Labyrinth: The Awakening, 2010 – ?

After more than ten games overall, including three with the 2010+ card pool, I concluded that the base Labyrinth is better. Awakening is not merely “a little more Labyrinth”; it is different enough to give games a different feel.

My problem is the awakening tokens. They are very powerful and, when they appear alongside the right cards, they can push a game decisively toward one side. A small detail, naturally: the other player also has to have the right answers available.

If they do not, the balance flies out the window quickly. I am not talking about a simple opportunity or a clever advantage; I am talking about an element that can determine the direction of the game because someone drew the right card and the opponent could not respond.

So yes, the expansion has its own identity, but I would choose the base game. I prefer it when I want the game not to depend quite so easily on whether the awakening tokens and the cards decide to cooperate at someone’s expense.