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This upgrade kit includes all the Event and Character cards included in the War of the Ring Second Edition:
Together with downloadable Second Edition rules, free from the Ares Games web site, this kit will give to the owners of the First Edition the possibility of playing the new Edition of War of the Ring without the need of purchasing a complete new game.
I kind of prefer the aesthetic of the first ed. The 2nd ed is more readable but the bold lines on the mountains almost occlude the mountains themselves. So... more readable but "gamier". Also the finish on the board isn't great. Parts of mine are worn, mostly on the edges and one annoying splotch right in the middle of the map. Ares was nice enough to send another but they chucked it between two slabs of cardboard and nothing else. It was trashed in transit and even more worn so I gave up.
tldr: Not really.
I haven't seen a 2nd edition board but I too prefer the 1st edition board art. Yes, it looks more like a desert that the verdant greenery of temperate middle-earth, but it also looks more like a map than the piece of artwork that the 2nd edition seems to be and I like that.
As to the upgrade, that depends on how much you plan to play the game and how much you worry about stickers and permanent markers. The fixes improve the balance that's tilted in favour of the shadow player in 1st edition and make some tested and boring cookie-cutter strategies impossible. But none of that will bother you for five, maybe ten games with 1st edition anyway. The changes are entirely to a handful of cards and the rules so if you're happy pasting up the changes - they're posted on TOS - you can play second edition without spending a penny.
Anyway, if you play with the expansion you don't need this...its just to provide balance if you're not playing the expansion...
And some changes like bigger cards etc etc
I'm not sure how many subtle changes are on the cards (apparently some), but having them tarot-sized really does help with legibility. I didn't mind the 1st edition cards that much, but comparing them side by side, I'd never want to go back. That said, the cards are all you get with the upgrade kit. I sprung for the whole enchilada (so I have a complete 1st edition game to get rid of).
I prefer the 2nd edition map to play on. Agreed, 1st is more artistic, but it suffers in terms of usability. 2nd is just better as a game, all-around: cleaner graphics, clearer rules, bigger/better cards, rule updates with 20/20 hindsight.
Now they just need to get a use for those 1st edition expansion components sorted out (though I'll still play the battle games in the meantime)....
I own first edition but yet to actually play it!
Is 2nd much different? Should I buy this upgrade? Or is t he new board worth just getting whole new game?