BOARDGAME ARCHIVE REFERENCE
Which box do you actually need?
Check what an expansion requires before you buy it. This reference compares 20 configurations across five game families, separating add-ons, player extensions and standalone games.
Publisher sources checked: September 12, 2026. Researched reference; selected physical products, with edition and mode exceptions below.
Read the requirements, not just the family name
The tables name the products needed in addition to the item in the first column. “Nothing else” means that the named game provides a complete standalone setup for the stated mode. Owning a different game in the same family does not automatically supply the right boards, cards or player pieces.
- Expansion
- Adds content or rules to a specified game. The required base game remains part of the setup.
- Player extension
- Supplies components or rules for more players. It can still require both a base game and an expansion.
- Standalone game
- Can be played without buying another game. Some products also have separate expansion modes.
These are selected, publisher-supported configurations rather than a complete catalog of every release, promo or accessory. Digital purchases, house-rule combinations and component substitutions are outside this reference. Check the language and physical edition of a box as well as its name.
To keep an offline copy, use your browser’s Print command and choose paper or Save as PDF. Each family heading also has a stable link you can bookmark or share.
01 / GAME FAMILY
CATAN expansions and 5–6-player extensions
Seafarers and Cities & Knights add rules to the base game. A matching 5–6-player extension supplies the extra-player components for that expansion; it does not replace the main expansion or the base-game extension.
| Item you want to use | Other boxes needed | Compatibility detail |
|---|---|---|
| CATAN base-game 5–6-player extension | CATAN — The Game. | Extends ordinary base-game play to five or six players. It does not include Seafarers or Cities & Knights. Publisher: player extensions |
| Seafarers | CATAN — The Game. | The expansion provides ships and island scenarios for three or four players. Five or six players need the two extensions listed next. Publisher: Seafarers |
| Seafarers 5–6-player extension | CATAN — The Game; base-game 5–6-player extension; Seafarers. | Four boxes in total, counting this extension. Buying only this box and CATAN leaves required components missing. Publisher: four-box requirement |
| Cities & Knights | CATAN — The Game. | The expansion supplies commodities, city-development rules and knights. It does not require Seafarers. Publisher: Cities & Knights |
| Cities & Knights 5–6-player extension | CATAN — The Game; base-game 5–6-player extension; Cities & Knights. | Four boxes in total. A Seafarers extension is not a substitute for the matching Cities & Knights extension. Publisher: four-box requirement |
Example: Seafarers for six players
- CATAN — The Game
- CATAN base-game 5–6-player extension
- Seafarers
- Seafarers 5–6-player extension
Already own CATAN and Seafarers? The remaining purchases are both matching player extensions, rather than a second Seafarers expansion.
Continue with our CATAN game guide and Longest Road rules. Link to this CATAN reference.
02 / GAME FAMILY
Wingspan Asia, Americas and Pocket
Asia has more than one role. Its solo and two-player setup can stand alone, while its Flock mode needs the original game’s player components. Pocket uses its own card system.
| Item and mode | Other boxes needed | Compatibility detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wingspan Asia — standalone | Nothing else for one-player Automa or two-player Duet play. | Asia supplies a complete setup for these modes. Its standalone range is one or two players. Publisher: Asia modes |
| Wingspan Asia — card expansion | Original Wingspan for the original game’s setup. | Asia’s bird and bonus cards can join that game’s compatible decks. Adding cards alone does not raise its player capacity. Publisher: card expansion |
| Wingspan Asia — Flock mode | Original Wingspan. | Six- or seven-player Flock play combines Asia with the original game’s player components. Asia alone does not provide a seven-player setup. Publisher: Flock requirements |
| Wingspan Americas Expansion | Original Wingspan or Wingspan Asia. | The publisher explicitly permits either starting game. Americas is an expansion, rather than another complete standalone game. Publisher: Americas requirements |
| Wingspan Pocket | Nothing else for its own one-to-five-player game. | A separate standalone design. Its bird cards are not compatible with original Wingspan. Publisher: Pocket compatibility |
European and Oceania expansions, promo packs and storage accessories are not mapped here. The table focuses on the standalone and player-capacity exceptions above.
Continue with our Wingspan Pocket guide or learn Pocket’s separate rules. Link to this Wingspan reference.
03 / GAME FAMILY
Azul: match the overlay to the right game
Crystal Mosaic belongs to original Azul. Glazed Pavilion belongs to Summer Pavilion. Summer Pavilion and Azul Mini each include their own game components.
| Item you want to use | Other boxes needed | Compatibility detail |
|---|---|---|
| Azul: Crystal Mosaic | Original Azul. | An expansion with alternative boards and overlays. Its rulebook replaces the original player boards and retains the base components. Publisher: required game Publisher: Crystal Mosaic rules |
| Azul: Glazed Pavilion | Azul: Summer Pavilion. | An expansion for Summer Pavilion’s boards and scoring system. Original Azul does not meet the stated requirement. Publisher: required game Publisher: Glazed Pavilion rules |
| Azul: Summer Pavilion | Nothing else. | A complete game with its own tiles, boards and rules. Buying it does not require owning original Azul. Publisher: Summer Pavilion |
| Azul Mini | Nothing else. | A compact version of original Azul with its own tiles, boards and factory displays. Crystal Mosaic fit for Mini is not established by these sources. Publisher: Mini components |
Two separate expansion paths
- Original Azul + Crystal Mosaic
- Summer Pavilion + Glazed Pavilion
Match the full base-game name before choosing an overlay or board expansion. Neither path requires purchasing the other game.
Continue with our original Azul guide and original Azul scoring. Those scoring explanations cover original Azul rather than Summer Pavilion. Link to this Azul reference.
04 / GAME FAMILY
Scythe: capacity, modules and campaign
The three expansions change different parts of Scythe. Invaders from Afar adds factions and the extra-player components; the other two add optional modules or a campaign.
| Item you want to use | Other boxes needed | Compatibility detail |
|---|---|---|
| Invaders from Afar | Scythe. | Adds Albion and Togawa, plus components for up to seven players. These factions can also be used at lower player counts. Publisher: Invaders from Afar |
| The Wind Gambit | Scythe. | Airships and resolutions can be used together or separately, with the base game or other Scythe expansions. This box does not supply the extra factions and player mats for six or seven players. Publisher: module compatibility |
| The Rise of Fenris | Scythe; add Invaders from Afar for six or seven players. | The campaign and modules support one to five with Scythe, or up to seven with Invaders. The Wind Gambit is optional, rather than a campaign prerequisite. Publisher: Fenris requirements |
Continue with our Scythe guide and rules sources. Link to this Scythe reference.
05 / GAME FAMILY
Ticket to Ride: tickets are map-specific
Europa 1912, commonly called Europe 1912, has two different compatibility answers: its destination tickets belong to Europe, while its optional Warehouses and Depots mechanism has broader use.
| Item and content | Other boxes needed | Compatibility detail |
|---|---|---|
| Europa 1912 — destination tickets | Ticket to Ride Europe. | The tickets provide Europe Expanded, Big Cities of Europe and Mega Europe variants for the Europe map. They are not a USA-map ticket set. Publisher: ticket compatibility |
| Europa 1912 — Warehouses and Depots | A complete Ticket to Ride game, such as original Ticket to Ride or Europe. | The publisher permits this optional mechanism across maps. It does not make Europe’s destination tickets usable on those other maps. Publisher: mechanism compatibility |
| USA 1910 | Original Ticket to Ride, with the USA map. | A card expansion and rule variants for the original game. Europe is not a substitute for its required USA board; matching card size does not change destination geography. Publisher: USA 1910 requirements |
Original Ticket to Ride and Ticket to Ride Europe are complete games with different maps. Individual Map Collection boxes and anniversary component fit require their own checks and are not mapped here.
Continue with our Ticket to Ride Europe guide, station rules or ferry payments. Link to this Ticket to Ride reference.
Common compatibility questions
Does a 5–6-player Seafarers extension work with just CATAN?
No. That extension needs CATAN, its base-game 5–6-player extension and Seafarers. All four boxes supply different parts of the six-player setup. The CATAN table and four-box recipe identify each one.
Can Wingspan Asia be played without original Wingspan?
Yes, for standalone solo or two-player Duet play. Original Wingspan is needed for Asia’s six- or seven-player Flock setup. See Asia’s three separate roles.
Can Wingspan Pocket cards join original Wingspan?
No. The publisher identifies Pocket as a separate standalone game and explicitly says its bird cards are incompatible with Wingspan. See the Pocket compatibility row.
Is Glazed Pavilion an expansion for original Azul?
No. Its stated base game is Summer Pavilion. Crystal Mosaic is the board-and-overlay expansion for original Azul. Follow the two separate Azul paths.
Do I need every Scythe expansion before The Rise of Fenris?
No. Scythe plus Fenris supports its one-to-five-player setups. Add Invaders from Afar for six or seven players; The Wind Gambit is optional. See the Scythe requirements table.
Can Europe 1912 tickets be used on the original USA map?
No. The Europa 1912 ticket variants use the Europe map. Warehouses and Depots are a separate mechanism with broader map compatibility, and USA 1910 is the card expansion for the USA game. See Ticket to Ride’s component-specific requirements.
Sources, scope and referencing this guide
Each table row links to the publisher statement used to check its requirement. Board and overlay details were cross-checked against the linked English Crystal Mosaic and Glazed Pavilion rules. CATAN’s edition note applies specifically to the publisher’s English-edition compatibility guidance.
The 20 rows count play configurations, not 20 different products: Asia appears in three roles and Europa 1912 in two. This is a compatibility reference rather than a ranking or hands-on review. Unlisted combinations are unverified here, rather than assumed to work or fail.
Rules, new editions and updated publisher requirements can change an answer. Use the rulebook matching your actual box; any substantive correction to this reference will identify the affected product and the date of the change. Read our source and correction standards.
Share the relevant family
Link directly to CATAN, Wingspan, Azul, Scythe or Ticket to Ride to help a reader resolve a specific requirement.
Suggested citation: BoardGame Archive, “Board Game Expansion Compatibility Guide,” publisher sources checked September 12, 2026.
https://boardgamearchive.com/expansion-compatibility/
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