by RogueM
Hi all - I'm posting a variant that you may or may not want to try, most notably because it requires chopping up the player boards (or copies of).Before I outline the variant I need to start with the following disclaimer however: posting a variant does not imply that the OP thinks there is something 'wrong' with the game. If you find the variant interesting, then great, if not then just shrug and move on, no need for putting things 'right'.
Goal: provide a number of player boards, identical for all players*
*though I will offer a further suggestion for 'modular' individual boards, when I have time to expand on the original idea.
Why? no reason, I am not trying to 'fix' the game, but I tend to disfavour variable player powers and asymmetrical play. That is not a judgement of value, just my personal preference.
How: There are 4 identical boards in CoB, which can be converted in a semi-modular board for variable setup, while retaining the same board for all players.
As you can see from the above image, I chose to divide the board in 6 quadrants of size-6 each, in addition to the central castle.
I did consider making pieces 3 hexes in size instead but I wanted to keep the setup time to a minimum, and while smaller pieces would yield more flexibility it would also be cumbersome to get all players to find the right piece and place in the spot.
At this point you will have 4 sets of pieces that can be placed and rotated in multiple ways to expand your game.
Again, just to repeat myself, if you value your copy of CoB I recommend picking a second copy so you retain full use of the 'advanced' boards that Stefan Feld designed.
Happy playing!