Well, plenty of expansions have made their way to me to end the summer, and I thought I’d do a quick roundup of some of these sequels.

Lost Ruins of Arnak: Surprise Shipment

• Designers: Elwen, Min 
• Publisher: Czech Games Edition
• Players: 1-4
• Age: 12+
• Time: 30-120 mins
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

Original review: https://opinionatedgamers.com/2020/10/23/dale-yu-first-impressions-of-lost-ruins-of-arnak/

Review of Missing Expedition expansion: https://opinionatedgamers.com/2023/09/21/ryan-post-review-of-lost-ruins-of-arnak-the-missing-expedition/ 

Review of Twisted Paths expansion: https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/10/19/dale-yu-review-of-lost-ruins-of-arnak-twisted-paths/ 

A package with no sender—what could be inside? It appears there are still treasures to be unearthed and secrets to be unveiled. Gear up with new items and head back into the jungle. The island of Arnak is expecting your return.  Lost Ruins of Arnak: Surprise Shipment is the final addition to the vast and mysterious world of Arnak. The expansion is packed with 50 new cards (30 artifacts, 20 items), two new sites, and an updated site. It comes in a beautifully illustrated box that will complement every player’s Arnak collection.

I had honestly thought that Arnak was a finished game after Twisted Paths was called the final expansion for the game – but CGE has surprised me with a tiny expansion.  Part of the reason for this appears to be the fact that there was a little space left in the Lost Ruins of Arnak Treasure Chest – and now you are given new bits to fill up that space!

There are definitely not enough bits in this tiny box to play a game by themselves – and the components are really meant to be shuffled in with the existing components for a bit more variety.  The Surprise cards are meant to work with all previous expansions as well. 

For the most part, this is a “more stuff” expansion with no big rules changes or anything else significant.  There is one updated site that is meant to replace one of the original sites which was felt to be a bit underpowered/possibly broken.

If you’re a completist or you love Arnak, this is probably a must buy.  For me, I’m glad to have it, and I’m glad it fits in my Treasure Chest, but it is maybe not completely essential for me.

Rock Hard 1977 – Ear Candy

• Designer: Jackie Fox
• Publisher: Devir
• Players: 2-5
• Age: 16+
• Time: 90 mins
• Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4iPJ2Dx
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

Review of Rock Hard 1977: https://opinionatedgamers.com/2024/08/07/dale-yu-review-of-rock-hard-1977/

With “Ear Candy” it’s time for your songs to take center stage.  This first expansion for “Rock Hard: 1977” lets you use your Life Experiences to write 45 RPM Singles in various styles.  Promoting these Singles gets them played on the radio and moves you up the Hit List song charts, giving you an additional way to gain Fame. The expansion includes two new characters, two new managers, two new types of Candy, and additional cards for every deck. Do you have what it takes to be number one?

This expansion adds a new module to the game – writing Singles in different genres. These Singles are scored on the Hit List, essentially a 4th public bonus track.  Your Singles can move up the charts from the Hire Indie Promo action, and from certain gigs and After Hours cards.   At the end of the game, players will score points based on their position on the Hit List.

The new components/cards obviously all work with the new rules. Some of the cards can be used with the base game even if you don’t want to play with Hit List.   This new module adds a bit more complexity to the game, but I’m not sure if this is a game that wanted something else added!  In any event, it’s easy to play with the new rules, and if you don’t want, you can still use many of the cards as just “more stuff” for the base game.

A Message From The Stars: Extinction Protocol

• Designer: Clarence Simpson
• Publisher: Allplay
• Players: 2-8
• Age: 10+
• Time: 45 minutes
• Amazon affiliate link: 
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

Review of A Message From The Stars: https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/06/12/dale-yu-review-of-a-message-from-the-stars/ 

An expansion for the puzzle party game A Message From The Stars. This expansion adds two new game modes to the base game. Not only are the secret letters hidden, but even the rules themselves may be scrambled. Can the scientists still decipher the aliens’ messages?  

The Variable Cipher module changes up each game by randomizing the Trust, Amplify and Suspicion rules.  Instead of using the rules on the screen, the Alien has one of three cards for each rule.  This does add a bit of variety to the game, but in the end, it’s not a big change.  You’re just replacing one rule with another.  I suppose that the new possible combinations and interactions of the rules should make things more complex, but I haven’t found that to be true.

The Hostile Alien module uses the same rule cards, but the rules are not known at the start of the game – the Scientists have to also determine which of the three rules are in use each game.  Guessing each of these rules correctly is another way to score a point, and the max score is now 15.  This version is a big difference as you now have a two step process of deduction to figure out the information from the Alien.  It might almost be a bit too difficult – if the Scientists aren’t able to figure out the rules in play, they literally have no way to figure anything out.  It’s a good challenge, but one I’d only play with veterans of this game.

Finally, there is a bit “more stuff” included – a dozen Alien Message cards and a dozen Scientist Message cards are also included to provide a bit more variety to your games.

Until your next appointment

The Gaming Doctor