# Kanban EV: Upgrade Pack ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2021 - **BGG Rating**: 8.3 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1-4 (Best with: 3) - **Duration**: 60-180 min - **Weight**: 3.73 / 5 - **Designers**: Vital Lacerda - **Artists**: Ian O'Toole - **Publishers**: Eagle-Gryphon Games, Lavka Games, Skellig Games - **Categories**: Economic, Expansion for Base-game, Industry / Manufacturing - **Mechanics**: Action Points, Hand Management, Variable Phase Order, Worker Placement ## Verdict For Kanban EV enthusiasts looking for more depth and variety, this upgrade pack is a treasure trove, elevating strategy to a new level!More strategic optionsIncreases replayabilityUnique abilitiesNew challengesSeamless integrationRequires Kanban EV base gameAdds complexityNot standaloneHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description If you're already a fan of Kanban EV and looking to 'upgrade' your experience, the Kanban EV: Upgrade Pack is exactly what you need! This pack is not a standalone game, but rather an expansion packed with new features that promise to spice up your automotive management sessions. It brings two distinct expansions, each adding an extra layer of strategy and replayability to your base game. First up, we have the **SpeedCharger Expansion**, which introduces persistent special abilities for players. Imagine having a trump card up your sleeve that you can activate by spending a few shifts! These abilities open up new strategic avenues, allowing you to customize your approach and better adapt to the factory's demands. Will you focus on optimizing your production, accelerating your staff's training, or securing a crucial bonus at just the right time? The choice is yours, and it can change the tide of the game. Next, the pack includes the **Special Garage Tile Expansion**, which adds seven new special garage tiles to the game. These special tiles offer unique options and bonuses, making the garage phase even more interesting and competitive. Each tile can present a different challenge or a valuable opportunity, requiring you to plan ahead and adapt to the new board configurations. Will one of these tiles give you that decisive edge over your fellow managers? Overall, the Kanban EV: Upgrade Pack is perfect for those who have mastered the base game mechanics and are looking for more depth, variety, and strategic decisions. Get ready to further optimize your factory and prove you're the master of automotive production! ## How to Play Game Objective In Kanban EV Upgrade Pack, you take on the role of a manager of an electric vehicle factory. The objective is to optimize your production line, manage resources, and implement advanced technologies to maximize your efficiency. The winner will be the one who accumulates the highest score at the end of the game, based on their factory's performance and the completion of objectives. Preparation (Setup) To start the game with the Upgrade Pack, follow these steps: Speed Charger: Place 4 Speed Charger tokens per player in a supply next to the main board (if playing with 4 players, use all available tokens). Charging Board: Give 1 Charging board to each player and place it next to their Player board. Additional Components: Refer to the manual for details on the complete assembly involving the garage tile expansions, performance goal cards, final objectives, special garage pieces, wooden charger tokens, and charging plates. Game Flow The game follows the turn structure of the base game Kanban EV. The Upgrade Pack introduces mechanics that can be activated during your turn, depending on the department you are working in. By working in specific departments, you can unlock abilities that alter the normal game flow, such as gaining extra turns or accumulating production turns more quickly. Actions and How to Play In addition to the standard actions of the base game, the Upgrade Pack introduces new possibilities and improvements: Speed Charger Expansion This expansion offers persistent special abilities. To use them, you must pay the turn cost to unlock them: How to unlock: When working in the R&D department (or indirectly through Administration), you can spend a maximum of 1 action to take a Speed Charger token from the supply and place it in a space of your choice on your Charging Board. Restriction: You can only take 1 Speed Charger per turn! Benefit: Once placed, the covered bonus will be active for the rest of the game. Department Abilities (Upgrade) The manual details specific improvements that can be applied: R&D: Once per turn, you can upgrade 1 Design with a Car Part from the supply. Assembly: You can ignore the restriction of having to supply upgraded parts first. Logistics: You accumulate 2 turns instead of 1 when placing a Kanban card. Design: When taking a Design from the Central Design Pile, gain 1 Book. Administration: When working in Administration, you receive 1 extra Turn. End of Game and Scoring The game ends according to the base game rules. However, the Upgrade Pack adds an important bonus to the final count: Speed Charger Bonus: At the end of the game, each Speed Charger token you own is worth 1 VP for each car in your garage. Example: if you have 3 cars and 4 Speed Charger tokens, you gain 12 VP. Other points: Refer to the manual for details on scoring performance goals and final objectives. Tips for Winning Invest in Speed Chargers: Since each Speed Charger token scales with the number of cars in your garage, focusing on building many cars and accumulating these tokens can generate a massive score at the end of the game. Optimize Administration: Using Administration to gain extra turns is a powerful way to accelerate your progress and outperform the competition. ## FAQ ### What is the Kanban EV: Upgrade Pack? It's an expansion pack for the Kanban EV board game, adding two smaller expansions: the SpeedCharger and the Special Garage Tile expansions, bringing new abilities and strategic options. ### Do I need the Kanban EV base game to play this expansion? Yes, absolutely! This is an expansion pack and cannot be played without the Kanban EV base game. ### What are the main new features this pack adds? It introduces persistent special abilities for players (SpeedCharger) and seven new special garage tiles with unique effects, increasing variety and tactical decisions. ### For what type of player is this expansion recommended? It's ideal for players who already know and love Kanban EV and want more depth, complexity, and strategic options for their games. If you're looking for replayability, it's for you! ### Does it significantly increase the game's complexity? Yes, a bit. The new abilities and tiles require more planning and consideration, which might increase the learning curve for those not used to heavier games, but it's a welcome addition for those who have mastered the base game. ### Are the components of good quality? As it's an official Kanban EV expansion, the same high production and component quality as the base game is expected, ensuring everything integrates seamlessly. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 18.70 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=2657967&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/51254/kanban-ev-upgrade-pack?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com