small guys, because they have to. Nobody is going to buy your product again if they get broken pieces you refuse to replace.

I think this pack was better priced around the $19.99-$24.99 mark and packaged as a blister pack instead of a small box.

While the content is the box is light, there is a cost for development and testing on the electronic side. If they were to reduce the price of the box, the scenarios would've had an additional cost. Arguably, if they were to piecemeal the products by cost, we might've paid more than 29.99 for the expansion.

If it was a blister pack, it would need to be a rather large one like the hero and monster packs for Descent 2e due to the size of the room tiles.

I'm fine with the price. It's the fun in the box, not the part count. I understand that this is a niche product with much of the value coming from the app and play testing.

Yea but even a game like IA, it's smallbox would come with 4-5 missions that can be used in a mini campaign or used as side missions in a full campaign. Each one is 2+ hours long. So there was a good degree of play testing involved in making those missions as well.. so I don't buy the "well lots of the value comes in the app" when comparing to similar games and value sizes.

4 hours ago, GreenLantern2814 said:

Yea but even a game like IA, it's smallbox would come with 4-5 missions that can be used in a mini campaign or used as side missions in a full campaign. Each one is 2+ hours long. So there was a good degree of play testing involved in making those missions as well.. so I don't buy the "well lots of the value comes in the app" when comparing to similar games and value sizes.

IA also appeals to a MUCH larger audience, so its development cost benefit greatly from an economy of scale. Especially for the app component which have no production costs.

In the end only you can judge the value you get from a purchase. You should be aware of what is in the box and what the app offers and how this enhances the game in general. If that isn't compelling for you at the selling price, pass it up.

For me MoM2 is much more appealing than IA, so the cost feels fine to me. Also for the record, I expect MoM to be more expensive because it is niche.

Exactly. If you think it is too pricey, don't buy it.

I agree with the sentiment of voting with your wallet in these situations (after all FFG is a business that aims to make money, so this is the most effective way to show disapproval), though, I also think that these conversations are another great way to show consumer opinion, even when people disagree. After all, the original price drop on announcement will have been based on a number of factors, and I imagine that the discussions taking place on forums were a key one.

Yea I spend quite a bit of time on these forums and follow a number of FFG products, I can say with confidence that these forums are watched and weighed in a number of their decisions. GL I agree with you about the IA comment, the value in that game seems to be much greater. And I disagree about this being a niche product, MOM 2nd edition has been vastly popular, FFG really seems to have hit the mark with their app based content.

I have my doubts about how much FFG pays attention to posts on this forum. Maybe that will change with the new forum and the integration with all of ANA's publishers, but I am not going to hold my breath on that. Ironically, the BGG forums seem to have more sway over the actions that FFG takes than their own forums do. FFG seems to be most responsive on their social network feeds, particularly their Instagram posts.

That being said, I do agree that after Star Wars, the Arkham Files line is their next most popular production line. In fact, before they acquired the Star Wars license, the Arkham Horror board game was their best selling game and continues to be one of their top selling games. Which is why it gets reprinted continuously even though it is now going into it's 12th year since original publication in 2005 without even a new edition (and we all know how much FFG likes to make new editions of their games). Plus, the fact that both MoM 2e and the Arkham Horror LCG both sold out of their initial print runs in a matter of weeks is prime example of how popular this product line is to FFG. Also, FFG pays very little (if any) licensing fees for these games so the reason they want them to succeed is obvious.

14 hours ago, Lipm said:

I also think that these conversations are another great way to show consumer opinion, even when people disagree.

In my memory those conversations were always "Why is this so expensive?", "Yeah, you're right!", "No, those prices are reasonable" for every single product in the last years. I think it would be hard for FFG to judge actual breakdown of customer opinions this way...

14 hours ago, Lipm said:

After all, the original price drop on announcement will have been based on a number of factors, and I imagine that the discussions taking place on forums were a key one.

...but I like to think that FFG actually pays attention to the forums.

18 minutes ago, tsuma534 said:

...but I like to think that FFG actually pays attention to the forums.

They do. It's enough checking who's online: you'll see very often an FFGSomeone looking at this or that forum. Here and there you see even some posts having a like by said FFGSomeone.

Same on threads on BGG. The fact that they don't post doesn't mean that they don't read.

2 hours ago, Julia said:

Same on threads on BGG.

I have seen Samuel Bailey and Richard Launius posting. But their posts look like messages from private persons, from designers that happen to work for FFG. I don't remember seeing someone post there as a representative of FFG.
So for Elder Sign and Talisman I know that designers personally care for the feedback from BGG. I don't know if FFG cares for the feedback from BGG.
Do you think that someone from FFG reads the Eldritch Horror threads on BGG? I haven't seen anything which might support this theory.

I just bought BtT for 299 SEK (that's ´¨ ~33 usd; fairly consistent). I haven't had the time to play the new scenarios so i can only comment on the pieces.

Given that production included three frames of cardboard pieces that could be used for anything, i felt some of it got "wasted" on fire and clue tokens. I don't know if they're needed for the new scenarios, but i don't think i've been running empty on either so far. That said, our groups have mostly been 3 people, and just some time 4. I hope future expansions will bring more original content in that respect - be it new types of tokens, monster cards, NPCs, to maximize the play value vs production cost of the cardboards included.

For the price, i felt satisfied. The cards felt most welcome, although i would assume they have the least of all components included to do with the production cost per unit.