With that anniversary on the horizon, Friese and publisher 2F-Spiele's Henning Kröpke have taken a look at all things Power Grid and have made small, but meaningful improvements for this evergreen title. Says Kröpke, "Over the years we have released several expansions, which added variations and new ideas to the game's central mechanisms. The releases of Power Grid deluxe and Power Grid: The Card Game gave us the chance to streamline the game play and to literally play with even more of the mechanisms, improving the game experience step by step. Ten months ago, we took Power Grid into the workshop. We put the game through its paces, updated and exchanged parts, polished and rewrote the rules, until we were sure we were offering you the best possible version of Power Grid."
Thus, in March 2019 the old Power Grid base game will be replaced by Power Grid (Recharged Version), which will bear a "Recharged Version" logo on the front of the box. The first print run with 2F-Spiele's partners will include versions in English, German, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Polish, and Portuguese (for Brazil), with more versions to follow in 2019 and 2020.
Kröpke notes that changes to the game's graphics are minimal, with rule improvements only to smooth gameplay, such as the updated player order with two rows (as in Power Grid deluxe) so that players can more easily identify who has already taken their turn.
He adds, "Step by step, we are also checking all expansions, as some of their rules and variations need updating, too. In January 2019, we will release an FAQ containing all necessary minor changes and updates for each of the twelve expansions, so owners of these 'classic' expansions can continue to play and enjoy them while playing with the new Recharged rules. Future print runs of the expansions will also show the 'Recharged Version' badge."
While we're waiting for that new edition, how many differences can you spot between the new cover at right and the earlier cover shown at left?