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Carc Central Community => News and Events => Topic started by: Mr Meeple on April 27, 2017, 04:29:49 AM

Title: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Mr Meeple on April 27, 2017, 04:29:49 AM
Dear community,

as the Russian mini expansions are not that easy to get, but many fans and collectors are looking for them, I've contacted HIG. The good news is, that they are really thinking of a reprint and release via their shop. There is no information or confirmation if it will include Baba Yaga & Bogatyr as well as  Nightingale & Vodyanoy and when it might  be available. Hence this topic is tbc but I think it is a good starting point, because they are making their thoughts how to come up with a solution.

In the German forum I read a mail by hobbyworld.ru from 2016 and eventually they might release  the 2016 edition in 2018. But I don't have any proof if this is still valid  ???

I'm looking for the 2016 edition to complete my collection and at some point it drove me to desperation, but the info by HIG gives me confidence in this case. That's why I wanted to share it with you and by posting this hopefully I don'get in trouble with HIG C:-) ;)

Greets Chris  :red-meeple:

Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: totor66 on April 27, 2017, 05:21:09 AM
It shouldn't lead you into despair, different back = not compatible   C:-)

But that is just my opinion ...
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: jungleboy on April 27, 2017, 05:41:51 AM
It shouldn't lead you into despair, different back = not compatible   C:-)

Well played.  :(y)
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Mr Meeple on April 27, 2017, 05:57:13 AM
@totor Absolutely:) Think the wording was too strong, diggin means fun to me - whether it is CC or vinyl which is my second passion ;) And you are right, not  compatible -  but playable :)
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: aenima on April 27, 2017, 07:02:50 AM
Yeeeeeeee  ;D
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: dirk2112 on April 27, 2017, 07:16:48 AM
I hope they do a reprint!  That would be great! 

As for the backs, I don't care as we use a bag.  Some of the Isle of Skye tiles have different backs or are double sided and it doesn't make a difference as long as the bag is used.   

+ merit to Mr. Meeple
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: danisthirty on April 27, 2017, 07:23:08 AM
Thanks for investigating and then for sharing this news Mr Meeple.

+1 merit from me for your hard work :) :(y)
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Just a Bill on April 27, 2017, 09:22:39 AM
Yes, +1 merit from me as well.

I am getting back into Carcassonne after some years away, and have missed a lot of good stuff. (My oh my, the heartache of the 2015 artwork change!) So I really appreciate all efforts to help older stuff become available again.
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: AdamJBavier on April 27, 2017, 12:05:40 PM
For people who print their tiles, you might like these two links below from the HobbyWorld.ru social media page at VK.com.  Click the more link at the bottom right and open the original file, right-click and save it to your computer.  A nice and big image of each of the tiles.  :(y)  You will have to rotate them to horizontal in a graphics application, apply a small amount of sharpening (counter softness added from unrotating).  Or just print onto your sticker paper the rotated image.  :D

Vodyanoy
https://vk.com/photo-49103934_432736722 (https://vk.com/photo-49103934_432736722)

Solovei Razboynik "Nightingale the robber"
https://vk.com/photo-49103934_432736730 (https://vk.com/photo-49103934_432736730)

Certainly, an official printing is preferred.
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Just a Bill on April 27, 2017, 04:21:29 PM
They also have the other two in the same format...

Baba Yaga's Hut
https://vk.com/photo-49103934_432736727 (https://vk.com/photo-49103934_432736727)

The Choice of Bogatyr
https://vk.com/photo-49103934_432743209 (https://vk.com/photo-49103934_432743209)
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Decar on April 28, 2017, 07:59:05 AM
Sorry, going to have to stop you there - the artwork on these tiles belongs to the Russian Publisher and Carcassonne Central does not have rights to distribute them.  No doubt you can share them another way.
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: AdamJBavier on April 28, 2017, 09:04:17 AM
Sorry, going to have to stop you there - the artwork on these tiles belongs to the Russian Publisher and Carcassonne Central does not have rights to distribute them.  No doubt you can share them another way.

I assume it is not OK to share links to fan made edited tiles images of these official tiles that are all ready to print.  That is why I shared a official post that the Russian Publisher published online and on their own social media channel. 

I certainly don't want to ever take business away from the game companies that make my favorite board game.  I will never link to or upload digital image scans of official tiles.

Please HIG make a reprint of the Russian tiles.  I will purchase all 4 tiles, and future tiles as I like unique tiles in my game.  :(y)  :orange-meeple:
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Decar on April 28, 2017, 09:07:51 AM
Linking to their social media seems ok with me.  As it's their domain.  As for sharing links of what's produced...it's very hard to police.
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Just a Bill on April 28, 2017, 10:05:18 AM
A little confused here ... did I do something wrong? Your last sentence has me wondering whether "links of what's produced" means links to the images the Russian publisher produced, or links to other things that fans have made using the publisher's artwork. (I already know the latter is not allowed or even advisable; it's the former I'm uncertain about now.)
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: AdamJBavier on April 28, 2017, 11:26:10 AM
I see it as, do link to things that are creative and add to the fun of the Carcassonne in ways that the publisher has not done already.  Do link to fan expansions that are unique, have new artwork on the pieces, and or arrange the artwork in new never done by the publisher ways.

For example I would link to the cool fan expansions by Wolnic.  He is creating novel new mini expansions, with new tile artwork that adds to the base game.

For example I wouldn't want to link to a high resolution scan of that cool 4 way round-a-bout tile in Catapult.  Other than the Maze expansion it is the only tile that has all the roads connecting.  If someone really likes that tile and prints it they wouldn't buy the Catapult expansion.

I wouldn't link to an fan expansion called Super Highway that has a PDF booklet of rules with all the tile images in it.  To keep going with this example, Super Highway uses the base game, plus all the road only segments from expansions 2 to 20.  Then the rules booklet has high resolution scans of all the extra road tiles from the official expansions.  The scans are entirely not needed in the rulebook, since this fan expansion rules could be told in a paragraph.

Edit: I would link to a fan expansions of Dutch Canals, that adds river boat canals all over the tiles with nice bridge and tulip field artwork, but I would not link to a Dutch expansion where the city residents decided to celebrate the Kings birthday and painted all the roofs orange.  This second example would be essentially a copy of the original tiles.

+1 more vote for official russian mini expansions  O0
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Decar on April 29, 2017, 01:30:36 AM
Great comments guys.  I would argue that providing a URL to something that was in breach of copyright means that CarcC is distributing the content.  It's a bit like torrent websites saying they don't distribute illegal movies because the files are transferred peer to peer. The torrent website is still a means of finding peers and sharing illegal content.
Now how I or other moderators police urls a member post is a different topic entirely!  I rarely have time to view every link let aloe review it!
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Just a Bill on May 16, 2017, 09:15:04 AM
Back to the OP's point, it seems that HiG prefer to make tiles available on cundco in 6-tile groupings (probably that's the most cost-effective way to produce them, using existing dies and processes). So this would suggest a few possibilities:
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: dirk2112 on May 16, 2017, 10:01:45 AM
I will buy 2 of any of the above!
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Whaleyland on May 16, 2017, 03:05:49 PM

  • "Rarities": Combine the 4 Russian tiles with 2 other hard-to-find tiles: the original CRCR tile from Inns & Cathedrals (before the junction was added to the crossroads) and the fifth shrine from Cult, Siege & Creativity that does not appear in any other shrine set.
    (https://s20.postimg.cc/761q50hbh/rarities2.png)
Technically that Shrine is from Rio Grande Games, which no longer has the HiG license. While HiG may be able to make their own version, I don't think they would release one due to possible copyright reasons. Regarding the crossroad tile from I&C, it just not going to happen. They replaced that tile in the first Big Box and then future print runs of I&C fixed it too. I never had the original tile and, despite being a completionist, I do not feel a need to buy that tile. It still counts as a junction according to the official rules and it adds nothing new to the game.

Regarding the other ideas, Darmstadt and La Porxada also have copyright issues attached to them – all of them were made under license and not by HiG itself. You already mentioned similar problems with any Spielbox tiles. The Besiegers were available for a good while on CundCo so I feel that window of opportunity has closed. Then there is the issue that all these tiles are in the old art (including the Russian tiles) and HiG seems to be against further perpetuating that style.

Personally, I would like to see Corn Circles I re-released since they were only ever released in a combo box with the base game. But that isn't happening either and Rio Grande missed their chance to ever release it, unfortunately.

Just a Bill, I think your motion for promos is going to die in committee.  :-\[/list]
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Just a Bill on May 16, 2017, 03:32:36 PM
Technically that Shrine is from Rio Grande Games, which no longer has the HiG license. While HiG may be able to make their own version, I don't think they would release one due to possible copyright reasons.

Since both HiG and Spielbox were able to use the exact same shrine artwork on all shrine tiles, I wouldn't have thought that RGG would have had any claim on that piece of artwork.

Regarding the crossroad tile from I&C, it just not going to happen. They replaced that tile in the first Big Box and then future print runs of I&C fixed it too. I never had the original tile and, despite being a completionist, I do not feel a need to buy that tile. It still counts as a junction according to the official rules and it adds nothing new to the game.

Sure, I understand all that. I was just looking for one tile to fill in the last spot that could be considered a "rarity." The idea being, HiG isn't really invested in the old art at this point anyway, so whatever sells the sheet might be acceptable to them.

I realize it's a done deal, and I'm not implying they should roll back the change (and anyway my whole post was really just a thought experiment). But, for whatever it's worth, I've always thought that junction change was a mistake from the standpoint of clunking up the rules interpretations. For one thing, by making those two tiny little roadlets sort of roads but sort of not roads, it makes wagon movement pretty unclear (and probably inconsistent). But that's a whole other topic. (I have the original, non-confusing tile and I play it as printed.)

Regarding the other ideas, Darmstadt and La Porxada also have copyright issues attached to them – all of them were made under license and not by HiG itself. You already mentioned similar problems with any Spielbox tiles. ... Then there is the issue that all these tiles are in the old art (including the Russian tiles) and HiG seems to be against further perpetuating that style.

Understood. I never would have suggested any of that, except that the OP said "The good news is, that they are really thinking of a reprint and release via their shop." If that's true, then several of these ideas are fair game. (If it's not true, well then I guess the entire thread is stillborn.)

Just a Bill, I think your motion for promos is going to die in committee.  :-\

Oh, I figured that before I posted. Like I said ... thought experiment.
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Drodo on June 26, 2020, 01:46:15 PM
Sorry for necroposting.

Any news from HiG to reprint these? It's been 2 years since this was discussed.
Title: Re: Russian Mini Expansion - Reprint of HIG !!!tbc!!!
Post by: Decar on June 26, 2020, 01:50:03 PM
nope