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Superclub Bundesliga Expansion 2023/2024 is the latest in a long line of expansions for the best football management board game in existence.
I was sent the Bundesliga expansion for review, and I think it’s no secret how much I love Superclub, in fact since February 2023, when I was initially sent the game for review, there has not been a single week where Superclub hit the table less than three times. We have played Superclub a lot and have found it to be a very balanced game.
I say this because I also need to explain what is wrong with the Bundesliga itself. When I reviewed the La Liga Expansion I felt that on balance there are some big names and big clubs to talk about however, there were some teams who would be considered “also ran”, those clubs in the top tier of Spanish football that wouldn’t top the table in the Championship, however, there are some cracking players and quality teams in the league.
When you look at the Bundesliga you see a league that has a major issue in that it is possibly the most unbalanced top-flight league in football today.
One team paints shade over the entire league with the Bavarian giants of Bayern Munich having won the last 10 seasons.
I use the word won quite wrongly there as I should have said they dominated the last 10 seasons with an average margin of 15.1 points making them by far the most successful team in Germany today.
Could a Superclub expansion built around such an unbalanced league still offer a compelling and competitive experience?
Is the Superclub Bundesliga Expansion balanced?
To answer that question I want to look at this expansion with a neutral expression and try to forget I love Superclub, I will not open the box and show it the love it deserves until we know if it’s been a good boy.
Domestic Mode
As with all Superclub games the Bundesliga Expansion begins with you drafting a team of players. Immediately I was in poor form, I was not familiar with many of the players and for some reason, this threw me off initially.
Of course, Bayern Munich’s big signing Harry Kane is an immediate 6-star player and Kimmich and Sane are legitimate 5-star players but there is a decent amount of talent to develop too. Wirst from Leverkusen and Musiala from Bayern Munich can also become 6-star players with a little luck but it won’t be long until you are developing players from new signings to essential squad members.
Despite the odd superstar, the Bundesliga expansion felt balanced. In the 10 or so Bundesliga-only games we played, as with most Superclub games, a win was often down to the wire and the excitement and tension was as palpable as in the main game or with the La Liga expansion.
Value for Money
The cards themselves are the same high-quality prints that you would expect from Superclub but in this expansion, the board is a muted red and the card backs are black which gives its little area of the table a different visual appeal.
What you get for your £29.95, €34.95 or approximately $37.99 are 234 fully licenced players from the 18 clubs that make up the Bundesliga.
13 players from each team may not seem like a great deal as there are 12 players from each of the 20 sides in the La Liga expansion, however, this is a huge bundle of cards with a fair few stand-out players that everyone wants to scout.
One of the best-selling points of the Superclub expansions is that they are language-neutral so no matter where in the world you are you can add this expansion and other expansions to your collection without an issue.
Snapping back quickly to the fact that none of my group had any interest in German football. It did initially make it difficult to think about forward planning, but it brought us back to our first games of Superclub.
Today we play mainly with only named players and so it was quite refreshing to get a sense of our beginnings with this wonderful game.
Actively looking for players to fill specific roles and not having any names in mind was a refreshing change so even if you don’t have an interest in German football there is something to be said for playing the expansion on its own.
Global Mode
However, Superclub becomes something special when you start to put the game together. Thankfully the Bundesliga Expansion has advanced players, those players with either Purple, light green or orange positioning which makes it easy to fit in with what we call in our house “full SUPERCLUB”.
My son inadvertently developed the ‘full SUPERCLUB’ nomenclature when we were about to play a game sometime before the summer of last year, “Shall we go full Superclub?” was his genuine question.
He meant shall we use all of the Superclub expansions we have but now it means doing all of something. For example, you can say “full SUPERCLUB” (shouting Superclub) by eating an entire box of cereal in one go or by taking your copy of Zombicide 2nd edition and pouring all of it over an in-progress game of Wingspan.
This might seem irritating and a pain to clean up but provided you shout “full SUPERCLUB” as you do it your Dad will laugh and forgive you.
However, when we go “actual full SUPERCLUB” we play with the whole of our Superclub collection. We had to buy a card shuffler as there were too many cards to shuffle and the four boards on the table can make things a little untidy however, with six players, all using manager kits, the La Liga and Bundesliga expansions as well as Wildcards and all the player packs we are in heaven and I think it would be statistically impossible to play the same game twice.
There are too many variables already so adding the Bundesliga Expansion helps to solidify that experience and gives you more options but we did find that scouting from the German leagues was less popular than from La Liga and the main draft board which contained all the player packs.
The primary reason is that we are all more familiar with the Spanish sides and players so I suspect this will be different if you are in Germany or follow a Bundesliga team.
Informed purchasing
If you have the base game of Superclub, then on its own, you have a wonderful and balanced game and as I have said before you do not need to buy any expansions.
If you like football then you should do yourself a favour and get Superclub. If you like Superclub then do yourself a favour and buy as many expansions as your wallet will allow.
My recommendation for Superclub would be that if you were to only buy one expansion it would have to be Wildcards, it adds the most depth to the core game experience.
After this you have a choice, if you can regularly gather 6 players also grab the Top Six expansion. If not pick up Powerhouses.
When you have those new mechanics added to the game and the 6-player expansion I can honestly say that you will have an incredible game on your hands.
However, you are a board gamer and there are more things to own and organise so which of us can stop there?
The Bundesliga 2023/2024 expansion can easily stand alone and get my recommendation, it adds to an already wonderful game and the elements that make Superclub so good are all there.
If you are a fan of the Bundesliga, then this is a no-brainer. Your team and your players will be there for you to build a winning combination with.
Add it to your collection so you can go “actual full SUPERCLUB” and you will expand your experience with even more choices, and even more decisions without upsetting the balance of what you already have.
“Full SUPERCLUB” has become a rallying cry in our household. It signifies the unbridled joy of diving headfirst into the Superclub experience, whether it’s using every expansion we own or devouring an entire box of cereal in one sitting (not recommended, unless you want to face Dad’s wrath).
When we go “actual full Superclub,” though, the Bundesliga expansion becomes an integral part of the equation.
The Final Verdict: A Resounding “Empfehlung”
With the base game, you have a fantastic and balanced experience. But as a seasoned “Superclubber”, I believe that every expansion adds a new layer of depth and complexity, making the game even more rewarding. The Bundesliga expansion might not be essential for everyone, but for those who crave the ultimate Superclub challenge, it’s a must-have.